Schiaparelli will cuts its engines 2m above Mars' surface and dump down © ESA
Schiaparelli will cuts its engines 2m above Mars' surface and dump down © ESA

Schiaparelli probe ‘ready for all eventualities’

The European Schiaparelli probe may have to contend with stormy conditions when it arrives at Mars.

The spacecraft is aiming to land on the planet’s Meridiani Plain on 19 October.

Researchers have suggested that seasonal storms could soon begin blowing sand particles into the atmosphere, but the European Space Agency (ESA) has said it is unconcerned.

ESA project scientist Jorge Vago said: “We always knew we could arrive in a dust storm and Schiaparelli was designed with that possibility in mind; and, from the point of view of getting data on the electrification of dusty atmospheres, it could be very nice.”

European engineers have insisted that they are prepared for the storm.

Flight director Michel Denis said: “The only thing it could affect is the images we take on descent.

“If it’s too dusty we might not be able to see the surface so well.”

Europe’s only previous attempt to land on Mars was the short-lived 2003 Beagle-2 mission, which failed to deploy properly after landing.

The probe is part of ESA’s ExoMars programme to explore the Red Planet and search for signs of past or present life.

Once the satellite has deployed from the entry module, it will investigate Mars’ atmosphere and geology remotely.