2001 Mars Odyssey is a robotic spacecraft orbiting Mars, developed by NASA and contracted to Lockheed Martin, launched April 7, 2001 to use spectrometers and a thermal imager to detect evidence of past or present water and ice and to study the planet's geology and radiation environment. As of 2026 the spacecraft remains operational and holds the record for the longest surviving continually active spacecraft in orbit around a planet other than Earth.
Facts
Mission Type OutcomeOngoing: still collecting data as of 2026, having set the record for longest continually active spacecraft orbiting a planet other than Earth at over 24 years. 1 Mission Type
Mission Type (category) Connections
Associated With
Operated By
Source 2001 Mars Odyssey (Wikipedia)
Source 2001 Mars Odyssey (Wikipedia)
Spacecraft Of
Source Wikipedia (space and spaceflight articles)
Additional Source 2001 Mars Odyssey (Wikipedia)2001 Mars Odyssey article, lead section (mission link)
Targets
Sources
1. Wikipedia (space and spaceflight articles)
Wikimedia Foundation- Mission Type (category): Orbiter
- Mission Type: Mars orbiter
- Launch Date: 2001-04-07
- Outcome: Ongoing: still collecting data as of 2026, having set the record for longest continually active spacecraft orbiting a planet other than Earth at over 24 years.
2. 2001 Mars Odyssey (Wikipedia)
Lead paragraph
is a robotic spacecraft orbiting the planet Mars
2001 Mars Odyssey article, lead section
the record for the longest-surviving continually active spacecraft in orbit around a planet other than Earth
2001 Mars Odyssey article, current status section
is still collecting data
Infobox: mission_type
Mars orbiter
Operated By: NASA, Lead paragraph, operating-agency
The project was developed by NASA, and contracted out to Lockheed Martin, with an expected cost for the entire mission of US$297 million.
Operated By: Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Lead paragraph, operating-agency
The project was developed by NASA, and contracted out to Lockheed Martin, with an expected cost for the entire mission of US$297 million.
Includes: 2001 Mars Odyssey, Lead paragraph, part-of
2001 Mars Odyssey is a robotic spacecraft orbiting the planet Mars.
Spacecraft Of: 2001 Mars Odyssey, 2001 Mars Odyssey article, lead section (mission link)
2001 Mars Odyssey is a robotic spacecraft orbiting the planet Mars.
In Group: NASA Mars Missions, Lead sentence
The project was developed by NASA, and contracted out to Lockheed Martin, with an expected cost for the entire mission of US$297 million.
View the SourceMars (Wikipedia)
Targets: Mars, Article textQuote, Targets: Mars, Article text
Images from the Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) aboard NASA's Mars Odyssey orbiter have revealed seven possible cave entrances on the flanks of the volcano Arsia Mons.
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