NASA will launch its brand new rover on Mars later this morning. Takeoff is scheduled for 7:50 AM EDT (4:50 AM PDT), with a broadcast starting at 7:00 AM EDT (4:00 AM PDT). This mission will launch an ULA Atlas V rocket to transport the Perseverance rover to Mars on a journey that will last several months, arriving in February 2021.
The 2,260-pound rover is equipped with a range of sensors to help it search for signs of microorganic life passed on Mars, as well as study the planet's amphosphere and geological composition. He also carries a helicopter drone called Ingenuity, which will try to become the first ever vehicle to take off and fly in the atmosphere of Mars.
Perseverance is a great update over previous rovers in various ways. He can cover a lot more land by operating independently per day than any of his predecessors, for example, which should help him conduct more science than ever. It is also equipped with 19 cameras to provide a complete, detailed and high-quality view of its surroundings on Earth. The rover is also designed to trigger the pump for future human exploration on Mars (and long-lasting human moon missions), with experiments on board such as MOXIE, an instrument that will create oxygen from the CO2 found in the atmosphere of Mars and set the stage for a version the size of a washing machine to be developed in the future that will essentially act as an autonomous energy source on Mars.
The Perseverance rover is also unique in that it is preparing for a return trip for some of the champions it collects: the plan is finally to combine the efforts of NASA and the European Space Agency to recover samples of Martian soil that Perseverance leaves behind of himself in the collection containers that use a future spacecraft and a recovery lander, so that they can be studied directly here on Earth.
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