Historic Milestone: NASA's Perseverance rover has successfully touched down in Jezero Crater, marking a major achievement for space exploration.
Launched on July 30 as part of the Mars 2020 mission, Perseverance traveled nearly 470 million kilometers over seven months to reach the Red Planet's surface right on target.
The high-stakes entry, descent, and landing (EDL) phase lasted just seven minutes, the most challenging part of the journey.
At around 9:38 p.m. French time, the rover's capsule separated from the cruise stage. Roughly ten minutes later, it plunged into Mars' atmosphere at nearly 20,000 km/h, deploying a massive parachute to brake its speed.
As it neared the surface, the descent stage cut away from the parachute, hovering via rocket engines while lowering Perseverance on three cables 21 meters above ground. The cables severed the instant the wheels made contact.
Moments after touchdown, Perseverance transmitted its first photo—a preview of many to follow:
Now fully operational, the rover will study the local geology, assess atmospheric and weather conditions, and hunt for traces of ancient microbial life. NASA will host a press conference tomorrow at around 7 p.m. French time for the latest updates. Stay tuned for more discoveries!
