2018 European Mars Rover Prototype Revealed in UK Today

The ExoMars robot will be assembled today in the UK as parts for the rover were built throughout member states of the European Space Agency. The UK Airbus Defence and Space will then test the robot on an indoor terrain that resembles Mars.

The testing ground is a giant sand pit that is going to act as Mars' surface while the ExoMars rover works to drill. Its goal is to drill into Mars' exterior to search for signs of life after the 2018 mission is deployed--but this could all take a while.

Its maximum range is projected at 70 meters (210 feet) per day and it cannot be controlled in real time. The distance between Earth and Mars will cause ten-minute command delays, so the 30m by 13m Mars test yard is being utilized to develop the needed algorithms to operate the autonomous navigation system. The 300 tons of specially selected sand in the test yard are meant to create the closest resemblance of Mars so the algorithms can be as accurate as possible.

The ExoMars rover is Europe's first Mars rover and "represents the best of British high-value manufacturing, said British Business Secretary Vince Cable, in this Airbus Defence & Space press release. "The technologies developed as part of the programme will also have real impacts on other sectors."

ExoMars hopes to have the same success as the United States' Curiosity rover, which has been exploring the surface of Mars for over two years now along with its buddy, Opportunity, another Mars rover. But that can only be possible if the money for the mission is ponied up soon.

The member states of the European Space Agency are still in the process of committing the rest of the 165 million euros needed to successfully deploy ExoMars in 2018. This amount is only 15% of the entire mission and the agency predicts it will be closed by the end of the year.

To read more about the ExoMars rover and see pictures of other rovers in the Mars yard in Stevenage, visit this BBC News article.