Teijin Aramid, a world leader in aramid, announces that, with the successful launch of NASAs Mars Perseverance Rover from Cape Canaveral in Florida, its Technora high-performance fibre is again enabling space exploration.

The premium para-aramid Technora plays a critical role in the structure of the Rovers landing parachute, developed by Airborne Systems and NASAs Jet Propulsion Laboratory, which will be deployed during descent to Mars in February 2021.

On a mission to seek signs of past microscopic Martian life, the Mars Perseverance Rover is carrying the heaviest payload of any mission to the Red Planet.

The parachute system has undergone an extensive set of demanding tests, proving it can support an inflation load of 31,751kg.

To ensure the unique parachute system performs under the extreme conditions, 60kg of Technora are incorporated into the suspension cords. Technora is also used in the parachute riser. This mission builds on the proven technologies and systems of previous Mars Rover expeditions which also carried Technora including on the Mars Curiosity Rover in 2012.

Charles Lowry, Lead Project Engineer for Airborne Systems North America, Mars 2020 Parachute System Subcontractor, said: When designing and building the parachute system for the Mars Perseverance Rover, it was very important to utilise the volume that we were allocated to its fullest potential. Thanks to its outstanding strength-to-weight ratio, Technora allows us to do just that and increases the overall safety of the mission by providing more volume for stronger parachute cloth. There are many unknowns involved in any mission to space, but the tried and proven performance of Technora is not one of them.

Peter ter Horst, CEO Teijin Aramid, added: Today is a proud day for everyone at Teijin Aramid. Our journey into space has taken another exciting step. Our partners throughout the space industry have long recognised the unique potential of incorporating Technora into their products to unlock new levels of performance. The launch of the Mars Perseverance Rover shows that were again the partner of choice when strength and reliability are of unprecedented importance.

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Teijin Aramid on the way to Mars - EPPM