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Launch SuccessfulUnited States Air Force

Delta 7425-9.5: Mars Polar Lander

The Mars Polar Lander, also known as the Mars Surveyor '98 Lander, was a 290-kilogram robotic spacecraft lander launched by NASA on January 3, 1999 to study the soil and climate of Planum Australe, a region near the south pole on Mars. It formed part of the Mars Surveyor '98 mission. On December 3, 1999, however, after the descent phase was expected to be complete, the lander failed to reestablish communication with Earth. A post-mortem analysis determined the most likely cause of the mishap was premature termination of the engine firing prior to the lander touching the surface, causing it to strike the planet at a high velocity.

Sunday, 3 January 1999
Delta 7425-9.5: Mars Polar Lander

Mission Data

United States Air Force
🇺🇸United States Air ForceEst. 1947
Launch VehicleDelta II 7425-9.5
Vehicle FamilyDelta
Vehicle Record3 of 3 launches (100%)
Provider TypeGovernment
Agency Record972 successes / 106 failures (90%)
Success Streak68 consecutive
Mission TypeRobotic Exploration
Target OrbitHeliocentric N/A
Launch PadSpace Launch Complex 17B
Location🇺🇸 Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA USA
Orbital Launches This Year#1
Agency Launches This Year#1
Launches From This Pad132
Launches From This Site1,132
Status Note

The launch vehicle successfully inserted its payload(s) into the target orbit(s).

About Delta II 7425-9.5

Delta II was an expendable launch system, originally designed and built by McDonnell Douglas. Delta II was part of the Delta rocket family and entered service in 1989. Delta II vehicles included the Delta 6000, and the two later Delta 7000 variants ("Light" and "Heavy"). The rocket flew its final mission ICESat-2 on 15 September 2018, earning the launch vehicle a streak of 100 successful missions in a row, with the last failure being GPS IIR-1 in 1997.

Launch Site

Space Launch Complex 17B · 28.4458°N 80.5657°W

Launch data from Launch Library 2 by The Space Devs.