South African National Space Agency hosts African Mars rover challenge

The Cars4Mars African Rover Challenge: Mars Stage Final 2026 took place at the South African National Space Agency (SANSA) Mars Yard in Hartebeesthoek. The event served as a testing ground for approximately 120 young innovators from South Africa, Kenya, and Zimbabwe, representing 18 finalist teams who advanced from an initial online stage involving 100 teams from 11 African countries.

Over a five-month period, participants designed, engineered, and built custom rover prototypes to navigate a course constructed with 40 tonnes of red sand to simulate Martian terrain. The competition featured two primary evaluations: the Traversal Mission, which tested remote operation and maneuvering across uneven ground, and the AI Autonomous Mission, which required the use of artificial intelligence and computer vision to identify and locate specific objects such as hammers, tennis balls, and traffic cones.