Jon Excell

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Aerospace

Mars 2020 mission gears up for a red planet return

In-Depth

Set for launch later this summer, NASA's Mars 2020 mission will feature some of the most advanced technology ever to be taken into space. Jon Excell reports

Earlier this year (May 2020) space enthusiasts were granted some temporary relief from their day to day terrestrial concerns as NASA astronauts  Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley blasted off to the International Space Station (ISS) aboard a rocket and spacecraft developed by Elon Musk’s SpaceX corporation.

The launch marked a symbolic moment. Not only was it the first time in almost a decade that US astronauts had launched from American soil but it was also the first NASA mission of its kind to use a privately developed spacecraft, and therefore represented a significant landmark moment in the rise of commercial space technology.

But whilst Bob and Doug’s trip to the ISS will no doubt grab the biggest share of column inches, this month (July 2020) sees the launch of a mission that is arguably far more technically significant, as the latest chapter of NASA’s robotic exploration of Mars begins.

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