Cars4Mars Rover

About The Project

Cars4Mars is our student-led entry into the 2025 African Rover Challenge—a premier robotics competition where university teams from across the continent engineer semi-autonomous planetary rovers designed to operate on Martian terrain.

Our mission is to design, build, and test a rugged planetary rover from scratch, under tight resource and time constraints. The rover must tackle a series of real-world tasks—terrain traversal, object manipulation, autonomous navigation—all on dusty, Mars-like terrain. Think NASA, but DIY, and on a student budget.

Suspension

Rocker-Bogie

Inspired by the Perseverance rover

Drive System

4WD Independent

Powered and Steered

Total Mass

25 kilograms

Light as a feather

Battery Runtime

~2 hours

24Ah Capacity

Robotics CAD Design Python Sensor Systems Rover Control Student Innovation 3D Printing Machine Learning

Experience the Rover

About the Competition

The African Rover Challenge is the continent's premier robotics competition, modeled after the University Rover Challenge held in the Mars Desert Research Station in Utah, USA.

Teams are tasked with designing and building the next generation of Mars rovers that will assist astronauts in exploring the red planet. The competition tests rovers in four mission-critical tasks:

✓ Autonomous Traversal - Navigating difficult terrain without human intervention
✓ Data Transmission - Send data and receive commands without a direct line of sight
✓ Payload Delivery - Transporting a 1kg payload across terrain
✓ Object Identification - Differentiating between objects using ML

Learn More About ARC

African Rover Challenge Competition Site

2025 Competition Details

Johannesburg, South Africa | September 20-25, 2025

30+

Teams

10+

Countries

Mission Command

The brilliant minds engineering humanity's interplanetary future

Achal Gupta

Team Lead

Irshaad Omar

Team Lead

Systems and Integration

Francesca Fitzgerald

Phoenix Tennant
Siyabonga Ground
Israel Mathivha
Boitseko Senamela
Shradha Inder
Mitali Lalla

Electronics and Power

Anesuishe Mukwacha

Siyabonga Ground
Mulweli Sithomola
Razaan Lagardien
Shradha Inder

Programming and Navigation

Sonwabile Baartman

Anesuishe Mukwacha
Ofunwa Munyai
Israel Mathivha
Amahle Mjiwu

Mechanical Systems

Mulweli Sithomola

Ofunwa Munyai
Muso Motaung
Phoenix Tennant
Israel Mathivha

Operations and Logistics

Phila Tondile

Muso Motaung
Boitseko Senamela
Amahle Mjiwu
Razaan Lagardien

Cosmic Communications

Razaan Lagardien

Francesca Fitzgerald
Phila Tondile

Why Partner With Us?

✓

Talent Pipeline

Gain early access to Africa's brightest engineering students. Our team members consistently secure positions at top tech companies and research institutions.

✓

Brand Alignment

Associate your brand with cutting-edge innovation, STEM education, and Africa's growing space sector. Perfect for companies in tech, engineering, and education.

✓

Media Exposure

The African Rover Challenge attracts significant media attention across the continent. Last year's event was covered by BBC Africa, TechCabal, and more.

✓

On-Campus Presence

Be the name students remember. Be the logo that adorns our rover. Put your brand out there.

✓

Education That Leaves a Legacy

By supporting our team, you directly contribute to accessible, inclusive STEM education in Africa. Be part of a story that inspires.

✓

Tax Benefits

Sponsorships may qualify as tax-deductible donations to education under South African law. We provide all necessary documentation.

Our Valued Partners

Interested in joining our partner network?

Get In Touch

Ready To Partner With Us?

Join our mission to push the boundaries of African space technology and gain valuable exposure for your organization.

Contact Information

cars4mars@uctspacesociety.org

Phone

+27 21 650 1234

Address

UCT Space Society
University of Cape Town
Private Bag X3
Rondebosch 7701
South Africa

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Cars4Mars Earth-Built, Mars-Bound