Satellite Sets New Relay Record for Sending Martian Messages to Earth

For 19 years, the Mars Express spacecraft has orbited the Red Planet, offering breathtaking views and helpful insights of Mars. The hard-working orbiter has not solely relayed its personal knowledge again to Earth, but additionally offered a communication line between different Martian missions and floor management.

The European Space Agency’s (ESA) Mars Express just lately set a brand new report by relaying knowledge for a complete of seven totally different Mars floor missions, an essential feat in serving to scientists paint an entire image of the planet’s historical past, the area company announced on Friday. Its newest long-distance name was made on behalf of NASA’s Perseverance rover, the Martian robotic that has been roaming the Red Planet since February 2021.

This isn’t the primary time a Martian rover borrowed a line to Earth from the Mars Express spacecraft. In 2004, the orbiter flew over NASA’s Spirit rover and beamed a collection of instructions right down to the robotic, whereas Spirit despatched up its knowledge for Mars Express to relay it again to Earth. This marked the primary time two area businesses created a communications community round one other planet.

After its three-way-call with Spirit and floor management, ESA’s Mars Express carried out seven communication checks with Spirit’s twin rover, Opportunity, in 2008. Later on in 2012, Mars Express transferred valuable knowledge from NASA’s Curiosity rover, which has been roaming Mars for 10 years, to mission management. The spacecraft did so by pointing its lander communication antenna in direction of Curiosity for quarter-hour whereas the rover relayed its knowledge to it, after which pointing its extra highly effective high-gain antenna in direction of Earth to downlink the knowledge. The knowledge in query was a photograph of a rock on Mars, and it marked the primary time Mars Express was used to switch scientific knowledge.

Aside from the 4 NASA robots, Mars Express additionally relayed knowledge from NASA’s InSight Lander and China’s Zhurong rover. The orbiter additionally helped observe the touchdown of the NASA Phoenix Lander in May 2008.

The Mars Express spacecraft left Earth for Mars in June 2003 and entered Martian orbit following a six-month journey via area. The ageing orbiter continues to be going sturdy and just lately had a much-needed software program improve to enhance its skill to ship and obtain alerts. Although Mars Express is ESA’s lowest-cost mission so far, it has been delivering helpful knowledge on Mars, in addition to its moon Phobos. After 19 years in service, the orbiter might finish its mission by December of this 12 months, and eventually grasp up its line to Earth.

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