The European Rover Challenge is the largest international space & robotics competition in Europe. University teams from around the world build their own Mars robots, and then take part in competitions similar to the tasks performed by rovers on the surfaces of Mars and the Moon.

Participation in the ERC competition is a unique opportunity for each competitor to improve their own competences and present their skills in front of representatives of the world of science and business, the new-tech sector and the general public. The new, hybrid ERC formula allows all willing teams to take part in the competition, regardless of which place on Earth they are during the event. Remote control of robots (only in REMOTE formula) not only equalizes the chances of all participants, but also brings the course of the competition even closer to the real working conditions of NASA or ESA teams. Since 2021, teams can compete both in ON-SITE and REMOTE formulas.

News

16 teams from 7 countries will compete at the European Rover Challenge finals

What to do when everything goes wrong? UPC Space Program

Time is running out… ERC 2022 application last call

News

16 teams from 7 countries will compete at the European Rover Challenge finals

What to do when everything goes wrong? UPC Space Program

Time is running out… ERC 2022 application last call

Schedule

The table below shows the preliminary competition schedule. Please refer to the rules and regulations for the detailed competition schedule.

15th April

Qualification A (REMOTE)

18th–30th April (TBC)

1st Test Drive: Science and Navigation Task (REMOTE)

18th–30th April (TBC)

1st Test Drive: Maintenance Task (REMOTE)

30th May

Preliminary Report Delivery (ON-SITE)

1st–19th June (TBC)

2nd Test Drive: Science and Maintenance Task (REMOTE)

1st–19th June (TBC)

2nd Test Drive: Maintenance Task (REMOTE)

26th June

Rules update (if needed) (REMOTE)

27th June

Qualification (ON-SITE)

1st–17th July (TBC)

3rd Test Drive: Science and Navigation Task (REMOTE)

1st–17th July (TBC)

3rd Test Drive: Maintenance Task (REMOTE)

22nd July

Update of Rules #2 / Update Report #2 (ON-SITE)

24th July

Video Material Delivery (REMOTE)

31st July

Video Delivery, Final Report Delivery (ON-SITE)

8th August

Qualification B (REMOTE)

15th August

RF Form Delivery (ON-SITE)

mid-August (TBC)

Update Report #3 (ON-SITE)

28th August

Environment Update, Final Report Delivery (REMOTE)

28th August

Science Planning Report (ON-SITE)

9th–11th September

#ERC2022 FINALS

REPOSITORY

All questions regarding the ERC2022 competition should be sent to: teams@roverchallenge.eu
ERC Remote files
ERC On-site files
Infoguide

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Who can apply to participate in the competition?

ERC is a university team competition; therefore, a minimum of 75% of the team must be students, Ph.D. students, or recent graduates. Collaboration with specialists from different fields is allowed, but the team members' documentation required for the competition should be prepared only. More than one team may compete within the same university. For more information, please refer to the regulations, which you can download from our website.

When and how can we apply with our team to the next edition of ERC?

The current registration schedule can be found on our website, under the Competitor Zone tab (only when the official rules will be published). If you want to register your team, start by reading the rules and regulations to see all the necessary information. The schedule for each edition appears at the end of each calendar year. Registration begins at the end of January. If your team meets the requirements, download the attachments included in the regulations, fill them out and send them to us at teams@roverchallenge.eu. Remember that it is necessary to send ALL data listed in the regulations and the consent form. You will find updated registration information (deadline reminders, etc., on our social media).

What should the team that applies to the competition for the first time pay attention to?

First of all, do not underestimate the phase of preparing the documentation. Many teams treat it as an introduction to further activities, but it is a very important element of the competition. First, the ability to prepare it is essential in the work of most engineers. Secondly, the number of teams that will take part in the competition is limited and it is on the basis of the documentation that the jury will decide whether you will be part of that group.

Will the ERC organizers help us find sponsors?

No. We are not able to provide such support equally for all teams and it would not be fair to help a few chosen ones. We try to help you by giving up on the entry fee. Besides, searching for sponsors on your own is very important and will be a valuable lesson for you in the future. It is worth considering from the very beginning whether and how you can commercialize your work in order to prove to potential sponsors that it is worth investing in you.

Do we have to pay to enter the competition?

Registration and participation in the competition do not require any fees to the organizer.

Does the hybrid form of the competition mean that we cannot be in the place where the Martian track is located?

Competitors will compete in two formulas – REMOTE and ON-SITE. Therefore, the remote control of robots is to level the playing field for all participants and allow teams to start anywhere in the world. So there is no objection to you being near the track, but you must remember that you are subject to the same rules as other participants even then. Even if you are close to the robot, you must control it using the platform prepared for this purpose. In addition, one of the rules associated with the hybrid formula of the competition is the so-called "no peeking." Any attempt to peep can be punished with disqualification.

Do you have any guidelines for new teams?

Yes! Check our Team Coordinator's article titled "10 tips for a better start in the ERC!"

ERC'22 JURY

Marcin Wygachiewicz

Head of the Jury Board

I have been working at SENER Poland since 2015. Previously, I worked as a Design Engineer for one of the leading manufacturers of turbine components for the Oil & Gas and avia on industry. Then I worked as YGT in the Mechanisms Section of the European Space Agency in ESTEC, Netherlands. At SENER Poland, I am responsible, among others, for development of deployment mechanisms and hold-down and release mechanisms (ATHENA, PROBA-3, SAOCOM) and the clamping mechanism (e.Deorbit). This is the fourth edition of the European Rover Challenge during which I am involved in judging the competition as well as evaluating presenttions and documentation provided by the teams.

Szymon Dzwończyk

Head of the Jury Board (REMOTE)

I'm a cofounder of Leo Rover, a mobile robot used by the teams in the Remote Edition. I came a full circle from being a coordinator of Project Scorpio team (Wrocław University of Technology) who won the first ERC and didn't win twice in URC, then being a judge and a commenter in two ERCs, running a company in mobile robotics and ended up coming back as a partner and coorganizer of the competition. I've been on both sides of the Challenge and can honestly say: it's great to be back.

Anna Łosiak

Main judge of the SCIENCE task

Ania is a planetary geologist working at the Polish Academy of Sciences. She focuses on studying impact craters and surficial processes on Mars. She is also involved in various outreach activities and Mars analog missions. She studied geomorphology and sedimentology at the University of Warsaw, geology and meteoritics at the Michigan State University (funded by the Fulbright Graduate Student Award), and finally she obtained PHD at the University of Vienna. She is actively popularising planetary sciences in Poland – in TV, radio, multiple youtube channels, during Pyrkon and many other events. And most importantly, Ania is a main Science Judge and a proud designer of a Mars Yards for European Rover Challenge since 2019.

Krzysztof Walas

Main judge of the MAINTENANCE task (REMOTE)

Assistant professor at the Institute of Robotics and Machine Intelligence (IRIM), Division of Control, Robotics and Electrical Engineering, Poznan University of Technology. He obtained a doctorate in technical sciences in 2012 in the discipline of Automatics and Robotics, specialization in Robotics. His scientific interests are walking robots and the perception of the robots' environment that allows them to interact with the environment based on the laws of physics – recognizing materials and modeling their properties. His internship took place at the University of Birmingham, UK.

Robert Lubański

Marsyard coordinator

Since 2016, the president of Mars Society Poland, with which he has been associated with since 2007. He supports the development of robotics among Polish students, among others, by co-organizing their trips to the University Rover Challenge and coordinating the project to popularize the idea of ​​building Martian robots at Polish technical universities. From the very beginning, he was involved in the organization of the European Rover Challenge in Poland.