Here’s how long the Perseverance rover could actually live on Mars

[Mike Wehner]

• NASA's Mars 2020 mission is slated to last roughly two years, but the Perseverance rover may last a great deal longer.
• The rover is equipped with a nuclear powerplant that could keep its wheels moving for as long as 14 years.
• The rover is also equipped with batteries to store extra power if needed.

NASA launched its Mars 2020 mission today which includes the Perseverance rover and the Mars helicopter Ingenuity. Against all odds and in the face of a global pandemic, NASA managed to pull off the near-impossible and squeezed in the launch at the very tail end of the seasonal Mars launch window.

As with all of its missions, NASA has an expected mission duration. In this case, Perseverance is expected to last at least one Martian year, which is roughly two Earth years from the date the rover lands on Mars. So, from the expected landing date of February 18th, 2021, we can expect the rover to be carrying out research on the red planet until early 2023... but how long could the rover really last?

Continue reading...

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Here’s how long the Perseverance rover could actually live on Mars originally appeared on BGR.com on Thu, 30 Jul 2020 at 19:06:51 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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