Status
Success
Rocket
Mission Details
Mariner 9
Mariner 9 (Mariner Mars '71 / Mariner-I) was a robotic space probe that contributed greatly to the exploration of Mars and was part of the NASA Mariner program. Mariner 9 became the first spacecraft to orbit another planet – only narrowly beating the Soviet probes Mars 2 (launched May 19) and Mars 3 (launched May 28), which both arrived at Mars only weeks later.
Payloads: 1
Total Mass: 998.0 kg
Heliocentric Orbit
Location
SLC-36B, Cape Canaveral SFS, Florida, USA
Stats
1971
55th orbital launch attempt
Atlas-Centaur
24th mission
3rd mission of 1971
16th successful mission
1st consecutive successful mission