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Mars Global Surveyor Program

NASA’s Mars Global Surveyor was a global mapping orbiter that examined Mars from the ionosphere through the atmosphere and surface into the interior. Launched on November 7, 1996, it operated for more than nine years, mapping topography, composition, weather, and water-related evidence and supporting later Mars missions as part of NASA’s Mars Exploration Program. JPL managed the mission for NASA.

Mars Global Surveyor Program
NASA/JPL-Caltech, PIA17486: Mars Global Surveyor (Artist’s Concept) · NASA/JPL-Caltech image. NASA media may generally be reused for factual, educational, and informational purposes with credit under NASA media guidelines; NASA/JPL/Caltech names and logos remain protected, and no endorsement is implied. · Source

Identity

Aliases
Mars Global SurveyorMGSMars Global Surveyor Mission
Domains
spaceflight
Name
Mars Global Surveyor Program
Status
completed
Types
explorationscienceoperations

Details

Description
NASA’s Mars Global Surveyor was a global mapping orbiter that examined Mars from the ionosphere through the atmosphere and surface into the interior. Launched on November 7, 1996, it operated for more than nine years, mapping topography, composition, weather, and water-related evidence and supporting later Mars missions as part of NASA’s Mars Exploration Program. JPL managed the mission for NASA.
End Date
2006
Leads
Parent Program
Participants
Start Date
1996

Assets & Meta

Creation Time
August 13, 2026 at 12:19:43 UTC
Updated Time
August 23, 2026 at 00:51:45 UTC
Image
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Other

Official Urls
https://science.nasa.gov/mission/mars-global-surveyor/https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/missions/mars-global-surveyor/