ESA & ROSCOSMOS - ExoMars Mission patch.
Mar. 5, 2021
Currently, as part of the continuation of work on the Russian-European project ExoMars-2022, a number of key tests are being carried out to confirm the operability of the main elements of the mission. The ExoMars-2022 spacecraft in its entirety: the flight module, the landing module, the Kazachok landing platform and the Rosalind Franklin rover have successfully passed dynamic balancing tests.
Two types of tests were carried out: for a composite vehicle in its entirety and for a landing module with an adapter. Flight prototypes were used in all tests carried out in the finishing chamber at Thales Alenia Space (Cannes, France). During the tests, the composite vehicle and the landing module were rotated at a speed of up to 30 rpm, which corresponds to a centrifugal acceleration of 2g at the outer edge of the airfoil shield of the landing module.
During the flight to Mars, the spacecraft will rotate at a speed of approximately 2.75 rpm to stabilize it on the flight path. Dynamic balancing tests are needed to check that there is no imbalance that can lead to unstable motion of the vehicle in space, which entails too much fuel consumption to compensate for the imbalance. In addition, balance is important to maintain the antenna pointing to the ground and to be able to provide robust radio communications. After the drop of the landing module, approximately 30 minutes before entering the atmosphere of Mars, the initial rotation speed will be maintained until atmospheric effects take effect and the first parachute is deployed. A complete stop of rotation will occur at the moment of turning on the propulsion system of the landing platform near the surface of Mars.
In mid-March 2021, after the completion of field tests, ExoMars-2022 will return to the Thales Alenia Space campaign (Turin, Italy) for further functional tests. Also in preparation for the trip to Mars, the Rosalind Franklin test model in the finishing chamber (Rover Control Center in Turin) for the first time performed test work from the scientific program, including work with soil samples and close-up photography. Using a test model, the rover operators simulate the Rosalind Franklin rover's complex of actions during an interplanetary flight, landing on Mars, and also during the first days after landing.
Soon, the test mock will move to a site in the Mars Rover Control Center, simulating the terrain of Mars, for training motion commands and other functional tests. The Rosalind Franklin rover is installed on the Kazachok landing platform. NPO Lavochkina (part of the Roscosmos State Corporation) is the developer and manufacturer of the landing platform and the landing module for the ExoMars-2022 mission. The landing module provides a soft landing on the surface of Mars.
A new parachute system test strategy has been developed to ensure a launch into the launch window in 2022. It involves the manufacture of new parachutes by Airborne Systems, which helped NASA to carefully deliver the Perseverance rover to the surface of Mars in February 2021. Tests are scheduled for May-June 2021 in Sweden and February-March 2022 in the United States.
ExoMars spacecraft composite in dynamic balancing test
The ExoMars-2022 mission is the second stage of the largest joint project of the Roscosmos State Corporation and the European Space Agency (ESA) for the exploration of the surface and subsurface layer of Mars in the immediate vicinity of the landing site, conducting geological research and searching for traces of the possible existence of life on the planet. The launch of the mission is scheduled within the "astronomical window" in September-October 2022.
ROSCOSMOS Press Release: https://www.roscosmos.ru/30152/
ExoMars: https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Human_and_Robotic_Exploration/Exploration/ExoMars
Images, Text, Credits: ROSCOSMOS/ESA/Thales-Alenia/Orbiter.ch Aerospace/Roland Berga.
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