NASA lift vehicle. The Space Launch System is intended to launch the Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle and other elements towards the Moon, near-Earth asteroids, and one day Mars. The Orion MPCV conducted an unmanned test launch on a Delta IV Heavy rocket in December 2014. The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is currently scheduled to launch in May 2020. On August 6, 2012, NASA landed the rover "Curiosity" on Mars. On August 27, 2012, "Curiosity" transmitted the first pre-recorded message from the surface of Mars back to Earth, made by Administrator Charlie Bolden: NASA's ongoing investigations include in-depth surveys of Mars
Yellowknife Bay, Mars The crater's central feature is a mountain called Aeolis Mons, nicknamed Mount Sharp. Geologic units in the interior of the crater offer a wide range of relative ages of the impact and provide a detailed geologic history of activities within the crater. Gale Crater is the landing site of the Mars Science Laboratory rover, which was launched from Cape Canaveral on November 26, 2011 and landed at the site designated Bradbury Landing on August 6, 2012. The rover is equipped with a more advanced suite of instruments than has ever landed on an extraterrestrial planet, perfect for assessing the geology