The European Space Agency’s (ESA) ExoMars mission has successfully tested its complex parachute system, designed to slow down a landing platform on Mars. The high-altitude drop test, conducted at the Esrange Space Center in northern Sweden, confirmed the parachutes’ performance and readiness for the Martian deployment.
To match the density and speed of Mars’ atmosphere, the balloon had to fly as high as 29 km (3 times the altitude where commercial aircraft cruise). The dummy capsule then experienced free-fall before deploying two large parachutes. The system was designed to reduce the descent module’s speed from 21,000 km/h to a soft landing on the Martian surface.
The parachute system consists of three stages: a medium-sized parachute and a larger, lightweight parachute. The latter is the largest ever designed for Mars or the Solar System, with over 800 square meters of fabric and four kilometers of cord. The test confirmed that the parachutes can decelerate the probe through supersonic speeds.
The ESA’s ExoMars mission aims to explore Martian surface with the Rosalind Franklin rover. The parachute system has been designed in Europe, with components from several countries, including the Netherlands, Italy, Czechia, and France.
Source: https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Human_and_Robotic_Exploration/Exploration/ExoMars/ExoMars_parachutes_ready_for_martian_deployment