NASA has been trying to know and understood every detail of Mars. While the Curiosity rover is on the move, NASA is preparing its InSight lander to Mars. As per the report, the mission of InSight lander will be quite different than the other rover like Opportunity, Spirit and Curiosity rover. It will be launched in between 5th May and 8th June 2018 and will blast off from Vandenberg Air Force Base situated in California. The Atlas V rocket will carry the InSight land. As per NASA, if everything goes well, then the InSight will land at the Martian Elysium Planitia in 26th November 2018. This area is an equatorial zone which is situated in the south of a volcanic area.
The InSight lander will work for 1 Mars year or around two Earth-years and will send important information about Mars and its interior. Talking about InSight, its construction process started in May 2014 by the Lockheed Martin Space Systems. This is the lower-cost space explorer’s mission. Previously it was scheduled to launch in March 2016, in December 2015, the space research center NASA announced that it couldn’t launch on the scheduled date. Because one of the spacecraft’s instruments named the Seismic Experiment for Interior Structure (SEIS) got leaked. It is the instrument to detect seismic waves develops from meteorite collision, magma movement, and Marsquakes. NASA even announced that it might completely remove it from the launch list as its expenses are grossing $675 million. However, in September 2016, NASA announced the new launch date for the spacecraft. In a statement, NASA stated “The instrument redesign and two-year delay add $153.8 million” to the $675 million mission cost, but the additional cost will not cancel the current missions.”
The spacecraft has a robotic arm which has a camera that can take color 3d views of its landing site and all its activities. It also has a sensor to provide weather information, including data related to any changes in the planet’s magnetic field.
