ESA’s first Mars orbiter will provide an important helping hand when the second arrives at the Red Planet in October.
Following lift off in March, the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO) and the Schiaparelli lander are now enroute to Mars, with arrival set for 19 October.
Once orbiting Mars, TGO will begin analysing rare gases in the planet’s atmosphere, especially methane, which on Earth points to active geological or biological processes.
Meanwhile, Schiaparelli will demonstrate the technology needed to make a controlled landing.
But they have to arrive at the planet first, and that’s where the 13 year-old Mars Express will lend a crucial helping hand – or, rather, ear. [More at link]