The Mars Society is proud to welcome Honeybee Robotics as an official sponsor of the 2026 University Rover Challenge (URC)—a partnership that directly connects cutting-edge space robotics with the next generation of planetary engineers.
As a long-time leader in developing robotic systems for extreme and mission-critical environments, Honeybee Robotics plays a vital role in advancing the technologies needed for planetary exploration. Their sponsorship of URC supports a global student competition organized by the Mars Society, where university teams design and operate Mars-style rovers in a realistic simulated Martian environment in southern Utah. Through this collaboration, Honeybee Robotics is helping inspire, mentor, and prepare future innovators who will one day contribute to real-world space missions and robotic exploration systems. More information about the competition is available at urc.marssociety.org.
Solving the Most Complex Problems: Honeybee Robotics, a Blue Origin Company, pursues bold ideas of the future. Is there life outside of Earth? How will humanity become an interplanetary species? These are questions Honeybee’s next-generation robotics are designed to answer. From mining to extraterrestrial infrastructure and mobility systems, we steadfastly pursue “the out of this world” to unlock the full potential of space for the betterment of Earth.
Honeybee specializes in the development of advanced robotic systems and technology solutions. Our focus is on creating innovative mechanisms and instruments for a wide range of applications, including space exploration, planetary science, and various terrestrial industries. Our expertise is in robotics for extreme harsh environments, which includes drilling and sample handling systems, robotic arms, mobility systems, deployment mechanisms and various custom solutions.
Honeybee Robotics is fully owned subsidiary of Blue Origin. Established in 1983, Honeybee Robotics is AS9100C certified, NASA-approved flight hardware supplier with extensive experience in flexible automation technologies, custom mechanisms, spacecraft electro-mechanical components, and robotic systems and subsystems for the aerospace industry. Honeybee Robotics has managed over 600 projects, from small research and development efforts under the SBIR program to larger efforts funded by various NASA programs and multi-million-dollar flight development efforts such as the Mars Exploration Rovers (MER) Rock Abrasion Tool (RAT), Icy Soil Acquisition Device (ISAD) for the Mars Phoenix, and Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) Sample Manipulation System (SMS) for the Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) instrument suite. Honeybee has launched over 1000 payloads to LEO and several to planetary surfaces. Three CLPS payloads— LISTER on Firefly’s Blue Ghost Lander, PlanetVac on FireFly, and TRIDENT on Intuitive Machine’s NOVA-C lander—were recently successfully operated on the lunar surface.
To learn more about our URC student competition, scheduled for May 28-30, 2026 at the Mars Desert Research Station in Utah, please visit: urc.marssociety.org.
