Mars Science Laboratory launch delayed until 2011

US space agency NASA is postponing the launch of it’s third Mars rover Mars Science Laboratory (MSL), until 2011 instead of next year. According to officials of the Mars Exploration Program at NASA Headquarters in Washington, the original October 2009 launch is not possible due to various testing and hardware challenges that must be addresed for success of the mission.

Three Generations of Mars Rovers (from left to right): Mars Exploration Rovers Spirit and Opportunity (2004), Mars Pathfinder (1997) and Mars Science Laboratory (2011).

Unlike the previous Mars rovers, Mars Science Laboratory will have more equipments and research instruments. MSL’s prime goal will be study of the early environmental history of the red planet. It will also check for evidence of whether ancient Mars environments had conditions favorable for supporting microbial life and preserving evidence of that life if it existed there.

A completely new technology will be use to brought it to the Mars surface by lowering on a tether from a hovering spacecraft. That’s why the MSL project is being called as one of the most technologically challenging interplanetary missions ever designed. The Mars Science Laboratory is engineered to drive longer distances over rougher terrain than previous Mars rovers and it will use a new surface propulsion system.

To ensure success of such a technolologically challenging mission, NASA requires more rigorous testing of MSL’s each and every component. This process will require some more time. On the other hand, for flights to Mars, the relative positions of Earth and Mars are favorable only for a few weeks every two year. The favorable launch window for a 2009 ends in late October and NASA will have to avoid it due to testing. So, the next launch window will be open in 2011.

Source: NASA

Category: Space | Tags: Mars, NASA, Space