---
title: "Astronauts Are About to Take Control of a Mars Rover, From Space"
description: "The European Space Agency is about to test if an astronaut on board the International Space Station is capable of taking control of Moon rovers from space."
date: "2019-10-23"
modified: "2019-10-23"
authors:
  - name: "Victor Tangermann"
    job_title: "Senior Editor"
    link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor"
url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/astronauts-control-moon-robot-space"
categories:
  - "Astronomy"
  - "Mars"
  - "Space"
tags:
  - "ESA"
  - "iss"
  - "lunar rover"
  - "Moon Rover"
  - "NASA"
  - "the digest"
---

# Astronauts Are About to Take Control of a Mars Rover, From Space

![The European Space Agency is about to test if an astronaut on board the International Space Station is capable of taking control of Moon rovers from space.](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/astronauts-control-moon-robot-space.jpg>)
*\<em\>Image: ESA\</em\>*

## Rover Rover

The European Space Agency (ESA) is about to test if an astronaut on board the International Space Station is capable of taking control of Moon and Mars rovers from space.

"The approach could greatly increase the scientific return on those missions, as well as offer a way to avoid potential contamination from humans landing on the surface before we can answer questions about existing or previous life on Mars," William Carey, ESA scientist and principle investigator on the project, said in [a statement](<https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/news/analog-1-lunar-robot-test-drive-space-station-iss/>).

## Collecting Rocks

As part of the mission, ESA astronaut Luca Parmitano will assume control over a remote-controlled robot that's been placed on a Moon-like surface in the Netherlands. A specialized computer system on board the ISS will guide Parmitano and even allow him to sense what the robot senses using a specialized "joystick."

The ESA will be evaluating the communication methods as well as the astronaut's ability to maneuver the rover from microgravity. If all goes well, the experiment could pave new ways to explore distant worlds without putting humans in danger.

**READ MORE:** [Astronaut to Control a Moon Robot From the Space Station](<https://www.space.com/astronaut-space-station-remote-control-lunar-rover.html>) \[*Space.com*\]

**More on rovers:** *[China Releases New Pic of Weird Substance Its Moon Rover Found](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/china-moon-rover-mysterious-substance>)*

## Author
I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida.

### Author social links  
[Bluesky](<https://bsky.app/profile/vtanger.bsky.social>)