Something BIG is happening! The launch window for the Atlas V541 Rocket opens 7/30/20 at 7:50am EST, 4:50AM PST. This launch will mark the beginning of a seven month countdown to when the Perseverance rover will begin its entry, decent, and landing sequence on its last phase of its journey to the surface of Mars. Perseverance will touch down on Mars on Feb 18, 2021. Airborne Systems is proud to work with NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and provide the supersonic parachute for this application. The parachute has been fully qualified though rigorous material and seam testing, mortar deployment tests, wind tunnel tests in the world’s largest wind tunnel, and two supersonic flights as a part of NASA’s ASPIRE Sounding Rocket Test series. The Perseverance Rover is 17% heavier than its predecessor, Curiosity, requiring the most robust parachute ever to fly to Mars.
The Perseverance rover, built on the heritage of the Curiosity rover, boasts several impressive capabilities. It will cache rock samples in preparation for return back to Earth, it will produce its own oxygen as a part of an experiment to prepare for human exploration, and it will carry an autonomous flying vehicle that will make history by being the first powered flight vehicle on Mars. Additionally, this this mission will acquire images of the supersonic parachute deployment and flight as well as images and sound of the landing sequence and touchdown of the Perseverance rover on the Martian surface.
Airborne Systems is extremely proud to be a part of this very exciting mission.
Join us as we watch this historic mission begin here: https://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/timeline/launch/watch-online/
#CountdownToMars
Checkout our article: Airborne Systems’ Journey to Mars
