Three Missions Head for Mars

A topographical map of Mars shows the locations for past and future missions.
"The summer of 2020 will see three spacecraft launch toward the Red Planet, each one with distinct objectives. Next year, Earth invades Mars. Launch opportunities to Mars only happen once every 26 months, and during the next window — which spans this July and August —three spacecraft are set to begin their journeys. If everything goes well, in early 2021 they’ll deliver two orbiters, a lander, and two rovers to Mars, joining the six orbiters, one lander, and one rover that already operate there. Robotic spacecraft have orbited Mars continuously since 1997. The numerous missions have produced global maps of albedo, topography, and composition, finding evidence for abundant shallow subsurface ice and a distant past of longterm environments suitable for life. ..."
Sky & Telescope

Perseverance will carry 23 cameras, including seven specifically for scientific purposes, and a sample-caching system, which will package and lay aside samples for a later mission to pick up and carry home. ...