Mars 96
Mars 96 — Russia's first mission to Mars: an orbiter carrying two small surface stations and two penetrators (launched 16 November 1996). The burn meant to send it toward Mars did not happen as planned, and a few hours later, early on 17 November, it re-entered over the Pacific and South America. (Its brief Earth orbit is shown representatively.)
Key facts
Mission & specifications
Mission
- Operator
- Lavochkin / IKI (Russia)
- Launched
- November 16, 1996
- Status
- Lost
Trajectory
- Distance from the Sun
- 0.996 AU
- Computed from the cached position
- Distance from Earth
- 1,461,182 km
- Computed from cached positions
- Distance from Venus
- 0.276 AU
- Computed from cached positions
Mission
Mars 96 was the first Russian mission to Mars after the Soviet Union's collapse, and one of the most ambitious ever attempted. Weighing more than six tonnes, it carried an orbiter with more than 20 instruments, two small surface stations cushioned by inflatable shells, and two penetrators designed to drive 6 to 8 m into the ground and work as a seismic network. It was launched on 16 November 1996 and reached a parking orbit around Earth, but the next burn, meant to send it toward Mars, did not happen as planned. Early on 17 November it re-entered the atmosphere, between about 00:45 and 01:30 UT according to NSSDCA, somewhere in an area covering parts of the Pacific, Chile and Bolivia. It carried about 200 grams of plutonium-238 in its power sources; they are thought to have survived re-entry, but none has been reported found. Had it worked, it would have reached Mars in September 1997.
- 1996Mars 96 launches on a Proton rocketLaunch
An orbiter, two surface stations and two penetrators reach a parking orbit.
The burn toward Mars never happens as planned; it comes down over the Pacific and South America.
Images
Images from open archives · credit shown per image