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    NASA · Lander / Rover

    Mars 2020 Perseverance

    A car-sized rover searching for signs of ancient microbial life and collecting rock cores for possible future return to Earth.

    ActiveExploring Jezero Crater and the crater rim.

    Launch date

    2020-07-30

    Destination

    Mars — Jezero Crater

    Agencies

    NASA

    Objectives

    • Seek biosignatures in an ancient lake-delta environment
    • Collect and cache rock and regolith samples
    • Demonstrate oxygen production from CO₂ (MOXIE)

    Spacecraft

    1,025 kg rover powered by a multi-mission radioisotope thermoelectric generator (MMRTG)

    Scientific instruments and systems

    • Mastcam-Z
    • SuperCam
    • PIXL
    • SHERLOC
    • MOXIE
    • MEDA
    • RIMFAX

    Timeline

    1. 2020-07-30Launch on Atlas V
    2. 2021-02-18Landed in Jezero Crater
    3. 2021-04-19Ingenuity helicopter made the first powered flight on another planet
    4. 2024-01Ingenuity's mission ended after 72 flights

    Major achievements

    • First powered flight on another world (Ingenuity)
    • First production of oxygen on Mars (MOXIE)

    Status reviewed 2026-10-23. For official images and the latest updates, visit the agency pages listed under Sources.