Mars 2020

NASA's Ingenuity robotic helicopter has survived its first night on the surface of Mars. After being deployed on Martian soil, the miniature rotorcraft had to keep itself warm through the night for the first time using only its internal power.

NASA says its Ingenuity Mars helicopter will make its first flight on the Red Planet on April 8 or later, depending on weather conditions and preflight tests. If successful, it will be will the first powered, controlled flight on another planet.

NASA has awarded Northrop Grumman a contract worth up to US$84.5 million to help develop the Mars Ascent Propulsion System, which will be used as part of a plan to return samples collected by the Perseverance rover to Earth.

NASA has released a new video that includes historic color, high-resolution footage from multiple cameras on the Mars 2020 spacecraft as it delivered the Perseverance rover to the surface of the Red Planet last week.

NASA has released the first high-resolution images sent back by the Perseverance Mars rover, including a dramatic picture taken by the Sky Crane landing vehicle of it just before touching down on the Red Planet.

NASA's Perseverance Mars rover has safely landed on the Red Planet. The robotic explorer touched down in the Jezero Crater at 3:55 pm EST after a dramatic seven-minute descent, marking the beginning of the most ambitious interplanetary mission yet.

It's been remarkable year for space exploration, marked by a line up of ambitious new interplanetary missions, industry firsts, and the reemergence of the US in the field of human spaceflight.

NASA has announced that, soon after yesterday’s launch of the Mars Perseverance rover, that mission had experienced minor issues that hindered communication and caused the spacecraft couriering the rover to enter a "safe mode."

NASA's Mars 2020 mission and the Perseverance rover are on their way to Mars. At 4:50 am EDT (11:50 GMT), the spacecraft lifted off on the first leg of its 309-million-mile voyage to search for signs of life on the Red Planet.

When NASA's Perseverance Mars rover touches down on the Red Planet on February 18, 2021, its descent stage will guide it autonomously to a (hopefully) safe landing thanks to a pair of the most precise Martian maps ever produced.

The spacecraft containing NASA's Perseverance rover has been successfully mated with the United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket that will propel it towards Mars at the end of the month.

ESA has awarded a contract to Airbus Defence and Space to go ahead on the next phase to develop the Sample Fetch Rover. The contract will allow Airbus to continue work on the rover that will collect Martian rock and soil samples for return to Earth.