Maxar Technologies has delivered the robotic Sample Handling Assembly (SHA) for NASA's Mars 2020 rover.

As the Mars 2020 rover explores the red planet, the SHA will process and store samples acquired from the Martian surface. The SHA is the sixth robotic arm that Maxar has designed, built and delivered for use on Mars.

As part of NASA's Mars Exploration Program, the Mars 2020 rover will attempt to answer critical questions about the potential for life on Mars. Maxar's expert roboticists will now work closely with NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory to integrate the arm with the Mars 2020 rover. After its planned launch in July 2020, the rover will land at Jezero Crater to search for signs of livable conditions and microbial life from the ancient past.

The Mars 2020 rover will use its drill to collect core samples of the most promising rocks and soils and set them aside in a cache on the surface of Mars. A future mission could potentially return these samples to Earth. As part of the Adaptive Caching Assembly, the Maxar-built SHA will manipulate, assess, encapsulate, store and release collected Martian soil and rock samples.

"Maxar is a global leader in space infrastructure with over 60 years of experience," said Megan Fitzgerald, Maxar's Senior Vice President and General Manager of Space Infrastructure.

"We are proud to contribute our innovative technology to the Mars 2020 mission. In addition to delivering robotic arms for planetary exploration, Maxar is pioneering robotics technologies that will enable space infrastructure to be serviced, assembled and manufactured in orbit."

Maxar is also providing a camera focus system for Mars 2020's SHERLOC instrument and WATSON imager. SHERLOC and WATSON will be used to study the surface of Mars and support the selection of rock and soil samples. Maxar provided robotic arms for previous NASA Mars missions - the Spirit, Opportunity and Curiosity rovers, and Phoenix and InSight landers.

The operations of DigitalGlobe, SSL (Space Systems Loral) and Radiant Solutions were unified under the Maxar brand in February; MDA continues to operate as an independent business unit within the Maxar organization.

Related Links
Maxar Technologies
Mars News and Information at MarsDaily.com
Lunar Dreams and more

Tweet

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only

Mars 2020 Rover unwrapped and ready for more testing
Pasadena CA (JPL) Oct 22, 2019
In this time-lapse video, taken on Oct. 4, 2019, at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, bunny-suited engineers remove the inner layer of protective antistatic foil on the Mars 2020 rover after the vehicle was relocated from JPL's Spacecraft Assembly Facility to the Simulator Building for testing. "The Mars 2020 rover will be collecting samples for future return to Earth, so it must meet extraordinary cleanliness measures to avoid the possibility of contaminating Martian sampl ... read more