The voyage of the ExoMars 2016 interplanetary spacecraft towards the Red Planet is coming to an end. In just two days, on October 16, 2016 the two modules comprising the spacecraft, the Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO) and the Entry, descent and landing Demonstrator Module (EDM), dubbed Schiaparelli, will separate. They only have another 664 000 kilometers to go before separation. And only five more days until the eagerly awaited landing of Schiaparelli on Mars!

TGO/EDM separation: with a little help from our friend, the Sun

On September 26^th, several days before the separation, Schiaparelli was warmed up by orienting it towards the Sun. With this thermal boost, Schiaparelli will store up as much energy as possible ahead of the separation. It will be activated on October 16, and all systems checked one last time. From the ESOC control center, Thales Alenia Space Italy’s experts are checking the last set of time-tagged commands. They will be uploaded from Ground to the TGO, then stored in the Schiaparelli module flight computer so that it can operate autonomously during the final three days of its mission.

The orbiter will eject the Schiaparelli lander on October 16 at 14:42 UTC. This is a decisive step in the 2016 mission, and will be executed by time-tagged commands that were already uploaded. Previously, the TGO orbiter will have performed a maneuver so that its low-gain antenna will always be facing the Earth. The lander will then start its three-day descent towards Mars, followed by a highly awaited controlled landing, which will only take six minutes – but six very long minutes indeed! And we will tell you all about it in our next issue of the Martian Chronicles. In the meantime, follow us on social networks!