Handling samples of material on planetary surfaces, requires a complex autonomous robotic chain for a sample-return mission. From the ESA-funded Mars Surface Sample Transfer and Manipulation Study, the research described here is particularly targeting a potential Mars Sample Return (MSR) mission -proposed for mid 2020s. Based on a preliminary design of the end-to-end sample-handling chain, critical elements were selected for breadboard tests. One breadboard was built to collect and package soil samples in sample vessels. Secondly, an end-effector for a robotic arm was built. The third breadboard was a detailed software simulation of the overall transfer chain, supplemented by some vision-control hardware tests. Testing verified critical aspects of the performance and validated the designs of these key elements of the robotics chain. This paper presents the designs and the latest results from the test campaign.