Composite image of Jezero crater, Mars, and the target landing area (circled) for NASA's Perseverance rover. Lighter colours represent higher elevations. Improvements in landing technology have meant that its landing area is smaller in comparison to previous missions. Perseverance is part of the Mars 2020 mission to study the geology of Mars and search for signs of life. The mission launched on 30th July 2020 and is expected to land on 18th February 2021. Data obtained by the High Resolution Stereo Camera (HRSC) on the ESA (European Space Agency) Mars Express orbiter, the Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter (MOLA) on NASA's Mars Global Surveyor and the Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars (CRISM) and Context Camera (CTX) on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.