The Exomars spacecraft was succesfully launched on march 14th at 09.30 GMT.
The ExoMars 2016 mission launched on a four-stage Proton-M/Breeze-M rocket, provided by Roscosmos, from Baikonur during the 14–25 March 2016 window. About ten-and-a-half hours after launch, the spacecraft will separate from the rocket and deploy its solar wings.
After separation, command and control of the spacecraft will be done by ESA’s mission control teams at ESOC, supported by experts from flight dynamics, ground stations and software systems.
In the first six weeks following launch the spacecraft will be commissioned, when all the systems and instruments are checked out and verified. Then it enters the cruise phase. At the end of July the Trace Gas Orbiter carries out one of the most critical activities during its cruise to Mars: a very large engine burn that changes its direction and speed to intersect the Red Planet on 19 October.
Critical arrival activities begin on 16 October. Prior to dispatching Schiaparelli, TGO will perform a slew, rotating about its axes to a specific orientation in space. About 12 hours after Schiaparelli has separated, TGO will fire its engine to raise its trajectory to several hundred kilometres above the planet. Otherwise, like Schiaparelli, it would also enter the atmosphere.
Thus Schiaparelli will enter the atmosphere and land on Mars on 19 October, while TGO enters orbit around the Red Planet.
The ExoMars programme is a joint endeavour between ESA and the Russian space agency, Roscosmos.
The primary goal of the ExoMars programme is to address the question of whether life has ever existed on Mars. This relates to its name, with the ‘exo’ referring to the study of exobiology – the possible existence of life beyond Earth (sometimes also referred to as astrobiology).
The programme comprises two missions. The first will be launched in March 2016 and consists of the Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO) and Schiaparelli, an entry, descent and landing demonstrator module. The second is planned for launch in 2018 and comprises a rover and surface science platform.
TGO’s main objectives are to search for evidence of methane and other trace atmospheric gases that could be signatures of active biological or geological processes. Schiaparelli will test key technologies in preparation for ESA's contribution to subsequent missions to Mars.
The 2018 rover that will carry a drill and a suite of instruments dedicated to exobiology and geochemistry research. The 2016 TGO will act as a relay for the 2018 mission.
