Definition
The Mars Express mission is the first planetary mission of the European Space Agency (ESA). Decided in 1997, it was launched from Baïkonur on June 2, 2003, and was inserted into Mars orbit December 25, 2003, after proper maneuvers transferring the spacecraft into an almost polar orbit. Mars Express started its orbital observations in early January 2004. The targeted duration of the mission was 1 Martian year (687 terrestrial days). However, in 2015, it is still operating 10 years after launch and will possibly continue a few more years. Some days before arriving at Mars, Mars Express ejected the Beagle 2 lander, designed to land and to perform surface measurements. Unfortunately, the contact with Beagle 2 was lost and never recovered. However, the measurements and observations from orbit are making this mission one of the most successful in the exploration of Mars.
History
The Mars Express mission was conceived after the dramatic loss at launch of the Russian Mars 96 mission...
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© 2015 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
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Bibring, JP. (2015). Mars Express. In: Gargaud, M., et al. Encyclopedia of Astrobiology. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-44185-5_940
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-44185-5_940
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