images

Mars 2020 rover exploring Mars - Artist view

by

Nasa/JPL-Caltech/Novapix

Reference

e-son27-64001

Date

2017-11-19

Mars 2020 will use powerful instruments to investigate rocks on Mars down to the microscopic scale of variations in texture and composition. It will also acquire and store samples of the most promising rocks and soils that it encounters, and set them aside on the surface of Mars. A future mission could potentially return these samples to Earth. Mars 2020 is targeted for launch in July/August 2020 aboard an Atlas V-541 rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.