Space rovers that could help with missions to moon and Mars tested in quarry near Leighton Buzzard

The two prototypes, called Charlie and Codi, were created by European aerospace company, Airbus - and it is hoped that trailling and learning from the robots will aid the search for life on the red planet.

The Stevenage-based business chose the quarry because it could replicate the landscapes of the moon and Mars, something that could not be done in its own test facility.

Chris Draper, rover programme manager for Airbus, said: “The thing we are excited at the most at the moment is the moon.

“The moon is a stepping stone to Mars so there is obviously a lot of interest in going back to the moon and you can envisage rovers being part of the lunar ecosystem.

“Rovers can really support transporting things around at the base and support astronauts in their day-to-day activities.

“And then once we can prove we can do that on the moon, we (will) want to do the same on Mars.”

Codi is a four-wheeled rover with navigation cameras and a robotic arm that it can use to collect rocks sealed in small tubes – without the need of a human operator. It can also drive to and retrieve samples with an accuracy of around 10cm.

Meanwhile, Charlie is a six-wheeled rover with 'rocker bogie' suspension, and can climb over and navigate obstacles twice the diameter of the wheel - without getting stuck or falling on its side.

Charlie is testing a new navigation system, which has been developed for European Space Agency’s (ESA's) Mars mission with the ExoMars Rosalind Franklin rover. It is also trialling a sensor known as LiDAR, meaning it can move in the dark without using cameras.

The is ESA is currently targeting 2028 for the launch of its Rosalind Franklin Mars rover mission, and earlier this year, NASA signed an agreement to assist the ESA with the voyage.

Whether Charlie or Codi will make it all the way from Leighton Buzzard and be used on the moon or Mars remains to be seen.

However, the ESA has said that their work is “very meaningful”.