Timeline for ExoMars 2016
This timeline outlines some of the main events for the ExoMars 2016 mission.
|
ExoMars 2016 Timeline |
|
| Launch [1] | 14 March 2016 at 09:31 UTC |
| Testing NASA radio transponder | April 2016 |
| Commissioning of Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO) instruments during Near-Earth Checkout | April 2016 |
| Commissioning of Schiaparelli instruments during Near-Earth Checkout | April 2016 |
| Checkout of TGO instruments during Mid-Cruise Checkout [2] | 12-16 June |
| Checkout of DREAMS and DECA during Mid-Cruise Checkout [3] | 15-17 June |
| Cruise phase | Up until end June |
| Deep space trajectory manoeuvres Largest engine burn [4, 5] |
Mid July – mid August 2016 28 July |
| Navigation measurements (delta-DOR) | September – October 2016 |
| Start of 24/7 ground station contact with TGO | 9 October 2016 |
| Schiaparelli – TGO separation [6, 7] | 16 October 2016 at 14:42 UTC* |
| TGO performed Mars avoidance manoeuvre [8] | 17 October 2016 at 02:42 UTC* |
| TGO insertion into Mars orbit [9] | 19 October 2016, scheduled for 13:04 UTC* |
| Schiaparelli planned landing on Mars [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] [16] | 19 October 2016 |
| Were planned to start on 19 October 2016 | |
| TGO first science opportunity (Mars Capture Orbit #1) [16] [17] [18] | November 2016 |
|
TGO changes inclination to science orbit (74°) [19] |
January 2017 |
| Apocentre reduction manoeuvres (from the initial 4-sol orbit to a 1-sol orbit) |
January 2017 |
| TGO second science opportunity (Mars Capture Orbit #2) [20] [21] | March 2017 – March 2018 |
| Aerobraking phase (TGO lowers its altitude to 400 km circular orbit) [22] [23] | March 2017 – March 2018 |
| Superior solar conjunction (critical operations are paused while the Sun is between Earth and Mars) |
11 July - 11 August 2017 |
| TGO starts science operations | April 2018 |
| TGO starts data relay operations to support NASA landers on Mars | April 2018 |
* Time on spacecraft. Between 16 and 20 October the one-way light travel time is between 9.5 and 10 minutes.
** A sol is one martian day, equivalent to 24 hours and 37 minutes.
Last Update: 18 March 2020
