MESSENGER
Mission overview
MESSENGER was the first spacecraft to orbit Mercury, mapping the planet in detail.
Mission data
Identity and engineering data from Wikidata (type-verified match · Q182539) · launch date 2004-08-03 confirmed
| International designator | 2004-030A | Wikidata · catalogued |
| Manufacturer | The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory LLC | Wikidata · catalogued |
| Launch mass | 1,100 kg | Wikidata · catalogued |
Full field-level provenance
- International designator: Wikidata (Wikimedia Foundation) — community-curated structured knowledge base · Wikidata · wdt · P247 · catalogued value · retrieved 2026-07-11
- Manufacturer: Wikidata (Wikimedia Foundation) — community-curated structured knowledge base · Wikidata · wdt · P176 · catalogued value · retrieved 2026-07-11
- Launch mass: Wikidata (Wikimedia Foundation) — community-curated structured knowledge base · Wikidata · wdt · P2067 · catalogued value · retrieved 2026-07-11
Sourced from Wikidata (community-maintained structured data, whose statements link to their own citations where provided); each value carries its Wikidata QID. A field with conflicting Wikidata values is omitted. Launch date is used only to cross-check the catalogue, never to override it. Fields Wikidata did not provide, or where conflicting values exist, are omitted, never invented.
Primary-source verification
Committed mission facts cross-checked against the official NASA primary source — NASA Science — MESSENGER.
| Launch date | 2004-08-03 | Confirmed by primary |
| Launch mass | 1,100 kg | Not corroborated |
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.
Outcome & discoveries
Mapped Mercury globally and found evidence of water ice in permanently shadowed polar craters.
- ★Water ice in Mercury's polar craters
- ★Global mapping of Mercury's surface and magnetic field
Mission profile
Knowledge connections
- Target ofMercury
- Operated byNASA
- Part of programDiscovery Program
- Mission targetMercury
- Carries instrumentMESSENGER Gamma-Ray & Neutron Spectrometer
- Carries instrumentMercury Laser Altimeter (MLA)
- Associated withCaloris Planitia
Related missions
| Mission | Type | Agency | Launch | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| InSightMars | Lander | NASA | 2018-05-05 | Completed |
| DawnVesta and Ceres | Orbiter | NASA | 2007-09-27 | Completed |
| LucyJupiter Trojan asteroids | Multiple flyby | NASA | 2021-10-16 | Active |
| PsycheAsteroid 16 Psyche | Orbiter | NASA | 2023-10-13 | En route |
| Kepler Space TelescopeEarth-trailing solar orbit | Space telescope | NASA | 2009-03-07 | Completed |
Sources
The primary and reference sources this topic draws on.
- NASANational Aeronautics and Space Administration
Mission data, planetary science, space telescopes, and public-domain imagery.
Most NASA-produced imagery is in the public domain; individual items are checked for usage terms before publication.