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NASA’s latest voyage to the Red Planet, carrying the Jet Propulsion Laboratory’s latest generation robotic rover, is set to launch into space from Cape Canaveral, Florida, early Thursday morning.
Liftoff of the Mars 2020 mission is scheduled for 4:50 a.m. PST, if all goes well. But the launch window will remain open through Aug. 15, allowing for delays due to weather or last-minute problems, according to a NASA statement.
The public is invited to watch live online via platforms including NASA TV and JPL’s YouTube account.
After blasting off atop a Uniteld Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket, “one of the largest rockets available for interplanetary flight,” The Mars 2020 mission will carry the Pasadena-built Perseverance rover about 290 million miles through space before touching down on Mars in February, according to the NASA statement.
NASA and JPL have prepared a wide variety of online events and activities to allow the public to take part in the groundbreaking science.
The robotic rover, which will continue NASA’s search for signs of ancient life, will deploy a small experimental helicopter designed and built by JPL engineers and meant to prove that rotorcraft flight in the thin Martian atmosphere is possible, potentially leading the way for future airborne interplanetary exploration.
The launch, which was already delayed by 10 days earlier this month.
Correction: A previous version of this story incorrectly stated the targeted launch date. The article has been updated.
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