VIDEO: NASA says it has landed a spacecraft on Mars

It is NASA’s eighth successful Mars landing since the 1976 Vikings

A NASA spacecraft has landed on Mars to explore the planet’s interior.

Flight controllers announced that the spacecraft InSight touched down Monday, after a perilous supersonic descent through the red Martian skies. Confirmation came via radio signals that took more than eight minutes to cross the nearly 160 million kilometers between Mars and Earth.

There was no immediate word on whether the lander was in good working order. NASA satellites around Mars will provide updates.

READ MORE: NASA wants Canadian boots on the moon as first step in deep space exploration

It is NASA’s eighth successful Mars landing since the 1976 Vikings. The thee-legged, one-armed InSight will operate from the same spot for the next two years. It landed less than 600 kilometers from NASA’s Curiosity rover, which until Monday was the youngest working robot in town.

The Associated Press

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VIDEO: NASA says it has landed a spacecraft on Mars