LAUNCH MISSION
ULA Atlas V 541 Mars 2020 (Perseverance rover & Ingenuity helicopter)
Launch Pad
Space Launch Complex 41
Description
Atop this ULA Atlas V rocket will be Perseverance, a car-sized rover which will explore an ancient river delta on Mars. Armed with a suite of six scientific instruments, Perseverance will primarily hunt for clues to the planet's distant past, and hopefully uncover signs of ancient life and habitability. The rover also carries an experiment that'll convert carbon dioxide into oxygen, a box-sized helicopter named Ingenuity that'll demonstrate powered flight on Mars, and a system that enables the rover to leave behind samples for later retrieval and return to Earth during NASA and ESA's ambitious sample return mission later this decade.
Atlas V 541
Rocket Description
Atlas V with 5m Fairing, 4 SRB, 1 Centaur upper stage engine.