Names | Mars Explorations with Landers and Orbiters (2008) Mars Exploration of Life and Organism Search (2015) |
---|---|
Mission type | Technology demonstrator |
Operator | JAXA |
Mission duration | Nominal: 68 sols Desired extension: 1 Mars year |
Spacecraft properties | |
Manufacturer | JAXA |
Landing mass | EDM (sky crane): 909 kg (2,004 lb) Rover: 150 kg (330 lb) |
Payload mass | 15 kg (33 lb) |
Power | Solar panels (1.5 m²) Battery: 720 Wh[1] |
Start of mission | |
Launch date | 2024 (proposed)[1] |
Mars rover | |
Landing date | 2025 |
Landing site | Valles Marineris or Marte Vallis |
Distance driven | Goal: 50 km (31 mi) |
MELOS (Mars Exploration of Life and Organism Search) is a Japanese rover mission concept under study for an engineering demonstration of precision landing, and to look for possible biosignatures on Mars using a rover. JAXA has not published updates since 2015.