.jpg) Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter spacecraft | |
| Mission type | Mars orbiter |
|---|---|
| Operator | NASA / Jet Propulsion Laboratory |
| COSPAR ID | 2005-029A |
| SATCAT no. | 28788 |
| Website | mars nasa |
| Mission duration | 19 years, 3 months and 13 days from launch (18 years, 8 months and 15 days (6652 sols) at Mars) |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Manufacturer | Lockheed Martin / University of Arizona / Applied Physics Laboratory / Italian Space Agency / Malin Space Science Systems |
| Launch mass | 2,180 kg (4,810 lb)[1] |
| Dry mass | 1,031 kg (2,273 lb) |
| Payload mass | 139 kg (306 lb) |
| Power | 600–2000 watts |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | August 12, 2005, 11:43:00 UTC |
| Rocket | Atlas V 401 |
| Launch site | Cape Canaveral SLC-41 |
| Contractor | Lockheed Martin |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Areocentric |
| Regime | Sun-synchronous[2] |
| Inclination | 93 degrees[2] |
| Period | 111 minutes |
| Mars orbiter | |
| Orbital insertion | March 10, 2006, 21:24:00 UTC MSD 46990 12:48 AMT |
 Official insignia of the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter mission | |
The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) is a spacecraft designed to search for the existence of water on Mars and provide support for missions to Mars, as part of NASA's Mars Exploration Program. It was launched from Cape Canaveral on August 12, 2005, at 11:43 UTC and reached Mars on March 10, 2006, at 21:24 UTC. In November 2006, after six months of aerobraking, it entered its final science orbit and began its primary science phase.
Mission objectives include observing the climate of Mars, investigating geologic forces, providing reconnaissance of future landing sites, and relaying data from surface missions back to Earth. To support these objectives, the MRO carries different scientific instruments, including three cameras, two spectrometers and a subsurface radar. As of July 29, 2023, the MRO has returned over 450 terabits of data, helped choose safe landing sites for NASA's Mars landers, discovered pure water ice in new craters and further evidence that water once flowed on the surface on Mars.[3]
The spacecraft continues to operate at Mars, far beyond its intended design life. Due to its critical role as a high-speed data-relay for ground missions, NASA intends to continue the mission as long as possible, at least through the late 2020s. As of November 25, 2024, the MRO has been active at Mars for 6652 sols, or 18 years, 8 months and 15 days, and is the third longest-lived spacecraft to orbit Mars, after 2001 Mars Odyssey and Mars Express.
- ^ "Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter". NASA's Solar System Exploration website. Archived from the original on September 8, 2018. Retrieved December 1, 2022.
- ^ a b Cite error: The named reference
Lyonswas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter". NASA. Archived from the original on July 29, 2023. Retrieved July 29, 2023.