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Pre-launch Activities
Launch
Cruise
Mars Orbit Insertion
Aerobraking
Science Operations
Communications Relay
End of Mission
Mission Timeline
Pre-launch: Spacecraft Arrival at Kennedy Space Center
Image credit: NASA/JPL/KSC
The phases of the mission include:
Pre-launch Activities
Preparation for the mission, including assembly and testing, and delivery to Cape Canaveral
Launch
Lift-off from Earth
Cruise
Voyage through space to Mars
Mars Orbit Insertion
Capturing the spacecraft into orbit around Mars
Aerobraking
Slowing down in the martian atmosphere and settling into a lower, circular orbit for science-data collecting
Science Operations
Gathering information about Mars through the day-to-day activities of the orbiter
Communications Relay
Using the orbiter to communicate with other landed missions
End of Mission
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