Posted: Sat, Nov 26, 2011, 12:18 PM ET (1718 GMT)
An Atlas 5 rocket successfully placed NASA's latest Mars rover on a trajectory to the Red Planet on Saturday. The Atlas 5 541 lifted off from Cape Canaveral, Florida, at 10:02 am EST (1502 GMT), at the beginning of its launch window. After two burns of the rocket's Centaur upper stage, the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) spacecraft separated from the Centaur 44 minutes after launch. MSL will deliver a rover, also known as Curiosity, onto the Martian surface next August. The nuclear-powered rover will explore the planet's Gale Crater region.
