NASA’s Perseverance rover for the Mars 2020 mission has completed flight readiness review activities ahead of final launch assessments scheduled for July 27. The agency said Thursday the launch window for the Perseverance mission will begin at 7:50 a.m. EDT on July 30.
The assembly, test and launch operations team at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida is expected to begin final checkouts for the rover’s systems and subsystems following the completion of integration activities with United Launch Alliance’s Atlas V rocket.
The astrobiology mission requires Perseverance to probe Mars for microbial life and collect data on the planet’s geological and climatic elements.
"The launch operations team will continue to monitor the health of the spacecraft to ensure it’s 'Go' for launch – nothing glamorous, but an important part of the job,” said Dave Gruel, head of the Mars 2020 ATLO team.
"At present, everything is green across the board," noted Matt Wallace, deputy project manager for the mission at NASA. "Everyone involved with this endeavor, from the spacecraft team to the launch vehicle team to those working the range, are looking forward to seeing Perseverance begin its long-awaited flight to Mars."
According to NASA, subsequent Mars missions with the European Space Agency (ESA) are “currently under consideration”.
