ExoMars parachute deployed during high-altitude drop tests

After several weeks of bad weather and strong winds, the latest pair of high-altitude drop tests of the ExoMars parachutes took place in Kiruna, Sweden.  

Each high altitude drop test saw a dummy descent module lofted to an altitude of 29 km by a stratospheric balloon inflated with helium. Following release, the pilot chute extraction initiates with a controlled extraction of the main parachute from the doughnut bag. 

The first test focused on validating the Airborne Systems backup supersonic parachute – the first drop test for this parachute in this ExoMars test campaign.

These tests took place after several weeks of bad weather in Kiruna, and follow the high-altitude drop tests in 2019, during which critical damage to both parachute canopies was observed. 

The ESA-Roscosmos ExoMars mission, with the Rosalind Franklin rover and Kazachok surface platform, is scheduled for launch in September 2022. After a nine-month interplanetary cruise, a descent module containing the rover and platform will be released into the martian atmosphere at a speed of 21 000 km per hour. 

Slowing down requires a thermal shield, two main parachutes – each with its own pilot chute for extraction – and a retro rocket propulsion system triggered 20 seconds before touchdown. The 15m-wide first stage main parachute opens while the descent module is still travelling at supersonic speeds, and the 35 m-wide second stage main parachute is deployed at subsonic speeds.