Mars Express

Spacecraft nº:

ESA spacecraft nº: 51

Launch data: Designation  27816 / 03022A Launch date  02 June 2003 - 17:45:26 UT Launch site  B, LC-31 Launch vehicle  Soyuz-FG/Fregat(1e launch) S/N: E15000-005/ST11 Mission  Mars orbit Operator   Heliocentric orbit Perihelion / Aphelion   Incl. to ecliptic   ° Period   min

Spacecraft data: Prime contractor   Customer  ESA Platform   Mass at launch  1186 kg Dry Mass  555 kg Basic shape   Dimension   Solar array   Stabilization   DC power   Design lifetime  Still in Mars orbit

Mars express at baikonur

Description:

• Mars Express has a mass of 637 kg dry including science payload and Beagle separation device, together with 480 kg of propellant and the 69 kg Beagle 2 lander for a total of 1186 kg. In addition to this a 37 kg adapter remained attached to Fregat.
• Instruments include MARSIS, the first subsurface radar sounder flown on a probe since Apollo 17; HRSC, a high resolution color camera; OMEGA, an infrared sensor; Planetary Fourier Spectrometer, operating in the millimeter range for molecular studies; SPICAM, studying an ultraviolet ozone absorption line and an infrared water line; ASPERA-3 measuring the particle environment; and the Mars Radio Science experiment using the radio transmitter.
• ME carries a 400N propulsion engine similar to those used on Spacebus communications satellites, and will enter an elliptical polar orbit around Mars.

Mission details:

• First Mars mission to be flown by the European Space Agency. Payload comprises RSA's Mars Express orbiter and the British (Open University) Beagle-2 lander.
• The Soyuz-FG rocket put ME/Fregat into a marginally orbital trajectory upon third stage cutoff at 1754 UTC; estimate (-1 +/- 20) x 200 km x 51.8 deg. The third stage then fell in the Pacific as Fregat made its first burn, with main engine start at 1755 UTC for a 21-second burn to a 177 x 177 km x 51.8 deg orbit. At 1903 UTC the Fregat made its second, main, burn for 14 minutes into solar orbit. At 1917 UTC Fregat separated, and later made a third burn to ensure it will miss Mars. This was the first launch of Fregat as an upper stage with the uprated Soyuz-FG rocket.
• Mars Express is in a 1.014 x 1.531 AU x 0.2 deg orbit around the Sun, following a course correction on Jun 5, 2003 and leaving the Earth's nominal sphere of influence on Jun 6.
• Spacecraft is planned to enter a polar 250-11583 km opbit around Mars after arrival on December 25, 2003
  It's instruments include MARSIS subsurface radar sounder, HRSC high resolution colour camera, OMEGA infrared sensor, Planetary Fourier Spectrometer for molecular studies, SPICAM to study an ultraviolet ozone absorption line and an infrared water line, ASPERA-3 to mesure the particle environment and the Mars Radio Science experiment using the radio transmitter.
• The Beagle-2 lander was ejected from Mars Express at 0831 UTC on Dec 19, 2003 and is planned to land on the Martian surface on December 25. 2003. It is encased in an inflatable package to ensure a survivable landing, and once on the Martian surface it will open four connected disks to expose the experiments package. Instruments will permit the analysis of the Martian soil and atmosphere, and a small penetrator is carried which, will allow the recovery of sub-surface soil/rocks for chemical analysis.
• The European Space Agency′s Mars Express probe entered orbit around Mars on Dec 25, 2003 at 0321 UTC, completing a 34 minute engine burn begun at 0247 UTC. The planned final orbit around Mars is 250 x 10243 km x 89 deg, and earlier data suggested the initial orbit would be 3585 x 130000 km x 13 deg, although it appears the apogee was in fact around 188000 km. An apogee burn on Dec 30 changed the inclination to polar.
• The UK's Beagle-2 lander reached the surface of Mars on Dec 25, 2003 at 0252 UTC, but no signals have been received from it.
• Mars Express is now (Jan 2004) in a 260 x 11607 km x 86.59 deg orbit around Mars with perapsis around latitude 25 deg S.
• Mars Express lowered the apoapsis of its orbit around Mars on May 6, 2004; changing the orbit from about 266 x 11580 km x 86.6 deg to about 266 x 10046 km x 86.6 deg.
  
  

  Picture captured during orbit 528 on June 2004.

  Picture captured during orbit 1404 on 27 Nov 2004.

  
  
• On Jan 1, 2010 Mars Express remain operating in Mars orbit, its orbit is 353 x 10333 km x 86.6 deg.
• Europe's Mars Express orbiter has been making close flybys of the small Martian moon Phobos, with a record close approach of 67 km on March 3, 2010 beating the previous 89 km record set by Viking Orbiter 1 on Feb 20, 1977.
  
• Details from ESA are as follows:

    Flyby date     Distance
  
    Feb 16 0552    991 km  
    Feb 22         574 km
    Feb 25         398 km
    Feb 28         226 km
    Mar  3 2055     67 km
  

• Future scheduled flybys for 2010 are:

    Mar  7         107 km
    Mar 10         286 km
    Mar 13         476 km
    Mar 16         662 km
    Mar 19         848 km
    Mar 23        1341 km
    Mar 26        1304 km
  

• On Dec 29, 2013 at 0709 UTC, ESA's Mars Express spacecraft made a flyby 45 km from the surface of Phobos (58 km from its center). Mars Express is in a 318 x 10518 km x 86.9 deg Martian polar orbit; it has just celebrated ten years around the planet!

Astrophilately covers:

Launch cancel Noordwijk (centre ESA)