Nozomi

Launch data: Designation  25383 / 98041A Launch date  03 Jul 1998 - 18:12 UT Launch site  Kagoshima Launch vehicle  M-5 (#3) Mission  Mars probe Heliocentric orbit Perihelion / Aphelion   Incl. to ecliptic   ° Period   min

Spacecraft data: Prime contractor   Operator  ISAS Platform   Mass at launch   kg Dry Mass   kg Basic shape   Dimension   Solar array   Stabilization   DC power   Design lifetime

Mission details:

• The Planet-B probe to Mars was launched on Jul 3, 1998. The ISAS M-5 launch vehicle took off from Kagoshima space center in Japan and placed Planet-B in parking orbit. After lunar flybys, Planet-B will be placed in solar orbit and reach Mars in Oct 1999. It carries instruments to study the Martian ionosphere and plasma environment from Mars orbit.
• The M-V-3 launch vehicle took off from Kagoshima Space Center; the third stage and payload entered a 146 x 417 km x 31.1 deg parking orbit. The KM-V1 kick (fourth) stage then fired to place Nozomi in a 359 x 401491 km x 28.6 deg deep orbit, from which it will make lunar and Earth gravity assist passes to increase its energy for solar orbit insertion and the cruise to Mars. M-V-3 was the second M-V launch (M-V-2, carrying the Lunar A probe, has been delayed).
• Nozomi made six orbits in a 700 x 480000 km parking orbit before a lunar flyby on Sep 24, 1998 placed it in a large loop orbit with an apogee of at least 1.6 million km, which it reached on about Nov 10 before falling back to its second lunar encounter on Dec 18.
• Nozomi Mars probe made a lunar flyby at an altitude of 2809 km on Dec 18, 1998 at 0734 UTC followed by a 1003 km Earth flyby on Dec 20 at 0810 UTC. The perigee burn resulted in an escape orbit with too little velocity, and a correction burn on Dec 21 had to use much more fuel than planned to adjust the trajectory.
• Following its propulsion problems, ISAS' Nozomi probe will remain in solar orbit until Dec 2003, entering Mars orbit four years late.
• The Japanese Mars probe, Nozomi, flew past the planet on Dec 14, 2003 at a height of 1000 km. Attempts to operate the spacecraft's main propulsion system failed, and small thrusters were used to increase the flyby distance by about 100 km to ensure a clean miss. The mission has now been abandoned, and Nozomi will enter a new orbit around the Sun.