Ablative thermal protection systems for entry in Mars atmosphere. A presentation of materials solutions and testing capabilities

EADS SPACE Transportation aims at providing the aeroshell, as part of the Entry Descent and Landing System (EDLS), for the ExoMars Descent Module. ExoMars is the first Aurora flagship mission to Mars for ESA in the continuation to Mars Express. With the aim to bring safely a rover and a Geophysical and Environmental Package (GEP) to the Martian surface in order to study biological environment, the aeroshell is a key element to guarantee mission success. The reference material for the thermal protection system (TPS) of ExoMars is the Norcoat-Liege, a flight proven cork powder and phenolic resin based ablator. In addition to its original use for launchers, the Norcoat-Liege was previously used for two re­ entry programs, namely the Atmospheric Re-entry Demonstrator (ARD) that performed a guided and controlled re-entry on Earth in 1998, and the Beagle 2 probe that entered Mars atmosphere in 2003. For the latter use, the material was for instance adapted to comply with stringent planetary protection requirements. The paper will present an overview of the background on this material, including the most recent outcomes from R&D studies, aiming at a refinement of the material knowledge.