NASA’s most complex, ambitious rover yet is on its way to Mars [Updated]

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  An Atlas V rocket launches on Thursday morning carrying Mars Perseverance. [credit: Trevor Mahlmann ]

Thursday 8am ET Update: An Atlas V rocket successfully launched the Mars Perseverance mission into orbit Thursday morning from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The rocket's upper stage has made the first of its two firings.

To achieve Earth-escape velocity, a second firing will end about 53 minutes after liftoff, after which the spacecraft will be released on its journey to Mars. It will arrive in February, at which time NASA will attempt to land its heaviest ever rover on the red planet.

Original post: NASA is about ready to send its largest and most capable rover to Mars. With a mass of 1.025 metric tons, the Perseverance rover is about 14 percent more bulky than its predecessor, Curiosity, which landed on Mars in 2012.

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