US launches spacecraft to explore Martian atmosphere
Washington : The US space agency -- NASA -- launched its newest Mars-bound spacecraft Monday afternoon to look at the red planet's upper atmosphere, Xinhua reported.The Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution (MAVEN) lifted off at
Maven is the 10th orbiter the US space agency sent to Mars, but three of them failed. Currently, there are three other active spacecraft orbiting the Red Planet: Mars Odyssey launched in 2001, the European Space Agency's Mars Express launched in 2003 and NASA 's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter launched in 2005.
NASA also has two active rovers currently studying Mars on the planet's surface: Opportunity launched in 2003 and Curiosity, the last NASA mission launched in 2011.