The European Space Agency's Mars rover is being constructed in Stevenage with the aim of exploring the Martian surface in 2021. It has a drill to probe up to two metres under the surface of Mars and has instruments on board that can examine the samples it finds. The 300kg robot vehicle is capable of travelling 2cm a second for at least 90 days, but scientists hope it will remain active for as long as the latest American rover Curiosity, which landed in August 2012 and is still exploring. Liz Seward, senior strategist at Airbus Defence and Space in Stevenage, said it was a first for the European space project. "It's part of a big plan called the global expedition road map," she said.