More parachute problems for ExoMars 2020?
Space is hard: Eric Berger at Ars Technica reported yesterday that the parachute issues for Europe’s ExoMars 2020 mission are far more serious that publicly announced.
The project has had two parachute failures during test flights in May and then August. However,
The problems with the parachutes may be worse than has publicly been reported, however. Ars has learned of at least one other parachute failure during testing of the ExoMars lander. Moreover, the agency has yet to conduct even a single successful test of the parachute canopy that is supposed to deploy at supersonic speeds, higher in the Martian atmosphere.
Repeated efforts to get comments from the project about this issue have gone unanswered.
Their launch window opens in July 2020, only about ten months from now. This is very little time to redesign and test a parachute design. Furthermore, they will only begin the assembly of the spacecraft at the end of this year, which is very very late in the game.
When the August test failure was confirmed, I predicted that there is a 50-50 chance they will launch in 2020. The lack of response from the project above makes me now think that their chances have further dropped, to less than 25%.
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Space is hard: Eric Berger at Ars Technica reported yesterday that the parachute issues for Europe’s ExoMars 2020 mission are far more serious that publicly announced.
The project has had two parachute failures during test flights in May and then August. However,
The problems with the parachutes may be worse than has publicly been reported, however. Ars has learned of at least one other parachute failure during testing of the ExoMars lander. Moreover, the agency has yet to conduct even a single successful test of the parachute canopy that is supposed to deploy at supersonic speeds, higher in the Martian atmosphere.
Repeated efforts to get comments from the project about this issue have gone unanswered.
Their launch window opens in July 2020, only about ten months from now. This is very little time to redesign and test a parachute design. Furthermore, they will only begin the assembly of the spacecraft at the end of this year, which is very very late in the game.
When the August test failure was confirmed, I predicted that there is a 50-50 chance they will launch in 2020. The lack of response from the project above makes me now think that their chances have further dropped, to less than 25%.
Please consider donating to Behind the Black, by giving either a one-time contribution or a regular subscription, as outlined in the tip jar below. Your support will allow me to continue covering science and culture as I have for the past twenty years, independent and free from any outside influence.
Regular readers can support Behind The Black with a contribution via paypal:
If Paypal doesn't work for you, you can support Behind The Black directly by sending your donation by check, payable to Robert Zimmerman, to
Behind The Black
c/o Robert Zimmerman
P.O.Box 1262
Cortaro, AZ 85652
Sadly, I think we are at the point, as one engineer observed to me yesterday, that we should be surprised if ExoMars is NOT delayed until the 2022 launch window.
It is frustrating, given the great science potential of this mission. But given how difficult it would be to replace this hardware, it’s better to be safe than sorry – especially given the lack of a successful track record by either ESA or Roscosmos in landing probes on the Martian surface. Make sure you’ve really, really got the parachute problem licked, and then try it. A two year delay beats the creation of another expensive impact crater on Mars.
Why on earth don’t they consult with NASA for help? We have landed a string of about 6 or 8 missions successfully, and while I’m sure there are differences in the flight profile, weight, trajectory, or whatever that make Copy Exact an unlikely possibility, surely they could modify a known good design more easily than trying to invent their own. Alas, pride will likely override logic and the mission will push to 2022 as you project. Sad.
MDN asked: “Why on earth don’t they consult with NASA for help?”
NASA may not be as much help as it may seem. The lander is about twice the mass as NASA’s Curiosity and Mars 2020 rovers, so NASA’s parachute designs and experiences may not be sufficient to provide much assistance for ExoMars 2020. NASA’s previous landers were even lighter.
We have only a little experience with parachutes that open in atmospheric conditions that resemble the stratosphere, and these are the conditions that are encountered on Mars. ESA is exploring new territory with these parachutes. We have long understood that we would have different landing systems for heavier and heavier Mars landers. The challenges only increase with increased weight.