Some of the problems to be faced in designing robots for planetary exploration will be described. The context refers to the project STEPS, targeting future Mars missions, specically the design of the lan- der (the capsule for reaching the planet surface) and the rover (a robot for exploring the environment). Both the lander and the rover are equipped with several sensors, among which a camera plays a fundamental role. Vision-based landing and environment reconstruction are considered pri- mary goals for the success of the mission.