The joint ESA/ Roscosmos mission comprises the Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO) and the Schiaparelli entry, descent and landing demonstrator. TGO will start its science mission at the end of 2017, following a year of complex aerobraking manoeuvres to circularise its orbit. It will also act as a relay for ESA’s ExoMars 2020 rover.

The landing of the Schiaparelli lander is set at 14:48 UTC / 16:48 CEST and the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter is expected to complete its 134-minute orbit insertion burn at about 15:23 UTC / 17:23 CEST.

Meanwhile, check the resources ESA has produced, among them there are very interesting materials that can be used for exhibitions and that you can download from here.

If you are not lucky enough to make it to ESOC, you can still follow it online. Realtime coverage of operational milestones in the lead up to separation on 16 October through until landing and orbit insertion on 19 October and in the days after will be provided in a frequently updated article at http://esa.int/exomars.

Separation will be reported online on 16 October at 17:20 GMT /19:20 CEST and the media briefings scheduled for 19 and 20 October will be live streamed here.

As with Rosetta, milestones will also be reported via Twitter and Facebook. Follow @esaoperations, @ESA_TGO, @ESA_EDM and @ESA_ExoMars or #ExoMars. A special ESA social-TV programme will be available on ESA’s Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/ESA

The provisional schedule at ESOC for the 19-20 October can be found here.

Copyright of teh picture: ESA/ATG medialab