An accurate replica of ESA’s ExoMars rover that’s main mission is to search for signs of organic life on Mars. Note the black drill box that allows samples to be drilled up to 2 m below the Martian surface. (Photo: Robert Willemsen)

The ExoTeR or ExoMars Test Rover is used for research. Tests are done for driving down the platform, autonomous driving, software tests for navigation, camera techonology, etc. (Photo: Robert Willemsen)

The Plaetary Robotics Laboratory is a research facility to test all aspects of robotics for missions to Moon, Mars or asteroids. They will test ideas and concepts for future missions. The team works on navigation software, camera’s,  solar panels, wheel systems, obstacle avoidance, etc. (Photo: Robert Willemsen)

The Centaur robot was used by Andreas Mogensen to insert a peg into a hole. Andreas was in the ISS and the golden taskboard was in the lab at ESTEC. In another experiment ESA stronaut Luca Parmitano drove the rover from space to pick up geological rock samples in a lab near ESTEC. Both experiments demonstrate that you can float in space and telerobotically operate rovers on the surface of the Moon with very high levels of accuracy. (Photo: Robert Willemsen)

This is one of the ‘wrist’ segments of the European Robotic Arm (ERA), the 11 m long robot arm that ESA developed to operate on the Russian space lab Nauka. In this ERA lab they do software testing, troubleshooting and support the crew on ISS (Photo: Robert Willemsen)

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