A FUNDING boost for the European Space Agency has put its Mars rover on track for launch in 2016.
European ministers agreed on 26 November to give ESA €10 billion over the next three to five years, an increase of €1 billion on its previous allocation. As well as the ExoMars mission to look for signs of Martian life, the extra cash will help fund a new generation of meteorological and Earth monitoring satellites, and a heavy-lifting upgrade of the Ariane launcher. ESA is also considering adapting its supply ship for the International Space Station to carry astronauts.
The funding…
