Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter
Atlas V 401
Lockheed Martin
Mission
Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter
- Type: Planetary Science
- Orbit: Mars Orbit
- Launch Cost: $115,000,000
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 SFS, FL, USA
Find the best place to watch the launch from Florida
Space Launch Complex 41 has witnessed the launch of 115 rockets, including 115 orbital launch attempts. While Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA, has been the site for 1027 rocket launches.
Cape Canaveral Space Force Station (CCSFS) is an installation of the United States Space Force's Space Launch Delta 45, located on Cape Canaveral in Brevard County, Florida.
Rocket
United Launch Alliance Atlas V 401
An Atlas V with a 4 meter diameter fairing, no boosters and a single centaur upper stage engine.
Agency
Lockheed Martin
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.
