Photos: Europe's ExoMars Missions to Mars in Pictures

Artist’s illustration showing the separation of the ExoMars 2016 entry, descent and landing demonstrator module, named Schiaparelli, from the Trace Gas Orbiter, and heading for Mars.

The first phase of the ExoMars mission flew toward the Red Planet atop a Russian-made Proton-M rocket on March 14, 2016.

The first of two phases of the European/Russian ExoMars mission successfully launched into space aboard a Proton-M rocket on March 14, 2016.

A Russian-made Proton-M rocket successfully launched the European/Russian ExoMars mission into space on March 14, 2016.

A Russian Proton-M rocket sits patiently on the launch pad on March 14, 2016, ready to send the first phase of the European-Russian ExoMars mission on its way to the Red Planet.

The first phase of the joint European/Russian ExoMars mission soared through the clouds on its way to the Red Planet, atop a Proton-M rocket on March 14, 2016.

Image of a 0.9 mile (1.4 kilometer) sized crater (left center) on the rim of a larger crater near the Mars equator. It was acquired at 7.2 meters/pixel by the Colour and Stereo Surface Imaging System (CaSSIS) aboard the European Space Agency’s ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter.

A structure called Arsia Chasmata on the flanks of one of the large Martian volcanoes, Arsia Mons. This view was created by the Colour and Stereo Surface Imaging System (CaSSIS) aboard the European Space Agency’s ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter. The width of the image is around 16 miles (25 kilometers). The formation is volcanic in origin, and pit craters are visible.

Image of a 0.9 mile (1.4 kilometer) sized crater (left center) on the rim of a larger crater near the Mars equator. It was acquired at 7.2 meters/pixel by the Colour and Stereo Surface Imaging System (CaSSIS) aboard the European Space Agency’s ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter.

A model of ExoMars’ Schiaparelli lander prepares for thermal tests in Cannes, France. The European Space Agency’s Mars lander will hurtle to the planet’s surface Oct. 19, and its heat shields will have to withstand about 2,732 degrees Fahrenheit (1,500 degrees Celsius).

These images taken by NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter on Nov. 1, 2016, show the wreckage of Europe’s Schiaparelli lander, which crashed on the Red Planet on Oct. 19, 2016. At top is the crater caused by the lander’s impact; at bottom left is the craft’s parachute and attached back heat shield. The feature at bottom right is thought to be the front heat shield. The 10-meter scale bar applies to all three portions of the image.

The landing site of ExoMars’ Schiaparelli lander within the predicted landing ellipse (top), along with zoomed-in, before-and-after views (bottom left and bottom right, respectively) showing evidence of the lander’s crash on Oct. 19, 2016.

Zoomed-in view of an Oct. 25, 2016, image from the HiRISE camera on NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter showing the crater gauged out by the impact of Europe’s Schiaparelli lander on Oct. 19, 2016 (center). The inset at upper right shows the vehicle’s front heat shield.

The Proton rocket that will launch the ExoMars 2016 spacecraft to Mars is shown being moved into a vertical position at the launch pad at Baikonur, Kazakhstan, on March 11, 2016, ahead of a planned March 14 launch.

A Russian Proton rocket and its ExoMars 2016 payload are hoisted into vertical position at Kazakhstan’s Baikonur Cosmodrome on March 11, 2016.

The ExoMars spacecraft and its Proton rocket, inside a facility at Kazakhstan’s Baikonur Cosmodrome on March 5, 2016.

Artist’s illustration of Europe’s ExoMarsTrace Gas Orbiter releasing the Schiaparelli landing demonstrator near Mars.

The ExoMars 2016 spacecraft (inside the fairing) and the Breeze-M upper stage of Russia’s Proton rocket are transported to an area at Kazakhstan’s Baikonur Cosmodrome to be integrated with the rest of the Proton launch vehicle. Photo taken on March 5, 2016.

The ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter, part of the first ESA and NASA joint Mars mission in 2016, will investigate trace gases – atmospheric gases that are present in small concentrations (less than 1% of the atmosphere). The scientific instruments onboard the Orbiter include an infrared radiometer to detect chemicals, dust and potentially water vapour in the Martian atmosphere (EMCS), along with spectrometers able to detect elements at trace levels (MATMOS and NOMAD). A stereo imaging camera (HiSCI) and a wide-angle multi-spectral camera (MAGIE) will support the other instruments and provide images of the planet’s surface. The current configuration of the instruments onboard the Orbiter is shown in this schematic diagram. The 2016 mission also encompasses the Entry, Descent and Landing Demonstrator Module (EDM). The EDM, a technology demonstration vehicle carried by the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter, can also be seen in this image. Image updated Mar. 9, 2011.

ExoMars 2016 Trace Gas Orbiter and Schiaparelli stand ready for encapsulation in the payload fairing at Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on March 2, 2016.

ExoMars 2016 spacecraft composite, comprised of the Trace Gas Orbiter and Schiaparelli, udnergoes mating with the Breeze upper stage on the conical launch vehicle adapter,

ExoMars 2016 spacecraft composite is tilted for encapsulation within the launcher fairing.

ExoMars 2016 spacecraft composite is ready for encapsulation within the launcher fairing.

ExoMars 2016 spacecraft composite is almost completely encapsulated within the launcher fairing.

The European Space Agency has selected four possible landing sites for the ExoMars 2018 mission. The sites, Mawrth Vallis, Oxia Planum, Hypanis Vallis and Aram Dorsum, appear on this context map. All four lie close to the equator. Image released October 1, 2014.

The European Space Agency selected Mawrth Vallis as one of four candidate landing sites under consideration for the ExoMars 2018 mission. The site represents one of the oldest outflow channels on Mars, having existed at least 3.8 billion years. Image released October 1, 2014.

The European Space Agency selected Oxia Planum as one of four candidate landing sites under consideration for the ExoMars 2018 mission. The site offers one of Mars’ largest exposures of ancient clay-rich rocks, approximately 3.8 billion years old. Image released October 1, 2014.

The European Space Agency selected Hypanis Vallis as one of four candidate landing sites for the ExoMars 2018 mission. The site perches on an exhumed fluvial fan, perhaps the remnant of an ancient river delta at the end of a major valley network. Image released October 1, 2014.

The European Space Agency selected Aram Dorsum as one of four candidate landing sites for the ExoMars 2018 mission. The site derived its name from the Aram Dorsum channel, curving from northeast to west across the location. Image released October 1, 2014.

Artist’s concept of the NASA/ESA ExoMars 2016 spacecraft in flight. It consists of the Trace Gas Orbiter and a lander called the Entry, Descent and Landing Demonstrator Module (EDM).

The Trace Gas Orbiter mission will attempt to gain a better understanding of methane and other atmospheric gases that are present in small concentrations.

The ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO), along with an Entry, Descent and Landing Demonstrator Module (EDM), form the first mission in the ESA-NASA ExoMars Program. The Orbiter and EDM are scheduled to arrive at Mars in 2016. This image shows the Orbiter and the EDM in cruise configuration. Image released Nov. 1, 2010.

Artist’s concept of the ExoMars 2016 spacecraft, which consists of the Trace Gas Orbiter and the Entry, Descent and Landing Demonstrator Module (EDM).

WISDOM (Water Ice and Subsurface Deposit Observation on Mars) is a subsurface sounding radar, and forms part of the ExoMars rover instrument suite. WISDOM will provide a detailed view of the structure of the subsurface of the Red Planet by studying the upper layers of the Martian crust. An instrument prototype, representative in terms of design, size, mass and power, has been developed. A field test was performed, on a glacier in the French Alps near Chamonix in January 2011. The prototype carried out measurements down to more than 15 meters and detected structures with deep cracks. The prototype was installed on a zip-line to study the functionality of the antennas on a height (approximately 65 cm); this mimics WISDOM’s situation on the ExoMars rover. The WISDOM antennas are the yellow items and the radar is situated inside the white box. Image updated June 27, 2011.

The photo shows the ExoMars Rover prototype demonstrated during the 2nd ExoMars Industry Day on September 23, 2010 in Turin, Italy. The purpose of the event was to provide a forum to discuss the progress of the ExoMars program as well as to explore its programmatic and technological challenges.

The European Space Agency’s ExoMars rover is due to launch toward the Red Planet in 2018. In this artist’s view, note the ExoMars robotic arm and drill.

A mock-up of the European Space Agency’s planned ExoMars rover.

To the left is a schematic representation of a sub-scale high altitude drop test. The balloon ascends to a test altitude of roughly 24.5 kilometers, after which a drop sequence is initiated via a radio uplink command. The EDM is then released from the balloon with a pyrotechnic device and experiences free-fall for 23 seconds. Following this, a test parachute is deployed with a pilot parachute. At 200 m (or at an altitude determined by uplink command), the EDM separates and the two stages land separately, reducing the impact at landing. The image to the right shows the balloon and the rocket-shaped test vehicle during a sub-scale parachute high altitude drop test in the UK, in early 2011. Image released Sep. 14, 2012.

The ExoMars dosing station, a part of the Sample Preparation and Distribution System (SPDS) which is designed to transport Martian soil samples collected by the drill to the instruments inside the ExoMars rover, was tested in conditions simulating Martian gravity during a parabolic flight campaign that ran from June 7- 9, 2011. This photograph shows the vacuum chamber containing the ExoMars dosing station prototype in the Novespace laboratory facilities in Bordeaux, France during the preparations for this parabolic flight campaign.

ESA has identified Meridiani Planum as the primary landing site for the ExoMars Entry, Descent and Landing Demonstrator Module (EDM). The EDM is scheduled for launch in January 2016, arriving at the Red Planet approximately nine months later. Image updated June 6, 2011.

The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter is helping to plan landing sites for ExoMars and other Mars missions.

The Entry, Descent and Landing Demonstrator Module configuration with a transparent view of the heatshield, showing the internal accommodation of the EDM surface platform. Image released Sep. 8, 2011.

This European Space Agency graphic depicts the different stages for the Mars landing by the Schiaparelli module during the ExoMars 2016 mission.

Artist’s illustration of the European Space Agency’s Schiaparelli Mars lander parachuting down to the surface during its descent on Oct. 19, 2016.