Weather Looks Good for Mars 2020 Launch on Thursday

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. (NASA PR) — With less than 24 hours to go until launch, the weather is doing its part to cooperate.

The U.S. Air Force 45th Weather Squadron is continuing to predict an 80% chance of favorable weather conditions for the Thursday, July 30, liftoff of a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket, carrying NASA’s Mars 2020 Perseverance rover. Primary weather concerns for launch are cumulus and thick clouds.

Perseverance is scheduled to blast off Thursday morning from Space Launch Complex 41 at nearby Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The two-hour window opens at 7:50 a.m. EDT. NASA’s Launch Services Program, based at Kennedy Space Center, is managing the launch.

Follow along at blogs.nasa.gov/Mars2020 for a preview of live countdown and launch coverage, starting tomorrow at 7 a.m. on NASA Television and the agency’s website.