Uploaded September 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
The slow-motion footage shows the separation of the ExoMars landing platform from the backshell during a test. A backshell is the cone-shaped rear section of a spacecraft’s protective aeroshell, which shields it from extreme heat and pressure during atmospheric entry.
Engineers are recreating the moment the lander breaks away from the backshell to head towards the martian surface. Anactuator with springs physically releases the lander at the right time and altitude.
It all happens when the landing platform is less than a kilometre in altitude from the ground, approaching it at 125 km per hour. At that moment, the parachutes are slowing down the module, which has already jettisoned its front shield and deployed its four legs.
Only after checking the spacecraft’s altitude and speed, and the readiness of the braking engines, does the onboard computer trigger the separation.
The test campaign at the Thales Alenia Space facilities in Turin, Italy, and used a full-scale model that replicates the structure and dimensions of the ExoMars landing platform and backshell.
The successful campaign takes ESA’s ExoMars Rosalind Franklin rover mission one step closer to a safe touchdown on Mars launch in 2028.
Credits: ESA/TAS-I/Airbus/Sener
Our main YouTube channel: youtube.com/@EuropeanSpaceAgency
We are Europe's gateway to space. Our mission is to shape the development of Europe's space capability and ensure that investment in space continues to deliver benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world. Check out https://www.esa.int/ to get up to speed on everything space related.
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The slow-motion footage shows the separation of the ExoMars landing platform from the backshell during a test. A backshell is the cone-shaped rear section of a spacecraft’s protective aeroshell, which shields it from extreme heat and pressure during atmospheric entry.
Engineers are recreating the moment the lander breaks away from the backshell to head towards the martian surface. Anactuator with springs physically releases the lander at the right time and altitude.
It all happens when the landing platform is less than a kilometre in altitude from the ground, approaching it at 125 km per hour. At that moment, the parachutes are slowing down the module, which has already jettisoned its front shield and deployed its four legs.
Only after checking the spacecraft’s altitude and speed, and the readiness of the braking engines, does the onboard computer trigger the separation.
The test campaign at the Thales Alenia Space facilities in Turin, Italy, and used a full-scale model that replicates the structure and dimensions of the ExoMars landing platform and backshell.
The successful campaign takes ESA’s ExoMars Rosalind Franklin rover mission one step closer to a safe touchdown on Mars launch in 2028.
Credits: ESA/TAS-I/Airbus/Sener
Our main YouTube channel: youtube.com/@EuropeanSpaceAgency
We are Europe's gateway to space. Our mission is to shape the development of Europe's space capability and ensure that investment in space continues to deliver benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world. Check out https://www.esa.int/ to get up to speed on everything space related.
Copyright information about our videos is available here: https://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Terms_and_Conditions
![What a cosy evening on the ISS looks like 🍵 [French with English subtitles]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/f2vDosge2h4/mqdefault.jpg "What a cosy evening on the ISS looks like 🍵 [French with English subtitles]
This video was published on social media by ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot with the following caption:
[EN] Day 169, orbit 2618 — Cozy evening time in my crew cabin — something I’m definitely going to miss when I’m back on Earth… A few emails, a pouch of herbal tea, a few yin yoga stretches and then off to sleep!
[FR] Jour 169, orbite 2618 – Moment cocooning du soir dans ma cabine de couchage, qui va me manquer une fois de retour sur Terre… Quelques emails, une tisane, des étirements de yin yoga et au lit !
Credits: European Space Agency (ESA)
Footage: ESA/NASA
Our main YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@EuropeanSpaceAgency
We are Europes gateway to space. Our mission is to shape the development of Europes space capability and ensure that investment in space continues to deliver benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world. Check out https://www.esa.int/ to get up to speed on everything space related.
Copyright information about our videos is available here: https://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Terms_and_Conditions")
