Fiscal constraints have primarily caused this delay. Both nations have now scheduled their respective launches for 2020, instead of 2018.

Although the first part of Russian and European ExoMars missions have gone as per schedule, the follow up second part is now seeing some delay.

Now both nations have announced that they will be launching their respective Mars rover in 2020 instead of 2018, as earlier planned. The Martian rovers of both countries will have the capability of drilling upto 6.5 feet (2 metres) below the surface.

As per the BBC, Roscosmos’ engineers have had a hard time designing the rover’s landing mechanism. Engineers at Europe’s Space Agency too are finding the going tough, as they need to fit a host of components and instruments which will be required for ExoMars’ second phase.

According to the European Space Agency (ESA), they have assessed the situation and have “concluded that, taking into account the delays in European and Russian industrial activities and deliveries of the scientific payload, a launch in 2020 would be the best solution.”

Budgetary allocation for the ExoMars project has been a nagging concern from the very start. As the BBC notes, such were the budgetary concerns that the ESA had even teamed up with NASA to share its fiscal burdens. However, like any relationship which are forged just for satisfying temporary needs, ESA’s relationship with NASA ended when both realized their individual priorities.