The launch of InSight Mars, a NASA mission to land on the planetary surface to study the interior of the planet Mars (InSight stands for Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport) will now have some co-payloads with it as it is launched from the Vandenberg launch site in California atop an Atlas V rocket in March 2016. For also aboard will be two MarCO 6U (2 x 3U) cubesat craft made by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, California. While formally technology demonstration craft, the MarCO spacecraft pair will stay in Martian orbit and will supply a back-up relay service to the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter to relay the Insight Mars mission’s signals back to Earth.
NASA plans to fly interplanetary cubesats called MarCO 1 and 2 with Insight Mars
About Seradata
Seradata produces the renowned Seradata database. Trusted by over 100 of the world’s leading Space organisations, Seradata is a fully queryable database used for market analysis, failure/risk assessment, spectrum analysis and space situational awareness (SSA).
For more information go to https://www.seradata.com/product/
Related Articles
Here are the latest launch and spacecraft orders which were announced in September 2025: Construction Orders Galaxia has secured a Read more
Several human spaceflights were announced during September, alongside other updates relating to astronaut activities. Women outnumber men in NASA astronaut Read more
After three consecutive flight failures plus an on-land test explosion, there was a lot riding on the 10th suborbital test Read more
Every year, Seradata reviews the ‘runners and riders’ in the Great Space Race, or rather the two races: to return Read more
Here are the latest launch and spacecraft orders which were announced in August 2025: Construction Orders Echostar makes initial US$1.3 Read more
Here are the latest launch and spacecraft orders which were announced or became revealed in July 2025: Construction Orders Boeing Read more
Eris, a 25m tall rocket, slowly lifted itself into the air on its maiden flight from Bowen, Abbot Point, in Read more
Frazer-Nash has announced that it is leading a new spaceplane programme called INVICTUS, with the help of the European Space Read more
The following construction and launch orders for the space industry were announced in June 2025: Construction Orders: Despite a regulatory Read more
Stay Informed with Seradata
Stay informed on the latest news, insights, and more from Seradata by signing up for our newsletter.