NASA on Thursday successfully launched its Perseverance mobile robot to Mars, designed to uncover traces of ancient life on the Red Planet. The rover also carries a mini-helicopter which will attempt the first flight of an aircraft on another planet.
A United Launch Alliance Atlas-V rocket lifted off as scheduled at 7:50 a.m. (11:50 a.m.) from Cape Canaveral, Fla., In clear skies, for a journey of nearly seven months and 480 million kilometers.
If it arrives intact on February 18, 2021, Perseverance will be only the fifth rover to make the trip since 1997. All so far are American, but China launched its first Mars rover last week, which is expected to arrive in May 2021. Mars could therefore have three active rovers next year, with the American Curiosity, which has traveled 23 kilometers on the Red Planet since 2012.
