ESA puts ExoMars lander through its paces with eye on 2028 launch

The European Space Agency (ESA) has unveiled a full-scale structural mock-up of the landing platform for its long-delayed ExoMars Rosalind Franklin rover.

The platform's four legs must ensure the rover survives its final moments of descent, equipped with shock absorbers and sensors designed to trigger engine shutdown upon touchdown on Mars. Timing is critical: switch them off too soon, and the landing might be harder than planned. Too late, and Martian soil might be blasted into sensitive places.

There is also a risk the whole thing will tip over if the engines are left running too long, or if the lander touches down at an angle or on top of a rock.

"The last thing you want is for the platform to tip over when it reaches the Martian surface. These tests will confirm its stability at landing," said Benjamin Rasse ...