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 鈧�10 billion over the next three to five years, an increase of 鈧�1 billion on its previous allocation. As well as the 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 should also help boost the high-tech economy in Europe in the face of a global recession. 鈥淚n a period of economic crisis, this is the time to invest in the future,鈥� says ESA鈥檚 director general Jean-Jacques Dordain.
Advertisement
