With the Mars Perseverance launch a trio of spacecraft is headed to Mars

A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket with NASA’s Mars 2020 Perseverance rover onboard launches from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Thursday, July 30, 2020, from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The Perseverance rover is part of NASA’s Mars Exploration Program, a long-term effort of robotic exploration of the Red Planet. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)

On a beautiful morning on the space coast of Florida, a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket flawlessly launched NASA’s Mars Perseverance Rover on a seven month trip to the red planet.

It was the third launch in less than two weeks that is sending a record trio of spacecraft to Mars including the Hope orbiter from the United Arab Emirates, China’s Tianwen-1 orbiter, lander and rover, and NASA’s Perseverance rover with its Ingenuity helicopter.

Watch a replay of the launch of NASA’s Perseverance Rover.

An hour after the launch NASA reported that a key milestone had been accomplished with the spacecraft separating from the rocket second stage and Perseverance was “officially” on its way to Mars.

The final planned major event of the day was the “acquisition of signal” from the spacecraft, basically the spacecraft calling home, something NASA just reported as having been achieved.

Perseverance’s Route to Mars: An illustration of the route the Mars 2020/Perseverance spacecraft takes to get to Mars
Perseverance’s Route to Mars: An illustration of the route the Mars 2020/Perseverance spacecraft takes to get to Mars. Credit: NASA.

About Marc Boucher

Boucher is an entrepreneur, writer, editor & publisher. He is the founder of SpaceQ Media Inc. and CEO and co-founder of SpaceRef Interactive LLC. Boucher has 20+ years working in various roles in the space industry and a total of 30 years as a technology entrepreneur including creating Maple Square, Canada's first internet directory and search engine.

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