Mars Science Laboratory

Mars Science Laboratory
	MSL cruise configuration
Mission type	Mars rover
Operator	NASA
COSPAR ID	2011-070A
SATCAT no.	37936
Website	science.nasa.gov
Mission duration	Primary: 669 sols (687 days); Time since landing: 4545 sols (12 years, 9 months, 14 days);
Spacecraft properties
Manufacturer	JPL
Launch mass	3,839 kg (8,463 lb)
Start of mission
Launch date	November 26, 2011, 15:02:00.211 UTC
Rocket	Atlas V 541 (AV-028)
Launch site	Cape Canaveral SLC-41
Contractor	United Launch Alliance
Mars rover
Spacecraft component	Curiosity
Landing date	August 6, 2012, 05:17 UTC; (12 years, 9 months and 14 days ago)
Landing site	Bradbury Landing, Gale Crater; 4°35′22″S 137°26′30″E / 4.5895°S 137.4417°E
Distance driven	30.00 km (18.64 mi) as of 30 May 2023
	; MSL (Curiosity) mission patch Large Strategic Science Missions; Planetary Science Division ← Cassini–Huygens Mars 2020 → Mars Exploration Program ← Phoenix MAVEN →

Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) is a robotic space probe mission to Mars launched by NASA on November 26, 2011,^[2] which successfully landed Curiosity, a Mars rover, in Gale Crater on August 6, 2012.^[3]^[9]^[10]^[11] The overall objectives include investigating Mars' habitability, studying its climate and geology, and collecting data for a human mission to Mars.^[12] The rover carries a variety of scientific instruments designed by an international team.^[13]

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^ "Video from rover looks down on Mars during landing". MSNBC. August 6, 2012. Retrieved October 7, 2012.
^ Young, Monica (August 7, 2012). "Watch Curiosity Descend onto Mars". Sky & Telescope. Retrieved October 7, 2012.
^ "Where Is Curiosity?". mars.nasa.gov. NASA. Retrieved May 30, 2023. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
^ Wall, Mike (August 6, 2012). "Touchdown! Huge NASA Rover Lands on Mars". Space.com. Retrieved December 14, 2012.
^ "MSL Sol 3 Update". NASA Television. August 8, 2012. Archived from the original on December 12, 2021. Retrieved August 9, 2012.
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