by Olivier Witasse, Daniel Scuka, and Emily Baldwin

Mars Express celebrates a decade of orbital observations of the Red Planet

Mars Express 10 year highlightsOn June 2, 2003, the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Mars Express orbiter was launched toward the red planet, entering into orbit just six months later. Though the accompanying Beagle 2 lander failed to establish radio contact from Mars’s surface, the orbiter is still swinging around Mars ten years on. Mars Express orbits roughly every 8 hours to collect data on Mars, its moons, and even the Sun.

Via Sky & Telescope