NASA has launched its latest mission to Mars

NASA has launched its latest mission to Mars!

The mission was launched to study the deep interior of Mars to learn more about how the planet was formed. The spacecraft, called InSight lander, is carrying equipment that can detect 'Marsquakes' and measure the flow of heat from the centre of the planet. The spacecraft is expected to reach Mars in late November, after travelling 484 million kilometres.

LIVE NOW: Watch the 7:05am ET liftoff of @NASAInSight lander to Mars where it'll study the planet's deep interior! … https://t.co/TORCd4sUEz

— NASA (@NASA) May 5, 2018

Bruce Banerdt, the mission’s principal investigator at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory said: “I’ve been to several rocket launches, but it is a whole different vibe when there is something you've been working on for years sitting in the nose cone waiting to get hurled beyond our atmosphere. “But as exciting as launch day will be, it’s just a first step in a journey that should tell us not only why Mars formed the way it did, but how planets take shape in general." The mission is described as Mars’ "first thorough check-up since it was formed 4.5 billion years ago." The InSight lander is expected to spend two years up in space.