Busch Vacuum Solutions collaborated with the European Space Agency, Fluid Gravity Engineering Ltd. and the University of Glasgow to prepare a space mission for the Mars rover Perseverance. The craft started its mission to Mars weeks ago and will hopefully bring back rock samples for future research. Vacuum pumps from Busch are part of a system that studies the behavior of a rocket when it lands on the surface of Mars or the Moon. With the help of the vacuum pumps, the landing of a rocket is simulated, and the surface of Mars and the Moon is imitated on the basis of different pressure levels.

The surface of the Moon, for example, is in an ultrahigh vacuum, and the surface gravity is only one-sixth of that of the Earth. Parameters like this have an influence on the forces that act when a rocket lands on the surface of the Moon. These parameters are simulated with the vacuum system. Using the right vacuum technology was vital to achieving the ideal test conditions. The vacuum system from Busch Vacuum Solutions provides the perfect conditions and helps to support the research of future space missions.