ExoMars Parachute System Dynamic Extraction Test Summary for Airborne Systems’ Parachutes

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This document summarizes the results of the Dynamic Extraction Tests (DET) that were completed with ExoMars MP1 and MP2 parachutes built by Airborne Systems. The purpose of the test was to verify that a clean, orderly, and damage-free deployment from the deployment bag could be achieved at flight-like velocities. The DET utilizes a horizontal variant of the high velocity test bed developed for the Low Density Supersonic Decelerator (LDSD) program. The tests were completed at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, CA. Test definition and planning was provided by Vorticity Ltd, with design and test support provided by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL/Cal-Tech). The ExoMars Rosalind Franklin Rover and Kazachok Surface Platform, a joint collaboration between ESA and Roscosmos respectively, were planned to land on Mars June 10th, 2023. Conflict between Russia and Ukraine has led to the indefinite delay of this mission. The parachute system architecture for this system, jointly developed by Vorticity Ltd and Thales Alenia Space, consists of four parachutes in total. The first main parachute (MP1) is a 15m Do disk-gap-band type, is deployed by a mortar deployed disk gap band pilot parachute. The second main parachute (MP2) is a 35m Do ring slot type, deployed by a second mortar deployed disk-gap-band pilot parachute. The MP1 parachute will be supplied by Airborne Systems for flight, the remaining three parachutes will be supplied by a European vendor.