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Mars Telecommunications Orbiter
 |
| Organization: |
NASA |
| Major Contractors: |
JPL |
| Mission Type: |
Planetary Science, Mars Exploration |
| Satellite of: |
Mars |
| Launch: |
Cancelled |
| Launch Vehicle: |
Possibly an Atlas V(401) or a Delta-4M. |
| End of Mission: |
Cancelled |
| Planned Mission Duration: |
1 year cruise plus 10 years on orbit |
| Mass: |
1,800 kilograms |
| NSSDC ID: |
Undetermined |
| Webpage: |
JPL's MTO web page |
| Orbital elements |
| Semimajor Axis: |
5,000 kilometers |
| Eccentricity: |
Unknown |
| Inclination: |
Unknown |
| Orbital Period: |
Unknown |
| Aphelion: |
Unknown |
| Perihelion: |
Unknown |
| Orbits: |
Unknown |
| Planned Instruments |
| Electra : |
Relay science data from future Mars missions |
| Optical Communications Payload: |
Demonstrate laser communications to Earth |
| Narrow Angle Camera: |
Support canister detection |
| Orbiting Sample Demonstration Canister: |
Technology demonstration |
NASA planned to establish a so-called "interplanetary Internet" with the launch of the Mars Telecommunications Orbiter in 2009. The spacecraft would have arrived in a high orbit above Mars in 2010 and then be used to relay data packets to Earth from a variety of Mars landers and orbiters for as long as ten years, at an extremely high data rate. Such a dedicated communications satellite was thought to be necessary due to the vast quantity of scientific information to be sent to Earth by such landers as the Mars Science Laboratory. However, on July 21, 2005, it was announced that MTO had been cancelled due to the need to support other short-term goals, including a Hubble servicing mission, Mars Exploration Rover extended mission operations, ensuring that the Mars Science Laboratory would fly in 2009, and to save an Earth science mission called Glory from cancellation. [1]
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