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Russian Federal Space Agency (ROSCOSMOS)Soyuz-FG Fregat31/6, Baikonur Cosmodrome, Republic of Kazakhstan
Mars Express
Launched
June 2, 2003
Summary
Mars Express launched on a Russian Federal Space Agency (ROSCOSMOS) Soyuz-FG Fregat from 31/6, Baikonur Cosmodrome, Republic of Kazakhstan on June 2, 2003. It was Russian Federal Space Agency (ROSCOSMOS)'s 128th launch, 3rd this year and humanity's 4,598th orbital launch attempt. It was the 1st Soyuz-FG Fregat flight. The payload was bound for Mars Orbit (Mars). Mars Express, one of 2 catalogued objects, reached a 185 × 185 km orbit inclined 51.8°. 2 objects from this launch are catalogued, one of them a payload.
- Watch
- No webcast on record.
- Booster
- No booster details on record.
- Mission
- Planetary Science · Mars Orbit (Mars)
- Milestone
- 1st Soyuz-FG Fregat flightRussian Federal Space Agency (ROSCOSMOS)'s 128th launch3rd this yearhumanity's 4,598th orbital launch attempt22nd orbital launch attempt this year
Flight preview
Orbit: as tracked
Mars Express · NORAD 27816 · 2003-022 · Space-Track · tracking 1 of 2 objects
Show the numbers for orbit elements
- Object
- MARS EXPRESS
- Object ID
- 2003-022A
- Epoch
- 2003-06-02 17:55:38 UTC
- Mean motion
- 16.35650938 rev/day
- Eccentricity
- 0.000001
- Inclination
- 51.755°
- Ascending node
- 167.648°
- Arg. of perigee
- 0°
- Mean anomaly
- 88.282°
- Element set
- 999
- Rev at epoch
- 0
- B*
- 0
Perigee, apogee and period are Kepler figures from the catalogued mean elements, not a propagated state. Published orbit: Mars. Ascent drawn from padside's representative profile.
Catalogued objects
2 catalogued: 1 payload, 1 rocket stage
- Mars Express · NORAD 27816 · left Earth orbit June 3, 2003
Fregat No. 1005 · left Earth orbit June 3, 2003
Data from J. McDowell, planet4589.org
About this launch
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.
News
Mars’s oddest cloud may be even odder than we thoughtScientists using the European Space Agency's Mars Express, in combination with a state-of-the-art meteorological model of the Red Planet, have found that there may be some very exotic physics behind Mars’s most curious cloud.
Purple swirls on the Red PlanetThis image shows a prominent ice cliff near Mars’s south pole. With striking swirls of purple, pink and red, it’s a far cry from the colour palette we usually associate with the Red Planet.
Fly around Schiaparelli Crater with Mars ExpressESA’s Mars Express takes us on another mesmerising flight, this time around one of the biggest craters on Mars.
ESA’s Mars Express meets NASA’s PsycheFrom the ESA Blogs.
Dozens of dust devils hidden in plain sightThe European Space Agency’s Mars Express has captured part of Mars’s Mamers Valles: a fascinating valley system speckled with brief, tornado-like whirlwinds known as dust devils.
Pad
31/6, Baikonur Cosmodrome, Republic of Kazakhstan
331st launch from 31/6, 1st this year · 1,205th from Baikonur Cosmodrome, Republic of Kazakhstan
430 launches from this pad · 1,565 from Baikonur Cosmodrome, Republic of Kazakhstan
about 3 years after the previous launch from this pad
All launches from Baikonur Cosmodrome, Republic of KazakhstanOpen in maps
Questions
When did Mars Express launch?
Mars Express launched on June 2, 2003. The time is known to the hour, not the minute.
Where can I watch Mars Express?
No webcast is on record for this launch.
What rocket launched Mars Express?
Soyuz-FG Fregat, flown by Russian Federal Space Agency (ROSCOSMOS). Soyuz-FG Fregat spec sheet
Where did Mars Express launch from?
31/6, Baikonur Cosmodrome, Republic of Kazakhstan.
What orbit did Mars Express reach?
Mars Express, one of 2 catalogued objects, reached a 185 × 185 km orbit inclined 51.8°.
How many satellites did Mars Express launch?
1 payload from this launch is catalogued (Data from J. McDowell, planet4589.org).