PARIS: A European lander is to separate from its mothership today for a million-kilometre descent to Mars, testing vital technology ahead of a mission to explore the Red Planet for signs of life.
The high-stakes operation comes nearly 13 years after European ambitions were dealt a blow when its first scout to Mars disappeared on landing.
A 600-kilogramme, paddling pool-sized lander called Schiaparelli is to separate from an unmanned craft called the Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO) after a seven-month, 496-million- kilometre trek from Earth.
Separation is scheduled for 1442 GMT (2012 IST), with the landing due to take place on Wednesday, according to the ESA website.
The operation is a testbed for the second chapter of the so-called ExoMars mission, a joint exploration with Russia.
The second part will begin in 2020 with the launch of a rover designed to move around and drill into Mars in search of extra-terrestrial life — past or present.
Today’s separation manoeuvres will be followed closely by mission controllers in Darmstadt, Germany, 175 million kilometres away.
Mars has been a graveyard of space dreams.
Sending an unmanned mobile explorer is especially tricky.
Rovers have to arrive intact after a long trip across space, followed by a descent through Mars’ thin, carbon dioxide atmosphere.
The descent itself is an acrobatic feat, requiring protection from atmospheric friction, extreme braking just above the surface and then a soft touchdown in terrain where any jagged rocks and craters could spell doom.
So far, only the United States has successfully operated rovers on the planet. (AGENCIES)
Follow our WhatsApp channel
