The second ExoMars mission will be launched in 2020 to target an ancient location interpreted to have strong potential for past habitability and for preserving physical and chemical biosignatures (as well as abiotic/prebiotic organics). The mission will deliver a lander with instruments for atmospheric and geophysical investigations and a rover tasked with searching for signs of extinct life. The ExoMars rover will be equipped with a drill to collect material from outcrops and at depth down to 2 m. This subsurface sampling capability will provide the best chance yet to gain access to chemical biosignatures. Using the powerful Pasteur payload instruments, the ExoMars science team will conduct a holistic search for traces of life and seek corroborating geological context information. Key Words: Biosignatures—ExoMars—Landing sites—Mars rover—Search for life. Astrobiology 17, 471–510.

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The Entry, Descent and Landing Demonstrator Module (EDM) named Schiaparelli, was the ESA-led Mars lander element of the ESA-Roscosmos ExoMars 2016 mission. Following launch on 14 March 2016 with the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO) and cruise to Mars, Schiaparelli separated for encounter with Mars to demonstrate entry, descent and landing technologies. Although on 19 October 2016 the final touchdown and surface operation were not achieved, other aspects were demonstrated and reported via real-time telemetry transmitted at 8 kbps in UHF during entry and descent.This paper presents a technical description of the elements of the Schiaparelli EDM system and its operation, plus reference to published post-flight analyses of the data obtained.