https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/nasa-has-launched-the-most-ambitious-mars-rover-ever-built-heres-what-happens-next/

The biggest, most complex rover ever sent to Mars is now on its way. NASA’s Perseverance rover launched successfully on 30 July, the third of three Mars missions to launch in the space of just ten days. The rover will be the first mission ever to attempt to collect rock samples for return to Earth; it will also search for signs of ancient alien life, launch the first helicopter on the red planet and use microphones to capture Mars’s sounds for the first time.

The rover blasted into the skies above Cape Canaveral, Florida, aboard an Atlas V rocket at 7.50 a.m. local time. The launch follows the United Arab Emirates’ Mars Hope orbiter, which took off on 20 July, and China’s Tianwen-1 rover, which launched three days after that. All three capitalized on a favourable alignment between the orbits of Earth and Mars for a fuel-efficient journey.