Launch Vehicle - NASA Mars Exploration

A launch vehicle provides the velocity needed by a spacecraft to escape Earth's gravity and set it on its course for Mars. ... Choosing a Launch Vehicle. When ... Skiptomaincontent Mars 2020Mission PerseveranceRover mission Overview Science MarsRockSamples Technology QuickFacts LandingSite WhereisPerseverance? ExplorewithPerseverance MissionTeam FAQs timeline Overview Pre-Launch Launch Cruise Landing SurfaceOperations spacecraft Overview Rover Instruments Rocket news News Newsroom RoverUpdates WatchOnline multimedia Images RawImages Videos Audio MoreResources participate Overview You'veGotPerseverance! RovingWithPerseverance SendYourNametoMars SoundsofMars MarsPhotoBooth #CountdownToMars NametheRover AllMars MarsExplorationHome MarsHelicopter MarsScienceLaboratory MarsExplorationRovers InSightMission MAVEN MarsReconnaissanceOrbiter MarsOdyssey Search Search Spacecraft ›Rocket Summary AtlasVRocket RocketMotors Centaur PayloadFairing LaunchVehicle Whatisalaunchvehicle? AlaunchvehicleprovidesthevelocityneededbyaspacecrafttoescapeEarth'sgravityandsetitonitscourseforMars. LaunchVehicle  TheMars2020Perseveranceroverlaunchedonatwo-stageAtlasV-541launchvehicle,providedbyUnitedLaunchAlliance.TheMars2020missionaddresseshigh-prioritysciencegoalsforNASA. 1/11 LaunchingfromFlorida  PerseverancelaunchedfromLaunchComplex41atCapeCanaveralAirForceStation,Florida. 2/11 WhyDoYouNeedALargeRocket?  AlaunchvehicleprovidesthevelocityneededbyaspacecrafttoescapeEarth'sgravityandsetitonitscourseforMars. 3/11 ChoosingaLaunchVehicle  Whenmissionplannersareconsideringdifferentlaunchvehicles,theytakeintoconsiderationhowmuchmasseachlaunchvehiclecanliftintospace. 4/11 SelectingtheAtlasV  NASAselectedtheAtlasV-541fortheMars2020missionbecauseithastherightliftoffcapabilityfortheweightrequirementsanddestination. 5/11 OneBigRocket!  Fullyfueled,withthespacecraft,theAtlasV-541rocketmayweigh1millionpounds(500,000kilograms).That’sabout14bigrigs,fullyloadedwithcargo. 6/11 OtherMissionsUsedSimilarRocket  UsingrocketsintheAtlasVfamily,NASAhassuccessfullylaunchedmissionstoMars,Jupiter,Plutoandmore. 7/11 RocketParts  Thethreenumbersinthe541designationsignifyapayloadfairing,ornosecone,thatisapproximately16.4feet(5meters)indiameter;foursolid-rocketboostersfastenedalongsidethecentralcommoncorebooster;andaone-engineCentaurupperstage. 8/11 StagesofLaunch  Thislaunchiscomprisedoftwoprimarystagesorsteps.Thefirststageisfiringthecommonbooster.ThisiswhatpowerstheengineintoEarthorbit. 9/11 StagesofLaunch  Thefoursolidrocketboostersaddthrusttothisfirststage. 10/11 CentaurUpperStage  ThenextstepistheCentaurupperstage,whichisusedtoacceleratethespacecraftoutofEarthorbitandonitswaytoMars. 11/11 LaunchFacts Launched: July30,20204:50a.m.PDT(7:50a.m.EDT) LaunchSite: CapeCanaveralAirForceStation,Florida LaunchVehicle: AtlasV-541 Heightwithpayload: 191feet(58meters) Mass,fullyfueled,withspacecraftontop: About1.17millionpounds(531,000kilograms) Launchvehicleforthismission TheMars2020missionwasdesignedtolaunchatatimewhenEarthandMarsareinpositionsintheirorbitsthatisadvantageousforspacecrafttravelingtoandlandingonMars.ThisfavorablepositionoftheplanetsmeansthatittakeslesslaunchenergytogettotheRedPlanetcomparedtoothertimeswhenEarthandMarsareindifferentpositionsintheirorbitsaroundthesun. Mars2020LaunchedonanAtlasV541 Whenmissionplannersarechoosingamongdifferentlaunchvehicles,theyconsiderhowmuchmasseachlaunchvehiclecanliftintospace.TheintegratedMars2020flightsystemissimilarinsizeandmasstoitspredecessor,theMarsScienceLaboratorymission.TheMarsScienceLaboratorymissionhadatotallaunchmass,includingtheAtlasV-541thatlifteditawayfromEarth,ofabout531,000kilograms(1.17millionpounds). Mars2020launchedonanAtlasV-541,anintermediate-classlaunchvehicle.NASAselectedthisrocketbecauseithastherightliftoffcapabilityforthe"heavyweight"requirementsforMars2020.NASAhadalsosuccessfullyusedrocketsinthesamefamilyforpriormissionssuchasMarsReconnaissanceOrbiter,NewHorizons,MarsScienceLaboratory,andJuno. UnitedLaunchAllianceprovidedMars2020’slaunchvehicle.NASA'sLaunchServicesProgramatKennedySpaceCenterinFloridamanagedtheAtlasVlaunchserviceforMars2020.Thetwo-stageAtlasV-541launchvehicleliftedofffromLaunchComplex41atCapeCanaveralAirForceStation,Florida. ThemajorelementsoftheAtlasV-541rocketthatwillbeusedfortheMars2020missionare: Stage1:AtlasVRocket SolidRocketMotors Stage2:Centaur PayloadFairing GettheMarsNewsletter Subscribetonewsletter FollowtheMission AboutTheMission Overview Science MarsRockSamples Technology QuickFacts LandingSite WhereisPerseverance? ExplorewithPerseverance MissionTeam FAQs Spacecraft Overview Rover Instruments Rocket Timeline Overview Pre-Launch Launch Cruise Landing SurfaceOperations News News Newsroom RoverUpdates WatchOnline Multimedia Images RawImages Videos Audio MoreResources Participate Overview You'veGotPerseverance! RovingWithPerseverance SendYourNametoMars SoundsofMars MarsPhotoBooth #CountdownToMars NametheRover OtherMarsMissions MarsExplorationHome MarsScienceLaboratory MarsExplorationRovers InSightMission MAVEN MarsReconnaissanceOrbiter MarsOdyssey PRIVACY FAQ SITEMAP FEEDBACK IMAGEPOLICY