TRACKER-1ALPHA
48.8566°N / 2.3522°E
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Official Curiosity patch
Rovers·NASA

Curiosity

ActiveLaunched in 2011·Mars / Gale

Confirmed that Mars once hosted conditions favorable to life billions of years ago.

Main objectives
  • Assess the past habitability of Gale Crater (water, organics, minerals).
  • Study the climatic and geological evolution of Mars over billions of years.
  • Map the ground and atmosphere with onboard instruments (SAM, ChemCam…).
Did you know?

Designed for 2 years, still active after more than 13 years. It has traveled over 32 km across Gale Crater, climbing Mount Sharp layer by layer.

Timeline

Nov 26, 2011
Launch

Atlas V from Cape Canaveral.

Aug 06, 2012
Gale landing

Sky Crane (first use).

Jun 07, 2018
Organic molecules

Detection of ancient organic molecules.

Curiosity
Photo of Curiosity
Mission data
StatusActive
PositionMars / Gale
Launched in2011
TargetMars — Gale Crater
Budget2.5B USD

Specifications

Mass899 kg
PowerRTG (110 W)
Distance traveled32+ km

Discoveries

[03]
  • MeasurementMajor
    Seasonal cycle of Martian methane
    SAM confirms annual variations of CH₄ correlated with temperature and pressure.
    Jun 07, 2024
  • MeasurementBreakthrough
    Organic molecules in mudstone
    Detection of thiophenes and organic molecules preserved for 3 billion years.
    Jun 07, 2018
  • MeasurementMajor
    Yellowknife Bay — ancient liquid water
    Analysis of mudstones proving a habitable freshwater lake 3 billion years ago.
    Dec 09, 2013

Official sources

NASA MSL↗