Kazachok
The ExoMars Kazachok (Russian: Казачок; formerly ExoMars 2020 Surface Platform) was a planned robotic Mars lander led by Roscosmos, part of the ExoMars 2022 joint mission with the European Space Agency. Kazachok translates as "Little Cossack", and is also the name of an East Slavic folk dance.
| Names | ExoMars 2020 Surface Platform |
|---|---|
| Mission type | Mars lander and rover |
| Operator | Roscosmos and ESA |
| Website | exploration |
| Mission duration | Planned: 2 Earth years |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Manufacturer | Lavochkin |
| Launch mass | Lander: 827.9 kg (1,825 lb) Rover: 310 kg (680 lb) |
| Payload mass | Lander: 45 kg (99 lb) |
| Power | Solar panels |
| Mars lander | |
| Landing site | Oxia Planum |
ExoMars programme | |
The plan calls for a Russian Proton-M rocket to launch the Russian-built lander that will deliver the Rosalind Franklin rover to the surface of Mars. Once safely landed, Kazachok will deploy the rover and will start a one Earth-year mission to investigate the surface environment at the landing site.
The spacecraft was scheduled to launch in 2020 and land on Mars in mid 2021, but due to the failure of the entry parachutes to pass testing, the launch was moved to a twelve-day launch window starting on 20 September 2022.
In March 2022, amidst the backdrop of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the European Space Agency voted to suspend their cooperation with Russia on the ExoMars mission, placing the future of the Kazachok lander in jeopardy. ESA would later terminate their cooperation with Russia on the project.