TRACKER-1ALPHA
48.8566°N / 2.3522°E
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Space probes·NASA

MAVEN

ActiveLaunched in 2013·Mars orbit

Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN: studies how Mars lost its atmosphere and water.

Main objectives
  • Understand how Mars lost its atmosphere and water.
  • Measure the interaction of the solar wind with the Martian atmosphere.
  • Model the climatic evolution of the Red Planet.
Did you know?

Showed that Mars loses ~100 g/s of atmosphere, stripped away by the solar wind.

Timeline

Nov 18, 2013
Launch

Atlas V.

MAVEN
Photo of MAVEN
Mission data
StatusActive
PositionMars orbit
Launched in2013
TargetMars — atmosphere
Budget0.671B USD

Discoveries

[01]
  • MeasurementBreakthrough
    Martian atmospheric loss quantified
    MAVEN measures the erosion of the atmosphere by the solar wind — key to Mars' climate history.
    Nov 05, 2015

Official sources

NASA MAVEN↗