A new rover set to visit Mars and collect the first
ever samples from the planet to be brought back safely
to Earth, will be designed in Stevenage by Airbus
following the award of a £3.9 million contract by the
European Space Agency (ESA).
The sample fetch rover will retrieve samples left by
NASA’s Mars 2020 rover and transfer them to an ascent
vehicle. This will put them into orbit about the
planet, where they will then be brought back to Earth
by a separate spacecraft.
Science Minister said:
“This remarkable new project, which will see samples
brought back from Mars to Earth for the first time
ever, demonstrates Britain’s world-leading scientific
and engineering innovation.
“Winning this contract builds on the UK’s
world-renowned expertise in space and robotics which
the government is supporting through the UK Space
Agency and the major investments in our modern
Industrial Strategy.
“One rover bound for Mars in 2020 is already under
construction by Airbus in Stevenage and the knowledge
and expertise honed there will now be applied to
designing this new mission, which aims to safely
deliver – for the first time – material to Earth from
another planet.”
The UK is a founding member of ESA, which is
independent of the European Union. This means the UK’s
membership will continue after we leave the EU,
delivering economic benefits and ensuring British
companies, universities and other organisations
continue to be at the forefront of space exploration,
satellite manufacture and technology applications.
British ESA astronaut Tim Peake said:
“This is an exciting new era where businesses and space
agencies are working closer than ever before on
ambitious missions to expand our knowledge of the Solar
System and deliver benefits to people’s lives. The
close collaboration between the UK and ESA will place
Britain at the forefront of innovative missions to
explore the Moon, Mars and beyond.”
Tim Peake joined the science minister at the European
Centre for Space Applications and Telecommunications,
which employs 103 staff at Harwell and has supported
hundreds of UK companies. As the leading funder of
ESA’s ARTES programme into telecommunications research
the UK sees one in four commercial telecommunications
satellites substantially built in the UK.
During the visit, the Minister and Tim Peake visited
STFC RAL Space which will be the home to the National
Satellite Test Facility. RAL Space’s Autonomous Systems
Group are also contributing to the ESA Mars rover
mission.
The UK space sector is growing, worth £13.7 billion to
the economy and employing more than 38,000 people
across the country. The UK is a world-leader in small
satellite technology, telecommunications, robotics and
earth observation, while British universities are some
of the best in the world for space science. As
technology evolves and reduces the cost of access to
space, there is an exciting opportunity for the UK to
thrive in the commercial space age.
The visit took place on the 70th anniversary of the NHS
and a number of healthcare applications for space were
also discussed. Last week the UK Space Agency with the
support of ESA, launched a competition to find hi-tech
solutions to the major health and care challenges
facing the NHS, using technology originally designed
for space, with up to £4m available.
