After Demo-2, NASA Is Now Preparing For Mars Rover Launch

KEY POINTS

After the Demo-2 mission, NASA is now preparing for another major mission
The Perseverance Rover launch is scheduled for July 17, 2020
The rover will search for signs of past life in Mars and pave the way for future human exploration

NASA is pushing through with its summer launch of the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover despite interruptions brought about by the coronavirus pandemic. As the date for the launch grows near, the team behind Perseverance is working hard to make sure the robot is fully ready for its mission.

NASA is now preparing for another major mission after the historic Demo-2 brought human spaceflight back to the United States. In a June 4 media advisory, NASA invited the media for accreditation to cover the July 17 launch of the Perseverance Rover. Just like with the Demo-2 launch, only a limited number of media will be accredited to cover the launch due to the pandemic.

The invitation brings the launch closer to reality as the team behind the Perseverance Rover presses on to keep the mission on schedule. Work on the Perseverance Rover continued even amid the pandemic, from April, when the team achieved key rover milestones despite the challenges, to May, when engineers and technicians installed all-important components for the rover’s mechanism for collecting samples.

The Perseverance Rover's launch via a United Launch Alliance Atlas V 541 rocket is scheduled for 9.15 a.m. EDT on July 17. It is quite close to those of China's Tianwen-1 mission and the UAE's Hope mission, both launching for Mars this summer.

All three missions from the three nations are taking advantage of the launch window that allows for a more fuel efficient trip to Mars, an opportunity that comes along only about once every 26 months.

It is important for the Perseverance Rover is launched this summer since it is part of the agency's larger moon to Mars exploration program.

For now, it looks like NASA is still on track despite the challenges and interruptions. Should things go according to plan, the Perseverance Rover will land on Mars by Feb. 18, 2021, and will fulfill its mission to search for signs of past life in the Red Planet, collect samples, and pave the way for future human exploration to Mars.