Close-up of a test parachute following extraction from its bag during testing using a NASA/JPL test rig powered by compressed air. The parachute is the first main parachute, which measures 15 m in diameter and has a disc-gap-band design. No damage to the parachute system or the bag was observed during this test.
The lid of the parachute assembly is pulled along a suspended cable at high speed while the end of the assembly is fixed to a wall. When the release mechanism is activated, the parachute bag is pulled away from the parachute at the target speed, mimicking the extraction as it will be on Mars. At the highest speeds, the tests enable the extraction to take place at more than 200 km/h.
The parachute system is critical for the safe landing of the ESA/Roscosmos ExoMars 2020 mission on the surface of Mars in March 2021.