Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter

Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter

Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter spacecraft
Mission type	Mars orbiter
Operator	NASA / Jet Propulsion Laboratory
COSPAR ID	2005-029A
SATCAT no.	28788
Website	mars.nasa.gov/mro/ nasa.gov/mission_pages/MRO/main/index.html
Mission duration	18 years, 9 months and 7 days from launch (18 years, 2 months and 9 days (6467 sols) at Mars)
Spacecraft properties
Manufacturer	Lockheed Martin / University of Arizona / Applied Physics Laboratory / Italian Space Agency / Malin Space Science Systems
Launch mass	2,180 kg (4,810 lb)[1]
Dry mass	1,031 kg (2,273 lb)
Payload mass	139 kg (306 lb)
Power	600–2000 watts
Start of mission
Launch date	August 12, 2005, 11:43:00 (2005-08-12UTC11:43Z) UTC
Rocket	Atlas V 401
Launch site	Cape Canaveral SLC-41
Contractor	Lockheed Martin
Orbital parameters
Reference system	Areocentric
Regime	Sun-synchronous[2]
Inclination	93 degrees[2]
Period	111 minutes
Mars orbiter
Orbital insertion	March 10, 2006, 21:24:00 UTC MSD 46990 12:48 AMT
Official insignia of the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter mission

The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) is a spacecraft designed to search for the existence of water on Mars and provide support for missions to Mars, as part of NASA's Mars Exploration Program. It was launched from Cape Canaveral on August 12, 2005, at 11:43 UTC and reached Mars on March 10, 2006, at 21:24 UTC. In November 2006, after six months of aerobraking, it entered its final science orbit and began its primary science phase.

Mission objectives include observing the climate of Mars, investigating geologic forces, providing reconnaissance of future landing sites, and relaying data from surface missions back to Earth. To support these objectives, the MRO carries different scientific instruments, including three cameras, two spectrometers and a subsurface radar. As of July 29, 2023, the MRO has returned over 450 terabits of data, helped choose safe landing sites for NASA's Mars landers, discovered pure water ice in new craters and further evidence that water once flowed on the surface on Mars.^[3]

The spacecraft continues to operate at Mars, far beyond its intended design life. Due to its critical role as a high-speed data-relay for ground missions, NASA intends to continue the mission as long as possible, at least through the late 2020s. As of May 19, 2024, the MRO has been active at Mars for 6467 sols, or 18 years, 2 months and 9 days, and is the third longest-lived spacecraft to orbit Mars, after 2001 Mars Odyssey and Mars Express.