SKF bearings help Mars Rover collect samples on the planet’s surface

Each time the Perseverance Mars Rover collects or handles rock and regolith samples in Jezero Crater during its multiple-year mission on the surface of the red planet, key components from SKF will facilitate that those activities successfully take place. Enabling the Mars Rover’s core operations in the harsh environment on Mars are Kaydon RealiSlim thin-section ball bearings, designed and manufactured by SKF. These highly engineered components contribute to the survival of the rover’s main robotic arm, sample collecting turret, tool-bit carousel and sample-handling assembly during a months-long trip through space, and its function as intended on the Mars surface. SKF also supplied critical bearings for the mission’s launch vehicle, which carried the rover and its lander into space.