JPL
Careers
Education
Science & Technology
JPL Logo
JPL Logo
Mars
.

Mars 2020 Rover's 7-Foot-Long Robotic Arm Installed

June 28, 2019
On June 21, 2019, engineers at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory install the main robotic arm on the Mars 2020 rover. Measuring 7 feet (2.1 meters) long, the arm will allow the rover to work as a human geologist would: by holding and using science tools with its turret.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

The main robotic arm has been installed on NASA's newest rover. When complete, the arm will enable the rover to hold and use science tools like a human geologist would.

In this image, taken on June 21, 2019, engineers at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, install the main robotic arm on the Mars 2020 rover. (A smaller arm to handle Mars samples will be installed inside the rover as well.) The main arm includes five electrical motors and five joints (known as the shoulder azimuth joint, shoulder elevation joint, elbow joint, wrist joint and turret joint). Measuring 7 feet (2.1 meters) long, the arm will allow the rover to work as a human geologist would: by holding and using science tools with its turret, which is essentially its "hand."

"You have to give a hand to our rover arm installation team," said Ryan van Schilifgaarde, a support engineer at JPL for Mars 2020 assembly. "They made an extremely intricate operation look easy. We're looking forward to more of the same when the arm will receive its turret in the next few weeks."

The rover's turret will include high-definition cameras, science instruments, and a percussive drill and coring mechanism. Those tools will be used to analyze and collect samples of Martian rock and soil, which will be cached on the surface for return to Earth by a future mission.

Mars 2020 will launch from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida in July of 2020. It will land at Jezero Crater on Feb. 18, 2021.

Charged with returning astronauts to the Moon by 2024, NASA's Artemis lunar exploration plans will establish a sustained human presence on and around the Moon by 2028. We will use what we learn on the Moon to prepare to send astronauts to Mars.

JPL is building and will manage operations of the Mars 2020 rover for the NASA Science Mission Directorate at the agency's headquarters in Washington.

If you want to send your name to Mars with NASA's 2020 mission, you can do so until Sept. 30, 2019. Add your name to the list and obtain a souvenir boarding pass to Mars here:

https://go.nasa.gov/Mars2020Pass

For more information about the mission, go to:

https://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/

http://mars.nasa.gov

News Media Contact

Andrew Good

Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.

818-393-2433

andrew.c.good@jpl.nasa.gov

Alana Johnson

NASA Headquarters, Washington

202-672-4780 / 202-358-0668

alana.r.johnson@nasa.gov

2019-128

Related News

Solar System .

NASA’s Psyche Delivers First Images and Other Data

Solar System .

NASA’s 6-Pack of Mini-Satellites Ready for Their Moment in the Sun

Mars .

NASA Orbiter Snaps Stunning Views of Mars Horizon

Mars .

NASA Uses Two Worlds to Test Future Mars Helicopter Designs

Solar System .

Time Is Running Out to Add Your Name to NASA’s Europa Clipper

Mars .

NASA’s Mars Fleet Will Still Conduct Science While Lying Low

Solar System .

NASA’s Juno Finds Jupiter’s Winds Penetrate in Cylindrical Layers

Mars .

NASA’s Curiosity Rover Clocks 4,000 Days on Mars

Solar System .

Salts and Organics Observed on Ganymede’s Surface by NASA’s Juno

Mars .

NASA Is Locating Ice on Mars With This New Map

Explore More

QUIZZES .

Space Trivia

Image .

Ingenuity's Landing Spot During Mars Solar Conjunction

Image .

Ingenuity Views Its Footprints on Flight 66

Image .

Ingenuity's View of Sand Going Into Conjunction

Image .

Perseverance's Parking Spot During Conjunction

Robot .

EELS (Exobiology Extant Life Surveyor)

Image .

Cylindrical Orientation of Jupiter's East-West Jet-Streams

Image .

NASA's Juno Mission Images Jupiter's Belts and Zones

Image .

Curiosity Views 'Sequoia' Using Its Mastcam

Image .

Curiosity Views 'Sequoia' Using Its Mastcam

About JPL
Who We Are
Executive Council
Directors
Careers
Internships
The JPL Story
JPL Achievements
Documentary Series
Annual Reports
JPL Plan: 2023-2026
Missions
Current
Past
Future
All
News
All
Earth
Solar System
Stars and Galaxies
Subscribe to JPL News
Galleries
Images
Videos
Audio
Podcasts
Apps
Visions of the Future
Slice of History
Robotics at JPL
Events
Lecture Series
Team Competitions
Speakers Bureau
Calendar
Visit
Public Tours
Virtual Tour
Directions and Maps
Topics
JPL Life
Solar System
Mars
Earth
Climate Change
Exoplanets
Stars and Galaxies
Robotics
More
Asteroid Watch
NASA's Eyes Visualizations
Universe - Internal Newsletter
Social Media
Get the Latest from JPL
Follow Us

JPL is a federally funded research and development center managed for NASA by Caltech.

More from JPL
Careers Education Science & Technology Acquisition JPL Store
Careers
Education
Science & Technology
Acquisition
JPL Store
Related NASA Sites
Basics of Spaceflight
Climate Kids
Earth / Global Climate Change
Exoplanet Exploration
Mars Exploration
Solar System Exploration
Space Place
NASA's Eyes Visualization Project
Voyager Interstellar Mission
NASA
Caltech
Privacy
Image Policy
FAQ
Feedback
Site Managers: Veronica McGregor, Randal Jackson
Site Editors: Tony Greicius, Naomi Hartono
CL#: 21-0018