Nasa Mars launch: Space agency defies coronavirus and earthquake to launch Perseverance rover to red planet – as it happened
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Your support makes all the difference.Nasa is heading to Mars after launching a rocket from Earth today.
The space agency is sending its Perseverance rover – its strongest and smartest explorer visitor to the surface yet – to look for evidence of ancient life on the Martian surface.
The rover is carrying a helicopter that will make the first ever flight on another planet, as well as a variety of tools that will allow it to explore the surface looking for evidence of past alien activity.
The rocket is the third to take off for Mars this month, as space agencies leap through the brief window in which the planets align to allow an efficient trip to the Red Planet. The UAE launched its Hope orbiter last week, followed by the Chinese Questions to Heaven spacecraft shortly after.
Please allow a moment for the live blog to load.
Two minutes in and the spacecraft is tiny in the bright blue, clear sky. It's about 50 miles up, and going about 6,000mph.
Live footage from the rocket shows the boosters dropping off, having performed their function of carrying Perseverance up and off the Earth.
Here's the full write-up of the earthquake that struck earlier today.
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