spacetoday.net: Mars rover arrives at Cape Canaveral

Posted: Fri, Jun 24, 2011, 6:41 AM ET (1041 GMT)
Mars Science Laboratory illustration (NASA/JPL)

NASA's next Mars spacecraft arrived at Cape Canaveral this week in preparation for its launch later this year. The Mars Science Laboratory (MSL), also known as Curiosity, arrived at the Kennedy Space Center on Thursday on board a C-17 cargo aircraft, which flew the spacecraft from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California. MSL, the most advanced Mars rover built, is scheduled for launch late this year from Cape Canaveral on an Atlas 5 rocket. The $2-billion rover was originally slated to launch in 2009, but delays in its development pushed the launch back to the next launch window late this year. Earlier this month a report by the NASA's inspector general warned that the project could require additional funding in order to stay on track for launch this year.