The European Mars rover, ExoMars, will be ready for its launch in 2018. It just needs to pass a series of tests in the make-shift Martian surface, called "Mars yard" which would ensure its entry, descent, landing, drilling, and roving capabilities in the planet.
ExoMars is a joint initiative between the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Roscosmos space agency of Russia. It was designed to navigate and move at about 70 meters per day across the surface of Mars, and gather information about the planet's habitability and collect samples fromthe surface for analyses.
But before its launch, ExoMars needs to pass through a simulation test inside the newly-renovated Mars yard, a realistic training ground in developing an advanced navigation system.
The Mars yard, which is 30x13 meters wide yard, filled with 300 tons of sand and, furnished with rocky obstacles. Its interior surfaces, including its front and doors were all painted with a reddish-brown hue to check if the rover's cameras work well in a given scenario.
After the completion of the renovation in Mars yard, members of the press and the public were invited to attend the inauguration by ESA chief executive David Parker, ESA's Director of Science and Robotic Exploration Alvaro Giménez, UK Secretary of State for Business Vince Cable, UK's Airbus Defence and Space head Colin Paynter.
"A facility like this enables us to develop sophisticated navigation systems to 'teach' Mars rovers how to drive autonomously across the Red Planet. This will be a fantastic resource for the ExoMars rover team and for future missions to come," said Giménez in a press release.
To see such technology "is incredibly rewarding to see the benefits of our investment in the European Space Agency creating jobs here in the UK," added cable.
ExoMars will be the first Mars rover to be sent by the European space agency.
