(CNN) NASA is putting its Mars 2020 rover to work without leaving Earth.

The rover is expected to launch next summer and reach the Red Planet's Jezero Crater in February 2021. But before it's sent into space to collect samples and study Mars, engineers are testing it to make sure it's ready.

A crucial part of the rover is the arm and turret, which must work together to simulate a geologist examining and collecting interesting features on Mars.

In preparation, engineers placed 88 pounds worth of sensor-laden turret onto the rover's 7-foot-long arm on July 19 at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory's Spacecraft Assembly Facility in Pasadena, California. The result: a robotic arm performing a bicep curl as it moved from a deployed to a stowed configuration.

The rover's arm includes five electrical motors and five joints, and its turret will include cameras, a life-detection instrument known as SHERLOC , a chemical element detector and a percussive drill and coring mechanism, according to the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

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