The Perseverance robot ready to take off, at the top of the Atlas V rocket, at Cape Canaveral in the United States, July 30, 2020. - Craig Bailey / FLORIDA TODAY via I / SIPA

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THE ESSENTIAL

  • NASA is due to send a new rover to the planet Mars this Thursday. Her name ? Perseverance.
  • This robot, which looks like its predecessor Curiosity, must go in search of traces of life on the red planet.
  • If it arrives intact on February 18, 2021, Perseverance will be only the fifth rover to make the trip since 1997.

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VIDEO

12:04 p.m .: H-2 before take-off, scheduled for 1:50 p.m. A weather point?

Remember, on May 27, when the weather prevented SpaceX's rocket from taking off, with two astronauts on board. It is the rainy season in Florida, where the weather is often temperamental. For now, the weather is good, and 80% favorable for launch. "It's a good day to go to another planet," said Tory Bruno, boss of rocket manufacturer United Launch Alliance. We cross fingers !

In the latest weather briefing, @ 45thspacewing meteorologists continue to forecast an 80% chance of favorable conditions for liftoff from Cape Canaveral this morning. Weather is good for proceeding into fueling operations.

- ULA (@ulalaunch) July 30, 2020

The #MarsPerseverance launch crew is on station. Mighty Atlas is looking good. Weather is holding at Pgo 80%. The board is green. Seems like a good day to go to another planet

- Tory Bruno (@torybruno) July 30, 2020

12 p.m .: Who is Perseverance?

We start this live with a photo of the rover which is due to take off this Thursday. In terms of appearance, no surprise, it looks a lot like its predecessor Curiosity. It is understandable: since the mission was a success, the engineers at NASA used the same recipe. It measures 3 meters long, 2.7 meters wide and 2.2 meters high (still…). His weight ? 1.025 kg, or 126 kg more than Curiosity.

LIVE: Ask us anything about our @NASAPersevere rover's #CountdownToMars.

Our experts are answering questions live on @Reddit about our next mission to the Red Planet, set to lift off aboard a @ULALaunch rocket on July 30: https://t.co/vbpN5ZvsdZ pic.twitter.com/aF5PHUS9NC

- NASA (@NASA) July 27, 2020

I just passed a pre-flight check, and it's looking good for my launch to Mars next week. See what it took to get here. https://t.co/evFGtZMdEX #CountdownToMars pic.twitter.com/zIjoQkr62k

- NASA's Perseverance Mars Rover (@NASAPersevere) July 22, 2020

It owes its name to Alexander Mather, an American college student, whose proposal was chosen among 28,000 others in a competition organized by NASA. Here he is in front of the rover to witness the launch.

Here's 2 great kids who named @NASAPersevere #Mars Rover-launch Jul30!
Alexander Mather named rover & Vaneeza Rupani named helicopter- pointing 2what they named, my request.
Met media w / full scale mockups by countdownclock @NASAKennedy PressSite- # AtlasV rocket rolled out 1023AM pic.twitter.com/myNiI8FRPt

- Ken Kremer (@ken_kremer) July 28, 2020

Hello and welcome to this live! Today, NASA is sending the Perseverance rover into space, bound for the planet Mars. His goal ? Find traces of life there. As you read these lines, the countdown has already started. If the weather is good, we should be able to take off, unless there is damage to the rocket ... Here we go!

  • Nasa
  • March
  • Space
  • Science