Mars 2020 (Perseverance)
Mission overview
Mars 2020 delivered the Perseverance rover and Ingenuity helicopter to Jezero crater to seek signs of ancient life and cache samples.
Primary-source verification
Committed mission facts cross-checked against the official NASA primary source — NASA Science — Mars 2020 Perseverance.
| Launch date | 2020-07-30 | Confirmed by primary |
Verified by corroboration against the official agency document: a launch date is “Confirmed by primary” only when the page literally states it; a launch mass only when the page states a figure equal to it within catalogue rounding (±0.5%). Source precedence is primary agency > peer-reviewed > official mission page > structured secondary > Wikidata; a primary source outranks Wikidata but no engineering value is transcribed from the page — an uncorroborated value is kept as its original (secondary) source, never re-labelled primary. Checked 2026-07-12.
Derived values
Computed from source-backed inputs via standard formulae — not observations. Every input and constant is traced below.
- Time since launch5.9 yearscalculated
Formula & inputs
Formula: Δt = reference − launch (v1.0.0, impl v1.0.0)
Inputs:
- launchDate = 18473 days (JD-like) · NASA JPL
Limitations: A time-dependent value: it is elapsed time as of the stated reference instant, not a fixed total.; Elapsed time since launch is not the same as time spent operating at the target.
Uncertainty: not propagated (inputs carry no catalogued uncertainty)
Computed as of 2026-06-29.
Outcome & discoveries
Caching rock cores for a future return; Ingenuity achieved the first powered flight on another world.
- ★Organic matter in Jezero crater delta deposits
- ★First powered, controlled flight on another planet (Ingenuity)
Mission profile
Spacecraft
Scientific instruments
Knowledge connections
- Target ofMars
- Mission includesPerseverance
- Mission includesIngenuity
- Operated byNASA
- Part of programMars Exploration Program
- Launched byAtlas V
- Launched fromCape Canaveral Space Force Station
- Mission targetMars
- CapturedPerseverance on Mars — Jezero Crater
- Associated withJezero Crater
- Associated withIngenuity Makes the First Powered Flight on Another World
- Associated withFirst Powered Flight on Another World
- Associated withOxygen Production
- Associated withChemical Biosignature
- Associated withGeological Biosignature
- Associated withSample Handling & Curation
Related missions
| Mission | Type | Agency | Launch | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spirit (MER-A)Mars | Rover | NASA | 2003-06-10 | Completed |
| Opportunity (MER-B)Mars | Rover | NASA | 2003-07-07 | Completed |
| Mars Science Laboratory (Curiosity)Mars | Rover | NASA | 2011-11-26 | Active |
| MAVENMars | Orbiter | NASA | 2013-11-18 | Active |
Sources
The primary and reference sources this topic draws on.
- NASA JPLJet Propulsion Laboratory / Solar System Dynamics
Orbital data, ephemerides, and small-body parameters for planets, asteroids, and comets.