Mar. 14, 2016

The launch of the Italian lead ESA mission for the exploration of Mars was watched live from Rome and Turin. Nominal lift-off from Baikonur at 10:31 CET, and final ‘all clear’ at 22:28 Italian time.

ExoMars 2016 has started its voyage to Mars: the lift-off of theProton-M with the ESA mission on board, with an Italian scientific and technological lead and in collaboration with the Russian space agency Roscosmos, has regularly occurred at10:31 CET (Central European Time) from the Baikonur cosmodrome.
In the evening, at 22:28 Italian time, the final ‘all clear’ fromMoscow mission control center followed with the release of the spacecraft from the last rocket stage. ExoMars has begun its long journey to Mars.

“It’s a very intense emotion seing this giant rocket lift off, knowing it’s carrying 4000 kg of Italian science and technology” commented president of the Italian Space AgencyRoberto Battiston. “It’s the first mission that sees Europe landing on Mars and Italy is the leader: I have no words” he added.
“ExoMars is the Europe we like. And the Italy we’re proud of” tweeted immediately before lift-off Italian prime minister Matteo Renzi. The minister Stefania Giannini, shared with a tweet at moment of launch: “With #ExoMars #ItaliavasuMarte (Italy goes to Mars) as protagonist. Today it’s a celebration for our country: it projects itself towards the future showing off dynamics and vitality”.

The mission launch had, for Italy, three epicenters. First of all, the Baikonur cosmodrome, which saw the launch of the Proton rocket with the spacecraft on board – all televised live by RAINEWS24, with special guests Roberto Battiston live from Baikonur and Finmeccanica’s CEO Mauro Moretti from the studio. The live was also broadcasted to Piazza del Popolo (Rome), where a curious and passionate crowd was left enchanted in front of the installation inaugurated last week by the Minister for Education, University and Research Stefania Giannini.
The last location was Turin. More than 600 people at the ALTEC center, an ASI-Thales Alenia Space participated company, attended the talk show event hosted by RAI scientific journalist Silvia Rosa Brusin and broadcasted live on ASITV, allowing everyone to follow the events previous and immediately after the launch.

On stage, in front of the screen that showed live images from Baikonur, after the greetings of president of ALTEC Fabio Massimo Grimaldi and ASI General Manager Anna Sirica: Head of ASI Universe Exploration Barbara Negri, astronaut Roberto Vittori,Luigi Colangeli from ESA’s scientific directorate, Enrico Cappellaro VP from INAF, Stefano Debei from CISAS, Maria Antonietta Perino from Thales Alenia Space and Marco Molina from Finmeccanica.
“The role of the Italian Space Agency – explained Negri – is the cornerstone that links activities born in scientific institutes. Then there’s the industry that has to create them. Regarding Dreams (the ‘weather station’ instrument, built in Italy) it was a success having experienced an alternative”. “This – commented Roberto Vittori – will be a great opportunity to better understand our neighbor, the Red Planet”.

All post-launch operations were nominal: 8 minutes after lift-off the rocket entered in its parking orbit and at 10:43 the flight director confirmed the separation of the first stage, followed by the second and third stage.
Immediately after that, operations for the stabilization began, with a four burns-series.
The spacecraft passed from an orbit to the other, until it reached the necessary escape velocity to defy Earth’s gravitational field.

The last separation occurred at 21:15 in Italy, while the signal was picked up at 22:29: from that moment the success of every operation was definitively confirmed and the trip of ExoMars 2016 has officially started. In this case as well, Italy had a crucial role: it was ASI’s base in Malindi in Kenya that picked up the final ‘all clear’ signal.
The mission’s schedule expects from now on seven month to get to Mars: with the forecasted arrival at Martian orbit on October 19th.

At that point the separation of the lander will begin, the EDM module (Entry Descent and Landing Demonstrator Module, dedicated to the astronomer Schiaparelli who was born exactly on March 14th 1835), while the orbiter TGO (Trace Gas Orbiter) will stay in a circular orbit at 400 km.

“On Schiaparelli’s birthday – said Battiston at the end of a long and enthusiastic day – Italy contributes in many ways, also with ground support like telemetry measures mad from our base in Malindi, that allow us to watch over the final stages of the spacecraft’s orbit before it begins its long journey to Mars”. “These results – ends the president – can be achieved only through great international agreements, within Europe as well as between Europe and Russia. As ExoMars has shown us, space can unite even where it seems more difficult.”

“It’s a very big challenge for Europe in which Italy has been a forerunner” added lastly Battiston. “For more than 10 years we fought for this mission, in which we also gave a big economic contribution, 32% of the total. After all these years, we see now a dream come true.”