The goal is to determine whether a swarm of smaller autonomous rovers, equipped with powerful sensors and working in tandem with suitably constructed drones, could perform scientific exploration more efficiently than single large rovers already surveing the Red Planet.
The project team believe that, if deemed viable, the autonomous approach could significantly speed up and reduce the cost of Mars exploration given that a small rover is at least 1,000 times cheaper than large-scale devices like Perseverance.
The project also includes partnerships with universities in Basel, Switzerland, and San Jose, USA. The team have recently completed an initial series of tests with 8kg rovers at a specially prepared Mars yard near Warsaw.
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