ExoMars rover Rosalind Franklin is expected to land on Mars in 2023.
ESA / ATG medialab
A “new parachute strategy” is in place to allow rover Rosalind Franklin to leave for Mars in 2022, according to a mission update.
The European Space Agency and partner Roscosmos made the hard call almost just a year ago to delay the mission, the latest in the ExoMars series, from its 2020 launch. Missing the launch window they missed the chance to reach Mars with a NASA rover in February, but it was a necessary decision.
What troubled mission managers did in March last year was a series of paramedic problems, exacerbated by the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic that tested even harder than usual.
But everyone has been diligent (with a safety warning) in the months since. ESA recently completed two balancing tests in Cannes, France, including a composite spacecraft spinning test generating an acceleration equal to twice the Earth’s gravity. They did a rover-like job in Turin, Italy. And on the parachute side, there has been a lot of progress, the group said in the update.
This is what Rosalind Franklin ‘s parachute practice is supposed to do on Mars in 2022.
ESA
ESA has asked a second manufacturer to provide canopies for a new high fall test in May or June this year in Sweden, to make sure everything is working properly. The new manufacturer is Airborne Systems, the only company that helped bring Stability to Mars on February 18, and will help parachute maker Arescosmo.
Parachute damage problems persist during testing, recurring in November 2020 – but ESA said the problem is not as severe as the tests in 2019, indicating progress. There is now a plan to use even “stronger and stronger” parachute canopies next time, along with redesigned bags and a new packaging method that should be discarded when in use.
With only one chance to land safely on Mars, ESA is planning yet another high test in Oregon sometime between September and November. A final, optional exam opportunity is scheduled for February or March in Oregon, if required. Between these fall tests, ESA will use a ground facility to test for any changes in parachute design.
The group has been extremely careful as they have not yet made it to the surface of Mars safely; Schiaparelli ‘s test vehicle may have exploded in 2016, and the Beagle 2 mission failed to call home after the 2003 attempt.
“Tests have to fall at the high altitudes of complex logistics and severe weather, making them difficult to schedule,” ESA explained. “The ground tests can be repeated quickly, buying up a lot more time in the test drive and reducing risk by allowing more tests to be done in a short time. ”
Rosalind Franklin will be a vital addition to Mars’ efforts, helping with ongoing searches for signs of life on the Red Planet. NASA and the European Space Agency are also planning a sample return mission as early as this decade, to get interesting rocks from Mars to become high-tech laboratories on Earth. But the intention to return that sample will depend on funding, technical knowledge and political will; Rosalind Franklin seems to be a crucial piece in proving that the next mission can go ahead.