The Planetary Instrument for X-ray Lithochemistry (PIXL) opens its cover during testing at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Located on the turret at the end of the rover's robotic arm, the X-ray spectrometer is one of seven instruments aboard Perseverance and will help search for signs of ancient microbial life in rocks.

Both PIXL and Perseverance were built and are operated by JPL, a division of Caltech, in Southern California.

For more information about the mission, go to https://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/.