NASA postpones Mars rover Perseverance launch to July 20
Mars Perseverance rover
NASA has postponed the launch of its Perseverance Mars rover to July 20 -- after the team decided it needed additional time to repair an issue with the ground system equipment.
"NASA and ULA are now targetting Monday, July 20, for launch of the Mars 2020 mission of the Perseverance Rover on an Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex-41 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida," NASA officials said in an update on Thursday.
The launch is scheduled for 9.15 am ET with a two-hour window.
Perseverance Mars rover was earlier scheduled to lift off aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V 541 rocket on July 17.
It's said the issue involved a faulty crane.
"Crane, now fixed. Rocket is fine," Tory Bruno, the CEO of United Launch Alliance tweeted in response to a question by a Twitter user about the cause of the delay.
Perseverance is part of a larger programme that includes missions to the Moon as a way to prepare for human exploration of the Red Planet.
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The Perseverance rover, a robotic scientist weighing 1,025 kg, will search for signs of past microbial life on Mars and also collect samples for future return to Earth.
The rover is scheduled to land on Mars' Jezero Crater on February 18, 2021.