Mission to Mars – NASA launches Perseverance
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After the UAE’s Hope mission and China’s Tianwen-1, NASA has also launched its latest mission to Mars.
This mission is carrying NASA’s latest rover, Perseverance, as well as the Mars helicopter, named Ingenuity. Perseverance is NASA’s 5th Mars rover.
The mission was launched on 30 July at 5:20 p.m. IST. It was launched aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida, US.
Just before the launch, a 4.5 magnitude earthquake hit NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California but the launch went ahead.
Like the other two missions to Mars, Perseverance is also scheduled to reach the Red Planet in about 7 months (by February 2021).
The Perseverance rover is NASA’s best rover yet. It is about the size of a car and weighs 1,043 kg. It has all the latest technology – cameras, microphones, drills and lasers.
Perseverance’s mission is to study ancient alien life on Mars. It will also drill and collect samples of Mars’ rocks. These samples will be brought back to Earth by 2031 using other spacecraft.
Technical issues after the launch
NASA informed that after its launch, the spaceship carrying Perseverance experienced technical difficulties due to the cold. It has entered the “safe mode” where it has shut down almost all systems except the essential ones. However, NASA says that it is not a cause for worry and will return to normal soon.
Here is a video of the launch to the mission to Mars:
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