Artist's impression of the Phoenix spacecraft as it lands on Mars.
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Mission type | Mars lander | ||||||||||||||||
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Operator | NASA · JPL · University of Arizona | ||||||||||||||||
COSPAR ID | 2007-034A | ||||||||||||||||
SATCAT no. | 32003 | ||||||||||||||||
Website | phoenix |
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Mission duration | 90 martian sols (planned) 157 martian sols (actual) |
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Spacecraft properties | |||||||||||||||||
Manufacturer | JPL · CSA · University of Arizona · University of Texas · Malin Space Science Systems · Max Planck Institute | ||||||||||||||||
Landing mass | 350 kg (770 lb) | ||||||||||||||||
Power | 450W, Solar array / NiH2 battery | ||||||||||||||||
Start of mission | |||||||||||||||||
Launch date | August 4, 2007UTC (9 years, 6 months and 15 days ago) |
09:26 ||||||||||||||||
Rocket | Delta II 7925 | ||||||||||||||||
Launch site | Cape Canaveral SLC-17 | ||||||||||||||||
Contractor | Lockheed Martin Space Systems | ||||||||||||||||
End of mission | |||||||||||||||||
Last contact | November 2, 2008 (8 years, 3 months and 17 days ago) |
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Mars lander | |||||||||||||||||
Landing date | May 25, 2008UTC MSD 47777 01:02 AMT (8 years, 8 months and 22 days ago) |
23:53:44 ||||||||||||||||
Landing site |
Green Valley, Vastitas Borealis, Mars 68°13′N 125°42′W / 68.22°N 125.7°W |
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Instruments | |
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RA | Robotic arm |
RAC | Robotic Arm Camera |
TEGA | Thermal and Evolved Gas Analyzer |
MARDI | Mars Descent Imager |
MET | Meteorological station |
SSI | Surface Stereo Imager |
MECA | Microscopy, Electrochemistry, and Conductivity Analyzer |
Phoenix Mars Lander mission logo
Phoenix was a robotic spacecraft on a space exploration mission on Mars under the Mars Scout Program. The Phoenix lander descended on Mars on May 25, 2008. Mission scientists used instruments aboard the lander to search for environments suitable for microbial life on Mars, and to research the history of water there. The total mission cost was about US $386 million, which includes cost of the launch.
The multi-agency program was headed by the Lunar and Planetary Laboratory at the University of Arizona, under the direction of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The program was a partnership of universities in the United States, Canada, Switzerland, Denmark, Germany, the United Kingdom, NASA, the Canadian Space Agency, the Finnish Meteorological Institute, Lockheed Martin Space Systems, MacDonald Dettwiler & Associates (MDA) and other aerospace companies. It was the first mission to Mars led by a public university in NASA history. It was led directly from the University of Arizona's campus in Tucson, with project management at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., and project development at Lockheed Martin in Denver, Colorado. The operational funding for the mission extended through November 10, 2008.