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Mars Science Laboratory

Mars Science Laboratory
MSL cruise stage configuration (PIA14831).png
MSL cruise configuration
Mission type Mars rover
Operator NASA
COSPAR ID 2011-070A
SATCAT № 37936
Website http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/
Mission duration Primary: 669 Martian sols
     (687 days)
Elapsed: 1604 sols
     (1648 days)
Spacecraft properties
Manufacturer JPL, Lockheed Martin
Launch mass 3,839 kg (8,463 lb)
Start of mission
Launch date November 26, 2011, 15:02:00.211 (2011-11-26UTC15:02) UTC
Rocket Atlas V 541 (AV-028)
Launch site Cape Canaveral SLC-41
Contractor United Launch Alliance
Mars rover
Landing date August 6, 2012, 05:17 UTCSCET
MSD 49269 05:50:16 AMT
Landing site "Bradbury Landing" in Gale Crater
4°35′22″S 137°26′30″E / 4.5895°S 137.4417°E / -4.5895; 137.4417
Mars Science Laboratory mission logo.png

Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) is a robotic space probe mission to Mars launched by NASA on November 26, 2011, which successfully landed Curiosity, a Mars rover, in Gale Crater on August 6, 2012. The overall objectives include investigating Mars' habitability, studying its climate and geology, and collecting data for a manned mission to Mars. The rover carries a variety of scientific instruments designed by an international team.

MSL successfully carried out the most accurate Martian landing of any known spacecraft, hitting a small target landing ellipse of only 7 by 20 km (4.3 by 12.4 mi), in the Aeolis Palus region of Gale Crater. In the event, MSL achieved a landing 2.4 km (1.5 mi) east and 400 m (1,300 ft) north of the center of the target. This location is near the mountain Aeolis Mons (a.k.a. "Mount Sharp"). The rover mission is set to explore for at least 687 Earth days (1 Martian year) over a range of 5 by 20 km (3.1 by 12.4 mi).

The Mars Science Laboratory mission is part of NASA's Mars Exploration Program, a long-term effort for the robotic exploration of Mars that is managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory of California Institute of Technology. The total cost of the MSL project is about US$2.5 billion.

Previous successful U.S. Mars rovers include Sojourner from the Mars Pathfinder mission and the Mars Exploration Rovers Spirit and Opportunity. Curiosity is about twice as long and five times as heavy as Spirit and Opportunity, and carries over ten times the mass of scientific instruments.


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