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Mariner 10 spacecraft

Mariner 10 was a solar-powered NASA spacecraft developed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory for flybys of Venus and Mercury. It pioneered planetary gravity assist, using Venus to reach Mercury, and completed three Mercury encounters that returned the first close-range survey of the planet.

Mariner 10 spacecraft
NASA / Jet Propulsion Laboratory · NASA/JPL asset; the exact NASA Mariner 10 image article identifies this matching spacecraft-instrument photograph and credits NASA/JPL. NASA’s current Images and Media Usage Guidelines generally permit factual or informational/editorial use with NASA attribution and without implying NASA endorsement. NASA insignia and identifiers, third-party material, identifiable-person rights, and commercial, promotional, merchandise, or other protected-rights uses may require separate clearance; verify before such use. · Source
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Identity

Aliases
Mariner-73J spacecraftMariner J spacecraft
Family Name
Mariner 10
Full Name
Mariner 10 spacecraft
Roles
interplanetary_probeflybyresearch
Status
retired
Type
spacecraft

Details

Description
Mariner 10 was a solar-powered NASA spacecraft developed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory for flybys of Venus and Mercury. It pioneered planetary gravity assist, using Venus to reach Mercury, and completed three Mercury encounters that returned the first close-range survey of the planet.
First Flight Year
1,973
Last Flight Year
1,973
Manufacturer
Operator
Propulsion Configurations
  • Entries
    • Count
      1
      Propulsion System
      Role
      maneuvering
      Stage
      spacecraft
      Variant Notes
      One nominal 51 lbf hydrazine monopropellant rocket engine for Mariner 10 midcourse trajectory correction.
    • Count
      1
      Propulsion System
      Role
      attitude-control
      Stage
      spacecraft
      Variant Notes
      Ten nitrogen cold-gas jets for Mariner 10 yaw, pitch, and roll stabilization.
    Name
    Mariner 10 hydrazine trajectory-correction and nitrogen attitude-control installation
    Notes
    JPL describes the Mariner spacecraft architecture as a liquid hydrazine motor for trajectory correction and ten cold-gas nitrogen jets for yaw, pitch, and roll stabilization. NASA identifies the Mariner Venus/Mercury 1973 vehicle as Mariner 10.
Spacecraft Specs
Launch Mass Kg
502.9
Reusability
expendable

Links

Official Url
https://science.nasa.gov/mission/mariner-10/

Assets & Meta

Creation Time
July 29, 2026 at 08:21:14 UTC
Updated Time
September 8, 2026 at 09:48:25 UTC
Image
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