Empowering Students to Experience Aerospace Engineering
Macquarie Aerospace Rover Society is a dedicated, multi-disciplinary group of students at Macquarie University dedicated to designing, building, and operating advanced robotic systems for competing in the Australian Rover Challenge (ARCh).
A Launchpad for Future Aerospace Visionaries
MARS bridges the gap between academic theory and real-world engineering applications. By designing, building, field-testing, and competing with aerospace rovers, we equip students with the technical, leadership, and operational capabilities needed to excel in the global aerospace industry.
Through hands-on hardware development, cross-disciplinary collaboration, and competitive execution, our members gain direct experience with industry software stacks, electronics, and manufacturing methods.
Engineered Design
Experience in real engineering. We design and test to meet real competition requirements in industry standard ways.
Multidisciplinary Focus
The team is comprised of members from a wide range of disciplines, including but not limited to Mechanical Engineers, Electrical Engineers, Mechatronic Engineers, IT, Marketing, Business, and more, all working together towards one goal.
Competitive Readiness
We test our limits under pressure, preparing our hardware platforms and student teams for high-stakes execution at the Australian Rover Challenge (ARCh).
Introducing WALLY
WALLY is MARS’s custom-built competition rover designed from the ground up by students for the Australian Rover Challenge (ARCh).
Custom Chassis
Lightweight aluminum chassis with custom sway bar suspension for high maneuverability and stability across rough terrain.
Custom Power Distribution
Robust power management circuitry, with a focus on safety, reliability, and modularity.
Custom Robotic Arm
A work in progress custom-designed robotic arm engineered to complete all challenge tasks, including equipment servicing and precise panel operation.
Remote Base Station
Driven via manual remote control from a dedicated operator base station with real-time video telemetry feed.
Water Extraction
Integrated science payload designed to drill, collect, and extract water from lunar ice analogues.
Join MARS & Build Your Future
Gain hands-on experience in aerospace engineering, robotics, software development, business, and more. We are looking for passionate students from all disciplines. You don't need any prior aerospace knowledge - follow your interests and develop new skills across any of our teams.
PROJECT TEAMS
Structures
Mechanical design, CAD modelling, structural chassis, and fabrication.
Electrical
Power system design, battery management, custom PCB fabrication, and wiring harnesses.
Control Systems
Rover software architecture, ROS2 autonomous navigation, pathfinding, and sensor fusion.
Science
Scientific experiment design, testing, fabrication, and operation.
Robotic Arm
Kinematic modeling, end-effector design, electronics, and inverse kinematics.
OPERATIONS TEAMS
Marketing & Media
Social media management, branding, video production, photography, and society event planning.
IT Team
Public website development, base station systems, cloud infrastructure, and internal systems.
Business & Sponsorship
Strategic industry partnerships, financial planning, corporate sponsor relations, and grant acquisition.
Management
Strategic direction, team logistics, competition registration, budget management, and project coordination.
Ready to Join MARS?
Applications are open year-round to all students. No prior engineering experience is required-we train you from the ground up.
Join MARSPartner with MARS
Whether you are a corporate sponsor looking to invest in student talent, another university mechatronics society looking to collaborate, or a community organization with a proposal, we want to hear from you.
Strategic Collaboration
Invest in the future generation of mechatronics engineers and developers. We offer branding opportunities, recruitment pipelines, and engineering feedback sessions.
Innovative Proposals
From workshops and other inter-university society collaborations, to community demos, we welcome all ideas!
Have other questions?
For general questions, media enquiries, or outreach requests, or anything else, feel free to get in touch with our team.
Contact Us