Mars Polar Lander

Mars Polar Lander
Artist's depiction of the Mars Polar Lander on Mars
NamesMars Surveyor '98
Mission typeLander
OperatorNASA / JPL
COSPAR ID1999-001A Edit this at Wikidata
SATCAT no.25605
WebsiteMars Polar Lander website
Mission duration334 days
Mission failure
Spacecraft properties
ManufacturerMartin Marietta
Launch mass583 kg[1]
Power200 W solar array and NiH2 battery
Start of mission
Launch date20:21:10, January 3, 1999 (UTC) (1999-01-03T20:21:10Z)
RocketDelta II 7425-9.5
Launch siteCape Canaveral AFS SLC-17A
End of mission
Disposalcommunication failure after landing
DeclaredJanuary 17, 2000 (2000-01-17)
Last contact20:00, December 3, 1999 (UTC) (1999-12-03T20:00Z)
Mars lander
Landing date~20:15 UTC ERT, December 3, 1999
Landing siteUltimi Scopuli, 76°S 195°W / 76°S 195°W / -76; -195 (Mars Polar Lander) (projected)

Mars Surveyor 98 mission logo  

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.[2]

The total cost of the Mars Polar Lander was US$165 million. Spacecraft development cost US$110 million, launch was estimated at US$45 million, and mission operations at US$10 million.[3]

  1. ^ "Mars Polar Lander". NASA Space Science Data Coordinated Archive. Retrieved 2022-12-01.
  2. ^ "Report on the Loss of the Mars Polar Lander and Deep Space 2 Missions" (PDF). Jet Propulsion Laboratory. March 22, 2000. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-03-16.
  3. ^ "Mars Polar Lander Mission Costs". The Associated Press. December 8, 1999. Retrieved 2020-09-30.

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