Name: Launch of NASA's next Mars rover delayed again by 'contamination concern' on the ground
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Launch of NASA's next Mars rover delayed again by 'contamination concern' on the ground

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Space is supported by its audience. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. .The launch of NASA's next Mars rover has been delayed to no earlier than July 22 due to a contamination issue with ground support equipment, the space agency said today (June 24).NASA's was scheduled to launch toward the Red Planet on July 20 from a pad at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. But a problem cropped up as engineers worked to encapsulate the rover in the nosecone of its , which was built by United Launch Alliance.&nbsp;"NASA and United Launch Alliance are now targeting Wednesday, July 22, for launch of the Mars 2020 mission due to a processing delay encountered during encapsulation activities of the spacecraft," NASA officials . "Additional time was needed to resolve a contamination concern in the ground support lines in NASA's Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility (PHSF)."Related: The contamination issue marks the second delay in as many weeks for the Mars rover Perseverance. The mission was originally scheduled to launch July 17, due to a ground system equipment issue that involved a faulty crane.&nbsp;The Perseverance rover and its Atlas V rocket are in good health, according to NASA, and ULA successfully performed a "wet-dress rehearsal" (a test that included fueling the Atlas V rocket) on Monday (June 22). But the new delay cuts deeper into a limited window in which to launch the mission. to launch the Perseverance rover to Mars and still reach the Red Planet in February 2021. If NASA doesn't make that launch window, the agency will have to wait another 26 months (until 2022), when the orbits of Mars and Earth will once again be aligned for such a mission.&nbsp;On June 17, after the initial delay, NASA officials said Perseverance has plenty of time in its current launch window."We've got plenty of window or runway ahead of us and we're not worried about it," NASA launch director Omar Baez said in a news conference. "We'll probably run into some not-so-perfect days that could set us back and the team is flexible enough to be able to handle a three-week window."It may even be possible to extend Perseverance's launch window to Aug. 15, Baez added.&nbsp;The Mars rover Perseverance is expected to land inside Mars' 28-mile-wide (45 kilometers) on Feb. 18, 2021. It is designed to search for evidence of ancient life, collect samples of Mars that will be , and test technology to make oxygen from the carbon dioxide-rich Martian atmosphere.The nuclear-powered robot is a successor to the Curiosity rover, which has been exploring the Gale Crater on Mars since August 2012. But unlike Curiosity, Perseverance will not be alone when it lands on Mars. It is carrying , the first helicopter built to fly on another planet.&nbsp;The small drone is aiming to make three test flights in the Martian atmosphere during Perseverance's mission.Email Tariq Malik at&nbsp;&nbsp;or follow him&nbsp;. Follow us&nbsp;, and .For a limited time, you can take out a digital subscription to any of for just $2.38 per month, or 45% off the standard price for the first three months.to keep talking space on the latest missions, night sky and more! And if you have a news tip, correction or comment, let us know at:Get breaking space news and the latest updates on rocket launches, skywatching events and more!Thank you for signing up to Space. You will receive a verification email shortly.There was a problem. Please refresh the page and try again.MORE FROM SPACE...12345

Space is supported by its audience. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. .The launch of NASA's next Mars rover has been delayed to no earlier than July 22 due to a contamination issue with ground support equipment, the space agency said today (June 24).NASA's was scheduled to launch toward the Red Planet on July 20 from a pad at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. But a problem cropped up as engineers worked to encapsulate the rover in the nosecone of its , which was built by United Launch Alliance.&nbsp;"NASA and United Launch...

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Launch of NASA's next Mars rover delayed again by 'contamination concern' on the ground

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