 | |
| Mission type | Mars exploration |
|---|---|
| Operator | |
| COSPAR ID | 2020-052A |
| SATCATno. | 45983 |
| Mission duration |
|
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Manufacturer | JPL |
| Launch mass | 4,060.5 kg (8,952 lb) |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 30 July 2020, 11:50:00UTC |
| Rocket | Atlas V 541 (AV-088) |
| Launch site | Cape Canaveral,SLC-41 |
| Contractor | United Launch Alliance |
| Mars rover | |
| Spacecraft component | Perseverance |
| Landing date | 18 February 2021 |
| Landing site | Octavia E. Butler Landing,Jezero 18°26′41″N77°27′03″E / 18.4447°N 77.4508°E /18.4447; 77.4508 |
| Distance driven | 35.71 km (22.19 mi) as of 27 July 2025[update][1] |
| Mars aircraft | |
| Spacecraft component | Ingenuity |
| Landing date | 3 April 2021 (Deployed fromPerseverance)[2] |
| Landing site | Helipad atWright Brothers Field nearOctavia E. Butler Landing,Jezero[3] 18°26′41″N77°27′04″E / 18.44486°N 77.45102°E /18.44486; 77.45102 |
| Distance flown | 17.242 km (10.714 mi) in72 flights[1] |
  NASA and JPL insignias (Perseverance)  JPL mission insignia (Ingenuity) Large Strategic Science Missions Planetary Science Division | |
Mars 2020 is aNASA mission that includes the roverPerseverance, the now-grounded small robotic helicopterIngenuity, and associated delivery systems, as part of theMars Exploration Program. Mars 2020 was launched on anAtlas V rocket at 11:50:01UTC on July 30, 2020,[4] and landed in the Martian craterJezero on February 18, 2021, with confirmation received at 20:55 UTC.[5] On March 5, 2021, NASA named the landing siteOctavia E. Butler Landing.[6] As of 26 October 2025,Perseverance has been onMars for 1665sols (1711total days; 4 years, 250 days).[7][8][9][10][11]Ingenuity operated onMars for 1042sols (1071total days; 2 years, 341 days) before sustaining serious damage to its rotor blades, possibly all four, causing NASA to retire the craft on January 25, 2024.[12][13]
Perseverance is investigating anastrobiologically relevant ancient environment on Mars for itssurface geological processes and history, and assessing its pasthabitability, the possibility of pastlife on Mars, and the potential for preservation ofbiosignatures within accessible geological materials.[14][15] It willcache sample containers along its route for retrieval by a potential futureMars sample-return mission.[15][16][17] The Mars 2020 mission was announced by NASA in December 2012 at the fall meeting of theAmerican Geophysical Union in San Francisco.Perseverance's design is derived from the roverCuriosity, and it uses many components already fabricated and tested in addition to new scientific instruments and acore drill.[18] The rover also employs nineteen cameras and two microphones,[19] allowing for the audio recording of the Martian environment. On April 30, 2021,Perseverance became the first spacecraft to hear and record another spacecraft, theIngenuity helicopter, on another planet.
The launch of Mars 2020 was the third of three space missions sent toward Mars during the July 2020Mars launch window, with missions also launched by the national space agencies of the United Arab Emirates (theEmirates Mars Mission with the orbiterHope on July 19, 2020) and China (theTianwen-1 mission on July 23, 2020, with an orbiter, deployable and remote cameras, lander, andZhurong rover).
The Mars 2020 mission was announced by NASA on December 4, 2012, at the fall meeting of theAmerican Geophysical Union in San Francisco.[20] The selection of Mars as the target of NASA's flagship mission elicited surprise from some members of the scientific community. Some criticized NASA for continuing to focus on Mars exploration instead of other Solar System destinations in constrained budget times.[21][22] Support came from California U.S. RepresentativeAdam Schiff, who said he was interested in the possibility of advancing the launch date, which would enable a larger payload.[20] Science educatorBill Nye endorsed the Mars sample-return role, saying this would be "extraordinarily fantastic and world-changing and worthy."[23]
The mission is aimed at seeking signs ofhabitable conditions on Mars in the ancient past, and also at searching for evidence—orbiosignatures—of past microbial life, and water. The mission was launched July 30, 2020, on anAtlas V-541,[20] and theJet Propulsion Laboratory manages the mission. The mission is part of NASA'sMars Exploration Program.[24][25][26][16] The Science Definition Team proposed that the rover collect and package as many as 31 samples of rock cores and surface soil for a later mission to bring back for definitive analysis on Earth.[27] In 2015, they expanded the concept, planning to collect even more samples and distribute the tubes in small piles or caches across the surface of Mars.[28]
In September 2013, NASA launched an Announcement of Opportunity for researchers to propose and develop the instruments needed, including the Sample Caching System.[29][30] The science instruments for the mission were selected in July 2014 after an open competition based on the scientific objectives set one year earlier.[31][32] The science conducted by the rover's instruments will provide the context needed for detailed analyses of the returned samples.[33] The chairman of the Science Definition Team stated that NASA does not presume that life ever existed on Mars, but given the recentCuriosity rover findings, past Martian life seems possible.[33]
ThePerseverance rover will explore a site likely to have been habitable. It will seek signs of past life, set aside a returnable cache with the most compelling rock core and soil samples, and demonstrate the technology needed for the future human and robotic exploration of Mars. A key mission requirement is that it must help prepare NASA for its long-termMars sample-return mission andcrewed mission efforts.[15][16][17] The rover will make measurements and technology demonstrations to help designers of a future human expedition understand any hazards posed by Martian dust, and will testtechnology to produce a small amount of pure oxygen (O2) fromMartian atmosphericcarbon dioxide (CO2).[34]
Improved precision landing technology that enhances the scientific value of robotic missions also will be critical for eventual human exploration on the surface.[35] Based on input from the Science Definition Team, NASA defined the final objectives for the 2020 rover. Those became the basis for soliciting proposals to provide instruments for the rover's science payload in the spring of 2014.[34] The mission will also attempt to identifysubsurface water, improve landing techniques, and characterizeweather,dust, and other potential environmental conditions that could affect future astronauts living and working on Mars.[36]
A key mission requirement for this rover is that it must help prepare NASA for its Mars sample-return mission (MSR) campaign,[37][38][39] which is needed before any crewed mission takes place.[15][16][17] Such effort would require three additional vehicles: an orbiter, a fetch rover, and atwo-stage,solid-fueled Mars ascent vehicle (MAV).[40][41] Between 20 and 30 drilled samples will be collected and cached inside small tubes by thePerseverance rover,[42] and will be left on the surface of Mars for possible later retrieval by NASA in collaboration withESA.[39][42] A "fetch rover" would retrieve the sample caches and deliver them to atwo-stage,solid-fueled Mars ascent vehicle (MAV). In July 2018, NASA contractedAirbus to produce a "fetch rover" concept study.[43] The MAV would launch from Mars and enter a 500 km orbit andrendezvous with theNext Mars Orbiter orEarth Return Orbiter.[39] The sample container would be transferred to an Earth entry vehicle (EEV) which would bring it to Earth, enter the atmosphere under a parachute and hard-land for retrieval and analyses in specially designed safe laboratories.[38][39]
In the first science campaignPerseverance performs an arching drive southward from its landing site to the Séítah unit to perform a "toe dip" into the unit to collect remote-sensing measurements of geologic targets. After that she will return to theCrater Floor Fractured Rough to collect the first core sample there. Passing by the Octavia B. Butler landing site concludes the first science campaign.
The second campaign shall start with several months of travel towards the "Three Forks" where Perseverance can access geologic locations at the base of the ancient delta of Neretva river, as well as ascend the delta by driving up a valley wall to the northwest.[44]
At a rock named "Wildcat Ridge" located within Jezero's well-preserved sedimentary fan deposit, Perseverance found evidence for an ancient lake environment. Not only were these sediments likely deposited in a standing body of water, but they also continued to interact with water long after they were formed. The environments recorded within the rocks at Wildcat Ridge would have been habitable for ancient microbial life, and this type of rock is ideal for preserving possible signs of ancient life.[45]
They also found that "sediments entering Jezero's lake were deposited in a delta" and "evidence for late-stage, high-energy flooding that carried large boulders into the crater."[45] The MOXIE experiment produced 122 grams of oxygen from carbon dioxide.[45] The microphone studies showed that the speed of sound is slower and the volumes of sounds transmitted through the atmosphere is lower, than on Earth.[45] PIXL found that the Seitah formation and a rock at "Otis Peak" contained olivine, phosphates, sulfates, clays, carbonate minerals, silicate minerals, "augite pyroxene, feldspathic mesostasis, various Fe,Cr,Ti-spinels, and merrillite", perchlorate, feldspar, magnesite, siderite, oxides, as well as minerals with composition including magnesium, iron, chlorine, and sodium.[46][47]
RIMFAX revealed findings "consistent with a subsurface dominated by solid rock and mafic material"[48] and that "the crater floor experienced a period of erosion before the deposition of the overlying delta strata. The regularity and horizontality of the basal delta sediments observed in the radar cross sections indicate that they were deposited in a low-energy lake environment."[49]
The three major components of the Mars 2020 spacecraft are the 539 kg (1,188 lb)[50] cruise stage for travel between Earth and Mars; theEntry, Descent, and Landing System (EDLS) that includes the 575 kg (1,268 lb)[50]aeroshell descent vehicle + 440 kg (970 lb) heat shield; and the 1,070 kg (2,360 lb) (fueled mass)[50]descent stage needed to deliverPerseverance andIngenuity safely to the Martian surface. The Descent Stage carries 400 kg (880 lb) landing propellant for the final soft landing burn after being slowed down by a 21.5 m (71 ft)-wide, 81 kg (179 lb) parachute.[50] The 1,025 kg (2,260 lb)[50] rover is based on the design ofCuriosity.[20] While there are differences in scientific instruments and the engineering required to support them, the entire landing system (including thedescent stage and heat shield) and rover chassis could essentially be recreated without any additional engineering or research. This reduces overall technical risk for the mission, while saving funds and time on development.[51]
One of the upgrades is a guidance and control technique called "Terrain Relative Navigation" (TRN) to fine-tune steering in the final moments of landing.[52][53] This system allowed for a landing inside 7.7 km × 6.6 km (4.8 mi × 4.1 mi)[54] wide ellipse with a positioning error within 40 m (130 ft) and avoided obstacles.[55] This is a marked improvement from theMars Science Laboratory mission that had an elliptical area of 7 by 20 km (4.3 by 12.4 mi).[56] In October 2016, NASA reported using theXombie rocket to test the Lander Vision System (LVS), as part of the Autonomous Descent and Ascent Powered-flight Testbed (ADAPT) experimental technologies, for the Mars 2020 mission landing, meant to increase the landing accuracy and avoid obstacle hazards.[57][58]
Perseverance was designed with help fromCuriosity's engineering team, as both are quite similar and share common hardware.[20][59] Engineers redesignedPerseverance's wheels to be more robust thanCuriosity's, which, after kilometres of driving on the Martian surface, have shown progressed deterioration.[60]Perseverance will have thicker, more durablealuminium wheels, with reduced width and a greater diameter, 52.5 cm (20.7 in), thanCuriosity's 50 cm (20 in) wheels.[61][62] The aluminium wheels are covered with cleats for traction and curved titanium spokes for springy support.[63] The combination of the larger instrument suite, new Sampling and Caching System, and modified wheels makesPerseverance 14 percent heavier thanCuriosity, at 1,025 kg (2,260 lb) and 899 kg (1,982 lb), respectively.[62] The rover will include a five-jointed robotic arm measuring 2.1 m (6 ft 11 in) long. The arm will be used in combination with a turret to analyze geologic samples from the Martian surface.[64]
AMulti-Mission Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator (MMRTG), left over as a backup part forCuriosity during its construction, was integrated onto the rover to supply electrical power.[20][65] The generator has a mass of 45 kg (99 lb) and contains 4.8 kg (11 lb) ofplutonium dioxide as the source of steady supply of heat that is converted to electricity.[66] The electrical power generated is approximately 110 watts at launch with little decrease over the mission time.[66]
Twolithium-ion rechargeable batteries are included to meet peak demands of rover activities when the demand temporarily exceeds the MMRTG's steady electrical output levels. The MMRTG offers a 14-year operational lifetime, and it was provided to NASA by theUnited States Department of Energy.[66] Unlike solar panels, the MMRTG does not rely on the presence of the Sun for power, providing engineers with significant flexibility in operating the rover's instruments even at night and during dust storms, and through the winter season.[66]
The Norwegian-developed radarRIMFAX is one of the seven instruments that have been placed on board. The radar has been developed together with FFI (Norwegian Defence Research Establishment), led by Principal InvestigatorSvein-Erik Hamran of FFI, theNorwegian Space Center,[67] and a number of Norwegian companies. Space has also been found for the first time for anuncrewed helicopter, which will be controlled by NTNU (Norwegian University of Science and Technology) trained cybernetics engineerHåvard Fjær Grip and his team at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Los Angeles.[68]
Each Mars mission contributes to an ongoing innovation chain. Each draws on prior operations or tested technologies and contributes uniquely to upcoming missions. By using this strategy, NASA is able to advance the frontiers of what is currently feasible while still depending on earlier advancements.[citation needed]
TheCuriosity rover, which touched down on Mars in 2012, is directly responsible for a large portion ofPerseverance's rover design, including its entry, descent, and landing mechanism. WithPerseverance, new technological innovations will be demonstrated, and entry, descent, and landing capabilities will be improved. These advancements will help open the door for future robotic and human missions to the Moon and Mars.[citation needed]
Ingenuity was the roboticcoaxial helicopter that made the first aircraft flights on another planet.[69] It was deployed from the underside ofPerseverance and used autonomous control guided by flight plan instructions uploaded from mission control.[70][69]
After each landing, it transmitted photographs and other data toPerseverance, which relayed the information to Earth. The program was originally designed to perform only five hops, but the helicopter flew 72 times over three years until NASA ended its mission on January 25, 2024.[71] NASA has plans to build on the helicopter's design for future Mars missions.[72]
The mission is centered around exploringJezero crater, which scientists speculate was a 250 m (820 ft) deep lake about 3.9 billion to 3.5 billion years ago.[73] Jezero today features a prominent river delta where water flowing through it deposited much sediment over the eons, which is "extremely good at preservingbiosignatures".[73][74] The sediments in the delta likely include carbonates and hydrated silica, known to preserve microscopic fossils on Earth for billions of years.[75] Prior to the selection of Jezero, eight proposed landing sites for the mission were under consideration by September 2015;Columbia Hills inGusev crater,Eberswalde crater,Holden crater, Jezero crater,[76][77]Mawrth Vallis,Northeastern Syrtis Major Planum,Nili Fossae, and SouthwesternMelas Chasma.[78]
A workshop was held on February 8–10, 2017, inPasadena, California, to discuss these sites, with the goal of narrowing down the list to three sites for further consideration.[79] The three sites chosen were Jezero crater, Northeastern Syrtis Major Planum, and Columbia Hills.[80] Jezero crater was ultimately selected as the landing site in November 2018.[73] The "fetch rover" for returning the samples is expected to launch in 2026. The landing and surface operations of the "fetch rover" would take place early in 2029. The earliest return toEarth is envisaged for 2031.[81]
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The launch window, when the positions of Earth and Mars were optimal for traveling to Mars, opened on July 17, 2020, and lasted through August 15, 2020.[82] The rocket was launched on July 30, 2020, at 11:50 UTC, and the rover landed on Mars on February 18, 2021, at 20:55 UTC, with a planned surface mission of at least one Mars year (668sols or 687 Earth days).[83][84][85] Two other missions to Mars were launched in this window: theUnited Arab Emirates Space Agency launched itsEmirates Mars Mission with theHope orbiter on July 20, 2020, which arrived in Mars orbit on February 8, 2021, andChina National Space Administration launchedTianwen-1 on July 23, 2020, arriving in orbit on February 10, 2021, and successfully soft landed with theZhurong rover on May 14, 2021.[86]
NASA announced that all of the trajectory correction maneuvers (TCM) were a success. The spacecraft fired thrusters to adjust its course toward Mars, shifting the probe's initial post-launch aim point onto the Red Planet.[87]
Prior to landing, the Science Team from an earlier NASA lander,InSight, announced that they would attempt to detect theentry, descent and landing (EDL) sequence of the Mars 2020 mission using InSight's seismometers. Despite being more than 3,400 km (2,100 mi) away from the Mars landing site, the team indicated that there was a possibility that InSight's instruments would be sensitive enough to detect the hypersonicimpact of Mars 2020's cruise mass balance devices with the Martian surface.[88][89]
The rover's landing was planned similar to theMars Science Laboratory used to deployCuriosity on Mars in 2012. The craft from Earth was a carbon fiber capsule that protected the rover and other equipment from heat during entry into the Mars atmosphere and initial guidance towards the planned landing site. Once through, the craft jettisoned the lower heat shield and deployed a parachute from the backshell to slow the descent to a controlled speed. With the craft moving under 320 km/h (200 mph) and about 1.9 km (1.2 mi) from the surface, the rover andsky crane assembly detached from the backshell, and rockets on the sky crane controlled the remaining descent to the planet. As the sky crane moved closer to the surface, it loweredPerseverance via cables until it confirmed touchdown, detached the cables, and flew a distance away to avoid damaging the rover.[90]
Perseverance successfully landed on the surface of Mars with help of the sky crane on February 18, 2021, at 20:55 UTC, to begin its science phase, and began sending images back to Earth.[91]Ingenuity reported back to NASA via the communications systems onPerseverance the following day, confirming its status. The helicopter was not expected to be deployed for at least 60 days into the mission.[92] NASA also confirmed that the on-board microphone onPerseverance had survivedentry, descent and landing (EDL), along with other high-end visual recording devices, and released the first audio recorded on the surface of Mars shortly after landing,[93] capturing the sound of a Martianbreeze[94] as well as a hum from the rover itself. On May 7, 2021, NASA confirmed thatPerseverance managed to record both audio and video fromIngenuity's fourth flight which took place on April 30, 2021.[95]
_Jezero_Crater_Floor_Fractured_Rough.png)
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NASA plans to expend roughlyUS$2.8 billion on the Mars 2020 mission over 10 years: almost $2.2 billion on the development of thePerseverance rover, $80 million on theIngenuity helicopter, $243 million for launch services, and $296 million for 2.5 years of mission operations.[37][110] Adjusted for inflation, Mars 2020 is the sixth-most expensive robotic planetary mission made by NASA and is cheaper than its predecessor, theCuriosity rover.[111] As well as using spare hardware,Perseverance also used designs fromCuriosity's mission without needing to redesign them, which helped save "probably tens of millions, if not 100 million dollars" according to Mars 2020 Deputy Chief Engineer Keith Comeaux.[112]
To raise public awareness of the Mars 2020 mission, NASA undertook a "Send Your Name To Mars" campaign, through which people could send their names to Mars on amicrochip stored aboardPerseverance. After registering their names, participants received a digital ticket with details of the mission's launch and destination. There were 10,932,295 names submitted during the registration period.[113] In addition, NASA announced in June 2019 that a student naming contest for the rover would be held in the fall of 2019, with voting on nine finalist names held in January 2020.[114]Perseverance was announced to be the winning name on March 5, 2020.[115][116]
In May 2020, NASA attached a small aluminum plate toPerseverance to commemorate the impact of theCOVID-19 pandemic and pay "tribute to the perseverance of healthcare workers around the world". The COVID-19 Perseverance Plate features planet Earth above theRod of Asclepius, with a line showing the trajectory of the Mars 2020 spacecraft departing Earth.[117]
On February 22, 2021, NASA released uninterrupted footage of the landing process of Mars 2020 from parachute deployment to touchdown in alivestream broadcast.[118] Upon release of this footage, engineers revealed that the rover's parachute contained a puzzle; Internet users had solved it within six hours. The parachute's pattern was based onbinary code and translated to the motto of JPL (Dare Mighty Things) and thecoordinates of its headquarters. Irregular patterns are frequently used on spacecraft parachutes to better determine the performance of specific parts of the parachute.[119]
A small piece of the wing covering from theWright brothers' 1903Wright Flyer is attached to a cable underneathIngenuity's solar panel.[120]
NASA scientistSwati Mohan delivered the news of the successful landing.[121]
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain.Using spare parts and mission plans developed for NASA's Curiosity Mars rover, the space agency says it can build and launch the rover in 2020 and stay within current budget guidelines.
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain.The main arm includes five electrical motors and five joints (known as the shoulder azimuth joint, shoulder elevation joint, elbow joint, wrist joint and turret joint). Measuring 7 feet (2.1 meters) long, the arm will allow the rover to work as a human geologist would: by holding and using science tools with its turret, which is essentially its "hand".
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain.
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