In Pictures: Nasa's science rover Perseverance makes historic Mars landing

The most advanced astrobiology laboratory landed safely on the Red Planet after a space journey of nearly 7 months.

Updated

Published

February 19, 2021 at 11:45 AM

The first images arrive moments after NASA's Perseverance Mars rover spacecraft successfully touched down on Mars, at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, U.S. Feb 18, 2021.
PHOTO: NASA VIA REUTERS

A handout photo made available by NASA shows Members of NASA's Perseverance rover team react in mission control after receiving confirmation the spacecraft successfully touched down on Mars, at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, USA, Feb 18, 2021. A key objective for Perseverance's mission on Mars is astrobiology, including the search for signs of ancient microbial life. The rover will characterize the planet's geology and past climate, pave the way for human exploration of the Red Planet, and be the first mission to collect and cache Martian rock and regolith.
PHOTO: NASA VIA EPA-EFE

Emmanuel Macron gives the thumb-up as he sits in front of a screen broadcasting the landing of NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover on the planet Mars, during a visit at the French National Center for Space Studies (CNES), in Paris on Feb 18, 2021. PHOTO: AFP

A handout photo made available by NASA shows a NASA Mars Rover Landing banner confirming the mission is complete, on the One Times Square video board as NASA's Perseverance rover begins its descent towards the surface of Mars, in New York City, USA, Feb 18, 2021.
PHOTO: NASA VIA EPA-EFE

A handout photo made available by NASA shows the area where Perseverance Mars rover landed (on screen), during a NASA Perseverance rover mission post-landing update at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, USA, Feb 18, 2021.
PHOTO: NASA VIA EPA-EFE

A handout photo made available by NASA shows members of NASA's Perseverance Mars rover team watch in mission control as the first images arrive moments after the spacecraft successfully touched down on Mars, at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, USA, Feb 18, 2021.
PHOTO: NASA VIA EPA-EFE

This NASA photo shows members of NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover team watching in mission control as the first images arrive moments after the spacecraft successfully touched down on Mars, on Feb 18, 2021, at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California.
PHOTO: NASA VIA AFP

A photo issued Feb 18, 2021, shows a giant projection of the NASA Mars 2020 mission logo on the north face of the Eiger mountain (left), NASA logo on the Monch mountain (center) and and astronaut on the Jungfrau mountain (right), by Swiss light artist Gerry Hofstetter, pictured from the alpine resort of Mannlichen, Switzerland, Feb 14, 2021 PHOTO: EPA-EFE

A full scale model of the Mars 2020 Perseverance rover is displayed at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) on Feb 16, 2021 in Pasadena, California. PHOTO: AFP

This NASA handout illustration obtained Feb 15, 2021 shows NASA’s Perseverance rover casting off its spacecraft’s cruise stage, minutes before entering the Martian atmosphere, as hundreds of critical events in the rover’s Entry, Descent, and Landing sequence must execute perfectly and exactly on time for the rover to touch down on Mars safely on Feb 18, 2021.
PHOTO: NASA VIA AFP

A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket carrying NASA's Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover vehicle takes off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Cape Canaveral, Florida, U.S. on July 30, 2020.
PHOTO: NASA VIA REUTERS

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