Mars Mission Kicks Off, Curiosity Rover Lands on Red Planet [FIRST PICTURES]

In one of the most ambitious and costliest missions of all time, Nasa's Curiosity rover has successfully landed on Mars.

Curiosity is on a two-year mission to the red planet to investigate whether it has previously harboured life.

According to a Nasa statement, the rover, built at a cost of $2.5bn ($1.6bn), landed in the evening of 5 August, and captured a series of low-res images upon its arrival.

High-resolution colour images are expected to be sent in the next few days.

Scientists at the lab were jubilant at the landing and embraced each other in joy. "We're on Mars again, and it's absolutely incredible. It doesn't get any better than this," said Nasa administrator Charles Bolden.

Before the vehicle begins its full mission, its condition will be closely examined in the next few hours.