Gentle touch

Italian aerospace and defence safety systems specialist

has developed a UAV landing system it claims will better protect delicate onboard technology, such as optronics and sensor arrays.

The technology — combining a parachute and airbag shock attenuation system — is based on the design that will accompany the robotic rover due to be landed on Mars as part of ESA's ExoMars 2013 mission.

Weighing about 200kg, the rover will be released from an orbiter and dropped on to the surface of Mars using Aero Sekur's parachute and airbag landing system. It will be a key test for ESA to show its ability to land large payloads on the planet.

'We took the basic concept and the technology we were applying for space missions and applied it to Earth-based UAVs,' said Mark Butler, chief executive of Aero Sekur.

The system goes into action when a UAV finishes its mission or if an emergency occurs onboard. first, a parachute is deployed, which allows the craft to fall gently to Earth. It then uses an onboard laser altimeter to measure its distance from the ground. This is done by measuring the time that a pulse of light takes to leave the UAV, reflect off the ground and return to the UAV's collecting mirror.