Mars Science Laboratory (Curiosity)
Mission overview
Mars Science Laboratory delivered the car-sized Curiosity rover to Gale crater to assess Mars's past habitability.
Primary-source verification
Committed mission facts cross-checked against the official NASA primary source — NASA Science — MSL Curiosity.
| Launch date | 2011-11-26 | Confirmed by primary |
Verified by corroboration against the official agency document: a launch date is “Confirmed by primary” only when the page literally states it; a launch mass only when the page states a figure equal to it within catalogue rounding (±0.5%). Source precedence is primary agency > peer-reviewed > official mission page > structured secondary > Wikidata; a primary source outranks Wikidata but no engineering value is transcribed from the page — an uncorroborated value is kept as its original (secondary) source, never re-labelled primary. Checked 2026-07-12.
Derived values
Computed from source-backed inputs via standard formulae — not observations. Every input and constant is traced below.
- Time since launch14.6 yearscalculated
Formula & inputs
Formula: Δt = reference − launch (v1.0.0, impl v1.0.0)
Inputs:
- launchDate = 15304 days (JD-like) · NASA JPL
Limitations: A time-dependent value: it is elapsed time as of the stated reference instant, not a fixed total.; Elapsed time since launch is not the same as time spent operating at the target.
Uncertainty: not propagated (inputs carry no catalogued uncertainty)
Computed as of 2026-06-29.
Outcome & discoveries
Confirmed Gale crater once hosted a habitable lake environment and detected organic molecules.
- ★Ancient habitable lake environment in Gale crater
- ★Organic molecules and seasonal methane in the Martian atmosphere
Mission profile
Spacecraft
Scientific instruments
- ChemCamElemental composition of rocks via laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy
- Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM)Organic molecules and atmospheric and isotopic composition
Knowledge connections
- Operated byNASA
- Mission targetMars
- Operated byNASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory
- Mission includesCuriosity
- Part of programMars Exploration Program
- Launched byAtlas V
- Launched fromCape Canaveral Space Force Station
- CapturedCuriosity on Mars — Gale Crater
- Associated withGale Crater
- Associated withCuriosity Lands on Mars
Related missions
| Mission | Type | Agency | Launch | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spirit (MER-A)Mars | Rover | NASA | 2003-06-10 | Completed |
| Opportunity (MER-B)Mars | Rover | NASA | 2003-07-07 | Completed |
| MAVENMars | Orbiter | NASA | 2013-11-18 | Active |
| Mars 2020 (Perseverance)Mars | Rover | NASA | 2020-07-30 | Active |
Sources
The primary and reference sources this topic draws on.
- NASA JPLJet Propulsion Laboratory / Solar System Dynamics
Orbital data, ephemerides, and small-body parameters for planets, asteroids, and comets.