ASPIRE2: The Mars Sample Retrieval Lander’s Supersonic Parachute Test Program

The Sample Retrieval Lander (SRL) Project is a key element of the joint NASA-European Space Agency (ESA) Mars Sample Return Campaign. The aim of the NASA-led SRL would be to retrieve the samples collected by Mars 2020 and deliver them to a stable Mars orbit for rendezvous with an ESA-led Earth Return Orbiter. Achieving these objectives requires several enhancements to Mars 2020’s Entry, Descent, and Landing (EDL) architecture to increase entry and landed mass capability. Among these is the development, testing, and qualification of a 24m supersonic Disk-Gap-Band (DGB) parachute capable of withstanding inflation loads up to 100 klbf (445 kN). This paper describes the proposed test platform de- signed for testing the inflation strength of SRL’s next-generation DGB at Mars-relevant conditions: the Advanced Supersonic Parachute Inflation Research Experiment-2 (ASPIRE2). AS- PIRE2 would build on the successes of the ASPIRE program (which tested three candidate parachutes for Mars 2020 in 2017 and 2018) and substantially add to its capabilities. Full-scale test articles would be delivered to Mach number and dynamic pressure conditions relevant to SRL using a two-stage sounding- rocket architecture consisting of a first-stage Terrier and second- stage Oriole booster. The sounding rocket payloads would be equipped with instrumentation to reconstruct the deployment conditions, parachute loads, and aerodynamic performance of the parachute including load cells, high-speed/high-resolution video cameras, a Tern Inertial Navigation System, and me- teorological instrumentation. The challenges associated with delivering larger, heavier, and stronger test articles to more demanding test conditions are discussed, along the resulting proposed enhancements to the test architecture and concept of operations from the ASPIRE campaign.