Atlas 5 – Page 6 – Spaceflight Now

Mars 2020 spacecraft resumes normal operations after post-launch safe mode

July 31, 2020 Stephen Clark

NASA’s Mars 2020 Perseverance mission resumed normal operations Friday after cold temperatures forced the spacecraft into space mode soon after a successful launch from Cape Canaveral.

NASA’s Perseverance rover leaves Earth bound for Mars

July 30, 2020 Stephen Clark

Persevering through a global pandemic, a last-minute earthquake, and the trials of a rocket launch, NASA’s next Mars rover — named Perseverance — took off from Cape Canaveral Thursday on a nearly seven-month journey to the Red Planet with sophisticated science instruments, technology to collect samples for to Earth, and the first interplanetary helicopter that could produce a “Wright Brothers moment” on another world.

Atlas 5 launch timeline on the Mars 2020 mission

July 29, 2020 Stephen Clark

This is the launch timeline to be followed by the Atlas 5 rocket’s ascent into space from Cape Canaveral with NASA’s Mars 2020 mission.

ULA’s Atlas 5 is NASA’s go-to rocket for nuclear-powered space probes

July 29, 2020 Stephen Clark

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

July 28, 2020 Stephen Clark

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.

NASA’s Perseverance rover signals new era in Mars exploration

July 28, 2020 Stephen Clark

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.

Live coverage: Atlas 5 rocket launches with NASA-built Mars rover

July 28, 2020 Stephen Clark

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.

Safety panel concerned about quality control on Boeing crew capsule

July 27, 2020 Stephen Clark

Members of NASA’s independent panel of aerospace safety advisors raised concerns last week about quality control problems that “seemingly have plagued” Boeing’s Starliner crew capsule program, while urging NASA to closely monitor SpaceX’s plans to reuse Crew Dragon spaceships on astronaut flights to the International Space Station.

Good weather predicted for NASA’s Mars rover launch Thursday

July 27, 2020 Stephen Clark

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.

Plutonium power source installed on NASA’s next Mars rover

July 22, 2020 Stephen Clark

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.