Tuesday 4 October 2022 12:09 AM European Space Agency's planetary rover destined for the moon or Mars is tested ... trends now
A planetary rover that could be blasted into space for missions on the moon and Mars is being tested at a quarry in Milton Keynes.
The Sample Fetch Rover (SFR), affectionately known as Anon, was intended to collect sample tubes left on the surface of Mars by NASA's rover Perseverance.
But, earlier this year, NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA) announced the rover would no longer be needed for this work.
This is because Perseverance – which landed on the red planet in February 2021 – is able to pick up its sample tubes and transport them by itself.
However, Airbus engineers who have been working on the SFR since 2018 are still putting the machine through its paces in case it is needed for another mission.
Ben Dobke, project manager at Airbus, said: 'Even though the mission may have faded away, the core technology is still ready and able to go and this is the kind of the final step in proving that it works.'
The Sample Fetch Rover (SFR), affectionately known as Anon, was intended to collect sample tubes left on the surface of Mars by NASA's rover Perseverance. It is still being tested on rocky terrains at a quarry in Milton Keynes, to prepare it for other missions
Quarries provide a unique, dynamic terrain that are used for preparing planetary rovers for the Martian landscape. The site in Milton Keynes is used as a similar landscape cannot be replicated within the Mars Yard test facility at Stevenage
Quarries provide a unique, dynamic terrain that are used for preparing planetary rovers for the Martian landscape.
The site in Milton Keynes is used because a similar landscape cannot be replicated within the Mars Yard test facility at Stevenage.
SFR's drive about the quarry marks the first time all its systems are being tested simultaneously.
Airbus is looking to ensure its surface mobility capability is maintained for the UK space sector, particularly with NASA's approaching Artemis lunar mission.
Artemis is a moon exploration program to send people, including the first woman and first person of colour, to the moon by 2025, which the UK is contributing to.
Mr Dobke said: 'With the Artemis programme happening at the end of the decade, the focus has started shifting towards the moon.
'So any rovers or autonomous vehicles on the moon, this software can certainly be
