The ExoMars Rover six-wheeler heads to Mars via Toulouse, France
Built in the UK, the ExoMars Rover is expected to head to the red planet in 2020 — complete with a ‘huge 2m drill’, six metallic wheels and autonomous navigation
Stevenage — The European Space Agency’s (ESA) mission to search for life on Mars has reached an important milestone with its six-wheeled surface rover prototype ready for its "shake and bake". Built by Airbus Defence and Space just north of London in Stevenage, Britain’s unlikely "Space City", the so-called Structural Thermal Model is being packed off to Toulouse, France, for a raft of tests to ensure the real ExoMars Rover handles anything the red planet can throw at it. If the 2020 mission goes to plan it would be Europe’s first rover on Mars, following several successful Nasa landings. Europe’s last attempt to land a rover vehicle on the surface of Mars ended in disappointment in 2016 when Schiaparelli span out of control and slammed into the red sand. The ESA rover will be more sophisticated though, featuring a 2m exploration drill and an autonomous navigation system. "That’s the most exciting thing that hasn’t been done before, we’ve got a huge 2m drill so it can go into the cr...
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