Mars Express is the European Space Agency's first planetary mission, a spacecraft sent to study the interior, surface, atmosphere and environment of Mars and its moons. It was launched on 2 June 2003 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on a Soyuz-FG/Fregat rocket and has orbited Mars since the end of 2003, long after its Beagle 2 lander failed to deploy fully on the surface. The orbiter is a cube-shaped three-axis stabilised craft with two solar panel wings and a bipropellant 400 N main engine, and it carries seven scientific instruments. The prime contractor for the construction of the orbiter was EADS Astrium Satellites, the Astrium business that later became part of Airbus Defence and Space, and its design was reused for the Venus Express mission. The mission has been extended repeatedly and now has a confirmed operating period until the end of 2026.
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Source Mars Express (Wikipedia)
Of Make
Source Mars Express (Wikipedia)
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Same As
Also in Space and Astronomy Atlas: the same subject.
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Source Mars Express (Wikipedia)Budget, prime contractorQuote, Budget, prime contractor
The prime contractor for the construction of Mars Express orbiter was EADS Astrium Satellites.
Originated In
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject originated.
Source European Space Agency: Mars Express overviewIndustrial contractorsQuote, Industrial contractors
Astrium SAS of Toulouse, France, was the prime contractor for Mars Express, leading a consortium of 24 companies from 15 European countries and the US.
Sources
1. Mars Express (Wikipedia)
Launch section
The spacecraft was launched on June 2, 2003, at 23:45 local time (17:45 UT, 1:45 p.m. EDT) from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, using a Soyuz-FG/Fregat rocket.
Lead
Mars Express is a space exploration mission by the European Space Agency (ESA) exploring the planet Mars and its moons since 2003, and the first planetary mission attempted by ESA.
Propulsion, main engine
The body is built around the main propulsion system, which consists of a bipropellant 400 N main engine.
Lead, mission extensions
The latest was approved on March 7, 2023, consisting of a confirmed operating period until December 31, 2026, and a further provisional extension to December 31, 2028.
Budget, prime contractor
The prime contractor for the construction of Mars Express orbiter was EADS Astrium Satellites.
Exemplifies: Space Transport, Lead, planetary mission
Mars Express is a space exploration mission by the European Space Agency (ESA) exploring the planet Mars and its moons since 2003, and the first planetary mission attempted by ESA.
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