A joint mission by Europe and Russia to land a rover on Mars has been officially suspended because of the Ukraine invasion, the European Space Agency (ESA) announced, following a vote by ESA member states.

Axar.az reports citing foreign media that the decision also represents a big setback to Europe’s space program, which will have to figure out the best way forward.

The ExoMars mission was supposed to use a Russian launcher in September to send a European rover to look for signs of life on Mars. However, the ESA said the war in Ukraine and sanctions against Russia had forced it to stop cooperation and look for an alternative way to launch the rover and four other missions using the Russian rocket.

“The decision was made that this launch cannot happen, given the current circumstances and especially the sanctions that are imposed by our member states,” director general Josef Aschbacher said in a statement. “This makes it practically impossible, but also politically impossible to have a launch in September.”