This is the first part of ESA’s and Roscosmos’s Mars exploration programme (ExoMars). The launch in the 2016 Mars window will consist of an orbiter and lander and will take 7 months to travel to Mars. The Trace Gas Orbiter will search for trace gases in the atmosphere such as methane and hydrogen. The Schiaparelli lander will travel with the orbiter until each reaches Mars, where it will attempt to descend through the atmosphere and land on the surface. The lander only contains a small array of scientific instruments, to conduct experiments over 4 Martian days.
Khrunichev State Research and Production Space Center is a Moscow-based producer of spacecraft and space-launch systems, including the Proton and Rokot rockets and is currently developing the Angara rocket family. The Proton launch vehicle launches from Baikonur and Rokot launches from Baikonur and Plesetsk. Angara will launch from Plesetsk and Vostochny.
INFO WIKITen years after arriving at Mars, ESA’s ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO) has grown far beyond its original ambitions. From revealing the martian atmosphere to becoming a vital communications link with the surface, the mission’s story is als…
What happens when a solar superstorm hits Mars? Thanks to the European Space Agency’s Mars orbiters, we now know: glitching spacecraft and a supercharged upper atmosphere.
Paris, France (ESA) Nov 14, 2025 Since comet 3I/ATLAS, the third known interstellar object, was discovered on 1 July 2025, astronomers worldwide have worked to predict its trajectory. ESA has now improved the comet's predicted locatio…
18 Low Earth Orbit communication satellites with Ku, Q and V band payloads for the G60 constellation operated by Shanghai Spacesail Technologies with…
Synthetic aperture radar Earth observation satellite for Japanese Earth imaging company iQPS.
A batch of 27 satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation - SpaceX's project for space-based Internet communication system.
This is a replacement satellite for the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System. The constellation will provide India with an alternative to GPS …
A batch of 27 satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation - SpaceX's project for space-based Internet communication system.
A batch of 9 Low Earth Orbit communication satellites for the Chinese state owned SatNet constellation operated by the China Satellite Network Group.…
A batch of 27 satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation - SpaceX's project for space-based Internet communication system.
6 Chinese military “remote sensing” satellite of unknown purposes.
The Yaogan 50-03 is a Chinese military “remote sensing” satellite of unknown purposes.
HawkEye 360 is a a space-based civil global intelligence satellite network using radio frequency (RF) technology to help monitor transportation acros…