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The InSight lander landed on Mars shortly before 20h GMT on Monday, surviving the so-called "seven minutes of terror" – a delicate landing phase for the robotic probe, traveling at 13,200 mph in the slender atmosphere of the planet that provides little friction down.
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InSight arrived in the Elysium Planitia region of Mars, north of its equator, described as an ideal location for its flat surface and without rocks.
This is the first attempt to reach Mars over six years. Only 40% of the missions on the planet were successful and all were led by the United States.
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Three UK-made seismometer instruments are on board in InSight, as part of a British Space Agency effort to measure seismic waves, a value of £ 4 million.
Scientists from Imperial College London and Oxford University who created the instruments will be based at NASA's California Propulsion Laboratory to participate in the study, including selecting the best spot for the arm robotized where to place the seismometer.
Artist's view of the NASA InSight probe about to land on the surface of Mars (photo: PA)
"This is great news that the InSight spacecraft has safely landed on Mars," said Sue Horne, space exploration chief at the British Space Agency.
"British scientists and engineers participating in this mission have dedicated many years of their life to building the seismometer, and the descent is still a worrying time.
InSight project leader Tom Hoffman points to the first image taken by the probe since March (photo: Getty)
NASA engineers Kris Bruvold (left) and Sandy Krasner celebrate successful touchdown by InSight probe from mission support zone at NASA's California Propulsion Laboratory (photo: Getty)
"We can now look forward to the deployment of the instrument and the data that will arrive for next year, to improve our understanding of the formation of the planet.
A second instrument will dig five meters into Mars's soil, measuring the temperature of the planet, while a third experiment will determine how Mars is wobbling on its axis.
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