• The 8.2 foot long arm (STA) has been built by the European Space Agency.
• It will be attached to the NASA Sample Retrieval Lander.
• STA will be able to dodge Martian boulders and gather sample containers thanks to its dual camera system.

The NASA Perseverance rover is now on the surface of Mars looking for the best landing strip for the Mars Sample Return (MSR) spacecraft. The European Space Agency has constructed a robotic arm to take tubes of soil samples from the rover.

The Sample Transfer Arm is the moniker given to the 8.2 foot long arm (STA). Its algorithmic skin has been built so that it can “see” and “feel” items. When it is delivered in 2025, the NASA Sample Retrieval Lander will then be able to attach it.

The structure is modelled after a human arm. STA has a wrist, a shoulder, and an elbow. The robot will be able to dodge Martian boulders and gather sample containers thanks to its dual camera system. Then it will transfer them into a container, packing the lid tightly.

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The journey is “an remarkable feat,” according to David Parker, director of human and robotic exploration at the ESA.

NASA and ESA are working together on the Mars Sample Return mission, which aims to study the Martian soil.

By 2030, all of the samples should arrive on Earth.

The Sample Retrieval Lander will now be launched after the arm has been detailed. The Mars Ascent Vehicle rocket and the rover will be transported by it.

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