ExoMars parachute extraction tests – Arescosmo

A series of clips from different angles and at different speeds showing parachute extraction tests for the ExoMars 2022 mission’s first main parachute using a NASA/JPL test rig powered by compressed air. 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.

In this video the first main parachute and bag provided by Arescosmo is featured. The tests took place in April 2021.

The ESA-Roscosmos ExoMars mission, with the Rosalind Franklin rover and Kazachok surface platform contained in a descent module, requires two main parachutes – each with its own pilot chute for extraction – to help slow it down as it plunges through the martian atmosphere. The 15 m-wide first stage main parachute will open while the descent module is still travelling at supersonic speeds, and the 35 m-wide second stage main parachute is deployed once at subsonic speeds.