New views of the Martian ionosphere 15 November 2012 High above the main body of Mars' atmosphere is a region of weakly ionised gas, known as the ionosphere. New studies, based on observations from Mars Express, show that the dayside ionosphere is more variable and more complex than previously thought. Read more
Mars Express, so called because of the rapid and streamlined development time, represents ESA's first visit to another planet in the Solar System. The spacecraft borrows technology from the failed Mars 96 mission and from ESA's Rosetta mission that is currently en route to comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. The mission helps to answer fundamental questions about the geology, atmosphere, surface environment, history of water and potential for life on Mars.
Latest News
Where is Deimos? 24 September 2012 Despite more than a century of observations, the orbit of the Martian moon Deimos is still not known to a high degree of accuracy, but a new study using images taken by ESA's Mars Express orbiter has provided the best orbital model to date. Read more
Planetary missions probe giant eruptions in the Sun's corona 24 July 2012 Scientists have probed the Sun's corona via the disturbances it causes to radio transmissions from Mars Express, Venus Express and Rosetta. This technique has allowed the detection of coronal mass ejections and revealed the morphology of these colossal solar eruptions in great detail. Read more
Craters expose action of groundwater beneath Martian highlands 27 June 2012 A new study of the ancient, cratered highlands of Mars has detected numerous exposures of minerals that were altered by underground water during the planet's early history. Read more
Mars Express explores the roots of Martian volcanoes 26 April 2012 The first targeted, high resolution measurements of Martian gravity have enabled scientists to probe deep beneath the surface of Mars and provide new insights into the formation of the planet's massive volcanoes. Read more
Latest Publications
New astrometric observations of Deimos with the SRC on Mars Express 24 September 2012 Read more
A clear view of the multifaceted dayside ionosphere of Mars 18 September 2012 Read more
ESA SP-1323: ESA's Report to the 39th COSPAR Meeting 30 June 2012 The 39th meeting of the Committee on Space Research (COSPAR) was held 14-22 July 2012 in Mysore, India. This report to COSPAR on the scientific activities of the European Space Agency was written by members of the Directorate of Earth Observation, the Directorate of Human Spaceflight and Operations and the Directorate of Science and Robotic Exploration. Read more




