Artist impression of Schiaparelli, the ExoMars entry, descent and landing demonstrator module.
Schiaparelli will provide Europe with the technology for landing on the surface of Mars with a controlled landing orientation and touchdown velocity.
The module is approximately 1.65 m in diameter (2.4 m with heat shield) and 1.8 m high.
The design of Schiaparelli maximises the use of technologies already in development within the ExoMars programme. These include: special material for thermal protection, a parachute system, a radar Doppler altimeter system (the four antennas of the radar can be seen in the centre of this image), and a final braking system (three clusters of three thrusters) controlled by liquid propulsion.
The Doppler radar is used to measure the altitude and to compute the horizontal velocity over the terrain —both of these inputs are necessary to command the use of the thrusters.
Further details of the entry, descent and landing sequence can be found here.