At around 10am EST (7 PST) this morning, the Mars Science Laboratory carrying the Curiosity rover, lifted off from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The powerful Atlas V rocket had no hesitation after it ignited and propelled the MSL off of the launchpad. Within a few minutes, the MSL was in orbit. 44 minutes after launch the spacecraft separated from the rocket putting it on a trajectory to reach Mars in August of 2012.
Good travels, Curiosity!