Mars Observer
Artist rendering of Mars Observer in orbit around Mars | |
| Names | Mars Geoscience Climatology Orbiter |
|---|---|
| Mission type | Mars orbiter |
| Operator | NASA / JPL |
| COSPAR ID | 1992-063A |
| SATCAT no. | 22136 |
| Website | science.nasa.gov |
| Mission duration | 330 days Mission failure |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Bus | Mars Observer bus (AS-4000-TIROS/DMSP hybrid) |
| Manufacturer | General Electric Astro Space |
| Launch mass | 1,018 kg (2,244 lb) |
| Power | 1,147 watts |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | September 25, 1992, 17:05:01 UTC |
| Rocket | Commercial Titan III/TOS |
| Launch site | Cape Canaveral LC-40 |
| Contractor | Martin Marietta |
| End of mission | |
| Last contact | August 21, 1993, 01:00 UTC |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Areocentric |
| Semi-major axis | 3,766.159 km (2,340.183 mi) |
| Eccentricity | 0.004049 |
| Inclination | 92.869° |
| Epoch | December 6, 1993 Planned |
| Flyby of Mars (failed insertion) | |
| Closest approach | August 24, 1993 |
Mars Observer was an American robotic space probe launched by NASA on September 25, 1992 to study the surface, atmosphere, climate and magnetic field of Mars. The spacecraft was developed and managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
The project originated with a 1984 proposal for a new Mars mission, originally titled the Mars Geoscience Climatology Orbiter. As the first and ultimately only mission in the Planetary Observer program, its design was based on earlier Earth-orbiting satellites, including the TIROS and DMSP series. Seven scientific instruments were included.
On August 21, 1993, during the interplanetary cruise phase, communication with Mars Observer was lost, three days prior to its scheduled orbital insertion around Mars. Attempts to re-establish communications with the spacecraft were unsuccessful. Investigators concluded that the likely cause of the failure was a rupture of the fuel pressurization tank in the spacecraft's propulsion system. Several instruments designed for Mars Observer, including the Mars Orbiter Camera, were successfully flown on subsequent missions, beginning with Mars Global Surveyor in 1996.