Mars

Find out everything there is to know about Mars and stay updated on the latest Mars news with the comprehensive articles, interactive features and Mars pictures at LiveScience.com. Learn more about this fascinating planet as scientists continue to make amazing discoveries about Mars.

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The ESA-Roscosmos Trace Gas Orbiter has spotted NASA's Mars 2020 Perseverance rover, along with its parachute and back shell, heat shield and descent stage, in the Jezero Crater region of Mars.

Perseverance is a tiny pale speck on Mars in this orbiter's eerie photo

By Mindy Weisberger

A camera on the ExoMars orbiter recently captured a photo showing a very, very tiny Perseverance on Mars.

A portion of the panorama captured by the Mastcam-Z camera system aboard NASA's Perseverance Mars rover. The full panorama consists of 142 images taken on Feb. 21, 2021.

Perseverance rover snaps gorgeous HD panorama of Mars landing site

By Mike Wall

Perseverance has captured a high-definition, 360-degree panorama of its surroundings on the floor of Mars' Jezero Crater, which harbored a lake and a river delta billions of years ago.

The rover captured this image with one of its navigational cameras on Feb. 22.

Watch the astonishing video of Perseverance landing on Mars

By Rafi Letzter

For the first time ever, you can watch video of a rover landing on Mars. It's amazing.

This is the first image Perseverance beamed home from its landing site immediately upon touching down.

Now that Perseverance has landed on Mars, what will the rover do inside Jezero Crater?

By Adam Mann

Looking at the engineering and science behind selecting samples for NASA's Perseverance rover.

This is the first image Perseverance beamed home from its landing site immediately upon touching down.

Perseverance beams back first images of Mars

By Rafi Letzter

NASA's Perseverance rover sent home two images immediately upon its successful landing on the Martian surface Thursday (Feb. 18).

An artist's depiction of NASA's Mars 2020 rover, Perseverance, storing samples of Martian rocks in tubes for future delivery to Earth. Perseverance will land inside Mars' Jezero Crater on Feb. 18, 2021.

NASA rover Perseverance survives death-defying plunge, lands safely on Mars

By Rafi Letzter

NASA's rhinoceros-size Perseverance rover pulled off the most precise landing in Martian history Thursday (Feb. 18), touching down successfully in Jezero crater.

An illustration shows the skycrane that will be responsible for gently depositing the giant rover on the Martian surface.

Here's how NASA will safely land a $2.7 billion rhino-sized rover in a dangerous Martian crater

By Rafi Letzter

Nothing like this has ever been done before.

The aeroshell containing NASA’s Perseverance rover guides itself towards the Martian surface as it descends through the atmosphere in this illustration. Hundreds of critical events must execute perfectly and exactly on time for the rover to land on Mars safely on Feb. 18, 2021.

Watch NASA's Perseverance rover land on Mars

By Stephanie Pappas

Follow along as the Mars rover Perseverance lands on Mars on Feb. 18. Don't miss out on the final 7 minutes of terror.

A diagram of the key steps in the Mars 2020 mission's entry, descent and landing sequence of Feb. 18, 2021.

A new 7 minutes of terror: See the nail-biting Mars landing of NASA's Perseverance rover in this video

By Mike Wall

Perseverance will attempt to land inside Mars’ Jezero Crater on Feb. 18. A new video shows how the spacecraft’s harrowing entry, descent and landing will work.

Images of Jezero crater, where Perseverance will touch down on Mars.

Photo tour of Jezero Crater: Here's where Perseverance will land on Mars

By Jeanna Bryner

Here's a look at Mars' Jezero Crater, the gorgeous basin where the Perseverance rover is expected to touch down and look for signs of ancient microbial life.

Development of RSL features at Palikir crater on Mars as viewed by the HiRISE camera on 6 occasions during Mars years 29–30.

Cause of mysterious dark streaks on Mars found

By Chris Ciaccia

Landslides may be causing mysterious dark streaks on the Martian surface, scientists have found.

China's Tianwen-1 Mars mission enters orbit around the Red Planet in this still from a video animation. Tianwen-1, China's first Mars mission, arrived at Mars on Feb. 10, 2021.

China's first Mars mission, Tianwen-1, successfully enters orbit around Red Planet

By Mike Wall

China's first fully homegrown Mars mission, Tianwen-1, arrived in orbit around the Red Planet Wednesday (Feb. 10).

Left: An illustration shows the United Arab Emirates orbiter "Hope." Center: An illustration shows the skycrane lowering NASA's rover Perserverance to the Martian surface. Right: A still shows a Chinese Long March 5 rocket hefting Tianwen-1 into space.

Why Mars is having its busiest two weeks in 47 years

By Rafi Letzter

It's a busy February for Mars, with three probes from three separate space agencies arriving at the red planet over the course of just nine days. Here's why.

Hope mission personnel celebrate the receipt of signal confirming the spacecraft arrived in orbit around Mars on Feb. 9, 2021.

Welcome to Mars! UAE's Hope probe enters orbit around Red Planet.

By Meghan Bartels

After a nail-biting 27 minutes, the United Arab Emirates' (UAE) first-ever interplanetary mission has successfully reached orbit around Mars.

The first image of Mars returned by China's Tianwen-1 spacecraft.

China's Tianwen-1 Mars mission snaps its 1st photo of Red Planet

By Andrew Jones

China's Tianwen-1 spacecraft snapped its first image of Mars as the mission makes its final approach; the probe will enter orbit around the Red Planet in less than a week.

An artist's depiction of NASA's Mars 2020 rover, Perseverance, storing samples of Martian rocks in tubes for future delivery to Earth. Perseverance will land inside Mars' Jezero Crater on Feb. 18, 2021.

NASA's Mars rover Perseverance is in the home stretch of its journey to Red Planet

By Mike Wall

The car-size Perseverance rover, which launched on July 30 of last year, is scheduled to land inside the 28-mile-wide (45 kilometers) Jezero Crater on Feb. 18.

Photo of antarctic mountains near a body of water

Martian mineral, rare on Earth, found locked in Antarctic ice

By Nicoletta Lanese

The mineral likely formed from dust trapped in the ice.

Mars and its two moons, Phobos and Deimos

A mysterious 'wobble' is moving Mars' poles around

By Brandon Specktor

Like a teetering top, Mars refuses to rotate on a straight axis.

There seems to be a network of underground bodies of liquid water at Mars’ south pole.

Mars: Mounting evidence for subglacial lakes, but could they really host life?

By David Rothery

The best place for life on Mars might be more than a kilometre below its surface!

Mars Perseverance - mission steps.

NASA's next Mars rover will land in less than 100 days

By Mike Wall

The life-hunting Mars 2020 Perseverance rover, which launched on July 30, is scheduled to land inside Jezero Crater on the afternoon of Feb. 18, 2021.