Mars Express mission facts


How the mission was named: Mars Express is so called because it will be built more quickly than any other comparable planetary mission. Beagle 2 was named after the ship in which Charles Darwin sailed when formulating his ideas about evolution.
Prime contractor: Astrium, Toulouse, France, leading a consortium of 24 companies from 15 European countries and the US
Launch date:2 June 2003
Launcher: Soyuz/Fregat, built by Starsem, the European/Russian launcher consortium
Launch mass: 1120 kg (including 113 kg orbiter payload and 60 kg lander)
Lander: Beagle 2
Orbiter instruments: High Resolution Stereo Camera (HRSC); Energetic Neutral Atoms Analyser (ASPERA); Planetary Fourier Spectrometer (PFS); Visible and Infra Red Mineralogical Mapping Spectrometer (OMEGA); Sub-Surface Sounding Radar Altimeter (MARSIS); Mars Radio Science Experiment (MaRS); Ultraviolet and Infrared Atmospheric Spectrometer (SPICAM);
Spacecraft operations: European Space Operations Centre (ESOC), Darmstadt, Germany
Ground stations: ESA ground station in New Norcia, near Perth, Australia. Foreseen operational duration: One Martian year (687 Earth days) is funded. The spacecraft is designed for a further Martian year's operation.
Arrival at Mars: December 2003
Lander mission management: University of Leicester, UK

 
 

The Mars Express Orbiter will:
  • image the entire surface at high resolution (10 metres/pixel) and selected areas at super resolution (2 metres/pixel);
  • produce a map of the mineral composition of the surface at 100 metre resolution;
  • map the composition of the atmosphere and determine its global circulation;
  • determine the structure of the sub-surface to a depth of a few kilometres;
  • determine the effect of the atmosphere on the surface;
  • determine the interaction of the atmosphere with the solar wind.

The Beagle 2 lander was planned to:
  • determine the geology and the mineral and chemical composition of the landing site;
  • search for life signatures (exobiology);
  • study the weather and climate.

 
 
  
Last update: 11 October 2005


Orbiter instruments

 •  High Resolution Stereo Camera (http://berlinadmin.dlr.de/Missions/express/indexeng.shtml)
 •  OMEGA (http://www.ias.u-psud.fr/tpl2page.php?pageID=1)
 •  Planetary Fourier Spectrometer (http://www.pfs-results.it)
 •  ASPERA (http://www.aspera-3.org/)
 •  MaRS - Radio Science Experiment (http://www.cosis.net/abstracts/EAE03/03279/EAE03-J-03279.pdf)
 •  MARSIS (http://www.marsis.com/)

Related links

 •  Astrium (http://www.astrium-space.com)
 •  Starsem - the Soyuz (http://www.starsem.com/)
 •  University of Leicester (http://www.le.ac.uk/)