NASA's Curiosity rover reached Mars using a sky crane landing technique that lowered it on cables.
The Mars Science Laboratory spacecraft entered the atmosphere inside a protective aeroshell, deployed a parachute, and then separated its heat shield and backshell. A powered descent stage used rocket thrusters to slow and control the vehicle during the final approach to Gale crater.
Instead of placing the rover directly on the ground, the descent stage hovered above the surface and unwound three nylon bridles and an umbilical. Curiosity touched down on its wheels while suspended beneath the stage. After detecting touchdown, the system cut the cables and flew away before landing at a safe distance.
Curiosity landed on August 6, 2012, and the method became a defining feature of the mission. NASA later adapted the same basic architecture for Perseverance, whose landing system also used a powered descent stage and sky-crane manoeuvre.