NASA Mars Rover Just 100 Days Away From Landing, Will Search For Life On Red Planet

NASA has shared some pretty exciting news about its Mars 2020 Perseverance rover mission, revealing that it will be touching down on the red planet in about 100 days.

The space agency said in a statement published Wednesday that the rover is only 166 million miles (268 million kilometers) away from Mars' Jezero Crater — the mission's target site that is believed to have been home to a lake billions of years ago.

The Perseverance rover is expected to land on the red planet on Feb. 18, 2021, at 3:43 p.m. EST (12:43 p.m. PST). NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) will receive confirmation that it has touched down around 11 and a half minutes later.

As it explores the crater, the six-wheeled Mars car will search for signs of ancient microbial life, collect Martian rock and regolith and help pave the way for human exploration on the red planet. Perseverance will also be characterizing Mars' geology and past climate.

"While we call the six-and-a-half-month trip from Earth to Mars 'cruise,' I assure you there is not much croquet going on at the lido deck," John McNamee, project manager for the mission at JPL in California, said.

"Between checking out the spacecraft, and planning and simulating our landing and surface operations, the entire team is on the clock, working toward our exploration of Jezero Crater," he continued.

As the touchdown date approaches, scientists are preparing and training for any possible issues that might occur during landing.

The Mars 2020 mission controllers undergo test scenarios that they have to evaluate and address successfully. These multi-day-long tests will ensure that they are fully equipped with all the necessary skills needed in handling and driving the spacecraft.

The Mars Perseverance rover mission coincides with NASA's Artemis Program — the decade-long mission to land the first woman and the next man on the moon by 2024, establish a sustained presence on its surface and eventually send the first humans on Mars.

Perseverance was launched on an Atlas V-541 rocket from Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida, on July 30. The rover's mission duration is at least one Mars year (about 687 Earth days).