Confirmation of the successful Mars touchdown came through on cue to Nasa scientists back on Earth at 19:53 GMT. InSight had been issuing a series of updates throughout its descent, all of which were received approximately eight minutes after transmission due to the interplanetary delay.

InSight had a seven-minute window in which to decelerate from around 13,000mph to just 5mph in a landing based entirely on pre-programmed data and autonomous navigation systems.

The spacecraft survived temperatures as hot as 1,500°C – hot enough to melt steel – as it entered the atmosphere, before it deployed its parachute and 12 retro-rockets to gently touch down in its designated landing spot in a vast flat plain close to the Mars equator known as Elysium Planitia.

The landing completed InSight’s 300-million mile journey which lasted for seven months, at a cost of approximately $1bn dollars.

InSight’s immediate task on landing was to deploy its crucial solar panels, which had been stowed away during the descent, in order to start generating system power and to warm up its equipment in Mars’ sub-zero temperatures. Notification of this activity was reported seven hours after landing, at which point the mission – in the eyes of Nasa’s team – could begin to be deemed a success.

Cheers rang through Nasa’s mission control room at California’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) when confirmation came through that InSight had landed safely. The agency’s chief administrator, James Bridenstine, celebrated what he called “an amazing day” and the director of JPL, Mike Watkins, said the success should remind everyone that “to do science we have to be bold and we have to be explorers”.

The Instrument Deployment Camera (IDC), located on the robotic arm of Nasa’s InSight lander, took a picture of the Martian surface. The camera’s transparent dust cover is still in place in this image, to prevent particulates kicked up during landing from settling on the camera’s lens. The image was relayed from InSight to Earth via Nasa’s Odyssey spacecraft, currently orbiting Mars.

Although the dust kicked up in the descent obscured much of the scene, it is still possible to make out a small Martian rock, one of the probe’s feet and the sky on the horizon. A later picture captured by the camera on InSight’s topside was much clearer.

Other siignals relayed to Earth via the Odyssey orbiter indicate that Insight’s solar panels are open and collecting sunlight on the Martian surface. The twin solar arrays are each 2.2m wide, oversized to compensate for Mars’ weaker sunlight, being much further away from the Sun than Earth is. The panels provide 600-700 Watts on a clear day – more than enough to keep its scientific instruments running. During the frequent Martian dust storms, the solar panels are still expected to generate 200-300 Watts.

InSight’s solar panels are modelled on those used for Nasa’s Phoenix Mars Lander, although InSight’s are slightly larger in order to provide more power output, to increase their structural strength and to support operation for one full Martian year (equivalent to two Earth years).

“The InSight team can rest a little easier tonight now that we know the spacecraft solar arrays are deployed and recharging the batteries,” said Tom Hoffman, InSight project manager at JPL. “It’s been a long day for the team, but tomorrow begins an exciting new chapter for InSight: surface operations and the beginning of the instrument deployment phase.”

The mission team will now release InSight’s robotic arm and use the attached camera to snap photos of the ground so that engineers can decide where to place the spacecraft’s scientific instruments. It will take two to three months before those instruments are fully deployed and sending back data.

In the meantime, InSight will use its weather sensors and magnetometer to take readings from its landing site.

Full details about InSight’s mission on Mars are available on the dedicated Nasa web site.

Confirmation of the successful Mars touchdown came through on cue to Nasa scientists back on Earth at 19:53 GMT. InSight had been issuing a series of updates throughout its descent, all of which were received approximately eight minutes after transmission due to the interplanetary delay.

InSight had a seven-minute window in which to decelerate from around 13,000mph to just 5mph in a landing based entirely on pre-programmed data and autonomous navigation systems.

The spacecraft survived temperatures as hot as 1,500°C – hot enough to melt steel – as it entered the atmosphere, before it deployed its parachute and 12 retro-rockets to gently touch down in its designated landing spot in a vast flat plain close to the Mars equator known as Elysium Planitia.

The landing completed InSight’s 300-million mile journey which lasted for seven months, at a cost of approximately $1bn dollars.

InSight’s immediate task on landing was to deploy its crucial solar panels, which had been stowed away during the descent, in order to start generating system power and to warm up its equipment in Mars’ sub-zero temperatures. Notification of this activity was reported seven hours after landing, at which point the mission – in the eyes of Nasa’s team – could begin to be deemed a success.

Cheers rang through Nasa’s mission control room at California’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) when confirmation came through that InSight had landed safely. The agency’s chief administrator, James Bridenstine, celebrated what he called “an amazing day” and the director of JPL, Mike Watkins, said the success should remind everyone that “to do science we have to be bold and we have to be explorers”.

The Instrument Deployment Camera (IDC), located on the robotic arm of Nasa’s InSight lander, took a picture of the Martian surface. The camera’s transparent dust cover is still in place in this image, to prevent particulates kicked up during landing from settling on the camera’s lens. The image was relayed from InSight to Earth via Nasa’s Odyssey spacecraft, currently orbiting Mars.

Although the dust kicked up in the descent obscured much of the scene, it is still possible to make out a small Martian rock, one of the probe’s feet and the sky on the horizon. A later picture captured by the camera on InSight’s topside was much clearer.

Other siignals relayed to Earth via the Odyssey orbiter indicate that Insight’s solar panels are open and collecting sunlight on the Martian surface. The twin solar arrays are each 2.2m wide, oversized to compensate for Mars’ weaker sunlight, being much further away from the Sun than Earth is. The panels provide 600-700 Watts on a clear day – more than enough to keep its scientific instruments running. During the frequent Martian dust storms, the solar panels are still expected to generate 200-300 Watts.

InSight’s solar panels are modelled on those used for Nasa’s Phoenix Mars Lander, although InSight’s are slightly larger in order to provide more power output, to increase their structural strength and to support operation for one full Martian year (equivalent to two Earth years).

“The InSight team can rest a little easier tonight now that we know the spacecraft solar arrays are deployed and recharging the batteries,” said Tom Hoffman, InSight project manager at JPL. “It’s been a long day for the team, but tomorrow begins an exciting new chapter for InSight: surface operations and the beginning of the instrument deployment phase.”

The mission team will now release InSight’s robotic arm and use the attached camera to snap photos of the ground so that engineers can decide where to place the spacecraft’s scientific instruments. It will take two to three months before those instruments are fully deployed and sending back data.

In the meantime, InSight will use its weather sensors and magnetometer to take readings from its landing site.

Full details about InSight’s mission on Mars are available on the dedicated Nasa web site.