Nasa's Perseverance Mars mission: Sherlock's probe, & an Indian connection

One of the boldest interplanetary missions, the Perseverance rover to Mars could pave the way for manned missions of the future

The National Aeronautical and Space Administration (Nasa) is in the final stage of preparation for one of its most crucial launches of 2020 — the Perseverance rover mission to Mars. The spacecraft will be launched on July 30 as the Red Planet makes its closest approach to the Earth.

Part of an ongoing robotic exploration of the planet, this mission will last at least 687 days or one Martian year.

The rover, with high-priority science goal to address key questions on the possibility of life on Mars, is being seen as the next big step ahead of the proposed future