Mission Timeline › Overview
Cruise/Approach
Entry, Descent & Landing
Mission Timeline Summary
The Mars 2020 Perseverance rover launched July 30, 2020, at 4:50 a.m. PDT (7:50 a.m. EDT), and lands on Mars February 18, 2021. Surface operations last at least one Mars year (about 687 Earth days).
The phases of the Mars 2020 mission would include:
Pre-launch Activities Preparation for the mission, including pre-project planning, science definition and instrument selection, landing site selection, assembly and testing, and delivery to Cape Canaveral
Launch Lift-off from Earth
Cruise Voyage through space to Mars
Approach Nearing the red planet Mars
Entry, Descent, and Landing Journey through the Martian atmosphere to the surface
Instrument Checks and First Drive After landing when engineers first conduct tests to ensure the rover is in a "safe state"
Surface Operations Learning about Mars through the day-to-day activities of the rover