Mars 2020

Mission Profile

Mars 2020 is the NASA mission launched on 30 July 2020 aboard an Atlas V 541 that delivered the Perseverance rover and Ingenuity helicopter to Jezero Crater on Mars on 18 February 2021. The mission is the most scientifically sophisticated Mars surface mission ever sent, equipped with instruments to characterize geology, search for biosignatures, and collect rock and soil samples for potential future return to Earth. Perseverance also demonstrated the MOXIE instrument, which produced oxygen from the Martian atmosphere, a key technology for future human missions. Ingenuity became the first powered aircraft to fly on another planet, completing over 70 flights before being retired in early 2024.