TORONTO -- NASA is on the brink of launching their first Mars rover in nine years 鈥� the Perseverance rover will be blasting off on Thursday morning to embark on its journey to the red planet, where it will search for ancient life.
In preparation for the launch, NASA has started a dramatic countdown across its social media accounts.
Here鈥檚 the what, when, where and how of watching the launch from Earth.
WHAT IS PERSEVERANCE?
Perseverance is the fifth NASA rover to be sent to Mars, and will join its sibling, the Curiosity rover, in February 2021, when it completes its long space journey.
Curiosity has been on Mars since 2012, and has been the sole occupant of the planet since the Opportunity rover stopped responding in 2018 following a massive dust storm.
Perseverance will build on some of the groundbreaking discoveries Curiosity and other rovers have made in their time on the red planet.
Speaking Wednesday from outside the Kennedy Space Centre, NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine said that due to Curiosity鈥檚 work, we know that Mars once had water and was capable of supporting life.
He added that they don鈥檛 know if 鈥渋t was inhabited, but it was habitable.鈥�
That鈥檚 where Perseverance comes in.
鈥淭his is the first time in history where we鈥檙e going to go to Mars with an explicit mission to find life on another world 鈥� ancient life on Mars,鈥� he said.
Perseverance鈥檚 mission is one of astrobiology, searching for signs of life. The rover will study the geology of the planet and take rock and soil samples to be analyzed on Earth later.
The rover will be on Mars for at least one Mars year, according, which amounts to about 687 Earth days, or almost two Earth years.
Bridenstine encouraged folks to watch from home as the spacecraft is launched.
鈥淭his is going to be an inspirational moment,鈥� he said.
WHERE AND WHEN
The rover is lifting off from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida around 7:50 a.m. EDT on July 30, assuming the weather holds.
According to , the U.S. Air Force 45th Weather Squadron is predicting an 80 per cent chance of favourable weather for the liftoff.
Perseverance will be blasting off on an Atlas V-541 rocket, the same type of rocket that took Curiosity up into space in 2011.
HOW TO WATCH
The launch may be in Florida, but anyone around the world can tune in.
You can watch the launch online , which will be livestreaming the liftoff, as well as through. NASA TV will be carrying it, which can be or through cable TV.
Live coverage will begin at 7 a.m. EDT, with the launch occurring just under an hour later. Post-launch coverage will continue until 11:30 a.m. EDT.
A full list of the day鈥檚 events and livestreams to watch the launch can be
On social media, you can follow the hashtag #CountdownToMars to take part in more launch festivities and ask questions. NASA has been posting commentary, extra pictures and details surrounding the launch in the lead up to the launch itself.
Perseverance may be taking off on July 30, but the rover won鈥檛 reach Mars until Feb. 18, 2021, where it will be landing at the Jezero Crater.
The journey won鈥檛 be the hard part: arriving will.
Getting from the top of Mars鈥� atmosphere to the surface takes seven minutes 鈥� a journey that was referred to as the 鈥渟even minutes of terror鈥� during Curiosity鈥檚 descent. These seven minutes contain the make or break moments that will determine whether Perseverance truly can live up to its name and make it through to land safely on the planet鈥檚 surface.
China is also aiming to land a rover on Mars, called Tianwen-1, which launched just a week ago. It's been an action-packed month for Mars missions -- the United Arab Emirates launched a probe earlier this month that will orbit the planet.
