National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA’s) Perseverance Rover has landed on Mars. This was one of the most crucial aspects of the Mars 2020 Mission.

NASA’s Mars 2020 Mission: Aim

• About:
  • The mission is designed to better understand the geology of Mars and seek signs of ancient life.
• Objectives:
  • Assess ancient habitability.
  • Demonstrate technology for future robotic and human exploration.
• Duration: At least one Mars year (about 687 Earth days).
• Mission Steps:
  • Collect: Perseverance will collect rock and soil samples in cigar-sized tubes. The samples will be collected, the canisters will be sealed, and left on the ground.
  • Fetch: A Mars Fetch Rover (provided by the European Space Agency) will land, drive, and collect all samples from the different locations, and return to the lander.
  • Transfer: These samples will be transferred to the Mars Ascent Vehicle which will meet with an Orbiter.
  • Return: The Orbiter will carry the samples back to Earth.