Questions and answers
Frequently asked questions
Experience, time commitment, applications and competitions: the questions students ask most, plus a few from sponsors.
Answers
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Recruitment and membership
Do I need experience to join?
No experience needed: we train you from the ground up. New members of any year or degree start with onboarding sessions and learn alongside experienced members.
Which degrees or majors do you recruit from?
All of them. Many members study engineering (mechanical, mechatronics, electrical, civil) or computing. Science students work on the science payload, and business, media, arts and law students run operations, sponsor relations, design and regulatory compliance. If your degree is not listed, come along anyway.
What is the expected weekly time commitment?
On average, active members spend 3 to 6 hours a week across subsystem meetings, workshop build sessions and general meetings. Some put in extra time before a competition, but study always comes first.
Are applications open year-round?
Yes. Most new members join at the start of Semester 1 or Semester 2, but you can sign up on the Join page at any time.
Engineering and build details
Where do you build and test the rover?
Most of our work happens in a dedicated space in the engineering building at 9 Wally’s Walk on the Macquarie University campus. Members also test the rover off campus on regular beach test days.
Which competitions does MARS compete in?
Our current goal is the 2027 Australian Rover Challenge (ARCh), held each year in Adelaide for university teams from Australia and overseas.
Sponsorships and partnerships
How can our company support MARS?
Through sponsorship or a donation. We offer three sponsorship tiers (Curiosity, Opportunity and Spirit), with benefits such as logo placements on the rover and website and access to our students for recruiting. Send the enquiry form on the Sponsor page to receive the prospectus.
Do you accept in-kind hardware or software donations?
Yes. CNC machining, electronic components, sensors, structural materials and software licences all help us build, and in-kind partners receive tier benefits based on the value of their support.