Ex Arca

Our newest rover, Ex Arca, is in early development. The name comes from Latin, meaning “out of the box”. Using lessons learned from the design, manufacture, and operation of our previous rover Ad Astra and even our first design Picus, this new rover features many improvements over its predecessor. It draws direct inspiration from Ad Astra, and even inherited some key design elements.

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Ad Astra

Ad Astra was our most recent prior rover. The name comes from Latin, meaning “to the stars”. This Rover got us through the 2020 pandemic, and even into acceptance at the Canadian International Rover Challenge. Due to some limitations of the chassis design, we opted to retire Ad Astra during the summer of 2022.

Picus Martius

The NIU Mars Rover team was informally started in August 2016, and formally sanctioned in July 2017. Five engineering seniors from Northern Illinois University - Matthew Woodall, Tim Olson, Gunnar Beachler, Dan Petschow, and Tom Jareczek - designed, machined, programmed, and worked together to create a rover for their senior design. They received first place for their efforts at the NIU Spring 2017 Mechanical Engineering Senior Design showcase. The club that would follow it was built off their efforts with the purpose of educating and challenging students, and inherited the rover they had built.

That rover was named Picus Martius. If you’re curious about the etymology of the name, it comes from the taxonomy of the Great Black Woodpecker, which the Romans believed to be a Sacred Animal of Mars. After 2 years of valiant service, Picus Martius was officially retired in the Fall of 2018.