The following table is a list of Marsorbiters, consisting of space probes which were launched from Earth and are currently orbiting Mars. As of August 2023, there have been 18 spacecraft missions operating in Mars' orbit, 7 of which are currently active.
The Soviets' Mars program and the United States's Mariner program became the two first successful space programs that intended to exploreMars through orbiters. Mars 2, Mars 3 and Mariner 9 were all launched into space in May 1971, and all entered Mars’ orbit that same year. NASA's Mariner 9 reached the planet's orbit first on November 14, narrowly beating the Soviet's spacecraft amid the space race, and subsequently became the first spacecraft to orbit another planet.[1]
Contact with all eight Mars orbiters launched during the 20th century has been lost. NASA's four spacecraft are conjectured to remain in Mars' orbit. Mariner 9, Viking 1 and Viking 2 are expected to lower down into the Martian atmosphere by 2022 and either burn up or crash into the planet's surface.[2]Mars Global Surveyor is expected to crash onto the surface of the planet by 2047. The fate of the Soviet's three Mars program orbiters and Phobos 2 remains unclear, but they are still presumed to be in orbit.[3]
2001 Mars Odyssey was launched April 7, 2001 on a Delta II rocket and currently holds the record for the longest-surviving continually active spacecraft in orbit around a planet other than Earth at 21 years, 11 months and 19 days.[4]
In 2003, the European Space Agency (ESA) launched their first planetary mission with Mars Express to conduct reconnaissance and exploration of Mars from orbit.[5] On 12 August 2005, NASA launched Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO). As MRO entered orbit in 2006, it joined three other active spacecraft which were in Mars' orbit: Mars Global Surveyor (MGS), Mars Express, and 2001 Mars Odyssey; at the time, this set a record for the most operational spacecraft in the immediate vicinity of Mars. MGS has since ceased to function.
On November 5, 2013, the Mars Orbiter Mission (Mangalyaan-1) was launched by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) as a "technology demonstrator" project. Its secondary goal is to analyze the Martian atmosphere and topography. The orbiter reached Mars orbit on September 24, 2014. Through this mission, ISRO became the first space agency to succeed in its first attempt at a Mars orbiter. The mission is the first successful Asian interplanetary mission.[6] Ten days after ISRO's launch, NASA launched their seventh Mars orbiter MAVEN to study the Martian atmosphere. Its goals include determining how the planet's atmosphere and water, presumed to have once been substantial, were lost over time.[7]
FateEdit
After achieving orbit, functional or not, Mars orbiters have been predicted to remain in orbit for a certain amount of time.[8]
Viking 1 orbiter, likely to be in orbit as of 2019.[9]
Mariner 9 was expected to remain in orbit until approximately 2022, when the spacecraft was projected to enter the Martian atmosphere and either burn up or crash into the planet's surface.[10]
Besides decaying to Mars, a collision with a moon or other spacecraft is also a possibility.[12] In March 2017, MAVEN had to change its orbit to avoid colliding with Phobos, and with an increasing number of spacecraft at Mars this risk increases.[13] The Mars Global Surveyor is still being tracked, although it is no longer functioning.[14]
Table of objectsEdit
Color legend
Destroyed
Loss of contact
Operational
Note that days active category does not necessarily equate to time in orbit, for example Mars Global Surveyor is expected remain in Mars orbit for 50 years after its arrival.[15] The detection of derelict spacecraft in Mars orbit has some interest due to the minute risk of collision with such a spacecraft. One example of this is a proposal to use the Optical Navigation Camera on the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter to search for small moons, dust rings, and old orbiters.[16]
^ Pyle, Rod (2012). Destination Mars. Prometheus Books. pp. 73–78. ISBN978-1-61614-589-7. It was the first spacecraft to enter orbit around another world. ... [It] continues to orbit Mars to this day, sailing around the planet deaf and dumb in the cold darkness.
^Dunn, Marcia (October 27, 1996). "NASA Takes No Dirty Chances With Mars Rover". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2015-08-03. It's expected to orbit Mars for at least 50 years before crashing onto the surface of the planet.
^"NASA's Odyssey Spacecraft Sets Exploration Record on Mars". Press Releases. JPL, NASA. 2010-12-15. Retrieved 2015-11-06.
^ESA - Mars Express - Mars Express Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
^. isro.gov.in. Archived from the original on 2013-11-09.
^Brown, Dwayne; Neal-Jones, Nancy; Zubritsky, Elizabeth (September 21, 2014). "NASA's Newest Mars Mission Spacecraft Enters Orbit around Red Planet". NASA. Retrieved September 22, 2014.
^Dunn, Marcia (October 27, 1996). "NASA Takes No Dirty Chances With Mars Rover". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2015-08-03. It's expected to orbit Mars for at least 50 years before crashing onto the surface of the planet.
^Jefferson, David C; Demcak, Stuart W; Esposito, Pasquale B; Kruizinga, Gerhard L (10–13 August 2009). (PDF). AIAA Guidance, Navigation, and Control Conference. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 January 2017. Retrieved 31 December 2017.
^Dunn, Marcia (October 27, 1996). "NASA Takes No Dirty Chances With Mars Rover". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2015-08-03. It's expected to orbit Mars for at least 50 years before crashing onto the surface of the planet.
^Dunn, Marcia (October 27, 1996). "NASA Takes No Dirty Chances With Mars Rover". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2015-08-03. It's expected to orbit Mars for at least 50 years before crashing onto the surface of the planet.
^M. Adler, et al. – Use of MRO Optical Navigation Camera .. (2012)
October 17, 2023
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The following table is a list of Mars orbiters consisting of space probes which were launched from Earth and are currently orbiting Mars As of August 2023 there have been 18 spacecraft missions operating in Mars orbit 7 of which are currently active Artist s rendering of NASA s 2001 Mars Odyssey orbiting Mars Contents 1 History 1 1 20th century 1 2 21st century 1 3 Fate 2 Table of objects 3 See also 4 ReferencesHistory Edit20th century Edit nbsp Soviet stamp depicting Mars 2The Soviets Mars program and the United States s Mariner program became the two first successful space programs that intended to explore Mars through orbiters Mars 2 Mars 3 and Mariner 9 were all launched into space in May 1971 and all entered Mars orbit that same year NASA s Mariner 9 reached the planet s orbit first on November 14 narrowly beating the Soviet s spacecraft amid the space race and subsequently became the first spacecraft to orbit another planet 1 Contact with all eight Mars orbiters launched during the 20th century has been lost NASA s four spacecraft are conjectured to remain in Mars orbit Mariner 9 Viking 1 and Viking 2 are expected to lower down into the Martian atmosphere by 2022 and either burn up or crash into the planet s surface 2 Mars Global Surveyor is expected to crash onto the surface of the planet by 2047 The fate of the Soviet s three Mars program orbiters and Phobos 2 remains unclear but they are still presumed to be in orbit 3 In 1999 the Mars Climate Orbiter impacted the Martian atmosphere 21st century Edit nbsp Artist s rendition of Mars Express as seen by NASA s Mars Global Surveyor nbsp Image of Mars Express in orbit at Mars2001 Mars Odyssey was launched April 7 2001 on a Delta II rocket and currently holds the record for the longest surviving continually active spacecraft in orbit around a planet other than Earth at 21 years 11 months and 19 days 4 In 2003 the European Space Agency ESA launched their first planetary mission with Mars Express to conduct reconnaissance and exploration of Mars from orbit 5 On 12 August 2005 NASA launched Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter MRO As MRO entered orbit in 2006 it joined three other active spacecraft which were in Mars orbit Mars Global Surveyor MGS Mars Express and 2001 Mars Odyssey at the time this set a record for the most operational spacecraft in the immediate vicinity of Mars MGS has since ceased to function On November 5 2013 the Mars Orbiter Mission Mangalyaan 1 was launched by the Indian Space Research Organisation ISRO as a technology demonstrator project Its secondary goal is to analyze the Martian atmosphere and topography The orbiter reached Mars orbit on September 24 2014 Through this mission ISRO became the first space agency to succeed in its first attempt at a Mars orbiter The mission is the first successful Asian interplanetary mission 6 Ten days after ISRO s launch NASA launched their seventh Mars orbiter MAVEN to study the Martian atmosphere Its goals include determining how the planet s atmosphere and water presumed to have once been substantial were lost over time 7 Fate Edit This list is incomplete and not necessarily representative You can help by making it more complete and more unbiased August 2019 Learn how and when to remove this template message After achieving orbit functional or not Mars orbiters have been predicted to remain in orbit for a certain amount of time 8 Viking 1 orbiter likely to be in orbit as of 2019 9 Mariner 9 was expected to remain in orbit until approximately 2022 when the spacecraft was projected to enter the Martian atmosphere and either burn up or crash into the planet s surface 10 Mars Global Surveyor is predicted to orbit until 2046 50 years after insertion 11 Besides decaying to Mars a collision with a moon or other spacecraft is also a possibility 12 In March 2017 MAVEN had to change its orbit to avoid colliding with Phobos and with an increasing number of spacecraft at Mars this risk increases 13 The Mars Global Surveyor is still being tracked although it is no longer functioning 14 Table of objects EditColor legendDestroyedLoss of contactOperationalNote that days active category does not necessarily equate to time in orbit for example Mars Global Surveyor is expected remain in Mars orbit for 50 years after its arrival 15 The detection of derelict spacecraft in Mars orbit has some interest due to the minute risk of collision with such a spacecraft One example of this is a proposal to use the Optical Navigation Camera on the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter to search for small moons dust rings and old orbiters 16 Artificial object Agency Launch date Entered orbit Days active ImageMars 2 nbsp Lavochkin 19 May 1971 27 November 1971 269 days nbsp Mars 3 nbsp Lavochkin 28 May 1971 2 December 1971 264 days nbsp Mariner 9 nbsp NASA 30 May 1971 14 November 1971 348 days nbsp Mars 5 nbsp Lavochkin 25 July 1973 12 February 1974 16 days nbsp Viking 1 nbsp NASA 20 August 1975 19 June 1976 1 520 days nbsp Viking 2 nbsp NASA 9 September 1975 7 August 1976 717 days nbsp Phobos 2 nbsp Lavochkin 12 July 1988 29 January 1989 57 days nbsp Mars Global Surveyor nbsp NASA 7 November 1996 12 September 1997 3 338 days nbsp 2001 Mars Odyssey nbsp NASA 7 April 2001 24 October 2001 8 024 days nbsp Mars Express nbsp ESA 2 June 2003 25 December 2003 7 232 days nbsp Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter nbsp NASA 12 August 2005 10 March 2006 6 426 days nbsp Mars Orbiter Mission Mangalyaan nbsp ISRO 5 November 2013 24 September 2014 3 306 days nbsp MAVEN nbsp NASA 18 November 2013 22 September 2014 3 308 days nbsp ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter nbsp ESA nbsp Roscosmos 14 March 2016 19 October 2016 2 550 days nbsp Emirates Mars Mission Hope nbsp UAESA 19 July 2020 9 February 2021 976 daysTianwen 1 orbiter nbsp CNSA 23 July 2020 10 February 2021 975 daysTianwen 1 Deployable Camera 2 nbsp CNSA 23 July 2020 10 February 2021 released on 31 December 2021 lt 1 daySee also Edit nbsp Solar System portal nbsp Spaceflight portal nbsp Lists portalLists of spacecraft Exploration of Mars List of missions to Mars Robotic spacecraft Timeline of artificial satellites and space probes Timeline of planetary explorationReferences Edit Pyle Rod 2012 Destination Mars Prometheus Books pp 73 78 ISBN 978 1 61614 589 7 It was the first spacecraft to enter orbit around another world It continues to orbit Mars to this day sailing around the planet deaf and dumb in the cold darkness NASA This Month in NASA History Mariner 9 November 29 2011 Vol 4 Issue 9 Dunn Marcia October 27 1996 NASA Takes No Dirty Chances With Mars Rover Los Angeles Times Retrieved 2015 08 03 It s expected to orbit Mars for at least 50 years before crashing onto the surface of the planet NASA s Odyssey Spacecraft Sets Exploration Record on Mars Press Releases JPL NASA 2010 12 15 Retrieved 2015 11 06 ESA Mars Express Mars Express Frequently Asked Questions FAQs ISRO Mars Orbiter Mission isro gov in Archived from the original on 2013 11 09 Brown Dwayne Neal Jones Nancy Zubritsky Elizabeth September 21 2014 NASA s Newest Mars Mission Spacecraft Enters Orbit around Red Planet NASA Retrieved September 22 2014 Dunn Marcia October 27 1996 NASA Takes No Dirty Chances With Mars Rover Los Angeles Times Retrieved 2015 08 03 It s expected to orbit Mars for at least 50 years before crashing onto the surface of the planet Jefferson David C Demcak Stuart W Esposito Pasquale B Kruizinga Gerhard L 10 13 August 2009 An Investigation of the Orbital Status of Viking 1 PDF AIAA Guidance Navigation and Control Conference Archived from the original PDF on 3 January 2017 Retrieved 31 December 2017 NASA This Month in NASA History Mariner 9 November 29 2011 Vol 4 Issue 9 Dunn Marcia October 27 1996 NASA Takes No Dirty Chances With Mars Rover Los Angeles Times Retrieved 2015 08 03 It s expected to orbit Mars for at least 50 years before crashing onto the surface of the planet NASA spacecraft avoids potential collision with Martian moon SpaceNews com SpaceNews com 2017 03 03 Retrieved 2017 12 31 NASA spacecraft avoids potential collision with Martian moon SpaceNews com SpaceNews com 2017 03 03 Retrieved 2017 12 31 NASA spacecraft avoids potential collision with Martian moon SpaceNews com SpaceNews com 2017 03 03 Retrieved 2017 12 31 Dunn Marcia October 27 1996 NASA Takes No Dirty Chances With Mars Rover Los Angeles Times Retrieved 2015 08 03 It s expected to orbit Mars for at least 50 years before crashing onto the surface of the planet M Adler et al Use of MRO Optical Navigation Camera 2012 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title List of Mars orbiters amp oldid 1173127676, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
