Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter
Atlas V 401
Lockheed Martin
Mission
Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter
Type: Planetary Science
Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) is a spacecraft designed to study the geology and climate of Mars, provide reconnaissance of future landing sites, and relay data from surface missions back to Earth. It was launched on August 12, 2005 and reached Mars on March 10, 2006. In November 2006, after five months of aerobraking, it entered its final science orbit and began its primary science phase.
Location
Space Launch Complex 41
Cape Canaveral, FL, USA
847 rockets have launched from Cape Canaveral, FL, USA.
Rocket
Atlas V 401 – United Launch Alliance
Family: Atlas
Length: 58.3 m
Diameter: 3.8 m
Launch Mass: 590 T
Low Earth Orbit Capacity: 9050 kg
The Atlas V 401 was manufactured by United Launch Alliance with the first launch on 2002-08-21. Atlas V 401 has 40 successful launches and 0 failed launches with a total of 40 launches. An Atlas V with a 4 meter diameter fairing, no boosters and a single centaur upper stage engine.
Agency
Lockheed Martin
Type: Commercial
Abbreviation: LMT
Founded: 1953
Launchers: Titan | Agena
Spacecraft: Hubble | JUNO | InSight
Country: USA
Lockheed Martin’s Space Division started in the production of missiles and later ICBM’s in the 1950s. Their TITAN missile system was used for 12 Gemini spacecraft and the Voyager probes. They have worked largely in collaboration with NASA on many of their probes, landers, and spacecraft, and hope to play a key role in NASA’s return to the moon in 2024.
