NASA's Mars Perseverance rover to launch in July

WASHINGTON -- The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is targeting July 20 to launch the Mars Perseverance rover, according to the latest release from its Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

The rover will launch on United Launch Alliance's Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex-41 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

Carrying seven different scientific instruments, the Perseverance rover will land on the Red Planet on Feb 18, 2021.

According to NASA, the rover will search for signs of past microbial life, characterize Mars' climate and geology, collect samples for future return to Earth, and help pave the way for human exploration of the Red Planet.

The rover is part of NASA's larger exploration program that includes missions to the moon as a way to prepare for human missions to the Red Planet.

Ingenuity, the twin-rotor, solar-powered helicopter attached to Perseverance, will become the first aircraft to fly on another world, according to NASA.