# CircuitMess NASA Mars Perseverance Rover > NASA-themed DIY robotics kit with ESP32-S3, camera, dual DC motors, 3 servos, and WiFi/BLE. Build a programmable Mars Rover replica with robotic arm and live video feed. ## Quick Facts - **Brand:** circuitmess - **Board Type:** robotics-kit - **Price:** ~$435 - **Product Readiness:** consumer - **CPU:** Xtensa LX7 dual-core @ 240MHz, FPU, AI instructions - **CPU Architecture:** Xtensa LX7 - **CPU Cores:** 2 - **RAM:** 512KB SRAM - **PSRAM:** PSRAM (OPI) - **Flash:** 4MB - **USB:** USB-C - **Power:** Battery pack - **Operating Voltage:** 3.3V - **Antenna:** Built-in PCB antenna ## Connectivity - **Wifi:** 802.11 b/g/n - **Bluetooth:** BLE 5.0 ## Open Source - **Firmware:** Yes - **Schematics:** No - **PCB Layout:** No ## Compatible Firmware arduino, esp-idf ## Use Cases - robotics - stem-education - educational-platform - wifi-camera-streaming ## Components - **ESP32-S3** (mcu): Espressif ESP32-S3 dual-core Xtensa LX7 at 240MHz with WiFi, BLE 5.0, PSRAM, and 4MB flash. Handles motor control, camera streaming, and wireless communication. — [Datasheet](https://openhardware.directory/r?to=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.espressif.com%2Fsites%2Fdefault%2Ffiles%2Fdocumentation%2Fesp32-s3_datasheet_en.pdf&ref=openhardware.directory&product=circuitmess-nasa-mars-perseverance-rover&source=md-export) - **OV2640** (camera): OV2640 camera module with DVP parallel interface for live video streaming via WiFi. Supports QQVGA to UXGA resolution in JPEG and RGB formats. — [Datasheet](https://openhardware.directory/r?to=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.uctronics.com%2Fdownload%2Fcam_module%2FOV2640DS.pdf&ref=openhardware.directory&product=circuitmess-nasa-mars-perseverance-rover&source=md-export) - **AW9523** (io-expander): Awinic AW9523 I2C GPIO expander controlling status LEDs, camera LED, motor LEDs, and speaker enable across 16 programmable pins. — [Datasheet](https://openhardware.directory/r?to=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.awinic.com%2FUploads%2F2024-08-07%2F66b2e75a22afd.pdf&ref=openhardware.directory&product=circuitmess-nasa-mars-perseverance-rover&source=md-export) - **TCA9555** (io-expander): Texas Instruments TCA9555 I2C GPIO expander handling module addressing and detection for the rover's expansion system. — [Datasheet](https://openhardware.directory/r?to=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ti.com%2Flit%2Fds%2Fsymlink%2Ftca9555.pdf&ref=openhardware.directory&product=circuitmess-nasa-mars-perseverance-rover&source=md-export) ## Protocols - **I2C**: SDA: GPIO11, SCL: GPIO10 - **I2S**: BCLK: GPIO1, LRCLK: GPIO3, DOUT: GPIO0 - **DVP Camera**: XCLK: GPIO33, PCLK: GPIO47, VSYNC: GPIO35, HREF: GPIO34, PWDN: GPIO36, D0-D7: GPIO41-37,42,44,43 ## GPIO Map | Pin | Name | Type | Functions | |-----|------|------|-----------| | GPIO6 | Battery ADC | — | adc | | GPIO11 | I2C SDA | I2C | digital-input, digital-output | | GPIO10 | I2C SCL | I2C | digital-input, digital-output | | GPIO13 | Motor Left A | — | digital-output, pwm | | GPIO12 | Motor Left B | — | digital-output | | GPIO15 | Motor Right A | — | digital-output, pwm | | GPIO14 | Motor Right B | — | digital-output | | GPIO16 | Servo 1 PWM | — | digital-output, pwm | | GPIO17 | Servo 2 PWM | — | digital-output, pwm | | GPIO18 | Servo 3 PWM | — | digital-output, pwm | | GPIO1 | I2S BCLK | I2S | digital-output | | GPIO3 | I2S LRCLK | I2S | digital-output | | GPIO0 | I2S DOUT | I2S | digital-output | | GPIO33 | Camera XCLK | — | digital-output | | GPIO47 | Camera PCLK | — | digital-input | | GPIO35 | Camera VSYNC | — | digital-input | | GPIO34 | Camera HREF | — | digital-input | | GPIO36 | Camera PWDN | — | digital-output | ## Description ## Overview The CircuitMess NASA Mars Perseverance Rover is a fully-functional, buildable Mars Rover replica inspired by NASA's Perseverance mission. This ambitious DIY robotics kit takes approximately 20 hours to assemble and teaches robotics, motor control, RF communication, and camera systems through hands-on construction. Powered by an ESP32-S3 dual-core microcontroller with PSRAM, the rover features dual DC motors with H-bridge control for differential drive, three servo motors for the robotic arm and camera positioning, a DVP camera module for live video streaming, and I2S audio output. An AW9523 GPIO expander controls status LEDs and camera lighting, while a TCA9555 I/O expander handles module addressing. The rover comes with a custom-built RF controller for driving, manipulating the robotic arm, and rotating the camera. A Mission Control module displays the camera feed. The entire platform is open-source and Arduino-compatible, allowing users to modify behavior, add sensors, or write autonomous navigation routines. ## Where to Buy - [CircuitMess](https://openhardware.directory/r?to=https%3A%2F%2Fcircuitmess.com%2Fproducts%2Fnasa-mars-perseverance-rover&ref=openhardware.directory&product=circuitmess-nasa-mars-perseverance-rover&source=md-export) — €399.00 ## Resources - [product](https://openhardware.directory/r?to=https%3A%2F%2Fcircuitmess.com%2Fproducts%2Fnasa-mars-perseverance-rover&ref=openhardware.directory&product=circuitmess-nasa-mars-perseverance-rover&source=md-export) - [github](https://openhardware.directory/r?to=https%3A%2F%2Fgithub.com%2FCircuitMess%2FPerse_Rover-Firmware&ref=openhardware.directory&product=circuitmess-nasa-mars-perseverance-rover&source=md-export) ## Tags `circuitmess`, `robotics`, `esp32-s3`, `nasa`, `rover`, `camera`, `stem` ## Images ![CircuitMess NASA Mars Perseverance Rover](https://nbg1.your-objectstorage.com/openhardware-directory/entities/circuitmess-nasa-mars-perseverance-rover/1b3ee30da8c6.webp) ![CircuitMess NASA Mars Perseverance Rover](https://nbg1.your-objectstorage.com/openhardware-directory/entities/circuitmess-nasa-mars-perseverance-rover/90fa5e2a1b05.webp) ![CircuitMess NASA Mars Perseverance Rover](https://nbg1.your-objectstorage.com/openhardware-directory/entities/circuitmess-nasa-mars-perseverance-rover/510329aa4e21.jpg) --- [View full device page](https://openhardware.directory/devices/circuitmess-nasa-mars-perseverance-rover)