A prototype for the European Mars rover, dubbed Bryan by its creators, has been unveiled at the “Mars Yard” testing ground in Stevenage.
The Mars Yard has been designed to mimic the sandy, rocky surface of Mars, to test Bryan in conditions as close as possible as it will find on the red planet.
The European Space Agency (ESA) is hoping to land the rover on Mars to drill, analyse samples in its on-board laboratory, and bring them back to Earth by the 2020s as part of the ExoMars programme.
Byan, which will be able to travel up to 70m per day, is being developed by Airbus Defence and Space, a division of the European multinational Airbus Group, and formed from the merger of Astrium, Cassidian, and Airbus Military last summer.
