After a successful study phase, the Italian aerospace company Leonardo will design and test the Sample Transfer Arm Next to the European Space Agency (ESA for its acronym in English) that will have a main role in the campaign to collect samples on Mars together with NASA.
“This robotic arm is a testament to the vast experience and know-how that we have in Europe. The Sample Transfer Arm will be the helping hand that will take planetary science to a new level”, said the director of Human and Robotic Exploration, David Parkerin a statement.
Robotic arm, ESA.
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Its architecture imitates the a human arm, with a shoulder, elbow and a wrist and has its own built-in brain and eyes. It contains two cameras and sensors that will allow it to “decide the best course of action and coordinate the corresponding movements”.
For the ESA, the robot is “one of the most valuable jewels of space robotics”.
Leonardo heads a European industrial consortium made up of companies from Spain, France, Romania, Denmark, Greece, Switzerland and the Czech Republic. In fact, the Italian Space Agency (ASI) has supported the project from the beginning.
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