InSight Headed for Mars Following Launch on Atlas V

A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket lifts off from Space Launch Complex 3 at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, carrying NASA's Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport, or InSight, Mars lander.
A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket rises above a layer of thick fog blanketing central California during liftoff from Space Launch Complex 3 at Vandenberg Air Force Base. The Atlas V carried NASA’s InSight spacecraft, which is embarking on a mission to land on Mars and study the planet’s interior. Liftoff was at 4:05 a.m. PDT (7:05 a.m. EDT). Photo credit: NASA/Cory Huston

NASA’s InSight spacecraft successfully launched Saturday, May 5, aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket. Liftoff from Space Launch Complex-3 at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California took place at 4:05 a.m. PDT (7:05 a.m. EDT), the mission’s earliest launch opportunity. Also on board were two CubeSats, together called Mars Cube One, or MarCO, a technology demonstration.