Mars Rover Makes its Way to the Launch Pad

Mars 2020 rollout
The United Launch Alliance Atlas V 541 rocket, carrying NASA’s Mars Perseverance rover and Ingenuity helicopter, rolls along to the launch pad at Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on July 28, 2020. Photo credit: NASA/Ben Smegelsky

Perseverance was on the move.

On Tuesday, July 28, at 10:24 a.m., NASA’s Mars 2020 Perseverance rover began the one-third-mile trek from United Launch Alliance’s (ULA) Vertical Integration Facility to Cape Canaveral Air Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 41. The ULA Atlas V 541 rocket, with Perseverance aboard, was transported at speeds of 3 to 4 miles per hour during the approximately 30-minute trip.

Now positioned at the pad, Perseverance is scheduled to launch from Florida on Thursday, July 30. The two-hour window opens at 7:50 a.m. EDT. NASA’s Launch Services Program, based at Kennedy, is managing the launch.

The U.S. Air Force 45th Weather Squadron is continuing to predict an 80% chance of favorable weather conditions for the launch. The primary weather concerns for launch are cumulus and thick clouds.

Developed under NASA’s Mars Exploration Program, the rover will search for signs of past microbial life. For more information on Perseverance and its mission, visit the mission website.