Mars Science Laboratory: mission and targets

Project start

October 1, 2003

Declared end

not declared

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.

Targets you can open in 3D:

• Mars

A declared target is what the archive files the mission’s data under, not a record of observation.

The Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) project, initiated in 2003, marked a significant advancement in Mars exploration with the successful deployment of the Curiosity rover. Launched on November 26, 2011, and landing in Gale Crater on August 6, 2012, the MSL mission has broadened our understanding of Martian environments and their potential habitability. Throughout its journey to Mars, and during its primary mission which concluded on September 28, 2014, Curiosity undertook comprehensive scientific investigations. These included routine instrument health checks and data collection by the Radiation Assessment Detector (RAD) during transit. On the Martian surface, Curiosity's primary objectives were to assess the biological potential of the landing site, characterize the landing region's geology, study planetary processes relevant to habitability, and quantify the spectrum of surface radiation. The rover gathered crucial data through imaging, spectroscopy, and other analytic techniques to evaluate the composition of Martian soils, rocks, and the atmosphere. These efforts have provided vital insights into Mars' habitability and environmental history. The continuation of these scientific objectives into Curiosity’s first extended mission aims to deepen the exploration of potentially habitable environments that could also preserve organic compounds. Additionally, the mission focuses on exploring and characterizing significant geological transitions in the region surrounding the foothills of Mt. Sharp. This ongoing research is pivotal for understanding the past and present potential for life on Mars and informs future exploratory missions to the Red Planet.

Quoted in English, as the archive publishes it, read on October 4, 2026.

Identifier in the archive, which is its citation: urn:nasa:pds:context:investigation:mission.mars_science_laboratory

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/

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