Europe Mars shot looks to upgrade

Europe's rover mission to Mars faces a key review to decide if the landing vehicle will be accompanied to the Red Planet by an orbiting spacecraft.

Some on the ExoMars mission want its carrier module, which will ferry the rover to Mars, turned into an orbiter. Upgrading the carrier to an orbiter would cut the mission's reliance on an American spacecraft for communications.

European Space Agency (Esa) officials are expected to decide on the matter in late 2006/early 2007. The mission is currently due to launch on a Russian Soyuz craft in 2011.

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