MDA, a Maxar Technologies company (NYSE: MAXR) (TSX: MAXR), announced today that it was selected by Airbus to provide a conceptual design of a rover mobility system and sample acquisition system planned to explore Mars and acquire samples that will be returned to Earth. The rover, a small vehicle approximately 1 metre wide by 1.5 metres long, will be capable of withstanding the harsh atmosphere of Mars and its challenging terrain. The ‘Sample Fetch Rover’ is planned to be part of the mission concepts the European Space Agency (ESA) is exploring with NASA for an international Mars Sample Return campaign between 2020 and 2030. The new contract is one of a number of innovative programs MDA’s space systems is supporting.
“MDA’s unparalleled flight heritage and end-to-end system capabilities in robotic systems provides a solid foundation for new missions to explore planets, asteroids and other bodies in the solar system,” said Mike Greenley, group president of MDA. “As a global leader in technology and products for space, MDA pushes the boundaries in advancing spaceflight and exploration: from sensors and vision systems, to robotic arms and autonomous robotics to planetary science instruments.”
Under the Mars Sample Return campaign, three launches are planned to accomplish the tasks of landing on the red planet and finding, collecting, storing samples, and returning them to Earth. The first of the launches under the NASA’s Mars 2020 mission will explore the surface and rigorously document and store a set of samples in canisters to be retrieved later for flight to Earth. The second launch will send the Sample Return Lander mission to land a platform near the Mars 2020 site. From here, the rover will retrieve the stored samples.
Once the Sample Fetch Rover has collected the samples, it will return to the lander platform so they can be loaded into the Mars Ascent Vehicle. This vehicle will perform the first liftoff from Mars and carry the container into Mars orbit.
ESA’s Earth Return Orbiter will be the third launch in this campaign to Mars and it is timed to capture the basketball-size sample container orbiting Mars. The spacecraft will then return to Earth, where it will release the entry capsule, allowing extensive analyses of the samples in laboratories with varied scientific equipment too large to take to Mars.
The Mars 2020-2030 mission addresses high-priority science goals for Mars exploration, including key questions about the potential for life on Mars. The mission also provides opportunities to gather knowledge and demonstrate technologies that address the challenges of future human expeditions to Mars.
The Mars Sample Fetch Rover would be an extension of MDA’s contributions to Mars exploration:
MDA’s new contract with Airbus is one of the many successes MDA has achieved over the last year in the robotics business. MDA continues to apply its extensive heritage in space systems and robotics developed through over four decades of work on the ISS to endeavors on other recent programs and achievements in international space exploration:
MDA’s commercial space mindset is enabling deployment of new technologies and tools for the development of innovative solutions that build a better world.
The view expressed herein can in no way be taken to reflect the official opinion of the European Space Agency.
About MDA
MDA is an internationally recognized leader in space robotics, space sensors, satellite payloads, antennas and subsystems, surveillance and intelligence systems, defence and maritime systems, and geospatial radar imagery. MDA’s extensive space expertise and heritage translates into mission-critical defence and commercial applications that include multi-platform command, control and surveillance systems, aeronautical information systems, land administration systems and terrestrial robotics. MDA is also a leading supplier of actionable mission-critical information and insights derived from multiple data sources. Founded in 1969, MDA is recognized as one of Canada’s most successful technology ventures with locations in Richmond, Ottawa, Brampton, Montreal, Halifax and the United Kingdom. MDA is a Maxar Technologies company (TSX: MAXR; NYSE: MAXR). For more information, visit www.mdacorporation.com.
About Maxar Technologies
As a global leader of advanced space technology solutions, Maxar Technologies (formerly MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates) is at the nexus of the new space economy, developing and sustaining the infrastructure and delivering the information, services, systems that unlock the promise of space for commercial and government markets. As a trusted partner, Maxar Technologies provides vertically-integrated capabilities and expertise including satellites, Earth imagery, robotics, geospatial data and analytics to help customers anticipate and address their most complex mission-critical challenges with confidence. With more than 6,500 employees in over 30 global locations, the Maxar Technologies portfolio of commercial space brands includes MDA, SSL, DigitalGlobe and Radiant Solutions. Every day, billions of people rely on Maxar to communicate, share information and data, and deliver insights that Build a Better World. Maxar trades on the Toronto Stock Exchange and New York Stock Exchange as MAXR. For more information, visit www.maxar.com.
