The Perseverance Rover: what is it and why is it important? The Perseverance Rover was launched on July 20, 2020 aboard a U.S. Atlas V Rocket bound for Mars. It touched down on February 18, 2021. Onboard Perseverance are some of the most important scientific instruments sent to another world, such as a device designed to extract oxygen from the Martian atmosphere. This device, if successful, will pave the way for future human expeditions to “The Red Planet.” Another large experiment onboard Perseverance is a rock extractor. This rock extractor is designed to take rock cores and in 2027 there will be another mission to recover them and bring them back to earth for analysis.