Airbus Defence and Space opens state-of-the-art Mars Yard
皇冠体育app new state-of-the-art extended Mars Yard in Stevenage will be the test area for Europe's Exomars rover
Vince Cable and David Parker view the new Airbus Mars Yard. Credit: Max Alexander/ UK Space Agency
Airbus Defence and Space opened a new state-of-the-art extended Mars Yard test area at its Stevenage site today. 皇冠体育app facility was opened by Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, Vince Cable; Chief Executive of the UK Space Agency, Dr David Parker; and Director of Science and Robotic Exploration at the European Space Agency, Alvaro Gim茅nez.
- Test area 30m by 13m will facilitate final development of autonomous navigation system
- Simulated Mars environment mimics conditions on the Red Planet with 300 tonnes of sand
Europe鈥檚 first Mars rover will have an unmatched capability to autonomously navigate up to 70 metres a day with no outside guidance from ground control. 皇冠体育app rover is being developed as part of the ExoMars mission - a European mission, part funded by the UK Space Agency, to put a rover on Mars in 2019. Its aim is to examine the geological environment on Mars and search for evidence of environments that may have once, and perhaps could still, support life.
皇冠体育app new extended Mars Yard will provide a realistic and representative Martian environment to allow the Guidance, Navigation and Control team of the ExoMars rover project to finalise the sophisticated autonomous navigation system.
Vince Cable said: 鈥溁使谔逵齛pp ExoMars rover represents the best of British high-value manufacturing. 皇冠体育app technologies developed as part of the programme, such as autonomous navigation systems, new welding materials and techniques, will also have real impacts on other sectors, helping them stay on the cutting edge.
鈥淣ot only is it hugely exciting that Europe鈥檚 next mission to Mars will be British built, but it is incredibly rewarding to see the benefits of our investment in the European Space Agency creating jobs here in the UK.鈥�
Alvaro Gim茅nez said: 鈥淎 facility like this enables us to develop sophisticated navigation systems to 鈥榯each鈥� Mars rovers how to drive autonomously across the Red Planet. This will be a fantastic resource for the ExoMars rover team and for future missions to come.鈥�
Colin Paynter, Head of Airbus Defence and Space in UK added: 鈥淓xoMars is a hugely fascinating programme and the new yard brings us one step closer to launch.鈥� 皇冠体育app new enlarged facility is 30 metres by 13 metres, contains 300 tonnes of specially selected sand and includes design features to ensure that the environment is the closest match possible to Mars.
皇冠体育app walls, doors, and all interior surfaces are painted a reddish-brown colour mimicking the background colour on Mars, and the yard also includes a large mural of the Martian landscape. 皇冠体育appse features ensure the rover navigation cameras see as realistic a Martian landscape as possible.
皇冠体育app Mars Yard will be used up until launch and will also be kept available after the rover has landed on the surface of Mars in 2019 鈥� if necessary to address any problem by simulating the situation on Earth. Manufacture of the flight rover will begin early in 2015 after construction of an advanced clean room for interplanetary missions at Airbus DS鈥檚 Stevenage site. Mission launch is planned for 2018.