Schiaparelli crash site found on Mars

European Mars lander Schiaparelli has smashed into the Red Planet and exploded, dramatic satellite images suggest.

Photos taken by a powerful camera on an American orbiting spacecraft appear to show evidence of the probe’s parachute and a large dark patch that could be the scorched crash site.

Scientists estimate the spacecraft dropped from a height of 1.2-2.4 miles and hit the ground at more than 186mph.

A European Space Agency statement said: “It is also possible that the lander exploded on impact as its thruster propellant tanks were likely still full.”

The probe is also thought to have jettisoned its parachute too early.