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, Curiosity rover, ExoMars

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NASA's Perseverance rover has collected two drilled-out samples from this Red Planet rock, which the mission team calls "Rochette."

Perseverance rover collects 2nd Mars sample (photos)

By Mike Wall published

Perseverance collected another drilled-out core of a Martian rock dubbed "Rochette," sealing the sample in its designated titanium tube on Wednesday (Sept. 8).

This composite of two images shows the hole drilled by NASA's Perseverance rover into a rock dubbed “Rochette” during its second sample-collection attempt. The photos were obtained by one of the rover's navigation cameras on Sept. 1, 2021.

NASA's Perseverance rover getting ready to snag 2nd Mars sample

By Mike Wall published

Perseverance sealed up a drilled-out core of a Red Planet rock dubbed "Rochette" over the weekend. The mission team aims to replicate that success soon, putting poor Rochette to the drill again.

Ingenuity flew for the 13th time on Sept. 4, 2021 on Mars.

Mars helicopter Ingenuity flies low and slow on lucky flight 13

By Chelsea Gohd published

Number 13 was good luck for NASA's Mars helicopter Ingenuity, as the tenacious little craft seamlessly completed its 13th flight on the Red Planet on Saturday (Sept. 4).

This sealed titanium sampling tube contains the first sample ever collected by NASA's Perseverance rover on the surface of Mars. The photo was captured by Perseverance's Sampling and Caching System Camera, or CacheCam.

Perseverance rover seals up 1st Mars sample for future return to Earth

By Mike Wall published

It's official: NASA's Perseverance rover has collected its first-ever Mars sample.

This image, captured by NASA's Perseverance Mars rover on Sept. 1, 2021, shows a cored sample in one of the robot's sampling tubes. Mission team members think the sample was retained but will take a few more photos to make sure.

NASA's Perseverance rover drills 1st Mars rock sample for an (eventual) return to Earth

By Mike Wall published

Perseverance has likely snagged its first-ever Red Planet sample, socking away a drilled-out core of a rock dubbed "Rochette."

NASA's Perseverance Mars rover acquired this image of the rock “Rochette” on Aug. 27, 2021. A circular abrasion made by Perseverance as part of its Rochette-vetting process is clearly visible.

Mars rover Perseverance set for 2nd sample-collection attempt (photo)

By Mike Wall published

NASA's Perseverance rover is on track to collect its first-ever Mars sample in the next few days.

NASA's Perseverance Mars rover will soon abrade the rock at the center of this image, dubbed “Rochette,” allowing scientists and engineers to assess whether it would hold up to the rover's more powerful sampling drill.

Perseverance Mars rover gearing up for 2nd rock sampling attempt (photos)

By Mike Wall published

Perseverance could drill and sample a rock target dubbed 'Rochette' as early as next week.

NASA's Ingenuity Mars Helicopter acquired this image during its 12th Red Planet flight, on Aug. 16, 2021.

Soar over Mars with NASA's helicopter Ingenuity on its 12th flight (video)

By Mike Wall published

NASA's Mars helicopter Ingenuity keeps giving us great bird's-eye views of otherworldly terrain.

The tiny Mars moon Deimos, as photographed by NASA's Mars rover Perseverance.

Perseverance rover spots tiny Mars moon Deimos (video)

By Mike Wall published

NASA's Perseverance rover has given us an otherworldly skywatching treat — the minuscule Mars moon Deimos, twinkling in the dusty Red Planet skies.

A photograph from Ingenuity's 12th flight, conducted on Aug. 16, 2021, shows the silhouette of the helicopter on the rippled surface of Mars.

Mars helicopter Ingenuity soars through challenging 12th flight on Red Planet

By Meghan Bartels published

NASA's Mars helicopter Ingenuity made its 12th Red Planet flight on Monday (Aug. 16), during which the little chopper served as eyes in the sky for its larger companion, the Perseverance rover.

NASA's Ingenuity helicopter captured this image of the Perseverance rover during its 11th flight on the Red Planet, on Aug. 5, 2021.

NASA's Mars helicopter spots its Perseverance rover pal from above in an epic view (video)

By Hanneke Weitering published

While flying over the Red Planet for the 11th time last week, the little helicopter caught a view of its "mothership" — NASA's Perseverance rover

This image taken by one the hazard cameras aboard NASA’s Perseverance rover on Aug. 6, 2021, shows the hole drilled in what the rover science team calls a “paver rock” in preparation for the mission’s first attempt to collect a sample from Mars.

NASA's 1st attempt to collect Mars samples with Perseverance rover comes up empty

By Mike Wall published

Perseverance drilled its first sample-collecting hole on Friday (Aug. 6), but data beamed back to Earth by the rover indicate that no Mars rock or dirt made it into the sampling tube.

An image taken by the Perseverance rover of its first drill hole on Mars taken on Aug. 6, 2021.

Perseverance rover drills into Mars for 1st time in milestone for sample collection

By Meghan Bartels last updated

NASA's Perseverance rover has notched another milestone on Mars, drilling its first hole for sampling Red Planet rock.

A photograph of the Ingenuity helicopter's shadow taken by the vehicle during its 11th flight on Mars, executed on Thursday (Aug. 5).

Mars helicopter Ingenuity scores another safe flight on Red Planet

By Meghan Bartels published

NASA's Ingenuity helicopter on Mars is still going strong, notching its 11th Red Planet flight on Thursday (Aug. 5).

NASA's Perseverance rover acquired this image of the Ingenuity Mars helicopter on the floor of Jezero Crater.

Ingenuity Mars helicopter gearing up for 11th Red Planet flight

By Mike Wall published

NASA's Mars helicopter Ingenuity is getting set for its 11th off-Earth flight, which could happen early Thursday morning (Aug. 5).

“My first rock sampling location is just ahead. This spot will be my ‘office’ for the next week or two,” team members on NASA’s Mars rover Perseverance mission wrote about this photo, which they posted on Twitter on July 29, 2021.

1 year after launch, NASA's Perseverance rover prepares to collect 1st sample on Mars

By Mike Wall published

It's been quite an eventful year for NASA's Perseverance Mars rover.

NASA's Ingenuity helicopter during its tenth and so far the most complex flight on July 24.

Watch NASA's Mars helicopter Ingenuity explore intriguing Raised Ridges in new video

By Tereza Pultarova published

NASA's Ingenuity Mars helicopter explores the "intriguing" Raised Ridges during its latest and most complex flight to date.

NASA's Mars helicopter Ingenuity sees its shadow on the Martian surface during its 10th flight on July 24, 2021.

NASA's Mars helicopter soars past 1-mile mark in 10th flight over Red Planet

By Tariq Malik published

The Mars helicopter Ingenuity flew its 10th flight on Saturday (July 24) to pass its first 1-mile marker.

NASA’s Ingenuity Mars Helicopter flew over these sand dunes and rocks during its ninth flight, on July 5, 2021.

Mars helicopter Ingenuity gearing up for 10th Red Planet flight this weekend

By Mike Wall published

Ingenuity's 10th flight on Mars could happen as early as Saturday (July 24).

perseverance rover on mars

NASA's Perseverance rover is ready to hunt signs of life on Mars. See the 1st science results today.

By Meghan Bartels published

Even as NASA's Mars helicopter Ingenuity has captured the imagination with flight after flight on the Red Planet, the chopper's rover companion has been hard at work doing science.