NASA’s new Mars rover will launch toward the Red Planet this Thursday, July 30.
The Mars Perseverance rover will explore the planet for ancient habitable environments and signs of fossilized microbial life at Mars’ Jezero crater, which was once a lake.
The launch window opens at 7:50 a.m. EDT, according to NASA. Pre-launch coverage will begin at 7:00 a.m. EDT. The launch window will stay open until about 9:50 a.m. EDT, with opportunities to launch every five minutes in that two-hour timeframe. The pre-launch and launch will be livestreamed on Live Science.
Mars Perseverance is part of NASA’s Moon to Mars exploration approach, a program that aims to put a man and a woman back on the moon by 2024 in order to pave the way for eventual crewed missions to Mars.