By 
December 15th, 2021
Credit: ESA
A pair of high-altitude drop tests took place in Oregon on November 21 and December 3 as part of the ongoing parachute testing to ensure the safe delivery of Europe’s ExoMars Rosalind Franklin rover via the Russian Kazachok lander to the surface of Mars in 2023.
This milestone meant that the largest parachute set to fly on Mars has completed its first successful high-altitude drop test. Both the first and second stage parachutes have now successfully flown this year.
The 115-feet wide (35-meters) subsonic parachute – the largest ever to deploy over Mars – was the focus of the latest campaign. One parachute was manufactured by a European company, Arescosmo, with the back-up provided by U.S.-based Airborne Systems.
Moment of separation
Onboard video footage from the drop tests caught the moment of separation from the stratospheric balloon, the release of the pilot chute, and the extraction of the main parachute.
The footage is shown at various speeds, capturing in slow motion the inflation of the subsonic parachute.
ExoMars 2022 is set for departure on September 20, 2022 (12 day launch window) and landing on the planet on June 10, 2023.
Go to video at: https://youtu.be/6IlPBx_LqUE
Posted in Space News
