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\nFollowing a lengthy firing of its powerful engine, ESA\u2019s ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter is on track to arrive at the Red Planet in October.\n<\/p>\n
\nToday\u2019s deep-space manoeuvre began automatically at 09:30 GMT (11:30 CEST), after commands to orient itself and ignite the 424 N main engine were uploaded on Tuesday.\n<\/p>\n
\nThe manoeuvre was closely monitored by ESA\u2019s mission control in Darmstadt, Germany, who followed the craft\u2019s signals via the highly sensitive radio dish at New Norcia, Australia.\n<\/p>\n
\n\u201cThe engine provides about the same force as that needed to lift a 45 kg weight in a fitness studio, and it ran for about 52 minutes, so that\u2019s quite a significant push,\u201d says Silvia Sangiorgi, deputy spacecraft operations manager, seen at centre in the photo.\n<\/p>\n
\nToday\u2019s burn was extremely accurate, and resulted in an extremely slight under performance of 0.01%. The next firing is set for 11 August.\n<\/p>\n
\nMore information<\/b>\n<\/p>\n
\nExoMars<\/a>\n<\/p>\n \nExoMars TGO operations<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" \nFollowing a lengthy firing of its powerful engine, ESA’s ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter is on track to arrive at the Red Planet in October.\n<\/p>\n \nToday’s deep-space manoeuvre began automatically at 09:30 GMT (11:30 CEST), after commands to orient itself and ignite the 424 N main engine were uploaded on Tuesday.\n<\/p>\n \nThe manoeuvre was closely monitored by ESA’s mission control in Darmstadt, Germany, who followed the craft’s signals via the highly sensitive radio dish at New Norcia, Australia.\n<\/p>\n \n“The engine provides about the same force as that needed to lift a 45 kg weight in a fitness studio, and it ran for about 52 minutes, so that’s quite a significant push,” says Silvia Sangiorgi, deputy spacecraft operations manager, seen at centre in the photo.\n<\/p>\n \nToday’s burn was extremely accurate, and resulted in an extremely slight under performance of 0.01%. The next firing is set for 11 August.\n<\/p>\n \nMore information<\/b>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n