NASA’s Perseverance rover makes historic Mars landing

NASA's Perseverance successfully landed on the surface of Mars

National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (Nasa) Mars rover Perseverance successfully landed on the surface of Mars in wee hours of Friday, making a historic landing on the red planet. This is Nasa’s most advanced rover which the US space agency has sent to another world.

“Touchdown confirmed! Perseverance safely on the surface of Mars,” flight controller Swati Mohan announced. Perseverance streaked through the orange Martian sky and landed on the red planet around 2:30 am on Friday, accomplishing the “most dangerous” step yet in an epic quest to bring back rocks that could answer whether life ever existed on Mars. After the “toughest” touchdown, the rover also sent an image from the space. Nasa’s Mars Perseverance rover acquired the image of the area in back of it using its onboard Rear Right Hazard Avoidance Camera.

Nearly seven months after its takeoff to Mars, Nasa’s Perseverance rove made a historic landing on the red planet, becoming the fifth Nasa rover ever to touch down on Mars after Sojourner — twin rovers Spirit and Opportunity and Curiosity, the US space agency said.  Meanwhile, Nasa scientists describe Perseverance as the most ambitious of nearly 20 US missions to Mars dating back to a 1965 Mariner fly-by.