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ESA spacecraft

Mars Express

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Operating; funded to the end of 2026 with an extension to 2029 requested (ESA, EPSC 2026 abstract, September 2026).

At Mars.

Measured

Agency
ESA
Arrived
2003-12-25
From the Earth today
1.31 AU (196 million km)
From Mars's centre
11,519 km

How far, from the Earth

1.31 AU. To cross it:

  • Light11 minutes
  • Voyager 1's speed4.41 months
  • Driving at 100 km/h223 years

Voyager 1 at the speed it moved outward over the year to 2026-10-25 (JPL Horizons). Driving: nonstop, never refuelling.

Facts

  • JPL Horizons trajectory round Mars: worst miss 156 km on the dates it was checked against (median 71 km); between those dates as much as about 468 km. Dates after the data was fetched are Horizons' predictions, which it revises as a mission flies.

Where this comes from

  • ESA
  • Spacecraft trajectories: JPL Horizons, NASA/JPL-Caltech; each mission's agency credited on its card.

Every catalogue Ouranos draws is credited on the credits page.