NASA has selected Lockheed Martin to build the $145 million Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) to be launched in August 2005.
The craft is intended to return high resolution images of the Mars surface to be transmitted to the Earth during a mission managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
The 1,800kg (4,000lb) spacecraft will operate over Mars for five years, providing data on possible future landing sites, particularly for a planned sample return mission.
In addition to the high resolution camera, the craft will feature an atmospheric sounder, visible/near infrared spectrometer, wide angle colour imager, sounding radar and a context imager.
Lockheed Martin won the contract despite the failure of the Mars Climate Orbiter and Mars Polar Lander, both of which were built by Lockheed Martin.
Another Lockheed-built spacecraft, Mars Odyssey is due to enter Martian orbit this month to complement the aged Mars Global Surveyor which has returned over 100,000 medium resolution images. The MRO launch vehicle is likely to be either a Delta IV or Atlas V.
Source: Flight International
