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Russian scientists intend to repeat Phobos-Grunt mission to Mars

Russia and the European Space Agency in the framework of its "ExoMars" project are planning a joint expedition to Mars in 2016

Photo EPA/ITAR-TASS

Photo EPA/ITAR-TASS

MOSCOW, October 4 (Itar-Tass) — Russian scientists are planning to repeat the Phobos-Grunt mission after a thorough analysis of the mistakes made during the previous mission, Director of the Russian Institute of Space Research Leo Zelyony told journalists on Thursday on the occasion of Day of Space Science held at Institute.

The Phobos-Grunt mission will be repeated because it has no foreign analogues, he said. Before launching a new space apparatus to the Red planet we should analyze the mistakes made during the previous mission. For that purpose it is necessary to practice the methodic of landing, he said. Russian experts will have a chance to do that in 2015 and 2018 during space missions to the Moon, Zelyony said. We should learn to make the right landing and learn to fly to reach Mars, he said.

Russia and the European Space Agency in the framework of its "ExoMars" project are planning a joint expedition to Mars in 2016. During this project Russian scientists will test space technologies.

"We are planning to repeat the Phobos-Grunt mission in 2020-2021," the director of the Space Research Institute said.

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