THE HAGUE, Netherlands - Defying the global economic crisis, European ministers are pledging US$12.8 billion to an ambitious list of 30 space missions, including one to put a robotic rover on Mars.
European Space Agency director general Jean-Jacques Dordain said Wednesday the agency's 18 members had agreed to support the projects.
They include creating a satellite network to monitor climate change, updating the Ariane 5 rocket that blasts satellites into space, and conducting a range of experiments on the International Space Station.
The Mars mission scheduled to blast off in 2016 will cost the agency US$1.28 billion, but financing is falling short.
The ministers decided Wednesday that governments have until the end of next year to make up the shortfall.
