InSight
Mars lander, arrived November 2018 / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport (InSight)[1] mission was a robotic lander designed to study the deep interior of the planet Mars.[1][12][13] It was manufactured by Lockheed Martin Space, was managed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL),[14] and two of its three scientific instruments were built by European agencies.[15] The mission launched on 5 May 2018 at 11:05:01 UTC aboard an Atlas V-401 launch vehicle[16] and successfully landed[17] at Elysium Planitia on Mars on 26 November 2018 at 19:52:59 UTC.[18][19][16][20] InSight was active on Mars for 1440 sols (1480 days; 4 years, 19 days).
Names | Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport Geophysical Monitoring Station (GMS) Discovery # 12 | ||||||||||
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Mission type | Mars lander | ||||||||||
Operator | NASA / Jet Propulsion Laboratory | ||||||||||
COSPAR ID | 2018-042A | ||||||||||
SATCAT no. | 43457 | ||||||||||
Website | Mars.NASA.gov/InSight | ||||||||||
Mission duration | Planned: 709 sols (2 years)[1][2] Final: 1440 sols (4 years, 18 days) | ||||||||||
Spacecraft properties | |||||||||||
Manufacturer | Lockheed Martin Space | ||||||||||
Launch mass | 694 kg (1,530 lb)[3] | ||||||||||
Landing mass | 358 kg (789 lb) | ||||||||||
Dimensions | 6.0 × 1.56 × 1.0 m (19.7 × 5.1 × 3.3 ft) (deployed)[4] | ||||||||||
Power | 600 watts, solar / lithium-ion battery | ||||||||||
Start of mission | |||||||||||
Launch date | 5 May 2018, 11:05:01 UTC | ||||||||||
Rocket | Atlas V 401[5] | ||||||||||
Launch site | Vandenberg, SLC-3E | ||||||||||
Contractor | United Launch Alliance | ||||||||||
Entered service | 26 November 2018 | ||||||||||
End of mission | |||||||||||
Declared | 21 December 2022 | ||||||||||
Last contact | 15 December 2022 (official)[6][7] | ||||||||||
Mars lander | |||||||||||
Landing date | 26 November 2018, 19:52:59 UTC[2] MSD 51511 05:14 AMT | ||||||||||
Landing site | Elysium Planitia[8][9] 4.5024°N 135.6234°E / 4.5024; 135.6234 (InSight landing site)[10] | ||||||||||
Flyby of Mars | |||||||||||
Spacecraft component | Mars Cube One (MarCO) | ||||||||||
Closest approach | 26 November 2018, 19:52:59 UTC[2] | ||||||||||
Distance | 3,500 km (2,200 mi)[11] | ||||||||||
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InSight mission logo |
InSight's objectives were to place a seismometer, called Seismic Experiment for Interior Structure (SEIS), on the surface of Mars to measure seismic activity and provide accurate 3D models of the planet's interior; and measure internal heat transfer using a heat probe called HP3 to study Mars' early geological evolution.[21] This was intended to provide a new understanding of how the Solar System's terrestrial planets – Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars – and Earth's Moon formed and evolved.
The lander was originally planned for launch in March 2016.[13][22] An instrument problem delayed the launch beyond the 2016 launch window. NASA officials rescheduled the InSight launch to May 2018[23] and during the wait the instrument was repaired. This increased the total cost from US$675 million to US$830 million.[24]
InSight successfully landed on Mars on 26 November 2018. Due to excessive dust on its solar panels preventing it from recharging, NASA put InSight in low-power mode for detecting seismic events in July 2022 and continued monitoring the lander through the operational period ending in December 2022.[25][26] On 20 December 2022, NASA announced that the InSight lander had lost communications with Earth on 15 December 2022, with the end of the mission being declared on 21 December 2022.[6][7]