Airbus was awarded the $5.2 million contract by the European Space Agency (ESA) to design a concept for a rover that can collect the samples on Mars.
Airbus is working on a rover that will collect soil from Mars and bring it back to Earth, according to reports.
Airbus was awarded the $5.2 million contract by the European Space Agency (ESA) to design a concept for a rover that can collect the samples on Mars.
ESA chose Airbus’ team in Stevenage, England, which is already building the ExoMars rover, scheduled for Mars in 2021.
The rover’s task will be to find and collect soil samples that have been prepared and left behind by NASA’s Mars 2020 rover.
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The job of the preceding Mars 2020 rover will be to drill and dig up soil samples and to place them in more than 30 tubes at various points.
The rover, designed by Airbus, will then head to Mars in 2026 and would have to find the tubes from a distance, autonomously drive to the location, collect them with the help of robotic arms, keep them inside in its storage space.
According to a report by Engadget, the head of feasibility team at Airbus, Ben Noyes said, "It will be a relatively small rover — about 130 kg; but the requirements are very demanding. The vehicle will have to cover large distances using a high degree of autonomy, planning its own path ahead day after day."
It is estimated that the vehicle will take around 150 days to collect all the canisters, the report suggests.
After the task is completed, the rover will have to find its way back to the rocket it landed with. The rocket will dock at the Mars Orbiter and come back to Earth, the report adds.