Two rover prototypes that could be used to help search for life on Mars are being tested at a quarry in Bedfordshire. The robots are being put through their paces by the European aerospace giant Airbuswhich is considering using the technology to help missions to the moon.
A four-wheeled rover, called Codi, has navigation cameras and a robotic arm that it can use to collect rocks sealed in tiny tubes without the need for a human operator.
Charlie, a six-wheeled robot, has a “rocker bogie” suspension and can navigate obstacles twice the diameter of the wheel without getting stuck or falling on its side.
Chris Draper, rover program manager at Airbus, said: “The thing we’re most excited about right now is the moon. The moon is a stepping stone to Mars, so of course there is a lot of interest in going back to the moon and you can imagine rovers being part of the lunar ecosystem.
“Rovers can really support the transportation of things at the base and support astronauts in their daily activities. And then, once we can prove that we can do it on the moon, we [will] want to do the same on Mars.”
Codi, based on another European Mars rover called the Sample Fetch Rover, built by Airbus in Stevenage, is capable of driving to and retrieving samples with an accuracy of about 10 cm.
Meanwhile, Charlie tests a new navigation system developed for the European Space Agency’s flagship Mars mission, known as the ExoMars Rosalind Franklin rover, is expected to launch in 2028.
Pantelis Poulakis, Esa’s Mars sample return project team leader, said: “When you’re doing robotic missions that interact with the environment of another planet, being able to do field trials and tests is a very important part of the development.
“Nasa has a culture of testing, so even when they don’t have a mission, they have an annual field testing campaign with robotics, because that creates capability.”
