Live coverage: Kennedy Space Center to reopen Friday

Zena Cardman, the original commander of the Crew-9 mission, will get to fly to space as the commander of Crew-11. Launch is set for no earlier than July 2025.

NASA’s Perseverance rover is racing toward Mars for a daring high-speed plunge into the Red Planet’s atmosphere Thursday, ready to use a heat shield, a supersonic parachute, and braking rockets for a pinpoint touchdown on a dried-up river delta that may harbor clues about the potential for past life.

The space plane was brought to the Kennedy Space Center in May 2024 with plans to launch later that year. Now, its first flight is no earlier than late 2026.