Want To Name Europes New Life-Hunting Mars Rover? Heres Your Chance

The UK Space Agency is hosting a public naming contest for the European robot that will search for life on Mars.

European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Tim Peake has announced a public contest to name the European rover due to land on Mars in 2021.

The online competition, which will run until 10 October 2018, is accepting submissions from residents of ESA member states and associate members for the renaming of the six-wheeled robot. All ideas will be put before an expert panel, who will make the final choice, meaning a repeat of the infamous 2016 naming contest (which saw the British public name a £200-million polar-exploration ship ‘Boaty McBoatface’) is unlikely.

The person who submits the winning name submission for the Mars explorer will win a tour of the Airbus facility in Stevenage, England, where the vehicle is currently being assembled.

An artist’s impression of how Mars may have looked about four billion years ago

The rover’s mission on Mars will be to search for signs of past or present microbial life, which will including drilling up to two metres (6.6 feet) underground.

“Mars is a fascinating destination, a place where humans will one day work alongside robots to gather new knowledge and search for life in our solar system,” Peake said in a statement from ESA.

“The ExoMars rover is a vital part of this journey of exploration, and we are asking you to become part of this exciting mission and name the rover that will scout the Martian surface.”

For more on mankind’s efforts to explore life on other planets, read our long-form exploration of the Earthly benefits of a mission to Mars.

About the author

Claire Lancaster

Tech & Entrepreneurship Editor

English-American, Claire has lived and worked in the U.S., South America, Europe and the UK. As Culture Trip’s tech and entrepreneurship editor she covers the European startup scene and issues ranging from Internet privacy to the intersection of the web with civil society, journalism, public policy and art. Claire holds a master’s in international journalism from City University, London and has contributed to outlets including Monocle, NPR, Public Radio International and the BBC World Service. When not writing or travelling, she can be found searching for London's best brunch spot or playing with her cat, Diana Ross.