Here’s how late NASA could launch its Mars rover

[Mike Wehner]

• NASA says it can push back the Mars 2020 mission launch date significantly without having to fully delay it to 2022.
• The mission is slated for a July 20th launch, but officials suggest it could launch as late as August 15th and still be fine.
• The expected closure of the launch window was previously August 11th.

NASA's Mars 2020 mission was shaping up nicely until the novel coronavirus pandemic began sweeping across the globe. NASA initiated work-from-home orders to the majority of its staff, with only mission-critical employees allowed to report to NASA facilities.

Thus far, the Perseverance rover and the mission itself are still on track for a launch in July. The launch date was pushed back a couple of days from its original July 17th date but now sits comfortably on July 20th. However, as SpaceNews reports, the space agency could conceivably push the mission back even further — even stretching the launch window beyond its closing date of August 11th.

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Here’s how late NASA could launch its Mars rover originally appeared on BGR.com on Thu, 18 Jun 2020 at 16:44:48 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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