MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry, and Ranging: mission and targets
Data as of 2026-10-04
Dates declared by the archive
- Project start
- August 3, 2004
- Declared end
- April 30, 2015
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
Mercury Surface, Space Environment, Geochemistry, and Ranging (MESSENGER) launched in August 2004. It entered into orbit around Mercury on March 18, 2011. It was to study the chemical composition, geology, and magnetic field of Mercury. It impacted the planet on April 30, 2015.
Quoted in English, as the archive publishes it, read on October 4, 2026.
Other targets declared
1 calibration targets declared by the archive are not listed: they are what an instrument looks at to adjust itself, not a place the mission aimed at.
Source
Identifier in the archive, which is its citation: urn:nasa:pds:context:investigation:mission.messenger
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/