Mars Polar Lander
Delta 7425-9.5
United States Air Force
Mission
Mars Polar Lander
Type: Robotic Exploration
The Mars Polar Lander, also known as the Mars Surveyor ’98 Lander, was a 290-kilogram robotic spacecraft lander launched by NASA on January 3, 1999 to study the soil and climate of Planum Australe, a region near the south pole on Mars. It formed part of the Mars Surveyor ’98 mission. On December 3, 1999, however, after the descent phase was expected to be complete, the lander failed to reestablish communication with Earth. A post-mortem analysis determined the most likely cause of the mishap was premature termination of the engine firing prior to the lander touching the surface, causing it to strike the planet at a high velocity.
Trajectory
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Location
Space Launch Complex 17B
Cape Canaveral, FL, USA
920 rockets have launched from Cape Canaveral, FL, USA.
Agency
United States Air Force – USAF
- Type: Government
- Abbreviation: USAF
- Administration: Commander-in-Chief: President of the US
- Founded: 1947
- Country: USA
The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Signal Corps, the USAF was established as a separate branch of the United States Armed Forces in 1947 with the enactment of the National Security Act of 1947.
