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Delta II | Mars Pathfinder

Delta II | Mars Pathfinder

Status: Success  |  Launched: Dec 04, 1996 06:58 UTC

Launch Provider & Rocket

Mission

he MPF (Mars Pathfinder) (formerly known as the Mars Environmental Survey, or MESUR Pathfinder) is the second of NASA's low-cost planetary Discovery missions. The mission consists of a stationary lander and a surface rover. The mission has the primary objective of demonstrating the feasibility of low-cost landings on and exploration of the Martian surface. This objective will be met by tests of communications between the rover and lander, and the lander and Earth, and tests of the imaging devices and sensors.

  • Type: Robotic Exploration
  • Orbit: Heliocentric N/A (Helio-N/A)

Launch Site

  • Pad: Space Launch Complex 17B
  • Location: Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA
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Program

  • Discovery Program — The Discovery Program is a series of Solar System exploration missions funded by the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) through its Planetary Missions Program Office. The cost of each mission is capped at a lower level than missions from NASA's New Frontiers or Flagship Programs. As a result, Discovery missions tend to be more focused on a specific scientific goal rather than serving a general purpose. (Wikipedia)

Launch data sourced automatically from the Launch Library 2 API. Last refreshed: 2026-08-22T21:02:10.804714+00:00.