The European Space Agency’s  ExoMars Rover mission will pioneer new ways to explore the surface of Mars and carry out advanced science, looking for evidence of past or present life.

The success of the scientific experiments depends on the six-wheeled rover vehicle which is designed and built by Airbus in Stevenage, UK.

The primary objective is to land the rover at a site with high potential for finding well-preserved organic material, particularly from the very early history of the planet.

A series of prototype rovers has been used since 2007 to thoroughly evaluate the design of the locomotion and navigation systems and to perfect improvements. Each prototype is given a nickname by the development team. First there was Bridget then Bruno and the latest is Bryan.

Follow one of our engineers to find out why and how we embark on this mission in a five part series.

1 . What is the Mars Yard ?

Check out the Airbus replica of Martian terrain in Stevenage, UK where robots are being developed to go to Mars

2. What is ExoMars? 

ExoMars is a Space mission initiated by ESA to look for life on Mars

The ExoMars rover, a robotic Mars vehicle, is currently under development by Airbus Defence and Space 

3. Meet the Rovers Bryan and Bruno

The 300 kg rover will be capable of drilling up to 2m below the surface and will search for signs of past or present life. The collected data will help to evaluate risks for future manned missions.

4.  Autonomous Navigation

It will be the first mission to combine the capability to move across the surface and to study Mars at depth. 

5.  What is next for ExoMars ?

The ExoMars Rover will be sent to Mars on 2020, landing January 2021 and it is expected to travel several kilometers during its mission

6. The challenges of Mars

Some of the biggest challenges relates to temperature. Why? Learn more here!

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