Mission to Mars gets the "go" for liftoff

Rocket set to liftoff Monday from Brevard County

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – NASA mission managers gave the "go" for launch Friday on a big mission to Mars.

The MAVEN probe is set to liftoff Monday on board an Atlas V rocket from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.

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MAVEN, which is short for "Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution" will spend ten months traveling to Mars. Once there, the probe will spend several months in orbit studying the red planet's upper atmosphere. Scientists hope the data could help them learn how the planet's cold and dry atmosphere evolved over time.

The mission is part of a $671 million project for NASA.

The probe and the Atlas V are set to be rolled out to the launch pad Saturday morning. The launch is scheduled for Monday at 1:28pm.

Stay with Local 6 for updates on this story.


About the Author:

John Ambrogne is an executive producer for News 6 and has been with WKMG-TV since 2012. John graduated with a degree in broadcast journalism from Syracuse University and has covered breaking news and major events in Central Florida since 2002.

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