This illustration depicts NASA’s Perseverance rover operating on the surface of Mars. Perseverance is slated to land at the Red Planet’s Jezero Crater on Feb. 18, 2021 — assuming this summer’s launch ...
Update: A minibus spending package passed by the House of Representatives on January 8, 2026, effectively cancels the Mars Sample Return program by eliminating almost all funding for future missions.
Although NASA has enjoyed a string of high-profile successes on the red planet, sometimes Mars throws scientists a curveball. The Perseverance rover came up empty during its first attempt to collect a ...