Russia may work with ESA on further space missions

MOSCOW, Jan. 18 (UPI) -- The European Space Agency wants to work with Russia on more joint space-probe missions to the moon, the agency's head said.

ESA General Director Jean-Jacques Dordain said Friday further cooperation between his agency and Russia may follow their venture to jointly develop the ExoMars mission to search for signs of life on Mars, RIA Novosti reported.

The ExoMars mission involves sending three probes to Mars in two launches in Russian Proton-M rockets.

The launches are scheduled for 2016 and 2018.

Dordain said Russia has interest in a cooperative mission to explore Jupiter and its moon Ganymede. That mission would take place in about 2030.