Schiaparelli Mars probe destroyed as it plunged to planet’s surface when thrusters failed to slow descent

EUROPE’S Mars lander probe crashed after its thrusters failed to slow down its descent, the mission team believes.

Nothing has been heard from the Schiaparelli since it was due to touch down on Wednesday.

But its mother ship orbited the planet collecting information from the probe during its descent.

European Space Agency mission control in Germany is poring over data.

Operations manager Andrea Accomazzo said: “We collected all the engineering data during this phase. That is the most important thing.”

He said Schiaparelli’s parachute and heat shield worked fine but it may have ejected the chute too quickly before its three thrusters kicked in.

They were supposed to fire for 29 seconds before cutting out 6ft above the surface but only lasted “three or four seconds”.

Engineers claimed the mission was a success as it was intended to test the descent for a follow-up rover in 2020. The crash follows that of the UK’s Beagle 2 in 2003.

Asked if it might jeopardise EU funding for the 2020 mission, Space Agency boss Jan Woerner said: “We don’t have to convince ministers. The benefits are obvious.”