Tests to confirm the readiness of a parachute system to allow Europe's first ever Mars rover - built in Stevenage - to land safely on the Red Planet have been successfully completed.

The European Space Agency’s ExoMars rover, built at Airbus Defence and Space in Gunnels Wood Road, will be the first of its kind to drill up to two metres below the surface of Mars and determine if evidence of life is buried underground.

Stevenage Airbus teams have spent more than 10 years designing, developing and assembling the rover, named Rosalind Franklin, which is due to launch between August and October next year.

A series of ground-based high-speed extraction tests in California have now confirmed the readiness of a parachute and bag system for a high-altitude drop test in June - critical preparations to keep the mission on track for its launch window.

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The mission requires two main parachutes to help slow it down as it plunges through the martian atmosphere.

The 15 metre-wide first stage main parachute will open while the descent module is still travelling at supersonic speeds, and the 35 metre-wide second stage main parachute is deployed once at subsonic speeds.

These latest tests addressed issues from previous unsuccessful tests through a new bag design and a revised approach to folding to avoid line-twisting upon extraction.

Thierry Blancquaert, ESA ExoMars programme team leader, said: “Both performed very well in the tests. Close inspection showed that a few small areas in the parachute canopy had been subject to friction during the bag extraction process, reducing the strength of the fabric in these few places.

"Cross-examination with the video footage allowed the team to pinpoint the moment the damage occurred and make modifications to the bag and packing of the parachute. This could be done with a remarkably quick turnaround of just a couple of days, to arrive at a successful result.”

A high-altitude drop test for the first stage main parachute in Sweden is scheduled for early June.

Thierry said: “Landing safely on Mars is a notoriously difficult task. Investing our efforts in this test strategy is an essential part of ensuring a successful mission when we arrive at Mars in 2023.”