The Mission Control Center has established contact with the ExoMars-2016 Russian-European research spacecraft, a representative of the Center told Interfax-AVN on .

"Signal from the ExoMars-2016 interplanetary research spacecraft has been received," he said.

A Proton-M launch vehicle coupled with ExoMars and a Briz-M booster unit blasted off from Baikonur on March 14. ExoMars separated from the Briz-M booster unit at 11:13 p.m. Moscow time.

The ExoMars-2016 spacecraft will reach Mars in seven months.