Airbus trialed prototype space rovers in a quarry

Aerospace company Airbus is the latest contender to join the team of companies working towards the Mars missions as it tested its prototype space rovers in a quarry.

Of course, a quarry is by no means similar to the red planet’s surface, but the entire thing is in its early stages.

As of right now, the aerospace company or the European Space Agency (ESA) have no plans to send these rovers into the unknown.

However, if these rovers succeed, these could be the next step forward for the mission — to other planets and the Moon.

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Two Airbus space rovers prepare for Mars and the Moon

Airbus was reportedly testing two rovers that participated in several tests.

Dubbed Codi and Charlie, these are four-wheeled and six-wheeled space rovers that were being tested in a quarry in Bedfordshire, UK.

Although a quarry might not seem like an ideal place to test out space rovers, it actually makes sense.

You see, the final versions of these machines would eventually have to traverse all sorts of terrain in several different conditions on Mars.

It’s easier to simulate such conditions and environments inside a quarry, which is why it was chosen.

The aerospace company undoubtedly makes some of the greatest aircraft that we have today, but it also works on projects like space rovers.

If these tests bear fruit, the company plans to send the space rovers to Earth’s Moon as well.

“The thing we are excited about the most at the moment is the moon,” said Airbus’s rover program manager.

He added, “The moon is a stepping stone to Mars so there is obviously a lot of interest in going back to the moon and you can envisage rovers being part of the lunar ecosystem.”

So, what are these machines doing right now?

What can these explorers do?

The four-wheeled rover — Codi — has a robotic arm that the company was testing to pick up and carry terrain samples.

Moreover, the test tubes that it uses are the same as those used by NASA’s Perseverance rover.

The six-wheeled rover — Charlie — is a parkour machine that can climb over and tackle obstacles without breaking a sweat.

However, these features are just the tip of the iceberg because both rovers are equipped with all sorts of state-of-the-art tech.

Fancy sensors, cameras, and whatnot.

Airbus and the ESA have also dedicated sizeable teams to work on these machines.

They believe that testing these rovers is essential as they could be of importance on the next mission to Mars.

Or the Moon, for that matter.