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MAVEN

The Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN (MAVEN) mission is the first mission devoted to understanding the Martian upper atmosphere.

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The Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN (MAVEN) mission will determine how much of the Martian atmosphere has been lost over time by measuring the current rate of escape to space and gathering enough information about the relevant processes to allow extrapolation backward in time.

Type

Orbiter

Launch / Orbit Insertion

Nov. 18, 2013 / <br>Sept. 21, 2014

Target

Mars

Objective

Understanding the Martian upper atmosphere

Celebrate MAVEN: 10 Years at Mars

Download the commemorative poster.

Go about Celebrate MAVEN: 10 Years at Mars

Meet the MAVEN Orbiter

Citizen Science Project

Using data collected from MAVEN’s Imaging Ultraviolet Spectrograph (IUVS), you can help answer understand Mars’ atmosphere and climate. Questions include:

  • What are the daily, seasonal, or annual patterns in Martian cloud shapes and distributions?
  • How well do cloud forms reflect prevailing wind patterns?
  • Do the structural similarities between Earth and Mars’ cloud types point to similar formation mechanisms?
Learn more about Cloudspotting on Mars
A series of four full disc images of Mars show clouds moving across the globe.
Ultraviolet Mars Reveals Cloud Formation: The ultraviolet colors of the planet have been rendered in false color, to show what we would see with ultraviolet-sensitive eyes. This images uses four MAVEN images to show about seven hours of Mars rotation during this period, and interleaves simulated views that would be seen between the four images.
NASA/MAVEN/University of Colorado
MAVEN Mission Key Facts
LaunchNov. 18, 2013
Launch LocationCape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida
Launch VehicleAtlas V01
Mars Orbit InsertionSept. 21, 2014
Length37.5 feet (11.4 meters)
Width90 inches (2.29 meters)
Height11.4 feet (3.47 meters)
MassDry (unfueled) mass at launch: 1,784 pounds (809 kilograms)
Wet (fueled with hydrazine) mass at launch: 5,410 pounds (2,454 kilograms)
Science payload: 143 pounds (65 kilograms) in eight instruments
PowerMore than 2,000 solar cells on four panels cover 129 square feet (12m2) and generate between 1,150 and 1,700 watts (depending on spacecraft’s position in Mars orbit); solar panels power two 55-amp-hour lithium ion batteries.
High-gain Antenna6.56 feet (2 meters) in diameter
Communications14 pounds (6.5 kilograms). Electra UHF communications package to provide data relay from rovers and landers on Mars back to Earth.
Mission DurationOngoing
Learn More About the MAVEN Mission
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