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NASA's Mars rover Perseverance still on track for July launch despite coronavirus outbreak
NASA is determined to get its life-hunting Mars rover off the ground this summer despite the coronavirus outbreak.
NASA is determined to get its life-hunting Mars rover off the ground this summer despite the coronavirus outbreak.
Space agency officials remain optimistic that the car-size Perseverance rover, the centerpiece of the Mars 2020 mission, will be ready to launch during a three-week window that opens on July 17. The stakes are high, because such windows come just once every 26 months, when Earth and the Red Planet align properly for interplanetary missions.
"We’re going to ensure that we meet that launch window in July," Lori Glaze, the director of NASA's Planetary Science Division, said during a virtual town hall meeting on March 19, according to SpaceNews. "As of right now, and even if we go to a next stage of alert, Mars 2020 is moving forward on schedule. And everything is, so far, very well on track."
Tags: #astronomy #space #science #stem #online #education
Link: https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-leadership-assessing-mission-impacts-of-coronavirus
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