Video: Double drop take a look at success for ExoMars parachutes

The largest parachute set to fly on Mars has accomplished its first profitable high-altitude drop take a look at, a important milestone for making certain the ExoMars mission is on observe for launch in 2022. Both the primary and second stage parachutes have now efficiently flown this yr.

A pair of high-altitude drop assessments came about in Oregon on 21 November and three December as a part of the continuing parachute testing to make sure the secure supply of the ExoMars Rosalind Franklin rover and Kazachok lander to the floor of Mars in June 2023. The 35 m huge subsonic parachute—the biggest ever to fly on Mars—was the main target of the newest marketing campaign. One parachute was manufactured by European firm Arescosmo, with the back-up supplied by US-based Airborne Systems.

“Both parachutes deployed and flew beautifully,” says Thierry Blancquaert, ESA Exomars program workforce chief. “We maximized the lessons learnt from all previous tests and with this double success following the impressive first stage parachute deployment earlier this year, we’re really on the road to launch. We have demonstrated we have two parachutes to fly to Mars.”

The workforce will proceed to test to confirm the robustness of the ultimate collection of parachutes, with extra excessive altitude drop take a look at alternatives potential in 2022 for each the primary and second stage parachute. It is anticipated to fly the primary stage parachute from Airborne Systems, and the second stage parachute by Arescosmo to Mars, pending the end result of the March 2022 take a look at marketing campaign.

The ESA-Roscosmos ExoMars mission is scheduled for launch in September 2022. After an almost nine-month interplanetary cruise, a descent module containing the rover and platform can be launched into the martian ambiance at a velocity of 21 000 km per hour. Slowing down requires a thermal defend, two primary parachutes—every with its personal pilot chute for extraction—and a retro rocket propulsion system triggered 30 seconds earlier than landing. The 15 m-wide first stage primary parachute opens whereas the descent module continues to be touring at supersonic speeds, and the 35 m-wide second stage primary parachute is deployed at subsonic speeds.

Adjusting and testing the ExoMars parachutes has been a precedence following a sequence of unsuccessful drop assessments in 2019 and 2020. The first excessive altitude success came about in June 2021 with the flawless deployment of the primary primary parachute supplied by Airborne Systems.

In that set of assessments, the 35 m-wide second stage parachute supplied by Arescosmo skilled one minor harm, doubtless because of an surprising detachment of the pilot chute throughout closing inflation, but it surely nonetheless decelerated the drop take a look at automobile as anticipated. In the intervening months the pilot chute attachment was modified, and Kevlar reinforcements have been changed with nylon on two rings within the parachute cover to higher match the identical power and elasticity of the parachute cloth, to be able to scale back the danger of tearing.

Adjustments to the parachute system are first examined on the dynamic extraction take a look at rig at NASA/JPL to examine how the discharge of the parachute from the bag happens, as it might occur within the martian ambiance. These assessments will be repeated on a fast turnaround and scale back the danger of anomalies.

High-altitude drop assessments require advanced logistics and strict climate situations, making them troublesome to schedule, and are sometimes aborted on the final second if the state of affairs modifications. The wind velocity and course at varied altitudes needs to be thought-about for a clean ascent of the balloon and the on-ground restoration of the {hardware} provided that the drop zone can solely be accessed by way of helicopter, and should not fall over populated areas. There should even be no rain, clouds or fog, and the humidity should be such that condensation doesn’t accumulate on the large envelope of the 335 000 m³ balloon as this is able to trigger a big amount of water to fall on the drop take a look at automobile and its electronics.

Once these necessities have been met and the inexperienced gentle given to inflate and launch the helium-filled stratospheric balloon, the drop take a look at automobile is lofted to an altitude of 29 km. Following launch from the balloon, the pilot chute deployment is initiated, which in flip pulls the primary parachute from its doughnut bag.

“Everyone working on this campaign—both on site and off—had to wait a long time in this launch window for the right weather conditions, but we are delighted with the outcome,” says Thierry. “After recovering the parachutes we observed only a handful of very tiny and insignificant 1-2 cm sized tears and friction searing on the two parachute canopies. We can certainly fly as-is without any concern, but adjustments are still possible, and we will carefully scrutinize the results of the next tests early next year.”

The parachutes are only one component of this advanced mission, which, after launch, will see a provider module transport the rover and floor platform to Mars inside a descent module. Significant progress has been made throughout many areas of the mission within the final months, because the purposeful testing phase attracts to a detailed and a spotlight shifts to the launch marketing campaign in Baikonur.

“Thanks to the incredible efforts of all our partners, we are wrapping up loose ends in this highly complex mission to ensure we have a robust mission to fly to Mars,” provides Thierry. “In parallel, launch campaign preparations are proceeding at full steam and we’re looking forward to ship the spacecraft modules and ground support equipment to Baikonur in late March and early April. An exciting year is to come.”