Thirteen years after the first unsuccessful attempt to send its spacecraft to Mars, the European Space Agency (ESA) is approaching another critical milestone in its work, this time with the support of Roscosmos. The Schiaparelli lander will begin its journey across the Red Planet as a rover in the very near future.
The ESA Mission Control Center will take over the control of the ExoMars unmanned complex (TGO) at a distance of about 175 million kilometers from Earth. It is planned that the rover the size of a standard ship's boat will be lowered onto the cold and dry surface of Mars.
“Our main goal is to prove that we can get to the surface of Mars, carry out scientific activities on it and receive data,” said ESA Science Advisor Mark McCowrean.
The 600 kg lander will separate from its space carrier (TGO) after seven months and 496 million kilometers. TGO will remain in Mars orbit with the aim of studying in detail its atmosphere and searching for gas and signs of organic compounds on the surface.
Sources: Phys
