Mars rover landing - as it happened: Nasa Perseverance rover sends back first pictures from successful landing

Watch live as Nasa’s Perseverance rover lands on Mars

Nasa’s Perseverance rover has survived “seven minutes of terror” that saw it hurtle down towards the surface of Mars and land gracefully on the ground.

Now that it has landed, the rover – and a helicopter named Ingenuity that will undertake the first ever flight on another planet – will get to work exploring Mars in search of clues about its ancient past. That will include attempting to understand whether the planet was ever habitable, and scouring for clues of past life on its surface.

The arrival on Mars brought an end to a journey of months and 300 million miles. It finished off a perilous entry, descent and landing process that saw it hurtle through the atmosphere, slow down to a safe speed, and then use a highly-advanced “Terrain Relative Navigation” system that will allow it to adjust where it lands to ensure it can safely drop down onto the surface.

Read more:Five things Nasa’s Mars rover is taking to the Red Planet today

[18 February 2021 21:17 · Andrew Griffin]

First images come back from Mars

And here’s the full story on the rover’s first couple of images.

[18 February 2021 21:20 · Andrew Griffin]

Landing watched around the world

The landing was watched across Earth – including by Macron at the French National Center for Space Studies, and in a fairly deserted Leicester Square.

(Getty Images)

(POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

[18 February 2021 21:55 · Andrew Griffin]

Steve Jurczyk, Nasa‘s acting administrator, celebrates arrival

Steve Jurczyk, Nasa‘s acting administrator, said: “It’s amazing to have Perseverance join curiosity on Mars and what a credit to the team.

“Just what an amazing team to work through all the adversity and all the challenges that go with landing a rover on Mars, plus the challenges of Covid. “And just an amazing accomplishment.’’

Perseverance also marked its own arrival.

“I’m safe on Mars,” it tweeted. “Perseverance willget you anywhere.”