A new project intended to search for signs of life on Mars was just approved for funding by the EU. The initiative involves sending the Mars Rover for yet another seeking mission as well as ensuring that the union can still maintain access to the International Space Station (ISS). The 22 countries that are part of the EU were asked for donations for the project.

The mission to find life on Mars or even to simply reach Mars has been an international endeavor that spanned generations, ethnicities, and political ideologies. With regard to the EU, in particular, the matter of sending a rover to Mars and remaining part of the ISS has been a source of worry among leaders. As expected, passing the funding through proved challenging from the outset, Phys.org reports.

Fortunately, with the funding having been approved by all countries involved, the Mars project can finally move forward a little more smoothly. On that note, some troubles are still looming over the horizon, with a Trump presidency being one of the most concerning.

With the U.S. president-elect having expressed negativity pertaining NASA in the past, officials at the European Space Agency (ESA) are anxiously looking at the situation closely. Depending on the direction that the incoming administration would take, the EU might not even be able to count on the support of the U.S. for the Mars rover project.

The current budget of the project is significantly larger than originally proposed as well, the BBC reports, which previously sparked concerns that it might be abandoned altogether. For now, it would seem that plans are underway to have European astronauts be given the opportunity to visit the ISS in the years to come.

As for the Mars rover project, the EU is actually collaborating with Russia to pull it off. Called the ExoMars program, its primary objective is to find any signs of life on the red planet.