On this day in space! Oct. 19, 2016: Europe's ExoMars orbiter and Schiaparelli lander arrive at Mars
On Oct. 19, 2016, the European Space Agency's ExoMars orbiter and Schiaparelli arrived at Mars! Here's why it mattered.
On October 19, 2016, the European Space Agency's ExoMars mission successfully reached Mars. The mission comprised two components: the Trace Gas Orbiter and the Schiaparelli lander. The orbiter and lander were launched together and separated on October 16, three days prior to the orbiter entering Mars' orbit and the lander landing on the planet's surface.
However, the Schiaparelli lander encountered a problem during its descent and crashed on the Martian ground. Despite this mishap, the Trace Gas Orbiter remained operational, currently orbiting Mars and searching for methane and other gases that might indicate biological activity in the planet's atmosphere. The mission was designed to be the first step of a two-flight ExoMars program, aiming to deliver a lander and a rover to Mars.
The mission was labeled 96% successful by ESA officials due to the loss of the lander. While the lander failed to land safely, the orbiter has continued its atmospheric studies on Mars for the past ten years. The planned ExoMars 2018 mission, which includes the Mars rover Rosalind Franklin, was delayed due to the Schiaparelli failure and other setbacks.
Consequently, the ExoMars rover is now expected to launch no earlier than 2028, with landing anticipated in 2030. In another space-related event on this day, Japan's JAXA attempted to launch the Martian Moons eXploration mission (MMX) to land a probe on Phobos, one of Mars' moons, and return samples to Earth.
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