UK Mars rover pitches for new role at the Moon

Engineers are looking for a new destination for a British-built rover that was meant to go to Mars.

They've got their eyes on the Moon.

The four-wheeled vehicle was originally developed to help bring back rocks from the Red Planet.

But officials at the US and European space agencies (Nasa and Esa) scrapped that idea in the summer, preferring to send helicopters to do the job instead.

This has left the UK team at aerospace company Airbus scrambling to find an alternative place to send its technology, which has been tested in recent weeks in a Bedfordshire quarry.

Read more: Wanted: New job for unemployed Mars rover