Watch the Launch

MSL (Curiosity)

Overview

Destination: Mars Orbit
Mission: Robotic Exploration

Mars Orbit Space Launch Complex 41 Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA

The Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) mission, featuring the renowned Curiosity rover, was designed to assess the planet's past and present habitability. Equipped with an array of advanced scientific instruments, including a drill and a sample analysis unit, Curiosity explored the Gale Crater, a site believed to contain evidence of ancient Martian environments. It delivered groundbreaking discoveries, including the detection of organic molecules and the confirmation of an ancient, potentially habitable lake bed.

Atlas V 541

Family:
Configuration: 541

Atlas V with 5m Fairing, 4 SRB, 1 Centaur upper stage engine.

See Details
Specifications
  • Max Stage
    2
  • Length
    60.0 m
  • Diameter
    3.8 m
  • Fairing Diameter
  • Launch Mass
    479.0 T
  • Thrust
Family
  • Name
    Atlas V 541
  • Family
  • Variant
    541
  • Alias
  • Full Name
    Atlas V 541
Payload Capacity
  • Launch Cost
    $145000000
  • Low Earth Orbit
    17410.0 kg
  • Geostationary Transfer Orbit
    8290.0 kg
  • Direct Geostationary
    3530.0 kg
  • Sun-Synchronous Capacity

United Launch Alliance

United Launch Alliance

(ULA)

CEO: Tory Bruno Founded: 2006 Successes: 167 Failures: 0 Pending: 42

Agency Type:

United Launch Alliance (ULA) is a joint venture of Lockheed Martin Space Systems and Boeing Defense, Space & Security. ULA was formed in December 2006 by combining the teams at these companies which provide spacecraft launch services to the government of the United States. ULA launches from both coasts of the US. They launch their Atlas V vehicle from LC-41 in Cape Canaveral and LC-3E at Vandeberg. Their Delta IV launches from LC-37 at Cape Canaveral and LC-6 at Vandenberg.

INFO WIKI

Related News

NASA

Curiosity Blog, Sols 4624-4626: A Busy Weekend at the Boxwork

Written by Alex Innanen, Atmospheric Scientist at York University Earth planning date: Friday, Aug. 8, 2025 We continue to progress through the boxwork structures, arriving today at the “peace sign” ridges we were aiming for in our last dr…

NASA

Curiosity Blog, Sols 4622-4623: Kicking Off (Earth) Year 14 With an Investigation of Veins

Written by Abigail Fraeman, Deputy Project Scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory Earth planning date: Wednesday, Aug. 6, 2025. Today was a very special day for Curiosity as the rover celebrated the start of a 14th year on Mars. Cur…

NASA

Curiosity Looks Back Toward Its Landing Site

NASA’s Curiosity rover captured a view of its tracks on July 26, 2025. The robotic scientist is now exploring a region of lower Mount Sharp, a 3-mile-tall (5-kilometer-tall) mountain. The pale peak of the mountain can be seen at top right;…

NASA

Curiosity Blog, Sols 4618-4619: The Boxwork Structures Continue to Call to Us

Written by Ashley Stroupe, Mission Operations Engineer and Rover Planner at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory Earth planning date: Friday, Aug. 1, 2025. Now that we have reached August, our “landiversary” (anniversary of landing — Aug. 5 PD…

NASA

Marking 13 Years on Mars, NASA’s Curiosity Picks Up New Skills

New capabilities allow the rover to do science with less energy from its batteries. Thirteen years since Curiosity landed on Mars, engineers are finding ways to make the NASA rover even more productive. The six-wheeled robot has been given…

Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA

Space Launch Complex 41


Long March 5B/YZ-2
Success
3 hours, 48 minutes ago
SatNet LEO Group 08
101 - Wenchang Space Launch Site, People's Republic of China

A batch of Low Earth Orbit communication satellites for the Chinese state owned SatNet constellation operated by the China Satellite Network Group. …


Vulcan VC4S
Success
9 hours, 35 minutes ago
USSF-106
Space Launch Complex 41 - Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA

USSF-106 is a mission for the United States Space Force. The launch will deploy various payloads directly into geosynchronous orbit, including the NT…


Ariane 62
Success
9 hours, 53 minutes ago
Metop-SG A1
Ariane Launch Area 4 - Guiana Space Centre, French Guiana

First of EUMETSAT's second generation of Metop weather satellites.


Falcon 9
Success
1 day, 21 hours ago
Project Kuiper (KF-02)
Space Launch Complex 40 - Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA

Second of a three launches contract for Amazon's Kuiper low Earth orbit satellite internet constellation. 24 satellites are on board.


Smart Dragon 3
Success
4 days, 18 hours ago
Geely Constellation Group 04
Oriental Spaceport mobile launch ship - Sea Launch

11 LEO communications satellites for Chinese car manufacturer Geely Automotive for testing autonomous driving/inter-vehicle communication services. T…


Electron
Success
1 week, 1 day ago
The Harvest Goddess Thrives (iQPS Launch 4)
Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1B - Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1, Mahia Peninsula, New Zealand

Synthetic aperture radar Earth observation satellite for Japanese Earth imaging company iQPS.


Long March 12
Success
1 week, 2 days ago
SatNet LEO Group 07
Commercial LC-2 - Wenchang Space Launch Site, People's Republic of China

A batch of 9 Low Earth Orbit communication satellites for the Chinese state owned SatNet constellation operated by the China Satellite Network Group.…


Falcon 9
Success
1 week, 2 days ago
Starlink Group 10-30
Space Launch Complex 40 - Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA

A batch of 28 satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation - SpaceX's project for space-based Internet communication system.


New Shepard
Success
1 week, 2 days ago
NS-34
West Texas Suborbital Launch Site/ Corn Ranch - Corn Ranch, Van Horn, TX, USA

NS-34 is the 14th crewed flight for the New Shepard program and the 34th in its history.


Falcon 9
Success
1 week, 4 days ago
Crew-11
Launch Complex 39A - Kennedy Space Center, FL, USA

SpaceX Crew-11 is the eleventh crewed operational flight of a Crew Dragon spacecraft to the International Space Station as part of NASA's Commercial …