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Official Perseverance patch

Rovers·NASA

Perseverance

ActiveLaunched in 2020·Mars / Jezero

Searches for traces of ancient microbial life on Mars and prepares a sample return to Earth.

Main objectives

Search for fossil biosignatures in Jezero Crater (an ancient delta).
Collect and cache samples for return to Earth (MSR).
Demonstrate Martian oxygen production (MOXIE) and exploration with Ingenuity.

Did you know?

Achieved the first powered flight on another planet thanks to the Ingenuity helicopter.

Timeline

Jul 30, 2020

Launch

Atlas V from Cape Canaveral.

Feb 18, 2021

Jezero landing

Sky Crane over the crater.

Apr 19, 2021

First Ingenuity flight

First powered flight on another planet.

Jan 31, 2023

Sample cache

First off-Earth sample depot.

Instruments

[03]

Mastcam-Z

Panoramic zoom camera.

SuperCam

Remote laser spectroscopy.

MOXIE

O₂ production from Martian CO₂.

Specifications

Mass1,025 kg

PowerRTG (110 W)

Samples collected24 tubes

Discoveries

[04]

DiscoveryBreakthrough
Cheyava Falls — sample with biosignature potential
The mapped sample shows “leopard-eye” spots and sulfate veins compatible with fossil microbial activity; Earth-based analyses to come.
Sep 11, 2025 ↗
Iconic imageMajor
Cheyava Falls — high-resolution image
Mastcam-Z documents the “leopard” calcium sulfate veins in Neretva Vallis.
Jul 25, 2024 ↗
ObservationMajor
Cheyava Falls rock — potential biosignature
"Leopard spot" patterns and organic molecules in Neretva Vallis. A potential biosignature, to be confirmed in the laboratory.
Jul 25, 2024
MilestoneBreakthrough
First powered flight on another planet
The Ingenuity helicopter performs a 39-second hover.
Apr 19, 2021 ↗

Mission milestones

[01]

Milestone
End of the Ingenuity mission
72 flights completed; the helicopter grounds its blades after a landing on rough terrain.
Jan 25, 2024 ↗

Official sources

NASA Mars 2020↗