Out of 100 teams from prestigious technical universities worldwide, 35 have been selected to compete in this remarkable event, showcasing their innovative Mars rovers.
The ERC, celebrating its 10th anniversary, is organized by the European Space Foundation, with this year's competition set to be held for the first time at the AGH University of Science and Technology in Kraków.
The rector of AGH, Prof. Jerzy Lis, emphasized the event's broad appeal, stating it "promotes science, technology, education, industry, and everything related to space technologies."
Highlighting the event's significance, Prof. Marek Moszyński from the Polish Space Agency mentioned it as potentially the biggest event in Poland this year in a sector that bridges academia, industry and society.
The ERC is designed not just for specialists and students but for anyone with an interest in space.
Łukasz Wilczyński, the president of the European Space Foundation, added that a key goal of the ERC is to make knowledge accessible to everyone. The event welcomes families and offers a range of activities, including the main Mars rover competition, scientific-technological demonstrations, and a scientific conference.
Teams participating in the ERC face the challenge of designing and building a Mars rover capable of executing tasks with the highest precision, inspired by real NASA and ESA space missions. After months of hard work, their designs are evaluated by industry and space sector professionals before the finalists demonstrate their rovers' capabilities on a special Mars-like terrain, known as Marsyard.
Designed by planetary geologists from the Polish Academy of Sciences, Marsyard is an installation that simulates selected aspects of the Martian surface, complete with active volcanoes, impact craters, and evidence of water activity. It attracts global scientific attention for its accurate representation of Martian geological processes.
The ERC has been held in Poland for a decade, with challenges closely mimicking the tasks currently faced by rovers on Mars and the Moon.
The competition offers student teams an opportunity to showcase their skills and creativity to a broad audience, including representatives from major space agencies such as America's National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the European Space Agency (ESA), and others, providing a platform for sharing of knowledge, and networking within the space sector.
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Source: PAP
Click on the audio player above for a report by Radio Poland's Agnieszka Bielawska.