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The ExoMars rover is one step closer to landing on the red planet after successful parachute tests that will take it down to the Martian surface.
The two parachutes that will safely deliver the UK’s first Mars rover to our neighbor planet have completed a first full-scale high-altitude drop test, following two failed tests last year.
Once the Rosalind Franklin ExoMars rover reaches Mars, a six-minute sequence will see a descent module deploy two parachutes to quickly slow it down before it lands on the Martian surface.
Atmospheric drag will slow the module from approximately 21,000 km / h (13,048 mph) to 1,700 km / h (1,056 mph), at which point the first parachute will be deployed.
About 20 seconds later, at about 400 km / h (248 mph), the second parachute will open.
When the module is within one kilometer of the ground, the brake motors engage and transport it safely to the surface of the planet.
The complete parachute descent system needs testing and verification on Earth.
This can only be done through high-altitude drop tests that replicate low atmospheric pressure conditions on Mars.
The test had been delayed since March due to the coronavirus pandemic, wind and forest fires.
But it happened in Oregon, United States, on November 9, with a drop test vehicle lifted to a height of 29 km (18 mi) in a stratospheric balloon.
The tests went as the mission scientists expected, with the test vehicle landing safely and the parachutes recovered.
There was minor damage to the glider on the two parachutes, which occurred at the start of inflation.
Rosalind Franklin – a joint mission between Europe and Russia – is expected to launch in 2022 and the mission will attempt to detect life, past or present, on Mars.
The completion of the parachute test marks a key milestone for the rover, which was built in Stevenage by Airbus, and the team will now analyze the test data to determine further improvements for upcoming tests.
ExoMars team leader Francois Spoto said: “Landing on Mars is extremely difficult, with no possibility of error.
“The last test was a good step forward but it is not yet the perfect result we are looking for.
“Therefore, we will use the extensive test data we have acquired to refine our approach, plan further tests and stay on track for our launch in September 2022.”
The British company Vorticity Ltd is a technical consultant for the parachute system and is responsible for the high-altitude drop tests of the parachutes.
He designed and manufactured the parachute test vehicles and then performed the test together with their US subcontractor, Near Space Corporation.
John Underwood, principal engineer of Vorticity, said, “This is an extremely demanding program involving the development of the largest parachute ever sent to Mars.
“Huge improvements have been made to the system since testing last year and we are confident that the latest issues will be resolved before the mission launches in 2022.”
Sue Horne, head of space exploration at the British Space Agency, said: “Mars has been the subject of our fascination and speculation throughout recorded history, but we know that missions to the red planet are not easy.
“A total of 20 probes, from countries and agencies around the world, have had their share of accidents on the journey to the red planet.
“They crashed on take off, they crashed on landing, they lost power.
“Parachute tests are critical to help us get the technology exactly right and make sure the Rosalind Franklin rover makes its journey with the best and most reliable equipment possible.”
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