Frequently Asked Questions
Everything you need to know about joining our student engineering tracks, competition parameters, or corporate sponsorship opportunities.
RECRUITMENT & MEMBERSHIP
Do I need prior aerospace or other experience to join?
Absolutely not! MARS welcomes students from all years and academic backgrounds. While some of our systems may seem complex or overwhealming at first, we have dedicated onboarding sessions and experienced members to teach you everything you need to know from the ground up.
Which degrees/majors do you recruit from?
We are a highly multidisciplinary society. While many members study Engineering (Mechanical, Mechatronics, Electrical, Civil) and Computing Science, we also actively recruit students from Science degrees for our payload research, as well as Business, Media, Arts, and Law for operations, sponsor relations, design, and regulatory compliance. Although if your degree is not listed here, don't worry, if you just have a general interest, come along, everyone is welcome!
What is the expected weekly time commitment?
On average, active members commit 3 to 6 hours per week. This includes subsystem meetings, hands-on workshop building sessions, and general meetings. During the weeks leading up to competitions or launch days, some members choose to invest extra time, but academic priorities always come first.
Are applications open year-round?
Yes! While our primary recruitment takes place at the start of Semester 1 and Semester 2, we accept new members all year.
ENGINEERING & BUILD DETAILS
Where do you build and test the rover?
We do almost all our work in a dedicated space in the engineering building at 9 Wally's Walk on the Macquarie University campus. We also do some offsite work including working from home and even beach test days!
Which competitions does MARS compete in?
Our primary competition target is the Australian Rover Challenge (ARCh) hosted annually in Adelaide, where we compete against other Australian and even international universities. In the future we will expand to compete in other competitions!
SPONSORSHIPS & PARTNERSHIPS
How can our company support MARS?
Thank you for considering supporting us! We accept donations and offer structured sponsorship tiers (Curiosity, Opportunity, Spirit) with corresponding benefits, including high-visibility logo placements on the rover and website, direct recruitment access to our student roster, and more. Please submit our sponsorship enquiry form to get in touch and receive a prospectus.
Do you accept in-kind hardware or software donations?
Yes! In-kind sponsorship (CNC machining services, electronic components, sensor suites, structural raw materials, and developer software licenses) is critical to our development. In-kind partners receive standard tier benefits based on valuation.
Still have questions?
We're happy to answer any other questions you have.