Mars amphibious robots lost contact with Earth

The European Space Agency (ESA) does not receive confirmation signals of successful landings on the Mars surface of the Schiaparelli exploration robot.

The ExoMars 2016 mission team lost contact with Schiaparelli during the robot landing on the Martian surface, according to the International Business Times. After separating from Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO) , Schiaparelli was attracted by the gravitational pull of Mars and shifted from hibernation to ready-to-land mode. ESA scientists confirm Schiaparelli successfully performed the above steps from the Telescope of the Giant Wave Meter Radio (GMRT) in Pune, India.

Simulate the landing process of Schiaparelli robot.(Photo: ESA).

To successfully land, Schiaparelli had to undergo extremely high temperatures while falling before opening though to reduce speed. The separated robot heat-resistant shell has a protective effect on the front and activates three thrusters to land. These engines are programmed to switch off just before the robot lands to avoid burning the ground.

Signals from Mars take just over 9 minutes to reach Earth. However, the team did not receive the signal from Schiaparelli and they were waiting for the telescope to receive the signal emitted by the robot. ESA will update the mission information in the press conference held at 15h today in Vietnam time.

"The initial signals obtained by GMRT glass show that Schiaparelli has dropped to the surface of Mars, but there has been no signal confirming grounding. This has been predicted by the very weak signal from GMRT. We will assess the situation more thoroughly after the Mars Express ship transmits a record of Schiaparelli's landing process , " ESA said.

The Schiaparelli robot was used to test landing technology before ESA brought the probe to Mars in the ExoMars mission in 2020 to look for signs of past and present life in the red planet.