Mariner 9: mission and targets
Data as of 2026-10-04
Dates declared by the archive
- Project start
- June 1, 1968
- Declared end
- June 1, 1973
The start the archive declares is the start of the project, not the launch, and an end it does not declare does not mean the mission is still running.
In Galaxy
Targets you can open in 3D:
A declared target is what the archive files the mission’s data under, not a record of observation.
Description published by the archive
On November 14, 1971, Mariner 9 became the first spacecraft to orbit another planet when it established orbit around Mars. Six experiments were carried as part of the science payload: television, ultraviolet spectrometer, infrared spectroscopy, infrared radiometry, S-band occultation and celestial mechanics. The mission was originally planned as a pair, similar to the Mariner 6 and 7 missions, but Mariner 8 was lost because of guidance difficulties in the second stage of the launch vehicle. It was determined that an orbit for a single-spacecraft mission could be developed to meet all basic mission and specific science objectives. A single-spacecraft plan, involving an inclination of 65 degrees, a period of about 12 hours, a periapsis altitude of 1350 Km, and an arrival date of November 14, 1971, was evaluated and formalized in 2 weeks. Mariner 9 carried on the Mariner program investigation of the Martian atmosphere, and mapping of the Martian surface at the highest resolution yet achieved at the time.
Quoted in English, as the archive publishes it, read on October 4, 2026.
Source
Identifier in the archive, which is its citation: urn:nasa:pds:context:investigation:mission.mariner71
NASA Planetary Data System, PDS Registry, investigation context products. Dates and targets read on September 29, 2026; how to cite the archive: https://pds.nasa.gov/datastandards/citing/