Mars Global Surveyor - Mission Timeline

Mission Timeline

• 7 November 1996: Launch from Cape Canaveral.
• 11 September 1997: Arrival at Mars, began orbit insertion.
• 1 April 1999: Primary mapping phase began.
• 1 February 2001: First extended mission phase began.
• 1 February 2002: Second extended mission phase began.
• 1 January 2003: Relay mission began.
• 30 March 2004: Surveyor photographed the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit along with its wheel tracks showing its first 85 sols of travel.
• 1 December 2004: Science and Support mission began.
• April 2005: MGS became the first spacecraft to photograph another spacecraft in orbit around a planet other than Earth when it captured two images of the Mars Odyssey spacecraft and one image of the Mars Express spacecraft.
• 1 October 2006: Extended mission phase began for another two years.
• 2 November 2006: Spacecraft suffers an error while attempting to reorient a solar panel and communication was lost.
• 5 November 2006: Weak signals were detected, indicating the spacecraft was awaiting instructions. The signal cut out later that day.
• 21 November 2006: NASA announces the spacecraft has likely finished its operating career.
• 6 December 2006: NASA releases imagery taken by MGS of a newly found gully deposit, suggesting that water still flows on Mars.
• 13 April 2007: NASA releases its Preliminary Report on the cause(s) of MGS' loss of contact. (See External Links for document)