ExoMars 2020
ExoMars 2020 will depart from Baikonur atop a Proton launcher between 25 July and 8 August 2020 and reach its destination on 19 March 2021. The platform carrying the rover will be protected by forward and aft heatshields and will separate from the carrier module a few days before landing..
ExoMars 2020: Carrier module (bottom) and descent module (top) © OHB System AG
Carrier Module
The ExoMars 2020 carrier module supplied by ESA houses the descent module containing the landers. The carrier module will perform a range of functions designed to ensure that the descent module arrives in the right place and at the right time for landing at the planned location. It has solar panels to generate power, thrusters and fuel to perform the necessary manoeuvres to reach Mars and a communication system to receive commands from Earth and send back health data on the descent module. After its final manoeuvre, the carrier module will release the descent module and fly an uncontrolled entry into the planet’s atmosphere.