Video: Proton Rocket Launches on first Mars Mission in two Decades
A Proton-M rocket lifted off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome at 9:31 UTC on Monday, carrying the Russian-European ExoMars 2016 mission, set for a seven-month flight to deliver to Mars the Trace Gas Orbiter to study the Martian atmosphere and the Schiaparelli lander for an Entry, Descent and Landing demonstration. Quickly disappearing in the overcast sky, Proton successfully executed its part of the day-long ExoMars Ascent Mission.
