News Planetary Science

NASA’s Perseverance rover has touched down on Mars

The landing marks the third spacecraft to arrive at Mars within two weeks

Perseverance rover illustration

NASA’s Perseverance rover (illustrated) will land in Jezero crater, Mars, on February 18.

JPL-Caltech/NASA

By Lisa Grossman

Updated

The NASA Perseverance rover has landed. “Touchdown confirmed! Perseverance is safely on the surface of Mars, ready to begin seeking the signs of past life,” NASA engineer Swati Mohan said during a Feb. 18 livestream of the landing.

The Perseverance team released some of the first images from the landing during a news briefing on February 19, including pictures of the Martian surface, the rover dangling below its landing gear and an action shot from another spacecraft orbiting Mars.