Perseverance Mars rover

NASA's Mars rover Perseverance is scheduled to touch down on the Red Planet on Feb. 18, 2021. The new rover will search for signs of habitable environments on Mars and evidence of past microbial life. It will also cache samples of the Red Planet to return to Earth for a future Mars sample-return mission. See the latest news about NASA's Perseverance Mars rover here!

Related topics: Mars (opens in new tab), Curiosity rover (opens in new tab), ExoMars (opens in new tab)

Latest Updates

NASA's Mars Perseverance rover acquired this image of the Ingenuity Mars helicopter (upper right) using its Mastcam-Z camera on April 30, 2021.

Perseverance rover captures sounds of Mars helicopter Ingenuity's flight in awesome first (video)

By Mike Wall published

NASA's Perseverance rover captured the whirring of Ingenuity's fast-spinning rotors during the little chopper's fourth Red Planet flight, which took place on April 30.

NASA’s Ingenuity Mars Helicopter took this photo during its fourth flight on April 30, 2021. The image shows “Airfield B,” where Ingenuity will seek to land on its fifth flight, on May 7.

NASA's Mars helicopter Ingenuity will head to new airfield today on 5th flight

By Mike Wall last updated

Ingenuity is scheduled to make its fifth Martian flight today (May 7), a jaunt that will be unlike anything the 4-lb. (1.8 kilograms) chopper has attempted so far.

An image of NASA's Curiosity rover on Mars composed of 57 separate photographs the rover took on May 12, 2019.

Radiation resistance is baked into the Perseverance Mars rover. Here's why that's important.

By Elizabeth Howell published

Xilinx's radiation-resistant integrated circuits help power cameras and instruments on NASA's Perseverance rover.

An image of Mars captured by the Hope spacecraft on Feb. 26, 2021, shows Olympus Mons, the largest volcano in the solar system.

Welcome to Mars! Bill Nye and Robert Zubrin hail new Red Planet visitors.

By Elizabeth Howell published

Two prominent space advocacy groups are cheering the new generation of Mars explorers.

NASA's Mars helicopter Ingenuity will continue to fly on the Red Planet as today (April 30), NASA announced that its mission will be extended for 30 sols.

NASA extends Mars helicopter Ingenuity's high-flying mission on Red Planet

By Chelsea Gohd published

NASA's Mars helicopter Ingenuity will keep flying for an additional 30 days (at least), the agency announced today (April 30).

NASA's Perseverance Mars rover acquired this image of the Ingenuity helicopter (upper right) using its Mastcam-Z camera on April 30, 2021.

Mars helicopter Ingenuity goes faster and farther than ever on 4th flight

By Mike Wall published

Ingenuity aced its fourth-ever Martian flight this morning (April 30), going farther and faster than it ever had before.

NASA's Mars helicopter Ingenuity (lower right, photographed by the Perseverance rover) didn't get off the ground as planned on April 29, 2021.

Mars helicopter Ingenuity misses takeoff for 4th flight on Red Planet

By Mike Wall published

NASA's Mars helicopter Ingenuity was supposed to get a real workout this morning (April 29), but things didn't go as planned.

NASA's Mars helicopter Ingenuity takes its third flight on the Red Planet in this zoomed-in view of a photo from the Perseverance rover taken on April 25, 2021.

NASA's Mars helicopter Ingenuity will attempt its boldest flight yet today

By Tariq Malik last updated

After three successful test flights, NASA's Mars helicopter Ingenuity is ready to push the envelope in the skies of the Red Planet.

This zoomed-in view from NASA's Mars helicopter Ingenuity shows the Perseverance rover and its tracks from the air on April 25, 2021. (This photo has been cropped so that the rover is more clearly visible.)

Mars helicopter Ingenuity spots Perseverance rover from the air (photo)

By Mike Wall last updated

We've never seen a Mars rover from this vantage point before.

NASA's Mars helicopter Ingenuity takes its third flight on the Red Planet in this photo from the Perseverance rover taken on April 25, 2021.

See amazing video of Mars helicopter Ingenuity's boundary-stretching 3rd flight

By Mike Wall published

NASA's Mars helicopter Ingenuity broke new ground during its latest Red Planet flight, as video of the sortie shows.

NASA's Mars helicopter Ingenuity takes its third flight on the Red Planet in this zoomed-in view of a photo from the Perseverance rover taken on April 25, 2021.

Mars helicopter Ingenuity goes long distance in 3rd flight on Red Planet

By Mike Wall published

Ingenuity aced its third-ever Martian flight early this morning (April 25), adding to its already impressive resume.

This photo, snapped on April 22, 2021 by NASA's Mars helicopter Ingenuity, shows tracks made by the Perseverance rover on Jezero Crater's floor. “This is the first color image of the Martian surface taken by an aerial vehicle while it was aloft,” NASA officials wrote.

Mars helicopter Ingenuity snaps epic photo of rover tracks, will attempt 3rd flight Sunday

By Mike Wall published

NASA's history-making Mars helicopter Ingenuity will make its third Red Planet flight this weekend, if all goes according to plan.

President Joe Biden examines a model of NASA's Mars helicopter Ingenuity, which on April 19 became the first aircraft to perform a powered, controlled flight on a world beyond Earth.

President Biden congratulates Mars helicopter Ingenuity team for historic 1st flight

By Elizabeth Howell published

President Joe Biden tweeted his support for the Ingenuity team after the little helicopter's record-setting Mars flight on Monday (April 19).

NASA's Mars helicopter Ingenuity flies on the Red Planet for the second time ever, on April 22, 2021. This image was captured by the Mastcam-Z camera system aboard NASA's Perseverance rover.

Mars helicopter Ingenuity flies higher and longer on Red Planet in 2nd flight

By Mike Wall last updated

NASA's Ingenuity helicopter took to the skies above Mars' Jezero Crater again early this morning (April 22), just three days after making history with its first Red Planet flight.

An image captured by the Ingenuity Mars helicopter shows the vehicle's shadow on the surface of the Red Planet.

So a helicopter flew on Mars for the first time. A space physicist explains why that's such a big deal

By Gail Iles published

It marks a milestone in the story of human space exploration.

NASA's Ingenuity helicopter is seen during its first flight on Mars on April 19, 2021, in this view from the Perseverance rover's Navigation Camera, or Navcam.

NASA's Mars helicopter Ingenuity will attempt its 2nd flight Thursday

By Hanneke Weitering published

The Mars helicopter will attempt its second flight above the Red Planet on Thursday (April 22) at 5:30 a.m. EDT (0930 GMT).

NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover took a selfie with the Ingenuity helicopter, seen here about 13 feet (3.9 meters) from the rover. on April 6, 2021.

NASA's Perseverance rover makes oxygen on Mars for 1st time

By Mike Wall published

NASA's Perseverance rover just notched another first on Mars, one that may help pave the way for its human overlords to explore the Red Planet someday.

An enhanced image captured by the Perseverance rover shows the dust kicked up by the Ingenuity helicopter's blades during its first flight on Mars on April 19, 2021.

Watch NASA's Mars helicopter Ingenuity kick up dust on its 1st flight (video)

By Meghan Bartels published

NASA's Mars helicopter Ingenuity really kicked up some dust during its historic first flight on the Red Planet, which took place on Monday (April 19).

NASA's Mars helicopter Ingenuity, as photographed by the Perseverance rover on April 19, 2021 — the day Ingenuity made the first-ever powered, controlled flight by an aircraft on a world beyond Earth.

More Mars helicopters? NASA is already thinking about Ingenuity's successors

By Mike Wall published

NASA is already working to map out the bright exploration future opened up by its little Mars helicopter.

This still image from NASA's Perseverance rover on Mars shows the Mars Helicopter Ingenuity hovering above the Martian surface during its historic first flight on April 19, 2021.

NASA's Ingenuity helicopter aced an 'absolutely beautiful flight' on Mars. Here's the video.

By Mike Wall published

NASA's Mars helicopter Ingenuity just made aviation history, and its robotic buddy caught the whole thing on video.