| Mars Express
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| LAUNCH DATE: |
02-Jun-2003 17:45 UT
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| MISSION END: | 31 December 2012 (extended mission), subject to a mid-term review in 2010 |
| LAUNCH VEHICLE: | Soyuz-Fregat |
| LAUNCH MASS: | 1223 kg |
| MISSION PHASE: |
Operational |
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Orbital Inclination: 86.3°
Pericentre: 258 km
Apocentre: 11 560 km
Period: 6 h 43 m
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Routine science mission is ongoing |
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Mars Express, so called because of the rapid and streamlined development time, represents ESA's first visit to another planet in the Solar System. The spacecraft borrows technology from the failed Mars 96 mission and from ESA's Rosetta mission that is currently en route to comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. The mission helps to answer fundamental questions about the geology, atmosphere, surface environment, history of water and potential for life on Mars. |
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