BLOG Maxar Robotic Arm Stores Rocks on Mars for Future Analysis By: Maxar Technologies | 10.22.2021 READ TIME: 3 MINUTES A close-up look at Maxar’s SHA robotic arm on the bottom of the Perseverance rover. Photo credit: Courtesy NASA/JPL-Caltech. “Could life exist on Mars?” The answer may be in the Martian dirt. Last month, Maxar’s Sample Handling Assembly (SHA) robotic arm successfully stored the first rock sample on Mars, sealing it inside an airtight tube for retrieval in the future. A vital component of NASA’s Perseverance rover, the sample caching system will enable the future MARS SAMPLE RETURN program to bring the rock specimens back to Earth. These samples are key to our understanding of the red planet, as astrobiologists search for signs of microscopic life. A sample of Martian rock is seen inside its titanium container in this image taken by the rover’s Sampling and Caching System Camera (known as CacheCam). Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech. As one of the new technologies selected for the Perseverance rover, Maxar’s SHA is a central part of the Adaptive Caching Assembly. The SHA robotic arm is under the front end of the rover, and it can manipulate, assess, encapsulate, store and release collected Martian soil and rock samples. This subsystem was designed by Maxar uniquely for the rover’s sampling activities. As Perseverance explores Mars, the Maxar-built robotic SHA arm will manipulate, assess, encapsulate, store and release collected Martian soil and rock samples. Image: NASA JPL-Caltech. In addition to the SHA robotic arm, Maxar also built Perseverance’s camera focus system, part of the Sherloc Instrument and Watson Imager, which supports this soil-collecting mission by enabling the rover to identify promising samples on the surface of Mars. “The success of the SHA’s first collection on Mars demonstrates this first-of-its kind technology, strengthening Maxar’s position as a leader in space robotics,” said Lucy Condakchian, General Manager of Robotics at Maxar. “The immense challenge of executing sampling and caching on another planet has allowed Maxar to make great strides in robotics engineering, and the opportunity to continue our long-standing partnership with NASA for this historic mission inspires Maxar to push the limits of what is possible in space.” Perseverance’s SHA robotic arm and camera focus system come from more than 20 years of experience in space robotics. Maxar has built five other robotic arms for previous Mars missions: the Spirit, Opportunity and Curiosity rovers and the Phoenix and InSight landers. Learn more about MAXAR ROBOTICS. EMAIL SUBSCRIPTION E-mail: First Name: Last Name: Phone Number: Job Title: Company Name: Industry: Select... Agriculture Automotive / Transportation Construction, Engineering, Architectural Consulting & Professional Services Earth Science Education & Research Energy - Oil & Gas Energy - Other Energy - Utilities Environment Finance Forestry GIS/Mapping/Cadastral Government - Civil Government - Defense & Intelligence Government - State/Local Insurance Logistics Marine / Fishing Media / Communications Metals & Mining Other Real Estate Retail Security Products & Services Technology / Location-Based Services Telecommunications Country: Select... United States of America Afghanistan Aland Islands Albania Algeria American Samoa Andorra Angola Anguilla Antarctica Antigua and Barbuda Argentina Armenia Aruba Australia Austria Azerbaijan Bahamas Bahrain Bangladesh Barbados Belarus Belgium Belize Benin Bermuda Bhutan Bolivia (Plurinational State of) Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana Bouvet Island Brazil British Indian Ocean Territory Brunei Darussalam Bulgaria Burkina Faso Burundi Cabo Verde Cambodia Cameroon Canada Cayman Islands Central African Republic Chad Chile China Christmas Island Cocos (Keeling) Islands Colombia Comoros Congo Congo (Democratic Republic of the) Cook Islands Costa Rica Cote d'Ivoire Croatia Cuba Curacao Cyprus Czech Republic Denmark Djibouti Dominica Dominican Republic Ecuador Egypt El Salvador Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Estonia Ethiopia Falkland Islands (Malvinas) Faroe Islands Fiji Finland France French Guiana French Polynesia French Southern Territories Gabon Gambia Georgia Germany Ghana Gibraltar Greece Greenland Grenada Guadeloupe Guam Guatemala Guernsey Guinea Guinea-Bissau Guyana Haiti Heard Island and McDonald Islands Holy See Honduras Hong Kong Hungary Iceland India Indonesia Iran (Islamic Republic of) Iraq Ireland Isle of Man Israel Italy Jamaica Japan Jersey Jordan Kazakhstan Kenya Kiribati Korea (Democratic People's Republic of) Korea (Republic of) Kuwait Kyrgyzstan Lao People's Democratic Republic Latvia Lebanon Lesotho Liberia Libya Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Macao Macedonia (the former Yugoslav Republic of) Madagascar Malawi Malaysia Maldives Mali Malta Marshall Islands Martinique Mauritania Mauritius Mayotte Mexico Micronesia (Federated States of) Moldova (Republic of) Monaco Mongolia Montenegro Montserrat Morocco Mozambique Myanmar Namibia Nauru Nepal Netherlands New Caledonia New Zealand Nicaragua Niger Nigeria Niue Norfolk Island Northern Mariana Islands Norway Oman Pakistan Palau Palestine, State of Panama Papua New Guinea Paraguay Peru Philippines Pitcairn Poland Portugal Puerto Rico Qatar Reunion Romania Russian Federation Rwanda Saint Barthelemy Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Martin (French part) Saint Pierre and Miquelon Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Samoa San Marino Sao Tome and Principe Saudi Arabia Senegal Serbia Seychelles Sierra Leone Singapore Sint Maarten (Dutch part) Slovakia Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia South Africa South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands South Sudan Spain Sri Lanka Sudan Suriname Svalbard and Jan Mayen Swaziland Sweden Switzerland Syrian Arab Republic Taiwan, Province of China Tajikistan Tanzania, United Republic of Thailand Timor-Leste Togo Tokelau Tonga Trinidad and Tobago Tunisia Turkey Turkmenistan Turks and Caicos Islands Tuvalu Uganda Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland United States Minor Outlying Islands Uruguay Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of) Viet Nam Virgin Islands (British) Virgin Islands (U.S.) Wallis and Futuna Western Sahara Yemen Zambia Zimbabwe Communication Preference: Yes, I agree to continue receiving commercial messages from Maxar, such as emails about new products, events, and promotions. I understand I will still have the option to unsubscribe at any time. No thanks, please unsubscribe me Submit RELATED POSTS November 23, 2021 | Space Infrastructure Maxar Integrates NASA Pollution-Monitoring Payload with Intelsat 40e Spacecraft November 05, 2021 | Space Infrastructure Maxar Reaffirms its Commitment to Preserving the Space Environment October 27, 2021 | Space Infrastructure Maxar to Display Its Space Technology at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum Prev Post Back to Blog Next Post maxar.com © Maxar Technologies 2021 | Privacy Policy