ESA Confirms Separation of Lander Module From ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The Schiaparelli lander has successfully separated from ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO), the European Space Agency (ESA) said Sunday.

"Nice clean carrier seen from @ESA_TGO, now working towards restoring telemetry," ESA posted on its official Twitter account, where earlier the separation was confirmed by Flight Director Michel Denis.

​A Russian Proton-M rocket carrier lifted off with the ExoMars’ orbiter and the landing modules from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan in March.

The ExoMars-2016’s main mission is to prove the existence of methane in the planet’s atmosphere, which could lead to the confirmation of the existence of life on Mars.