On what date did NASA launch the Spirit rover?

NASA launched the Spirit rover on June 10, 2003.

Spirit, designated MER-A during development, lifted off from Cape Canaveral Space Launch Complex 17A aboard a Boeing Delta II 7925-9.5 rocket. It was the first of NASA’s two Mars Exploration Rovers to launch. Its twin, Opportunity, followed from the neighboring launch complex on July 7, 2003.

Spirit reached Mars on January 4, 2004, landing in Gusev Crater. Scientists chose Gusev because orbital images suggested it might once have held a lake. The rover’s planned surface mission lasted only 90 sols, but solar-panel cleaning events helped it operate for years. Spirit eventually became stuck in soft sand and sent its final communication in March 2010.

July 30, 2020, is associated with the launch of Perseverance, while November 26, 2011, was the launch date of Curiosity. July 7, 2003, belongs to Opportunity, not Spirit. The distinction matters because the two nearly identical rovers were launched during the same planetary launch window but on separate dates.