Launch vehicle for this mission

The Mars 2020 mission was designed to launch at a time when Earth and Mars are in positions in their orbits that is advantageous for spacecraft traveling to and landing on Mars. This favorable position of the planets means that it takes less launch energy to get to the Red Planet compared to other times when Earth and Mars are in different positions in their orbits around the sun.

Mars 2020 Launched on an Atlas V 541

When mission planners are choosing among different launch vehicles, they consider how much mass each launch vehicle can lift into space. The integrated Mars 2020 flight system is similar in size and mass to its predecessor, the Mars Science Laboratory mission. The Mars Science Laboratory mission had a total launch mass, including the Atlas V-541 that lifted it away from Earth, of about 531,000 kilograms (1.17 million pounds).

Mars 2020 launched on an Atlas V-541, an intermediate-class launch vehicle. NASA selected this rocket because it has the right liftoff capability for the "heavy weight" requirements for Mars 2020. NASA had also successfully used rockets in the same family for prior missions such as Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, New Horizons, Mars Science Laboratory, and Juno.

United Launch Alliance provided Mars 2020’s launch vehicle. NASA's Launch Services Program at Kennedy Space Center in Florida managed the Atlas V launch service for Mars 2020. The two-stage Atlas V-541 launch vehicle lifted off from Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida.