What was the original mission name of the Curiosity rover?

The original mission name of the Curiosity rover was Mars Science Laboratory. Curiosity is the rover component of NASA’s Mars Science Laboratory, usually abbreviated MSL, rather than the name of the entire mission itself.

MSL launched from Cape Canaveral on November 26, 2011, aboard an Atlas V rocket and landed in Gale Crater on August 6, 2012. Its goals included studying Mars’s geology and climate, investigating whether the planet ever offered conditions suitable for microbial life, and gathering information relevant to future human exploration.

Curiosity was selected as the rover’s public name in 2009 after a student naming contest. The mission used an innovative “sky crane” landing system, which lowered the car-sized rover onto the Martian surface by cables before the descent stage flew away. Mars 2020 refers to the later mission that carried Perseverance, while Mars Exploration Rover refers to the earlier Spirit and Opportunity mission.