Mars 2020
An illustration of the Mars 2020 spacecraft entering the atmosphere minutes before landing the rover Perseverance on the Martian surface Feb. 18. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

WASHINGTON — NASA’s Mars 2020 spacecraft is operating “perfectly” ahead of its Feb. 18 landing on Mars that will be a key milestone for the agency’s future Mars exploration plans.

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Jeff Foust writes about space policy, commercial space, and related topics for SpaceNews. He earned a Ph.D. in planetary sciences from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a bachelor’s degree with honors in geophysics and planetary science...