Perseverance, the new rover from NASA, is now on the way to Mars, aboard an Atlas V rocket. NASA took advantage of the rare opportunity for a successful launch, considering Earth and Mars align only once every 26 months.
It took eight years for NASA to develop the car-sized rover. In about seven months (February 18, 2021), Perseverance is scheduled to arrive on Mars. On the Red Planet it will search for evidence of ancient microbial life.
Atlas V is one of the biggest rockets available for this kind of interplanetary flights. It is also known for taking Curiosity and Insight to the Red Planet.
Recently, China has succesfuly launched its own Mars mission into space – Tianwen-1, which will also search for evidence of ancient life forms and underground water.
Photo: NASA/Kim Shiflett
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