In the time it takes you to read this sentence, the rover – called Curiosity – will have travelled another 97km (60 miles) on its massive journey.

Curiosity project manager Peter Theisinger said: “Our spacecraft is in excellent health and is on its way to Mars.”

The rover took off from Cape Canaveral in Florida on board an Atlas 5 rocket. It’s due to land on Mars next August.

The 900kg robot’s mission is to find out whether the planet supports life now or has done at any time in the past.

It’s the most sophisticated Mars rover yet. Among the science kit on board is a camera eye, laser, drill, and a dust pan and brush – all to find samples and then analyse the chemistry of the planet in the rocks and atmosphere. The signs of life it will be looking for are microorganisms – tiny, simple life forms – or evidence of them from the past.

But before that work can begin, the rover has to touch down safely in an area called Gale Crater. This will be the most hazardous part of the journey.

A British robot mission to Mars went missing just before Christmas in 2003.