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MRO

Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter

The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, or MRO, has studied the Red Planet's atmosphere and terrain from orbit since 2006 and also serves as a key data relay station for other Mars missions.

Visit Mission Website
MRO Foreground

Mission Statistics

Launch Date

Aug. 12, 2005

Type

Orbiter

Target

Mars

Status

Current

About the mission

The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, or MRO, has studied the Red Planet's atmosphere and terrain from orbit since 2006 and also serves as a key data relay station for other Mars missions, including the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity.

Equipped with a powerful camera called HiRISE that has aided in a number of discoveries, the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter has sent back thousands of stunning images of the Martian surface that are helping scientists learn more about Mars, including the history of water flows on or near the planet's surface.

Instruments

  • High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE)
  • Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars (CRISM)
  • Mars Color Imager (MARCI)
  • Context Imager (CTX)
  • Shallow Radar (SHARAD)
  • Mars Climate Sounder (MCS)
  • Accelerometers

Interactive 3D model of Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. View the full interactive experience at Eyes on the Solar System.