Planetary Science
Mars Express is a space exploration mission being conducted by the European Space Agency (ESA). The Mars Express mission is exploring the planet Mars, and is the first planetary mission attempted by the agency. Mars Express consists of two parts, the Mars Express Orbiter and Beagle 2, a lander designed to perform exobiology and geochemistry research. Although the lander failed to fully deploy after it landed on the Martian surface, the orbiter has been successfully performing scientific measurements since early 2004, namely, high-resolution imaging and mineralogical mapping of the surface, radar sounding of the subsurface structure down to the permafrost, precise determination of the atmospheric circulation and composition, and study of the interaction of the atmosphere with the interplanetary medium.
Orbital Attempt
#4,598
RFSA Mission
#128
Pad Launch
#331
Location Launch
#1,205
Designator
2003-022
Jun 2, 2003, 5:45 PM
1 update
The Soyuz FG is a medium-lift launch vehicle qualified for manned launches and used to deliver Soyuz Spacecraft to Orbit for Missions to the International Space Station.
Length
4.95 m
Diameter
2.68 m
Launch Mass
305 t
LEO Capacity
7,100 kg
Reusable
No
Maiden Flight
2003
Fastest Turnaround
1mo 19d
Total Launches
10
Successful
10
Failed
0
Consecutive Success
10
Maiden flight: Jun 2, 2003
The Roscosmos State Corporation for Space Activities, commonly known as Roscosmos, is the governmental body responsible for the space science program of the Russian Federation and general aerospace research. Soyuz has many launch locations the Russian sites are Baikonur, Plesetsk and Vostochny however Ariane also purchases the vehicle and launches it from French Guiana.
Founded
1992
Administrator
Administrator: Yuri Borisov
Total Launches
341
Successful
330
Failed
11
Pending
3
Consecutive Success
65
The Baikonur Cosmodrome is a spaceport operated by Russia within Kazakhstan. Located in the Kazakh city of Baikonur, it is the largest operational space launch facility in terms of area. All Russian crewed spaceflights are launched from Baikonur.
Timezone
Asia/Qyzylorda
Local Launch Time
Jun 2, 2003, 11:45 PM
Total Launches
1,563
Total Landings
0
Coordinates
45.9650, 63.3050