Snapshots from Atlas 5 launch

The 377th Delta rocket begins its journey to space carrying a military communications satellite funded by Canada, Denmark, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and New Zealand in a deal that gives the allies access to the U.S. military’s worldwide Wideband Global SATCOM system.

NASA’s Perseverance rover released the Ingenuity helicopter onto the surface of Mars Saturday, leaving behind the experimental flying drone to survive on its own power until attempting a historic hop in the Red Planet’s thin carbon dioxide atmosphere around April 11.

The mission will be a first for both ULA’s Vulcan rocket as well as Astrobotic’s lunar lander, Peregrine. Liftoff is set for Monday, Jan. 8 at 2:18 am EST (0718 UTC).