IT will need to withstand the inhospitable conditions on Mars, and is being steeled for the task in the harsh Spanish wilderness.

The British-made rover, called ‘Bridget’, is being put through its paces in the Teide National Park as part of the European Commission-funded ProVisG project.

The field trials are aimed at developing engineering solutions as part of the European Space Agency’s ExoMars mission.

The robot – developed by British firm Astrium – is being used to test cameras and image processing software.

It is the second time ‘Bridget’ has visited Teide, after previously undergoing trials in 2006.

The current tests are due to last 11 days.

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