ESA - Robotic Exploration of Mars - Rear heat shield for the Schiaparelli capsule

The ExoMars 2016 mission consists of the Trace Gas Orbiter and the Schiaparelli entry, descent and landing demonstrator module.

The Schiaparelli module will have two heat shields, front and rear, to protect the capsule during its descent through the Martian atmosphere. The heat shields have been developed by the Space Systems teams at Airbus Defence and Space, primarily at its site in Saint-Médard-en-Jalles, near Bordeaux (France). This photo of the rear heat shield was taken during the final phase of production.

The rear heat shield weighs a mere 20 kg and is composed of 93 insulating tiles of 12 different types, affixed to a carbon structure. It also will contain the parachute to be deployed during the capsule's descent.