ESA Admits Unsuccessful Parachute Test For ExoMars-2020 Mission

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 12th August, 2019) The European Space Agency (ESA) confirmed on Monday that a parachute test, held on August 5 as part of preparations for the ExoMars-2020 mission, was unsuccessful.

On Friday, a source told Sputnik that the test failed as a structural mockup of the Russian-built lander crashed during the simulated landing at a Swedish Space Corporation's test site.

"Preliminary assessment shows that the initial steps were completed correctly, however damages to the canopy were observed prior to inflation, similar to the previous test. As a result, the test module descended under the drag of the pilot chute alone," the ESA said on a statement.

The agency is considering an opportunity to create additional parachute test models as part of preparations for the mission.

"In parallel, the teams are investigating the possibility to manufacture additional parachute test models and conducting ground-based simulations to mimic the dynamic nature of parachute extraction, since there are not many opportunities for full-scale high-altitude drop tests," the statement said.

The launch of ExoMars mission is planned for July 25, 2020 with expected landing on the Red Planet in March 2021.