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Video:
00:01:30
Onboard video footage from two high-altitude drop tests of the ExoMars second stage parachute. The cameras are on the drop test vehicle and capture the moment of separation from the stratospheric balloon, the release of the pilot chute, and the extraction of the main parachute.
The footage is shown at various speeds, capturing in slow motion the inflation of the 35 m wide subsonic parachute – the largest ever to fly on Mars.
The drop tests took place in Oregon on 21 November and 3 December as part of the ongoing parachute testing to ensure the safe delivery of the ExoMars Rosalind Franklin rover and Kazachok lander to the surface of Mars in June 2023.
One parachute was manufactured by European company Arescosmo (footage as seen in the left side of the video), with the back-up provided by US-based Airborne Systems (right hand side frame).