Commenting on the successful launch yesterday, NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine said: "It was an amazing launch; very successful. "It went right on time, it is on a trajectory

now that has been done with pinpoint accuracy, and it is, in fact, on its way to Mars." Perseverance will travel through space for about seven months, covering a distance of more than

300 million miles. On February 18, 2021, the 3,000lbs rover will enter the planet's atmosphere and decelerate, before triggering an elaborate landing procedure.