Site storage for two Mars rover prototypes: a 4 × 4 m unit in a quarry

Most of our site storage goes to builders, schools and businesses. This one went to a quarry chosen for its resemblance to Mars. In a project with the European Space Agency and Airbus, we supplied a secure 4 × 4 m storage unit to house test equipment and two prototype Mars rovers between trial runs. It is a good story, and it is also the clearest example we have of what a delivered, hand-built unit can do that a shipping container cannot.

The brief

The rovers were being tested on terrain as close to Martian ground as this country offers: a remote sand and rock quarry, uneven, loose underfoot and a long way from anything. The team needed somewhere on site to keep the two prototypes and their equipment dry and locked between tests, with doors wide enough to move the rovers in and out without a fuss.

Why a delivered unit rather than a container

A shipping container would have needed a HIAB lorry and firm, level hard standing for the crane to set it down, neither of which a quarry floor offers. Our units arrive flat-packed on a van and are assembled by hand, so the question is not “can a lorry get there” but “can two people carry a panel there”. They could.

The ground was the harder part: uneven, rocky and a sand mine to cross on the way in. A steel unit wants a firm, reasonably level base, so the team picked the best spot the site offered and built the 4 × 4 m unit in place. It went up the same way it does on a customer’s driveway: panel by panel, roofed and fitted with the built-in deadlocks.

The double-door option

For this job we fitted one of our double-door fronts, of which we have a limited supply, giving extra clearance for moving a rover in and out. If you need to get plant, machinery or awkward loads through the door, ask when you book and we will tell you what is available.

A word about the rovers

The two prototypes were part of the programme to return samples from the Martian surface, with launch pencilled in for around 2028 at the time. One ran on rubber wheels for the trials and the other on aluminium, standing in for the cleated aluminium wheels with titanium springs the flight rovers will use. Both are designed to navigate autonomously. We were there to keep them dry and locked up, which is rather less glamorous, but it is the part we know.

What it means for your site

If a quarry works, most sites work. The things we need are the same everywhere:

• A route in with 2,150 mm of height clearance for the panels to be carried through. No crane, no HGV.
• A firm, reasonably level spot the size of the unit: from 2 × 2 m up to 4 × 6 m.
• Somewhere you are allowed to put it, which on a site usually means the site manager’s say-so rather than planning permission, because the unit is temporary and not fixed down.

Builders use them for tools and materials so the van goes home empty. Schools and businesses use them during refits. Events use them for kit. Our construction storage page has the details and the prices, which start at £35 a week plus VAT with installation from £120 plus VAT.

Common questions about site storage

Can you put a storage unit on uneven ground?

Within reason. We need a firm base that is reasonably level; we can work with a slight slope and can advise on the spot when we arrive. Loose or waterlogged ground needs preparing first.

Do you deliver to sites with no vehicle access?

If we can park the van within carrying distance and walk the panels in, yes. Tell us about the route when you book.

How secure is the unit?

It is steel throughout with two built-in deadlocks on the door, and you hold the keys. For high-value kit you can add your own alarm or camera inside.

How long can a site keep a unit?

As long as the job runs. Four weeks is the minimum, hire rolls on after that, and off-hire needs 7 working days’ notice. Twelve months paid up front makes installation and collection free.

Get a quote for site storage or call 0800 043 9302.