Airbus Defence and Space has built an extended Mars Yard test area at its Stevenage, UK site, in an effort to replicate the surface of the Red Planet.
The new extended Mars Yard will be used to test systems on the Europe’s first Mars rover that is scheduled to be sent to the planet in 2018.
The test area 30mx13m will support the final development of autonomous navigation system.
It features a realistic and representative Martian environment, enabling the guidance, navigation and control team of the ExoMars rover project to finalise the autonomous navigation system.
Speaking about the new facility, the European Space Agency Science and Robotic Exploration director Alvaro Giménez said: "This will be a fantastic resource for the ExoMars rover team and for future missions to come."
Airbus Defence and Space UK head Colin Paynter said: "ExoMars is a hugely fascinating programme and the new yard brings us one step closer to launch."
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By GlobalDataThe new extended facility is 30mx13m, and contains 300t of specially selected sand, with the walls, doors, and all interior surfaces painted in reddish-brown colour.
The Mars yard also comprises a large mural of the Martian landscape, and will be used up until launch and will be kept available after the rover lands on Mars in 2019.
Image: The new extended Mars Yard will be used to test systems on the Europe’s first Mars rover. Photo: courtesy of Astrium SAS.
