Separation for Mars

The slow-motion footage shows the separation of the ExoMars landing platform from the backshell during a test. A backshell is the cone-shaped rear section of a spacecraft’s protective aeroshell, which shields it from extreme heat and pressure during atmospheric entry. 

Engineers are recreating the moment the lander breaks away from the backshell  to head towards the martian surface. Anactuator with springs physically releases the lander at the right time and altitude.  

It all happens when the landing platform is less than a kilometre in altitude from the ground, approaching it at 125 km per hour. At that moment, the parachutes are slowing down the module, which has already jettisoned its front shield and deployed its four legs. 

Only after checking the spacecraft’s altitude and speed, and the readiness of the braking engines, does the onboard computer trigger the separation.  

The test campaign at the Thales Alenia Space facilities in Turin, Italy, and used a full-scale model that replicates the structure and dimensions of the ExoMars landing platform and backshell.  

The successful campaign takes ESA’s ExoMars Rosalind Franklin rover mission one step closer to a safe touchdown on Mars launch in 2028.