Mixed success for ExoMars as Schiaparelli lander feared lost

Scientists at the European Space Agency (ESA) are still hopeful of establishing contact with Schiaparelli, which was due to test landing technology ahead of the rover component of the mission scheduled for 2020. Data from the descent has been transmitted back to Earth via the TGO, which ESA is now analysing.

Early indications are that the entry and descent stages occurred as expected, with issues emerging after the ejection of the back heat shield and parachute. ESA confirmed that thrusters were briefly activated, but says it seems likely that they switched off sooner than expected, at an altitude that is yet to be determined.

“In terms of the Schiaparelli test module, we have data coming back that allow us to fully understand the steps that did occur, and why the soft landing did not occur,” said David Parker, ESA’s Director of Human Spaceflight and Robotic Exploration.

“From the engineering standpoint, it’s what we want from a test, and we have extremely valuable data to work with. We will have an enquiry board to dig deeper into the data and we cannot speculate further at this time.”