The spacecraft took off on March 14 from the Baikonur cosmodrome, located in Kazakhstan but managed by Russia, which is participating in the project through its space agency. One of its objectives is to analyze the Martian atmosphere in search of gases of possible biological origin , such as methane. This task will correspond to one of the two engines of the mission: the Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO).
The other is the Schiaparelli lander, named after the 19th century Italian astronomer Giovanni Schiaparelli, a great observer of Mars. His job will be to study the areas where the rover that the European Space Agency (ESA) will launch in 2018 in the second part of this mission could land, in addition to testing the technologies devised so that this future vehicle can pose without problems.
Spanish high-altitude technology
The ExoMars program has a cost of 1,300 million euros, of which the Spanish space industry contributes 7% . In addition, seven companies in our country or with subsidiaries in it have contributed various key elements of the vehicle.
Thus, the heat shield of the Schiaparelli lander has been created by Airbus DS at its facilities in Barajas (Madrid). This component will protect the vehicle as it enters the Martian atmosphere. Another fundamental point is to ensure a safe landing: the GMV firm has worked on the software responsible for controlling the entry into the red planet and deploying the parachutes and the deformable structure that will absorb the impact with the ground.
Crisa, an Airbus company based in Tres Cantos (Madrid), has been in charge of the Data Storage and Processing Unit that will allow the transmission and storage of project information . Many of the mechanisms and structures of the landing module have been the responsibility of the Spanish company SENER, and Thales Alenia Space Spain has participated in the creation of the TGO communications system.
For its part, Elecnor Deimos leads the design and analysis of the end-to-end mission; that is, the optimal definition of the trajectory of the vehicles from launch to arrival and landing. Finally, Rymsa Espacio, based in Arganda del Rey (Madrid), has provided three antennas for communication between the ship and Earth and the one between the two components of the mission.
If all goes well, ExoMars will complete its journey next October and begin collecting essential data for the exploration of the red planet.
Image: ESA – B. Bethge
