The Latest: NASA confirms Mars lander on way to red planet

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — The Latest on NASA's launch of the InSight spacecraft, which is bound for Mars (all times local):

8:45 a.m.

NASA's newest Mars explorer has busted out of Earth orbit and is zooming toward the red planet.

After a smooth launch early Saturday morning from California, the Atlas V (five) rocket put the Mars InSight lander into a temporary parking orbit around Earth. An hour later, the upper stage fired and put the spacecraft on a direct path toward Mars.

It will take the spacecraft more than six months to get to Mars. The journey will span about 300 million miles (485 m...