Over the past two decades, missions flown by NASA’s Mars Exploration Program have shown us that Mars was once very different from the cold, dry planet it is today. Evidence discovered by landed and orbital missions point to wet conditions billions of years ago. These environments lasted long enough to potentially support the development of microbial life. The Mars 2020/Perseverance rover is designed to better understand the geology of Mars and seek signs of ancient life. The mission will collect and store a set of rock and soil samples that could be returned to Earth in the future. It will also test new Key Objectives.
Mission Timeline
• Launch in July-August 2020 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida
• Launching on a ULA Atlas 541 procured under NASA’s Launch Services Program
• Land on Mars on February 18, 2021 at the site of an ancient river delta in a lake that once filled Jezero Crater
• Spend at least one Mars year (two Earth years) exploring the landing site region
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