It is one step closer to landing on Mars after a successful circuit test on a new parachute system.
The two-phase canopy will help Rosalind Franklin’s rover slow down to 1,000 mph, which is aimed at the red planet.
It is a joint European-Russian project and was built by Airbus on the Rover Stevenage. It is scheduled to launch in 2022.
This rover was loaded into the Airbus inside the Hertfordshire Stevenage
This work will attempt to find evidence of life in one of the Earth’s nearest neighbors – past or present.
The parachute test has been delayed since March due to corona virus infection, wildfires and other factors, making it the first full-scale high-altitude test.
This follows two trials that failed last year.
The module – formerly known as the Exomars Rover – enters its six-minute landing line as it approaches its destination.
Pulling from the atmosphere will slow down from 13,000mph to 1,000mph.
The first parachute will then stop, and then the second one 20 seconds later.
When it is 0.6 miles from the surface, a machine will start the descent more slowly to allow safe touch.
Rover is a European-Russian project
Sue Horn, head of the space agency at the UK space agency, said: “For all recorded history, Mars has been an object of our passion and speculation, but we know that missions to the red planet are not an easy ride.
“A total of 20 studies from countries and agencies around the world have all played their part in the crash on the way to the Red Planet.
“They were paralyzed on take-off, paralyzed on landing, out of power.
“Parachute tests are very important in helping us get the technology right, and Rosalind Franklin Rover is making sure to bring the best, most reliable tools in its voyage.”
Due to the thin nature of the Martian atmosphere, the parachute test occurs only above Earth.
In a recent test on November 9, a vehicle fell 18 miles over Oregon, USA. It was lifted using an atmospheric balloon.
As the capsule landed safely and the parachutes were recovered, the test went as expected.
The canopies were slightly damaged when they opened.
Program team chairman Franயிois Spoto said: “Landing on Mars is very difficult and there is no room for error.
“The latest test is a good step, but the exact result we are looking for is not yet available.
“Therefore, we will use the detailed test data we have acquired to refine our approach, plan further trials and move on to the path we will start in September 2022.”
