NASA Mars rover on schedule despite COVID-19 pandemic

The space agency has no plans to delay its upcoming Mars mission which is scheduled to be shot towards the red planet on July 17 this year.

Washington: NASA has decided to persevere through the COVID-19 pandemic for launching its newest Mars rover that was recently christened as Perseverance.

According to reports, the space agency has no plans to delay its upcoming Mars mission which is scheduled to be shot towards the red planet on July 17 this year.

Allard Beutel, the spokesman for NASA told in an email, "We are proactively monitoring the coronavirus (COVID-19) situation and have plans in place to address issues as they arise, however, currently, the coronavirus has not impacted the Mars Perseverance rover launch preps, and work is continuing on schedule."

The Perseverance rover would primarily be tasked with detecting fossilized remains of extraterrestrial beings on the Martian surface.

This probe would also become the first to launch a helicopter in the martian skies or for that matter, on any other planet.

(With inputs from ANI)