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VideoULA’s Atlas 5 is NASA’s go-to rocket for nuclear-powered space probes
NASA's Perseverance rover, set for liftoff Thursday on a journey to Mars, posed some unusual challenges for launch crews working with the robot's plutonium-fueled power generator, but United Launch Alliance's Atlas 5 rocket is uniquely suited for the job, the company's CEO says.

Photos: Atlas 5 rolled out to launch pad with NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover
A United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket emerged from its vertical hangar Tuesday for the 1,800-foot journey to pad 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, moving into position for liftoff Thursday with NASA's Mars 2020 Perseverance rover.
VideoNASA’s Perseverance rover signals new era in Mars exploration
NASA's Perseverance rover will depart Cape Canaveral Thursday on a $2.7 billion mission to Mars, carrying with it the first interplanetary aircraft, sophisticated instruments to search for signs of ancient life, and drill to core samples for eventual return to Earth.
VideoLive coverage: Atlas 5 rocket launches with NASA-built Mars rover
A United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket lifted off at 7:50 a.m. EDT (1150 GMT) Thursday from pad 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station with NASA's Mars 2020 Perseverance rover.

Good weather predicted for NASA’s Mars rover launch Thursday
In the first official weather outlook the planned launch this week of NASA's Mars 2020 Perseverance rover, meteorologists predict an 80 percent chance of favorable conditions to allow liftoff of an Atlas 5 rocket from Cape Canaveral Thursday.

China launches robotic mission to orbit, land, and drive on Mars
A heavy-lift Long March 5 rocket propelled China's first Mars landing mission toward the Red Planet on Thursday after launching from a seaside spaceport on Hainan Island, the second of three international Mars probes expected to depart planet Earth this month.

Plutonium power source installed on NASA’s next Mars rover
The nuclear power generator for NASA's Perseverance rover has been installed on the spacecraft atop an Atlas 5 rocket at Cape Canaveral, and mission managers gave a green light Wednesday to continue preparations for the rover's July 30 launch toward Mars.

China moves massive rocket into place for ambitious Mars shot
China's heaviest rocket has rolled to its launch pad for liftoff Thursday with the country's first Mars landing mission, an ambitious attempt to place an orbiter around the Red Planet and a robotic rover on the Martian surface in early 2021.

United Arab Emirates successfully sends its first mission toward Mars
Riding a Japanese rocket, the Arab world’s first interplanetary probe departed planet Earth on Sunday to begin a seven-month journey to Mars on a dual mission of scientific exploration and proving the mettle of the UAE’s growing space program.

H-2A launch timeline with the Emirates Mars Mission
It will take approximately one hour for a Japanese H-2A rocket to propel the Hope Mars orbiter on a trajectory to escape Earth's gravitational bond, kicking off a seven-month journey to the Red Planet.