Atlas 5 launches Mars 2020 mission for NASA
Posted: Fri, Jul 31, 2020, 6:36 PM ET (2236 GMT)
NASA's Mars 2020 mission is on its way after a successful launch Thursday morning. The Atlas 5 carrying Mars 2020 lifted off on schedule at 7:50 am EDT (1150 GMT), releasing the spacecraft on a Mars-bound trajectory nearly an hour later. Mars 2020 will deliver the Perseverance rover on the Martian surface next February. That rover will collect samples of Martian rock for return to Earth by two later missions under development by NASA and ESA. The $2.4 billion rover carries a wide range of other science instruments as well as Ingenuity, a small helicopter that will attempt to fly in the Martian atmosphere. Mars 2020 is the last of three Mars missions to launch this year, after the Hope orbiter by the UAE and China's Tianwen-1 Mars orbiter and rover.
NASA's Mars 2020 mission is on its way after a successful launch Thursday morning. The Atlas 5 carrying Mars 2020 lifted off on schedule at 7:50 am EDT (1150 GMT), releasing the spacecraft on a Mars-bound trajectory nearly an hour later. Mars 2020 will deliver the Perseverance rover on the Martian surface next February. That rover will collect samples of Martian rock for return to Earth by two later missions under development by NASA and ESA. The $2.4 billion rover carries a wide range of other science instruments as well as Ingenuity, a small helicopter that will attempt to fly in the Martian atmosphere. Mars 2020 is the last of three Mars missions to launch this year, after the Hope orbiter by the UAE and China's Tianwen-1 Mars orbiter and rover.
Related Links:
| <<previous article | next article>> |
|
news in brief
|
|
Starship explodes during preparations for static-fire test
Posted: Sun, Jun 22 6:52 AM ET (1052 GMT) |
|
news links
|
|
Tuesday, July 1
EU Space Act is ‘orbital equivalent of GDPR’, says lawyer
Luxembourg Times — 4:53 am ET (0853 GMT) Poland’s second ever astronaut is safe in space
Euro Weekly News — 4:49 am ET (0849 GMT) Hey Siri, Fix My Spacecraft! Researchers are testing a virtual assistant that may help astronauts solve unexpected problems during space travel
Texas A&M Univ. — 4:48 am ET (0848 GMT) Eyes to the Sky: Alumna’s Exhibit Brings Space Down to Earth
Univ. of North Carolina Greensboro — 4:48 am ET (0848 GMT) More Commercial Launches a Must for H2a Rocket’s Successor; Mitsubishi Heavy, JAXA Aim to Halve Launch Cost with H3
Yomiuri Shimbun — 4:47 am ET (0847 GMT) |
