NASA’s Mars 2020 launch went off without a hitch early Thursday morning from Cape Canaveral, Florida.

Catching a lift from United Launch Alliance’s (ULA) Alabama-made Atlas V rocket, Mars Perseverance is now setting its trajectory toward the Red Planet. The Perseverance rover will explore Mars while gathering samples and performing groundbreaking tests to see if it can turn carbon dioxide into oxygen.

The Atlas V rocket launched promptly at the opening of the first launch window. Launches to Mars face additional urgency because launch windows only come along every two years.

Perseverance now embarks on a seven-month journey through space before reaching its destination. It will be the ninth robot that NASA has landed on the planet. ULA and its heritage rockets have launched every previous U.S.-led mission to Mars, beginning in the 1960s. Thursday’s launch marks ULA’s 20th trip to Mars.

Another unique aspect of this mission is the plan to fly a small helicopter around the planet.

Ingenuity, named by an Alabama high school student, is attached to the belly of the rover. Because of the time delay between Earth and Mars, Ingenuity cannot be controlled in any meaningful way so it will operate entirely on its own. The rotorcraft weighs four pounds and will operate under solar power.

“Ingenuity is going to transform how we think about exploring worlds in the future,” NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine said prior to the launch.

This was ULA’s 140th mission, during which it has enjoyed a 100% success rate. It was the 85th for an Atlas V rocket.

LIFTOFF of the #AtlasV 541 rocket with the Mars 2020 mission. Next stop, the red planet! #CountdownToMars pic.twitter.com/nW2qdofJF6

— ULA (@ulalaunch) July 30, 2020

Tim Howe is an owner of Yellowhammer Multimedia