Which rover was the first to use a sky crane landing system?

Curiosity was the first rover to use a sky crane landing system. NASA’s Mars Science Laboratory delivered the car-sized rover to Gale Crater on August 6, 2012, using rockets to hover above the surface while lowering Curiosity on three nylon tethers.

Earlier rovers, including Spirit and Opportunity, used airbags because they were much lighter. Curiosity weighed nearly 900 kilograms, making an airbag landing impractical. Its sky crane combined a parachute, radar-guided descent, and eight throttleable rocket engines to control the final approach.

After Curiosity’s wheels touched down, onboard sensors confirmed contact with the ground. The rover then cut the cables, while the descent stage flew away and crashed a safe distance away. This dramatic maneuver became known as the “seven minutes of terror.”

Perseverance later used an upgraded version of the same basic system in 2021. A common mix-up is to credit Perseverance with the first sky-crane landing because its mission received extensive publicity, but Curiosity pioneered the technique.