Mars 2020

Ingenuity makes second flight on Mars
NASA’s Ingenuity helicopter successfully made its second flight on Mars April 22, expanding its flight envelope as the project considers more ambitious tests in the coming days.

Ingenuity success opens door for future Mars helicopter missions
The successful flight of NASA’s Ingenuity helicopter on Mars paves the way for its use on future missions, agency officials said, but exactly when and how remain to be determined.

Ingenuity performs first flight on Mars
NASA’s Ingenuity helicopter successfully performed the first powered aircraft flight on another planet April 19, briefing hovering above the surface of Mars.

NASA reschedules Ingenuity first flight
NASA now plans to attempt a first flight of the Mars helicopter Ingenuity early April 19 after finding a workaround to a software problem that delayed the flight earlier this month.

NASA delays first flight of Mars helicopter
NASA announced April 10 it was postponing the first flight attempt of the Ingenuity helicopter on Mars by at least three days after detecting a problem during a final pre-flight test.

Ingenuity helicopter prepares for first flight on Mars
A small helicopter that hitched a ride on NASA’s Perseverance rover will attempt its first flight on Mars in early April, demonstrating technology that could be used on future missions.

Perseverance makes its first drive on Mars
NASA’s Perseverance rover has started moving on the Martian surface as project scientists prepare to send the rover toward the remnants of a river delta in search of signs of past life.

NASA releases video of Perseverance landing
The Perseverance rover is in good condition on the surface of Mars, NASA officials said Feb. 22, showing off stunning video from its landing on the red planet last week.

Perseverance landing wins broad political praise
President Biden and other political figures congratulated NASA for the successful Perseverance rover landing, but the bigger challenge may be turning that support into funding for the agency’s exploration programs.

Perseverance lands on Mars
NASA’s Perseverance rover successfully landed on Mars Feb. 18, completing a nearly seven-month journey from Earth and beginning a years-long exploration of the red planet.

Helicopter and other technology demos hitch a ride on Mars 2020
While the primary focus of the Mars 2020 mission will be the search for evidence of past Martian life, the rover mission carries several other payloads that could support future robotic and human missions to the red planet.

Scientists look ahead to the search for past Martian life with Perseverance
On the eve of the landing of the rover Perseverance on Mars, scientists are looking ahead to the work it will do searching for evidence of past life on the planet and collecting samples for return to Earth.

NASA’s China exclusion could mean missed opportunity for Mars InSight
NASA's Mars InSight lander is poised to make the ultimate field recording when Perseverance attempts its Feb. 18 landing. Politics could squelch an even better recording opportunity when China's Tianwen-1 lands this summer.

Mars 2020 on track for landing
NASA’s Mars 2020 spacecraft is operating “perfectly” ahead of its Feb. 18 landing on Mars that will be a key milestone for the agency’s future Mars exploration plans.