NASA (which stands for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration) is the main U.S. agency for space exploration. It was started back in 1958, partly because the Soviet Union had just launched Sputnik, the first satellite. NASA is a world leader in exploring space, doing everything from building satellites and sending people into space to exploring other planets and carrying out advanced science. What NASA does helps create new technologies we can all use and encourages countries to work together peacefully in space.

In this article, we will discuss about Mars Climate Orbiter (MCO) for UPSC CSE Examination which was launched to reach Mars, offering new insights into its environment, structure, and scientific relevance.

• Mars Climate Orbiter (MCO) was launched on December 11, 1998, marking a significant step forward in space exploration.  
• With a clearly defined scientific objective—namely, to Study Martian climate and weather; act as relay for Mars Polar Lander—the team is poised to gather unprecedented data and significantly advance our understanding.  
• Successfully completing this Mars orbiter (part of Mars Surveyor '98 program) was celebrated by many as a significant achievement.  
• Carefully, the team integrated the precious payload with the Delta II 7425, a critical step before launch. 
• The mission began with a launch from Cape Canaveral, LC-17A. 
• From start to finish, the mission ran for Failed on arrival. 
• The mission was organized and implemented by NASA. 
• Final status of the mission: Failed (Lost on Mars orbit insertion attempt). 
• With a budget of ~$125 million (orbiter only), NASA launched Mars Climate Orbiter (MCO) to advance scientific understanding and explore new frontiers. 

With Pressure Modulator Infrared Radiometer (PMIRR), Mars Color Imager (MARCI), Mars Climate Orbiter (MCO) demonstrates the next generation of smart payloads for exploratory missions.

Atmospheric sounding, weather monitoring were essential to Mars Climate Orbiter (MCO), supporting navigation, real-time data analysis, and autonomous mission control. This comprehensive article on NASA Mars Climate Orbiter (MCO) Space mission helps UPSC aspirants understand the full life cycle of a modern space mission which is relevant for GS Paper 2, GS Paper 3, GS Paper 4, and Essay.

Get Free Materials for UPSC Preparation by Testbook!

NASA Mars Climate Orbiter (MCO) Space Mission Overview 

Also, Checkout Sunita Williams’ Missions to the International Space Station

Mars Climate Orbiter (MCO) Space Mission Global Contributions

• By involving Lockheed Martin (built spacecraft), JPL (managed), NASA leveraged commercial capabilities for hardware design, satellite manufacturing, and launch logistics. 
• The use of Not applicable (no science data from Mars orbit) encouraged collaborative validation of autonomous technologies and mission outcomes. 
• Through Mars Climate Orbiter (MCO), NASA achieved Failure (units mix-up) led to NASA procedural changes, helping establish international precedent for data access, planetary defense, and cooperative science. 

Challenges & Risk in Mars Climate Orbiter (MCO) Space Mission

Mars Climate Orbiter (MCO) encountered critical challenges such as Miscalculation in trajectory due to units conversion error, which were mitigated through a combination of adaptive engineering, mission planning, and real-time systems management.

• Navigation error due to metric/imperial units confusion posed a potential mission-limiting condition, but proactive mitigation ensured continued operation of Mars Climate Orbiter (MCO). 
• The long-term presence or disposal of Mars Climate Orbiter (MCO) is summarized by its Spacecraft burned up in Mars atmosphere or crashed, an important aspect of mission planning. 

Download UPSC Previous Year Question Paper PDFs for UPSC Prelims & Mains!

Mission Timeline of Mars Climate Orbiter (MCO) NASA Space Mission

• Mission documentation was initiated on Mid-1990s, launching the early planning phase. 
• After months of preparation and travel, the spacecraft completed its planned landing/flyby on September 23, 1999 (Lost on arrival), fulfilling core mission objectives. 
• The NASA space mission reached the end of its primary phase on Not applicable, successfully completing all planned objectives. 

Get to Know the detailed UPSC Syllabus for IAS Prelims & Mains Exam!

UPSC Relevance of Mars Climate Orbiter (MCO)

• Awareness of international space missions, especially NASA’s, is vital for success in the Prelims, given their link to science, technology, and current affairs.
• The influence of NASA’s technological advancements on India’s space ambitions can be analyzed in GS Paper 3, particularly in questions on indigenization and self-reliance in space tech.
• In GS Paper 4 of the UPSC IAS Exam, scenarios involving how NASA managed catastrophic mission failures like the Challenger disaster can help examine institutional learning, accountability, and ethical crisis response.
• NASA Space Missions provide cross-cutting content useful in UPSC optional subjects like PSIR, Geography, and Public Administration by exemplifying governance models, global diplomacy, and spatial data infrastructure.

Also, Learn about International Space Station (ISS)

Past UPCS Mains PYQs on NASA Space Missions

Q1. Launched on 25th December 2021, the James Webb Space Telescope has been much in the news since then. What are its unique features which make it superior to its predecessor space telescopes? What are the key goals of this mission? What potential benefits does it hold for the human race? (2022, GS Paper 3) 

Q2. How does the Juno Mission of NASA help to understand the origin and evolution of the Earth? (2017, GS Paper 1)

Q3. The safe landing of the ‘Curiosity’ Rover under NASA’s space programme has sparked many possibilities. What are those and how could humankind benefit from them? (2012, GS Paper 2)

Past UPCS Prelims PYQs on NASA Space Missions

Q1 [2022]: Which one of the following statements best reflects the idea behind the “Fractional Orbital Bombardment System” often talked about in the media?

(a) A hypersonic missile is launched into space to counter the asteroid approaching the Earth and explode it in space.

(b) A spacecraft lands on another planet after making several orbital motions.

(c) A missile is put into a stable orbit around the Earth and deorbits over a target on the Earth.

(d) A spacecraft moves along a comet with the same speed and places a probe on its surface.

Answer: (c) A missile is put into a stable orbit around the Earth and deorbits over a target on the Earth.

Explanation: While this question pertains to a military concept, NASAs research into orbital mechanics and space trajectories contributes to the broader understanding of such technologies.

Q2 [2020]: “The experiment will employ a trio of spacecraft flying in formation in the shape of an equilateral triangle that has sides one million kilometres long, with lasers shining between the craft.” The experiment in question refers to:

(a) Voyager-2

(b) New Horizons

(c) Lisa Pathfinder

(d) Evolved LISA

Answer: (d) Evolved LISA

Explanation: Evolved LISA (Laser Interferometer Space Antenna) is a space-based gravitational wave observatory developed by ESA with contributions from NASA.

Q3 [2017]: What is the purpose of ‘evolved Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (eLISA)’ project?

(a) To detect neutrinos

(b) To detect gravitational waves

(c) To detect the effectiveness of missile defence system

(d) To study the effect of solar flares on our communication systems

Answer: (b) To detect gravitational waves

Explanation: Evolved Laser Space Interferometer Space Antenna (ELISA) project was widely in the news due to the discovery of gravitational waves by the LIGO detector and the subsequent success of the LISA pathfinder project. The European Space Agency is leading the ELISA mission. The project is initiated to detect and accurately measure gravitational waves.

Q4 [2016]: What is ‘Greased Lightning-10 (GL-10)’, recently in the news?

(a) Electric plane tested by NASA

(b) Solar-powered two-seater aircraft designed by Japan

(c) Space observatory launched by China

(d) Reusable rocket designed by ISRO

Answer: (a) Electric plane tested by NASA
educationprovince.com

Explanation: GL-10 is a remotely piloted plane similar to an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV). It is designed and developed in such a way that it can take off like a helicopter and fly like an airplane. It is a battery-powered 10-engine with a wingspan of 3.05 meters. Eight electric motors are mounted on the wings. 2 electric motors are mounted on the tail. It weighs a maximum of 28.1 kilograms at takeoff. Due to its versatile vertical takeoff and landing ability, it produces less noise. It can be used as a UAV for small package delivery or vertical takeoff and landing, as well as long-endurance surveillance for agriculture, mapping, and other applications. Its modified scaled-up version can be used as a persons air vehicle.

Q5 [2015]: The term ‘Goldilocks Zone’ is often seen in the news in the context of:

(a) The limits of habitable zone above the surface of the Earth

(b) Regions inside the Earth where shale gas is available

(c) Search for the Earth-like planets in outer space

(d) Search for meteorites containing precious metals

Answer: (c) Search for the Earth-like planets in outer space

Explanation: The Goldilocks Zone is the livable zone around a star where the temperature is not too hot and not too cold for liquid water to exist on a planet. It is a metaphor for the childrens story Goldilocks and the Three Bears, in which a young girl selects from sets of three objects, eschewing the extremes (such as those that are enormous or small, hot or cold) and fixing on the one that is just right in the middle. The Goldilocks zone of the Sun surrounds the Earth. All of Earths water would freeze if it were found where the dwarf planet Pluto is; however, all of Earths water would boil out if it were found where Mercury is.

Also, Get to Know What was NASA's Parker Solar Probe Mission

UPSC Practice Questions on NASA Space Missions

Q1. The Parker Solar Probe Mission sometimes mentioned in the news recently is related to
1. Indian Space Research Organisation
2. National Aeronautics and Space Administration
3. European Space Agency
4. Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency
Answer: 2
Solution: The correct answer is National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Scientists using data from NASA's Parker Solar Probe have assembled the most complete picture yet of the inner structure and behaviour of the large cloud of space dust, known as the zodiacal cloud, that swirls throughout the solar system. They found three dust populations in the cloud: Most of the grains are being slowly pulled in toward the Sun (alpha-meteoroids). The second population is generated as grains in the swirling cloud collide, creating fragments so small that they are pushed out of the solar system in all directions by pressure from sunlight (beta-meteoroids). A third group, probably created when a tube of cometary debris collides with grains from the first two populations, is scattered out in a distinctive wedge shape. The sources of zodiacal clouds/interplanetary dust particles include at least: asteroid collisions, cometary activity and collisions in the inner Solar System, Kuiper belt collisions, and interstellar medium grains. NASA's historic Parker Solar Probe mission will revolutionize our understanding of the sun, where changing conditions can propagate out into the solar system, affecting Earth and other worlds. Parker Solar Probe will travel through the sun's atmosphere, closer to the surface than any spacecraft before it, facing brutal heat and radiation conditions and ultimately providing humanity with the closest-ever observations of a star.

Q2. Landsat 9 is a joint mission of which of the following organizations?
1. National Aeronautics and Space Administration and European Space Agency
2. National Aeronautics and Space Administration and US Geological Survey
3. European Space Agency and US Geological Survey
4. National Aeronautics and Space Administration and Indian Space Research Organisation
Answer: 2
Solution: The correct answer is option 2. Recently, NASA has launched an earth monitoring satellite called Landsat 9 from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. The satellite is a joint mission of NASA and the US Geological Survey. This satellite is referred to as NASA's new eye in the sky that will help study climate change. Landsat-9 is the continuation of a series of Earth-observing spacecraft stretching back almost 50 years. The first Landsat satellite was launched in 1972 and since then, Landsat satellites have collected images of earth and helped understand how land usage has changed over the decades. In 2008, it was decided that all Landsat images will be free and publicly available and the policy has helped scores of researchers, farmers, policy analysts, glaciologists, and seismologists. Landsat images have been used to study the health of forests, coral reefs, monitor water quality and melting glaciers. The Landsat 9 joins Landsat 8 that was launched in 2013 and the satellites together will collect images of Earth's surface. It takes 8 days to capture the whole Earth. Landsat 9 carries instruments similar to the other Landsat satellites, but it is the most technologically advanced satellite of its generation. The instruments aboard Landsat 9 are the Operational Land Imager 2 and the Thermal Infrared Sensor 2. OLI-2 captures sunlight reflected off Earth's surface and studies the visible, near-infrared, and short wave infrared portions of the spectrum. TIRS-2 has a four-element refractive telescope and photosensitive detectors that capture thermal radiation and help study the Earth's surface temperature. Along with the European Union's Sentinel-2 satellites, the Landsat Satellite will provide better estimation of the extent of climate change.

Q3. In December 2021, SpaceX has launched 52 Starlink internet satellites into orbit from a California base. Which rocket has been used to launch these satellites?
1. Voyger Cassini
2. Falcon-9
3. Falcon-7
4. Rover-4
Answer: 2
Solution: The correct answer is Falcon-9. A SpaceX rocket carried 52 Starlink internet satellites into orbit from California on 18 December 2021. The two-stage Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from coastal Vandenberg Space Force Base. The Falcon's first stage returned and landed on a SpaceX drone ship in the ocean. The mission was the 34th launch for Starlink, a constellation of nearly 2000 satellites in low Earth orbit. NASA astronaut Raja Chari as its mission commander, SpaceX has launched the Crew 3 mission on November 10, 2021. SpaceX Founder and CEO is Elon Musk. SpaceX was founded in 2002 and its headquarters is in California, United States of America. In November 2021, NASA has selected SpaceX to provide launch services for Earth's first mission to conduct detailed investigations of Jupiter's moon Europa. NASA administrator is Bill Nelson and NASA was founded on 1 October 1958.

Q4. Recently seen in the news, DART mission is launched by _______.
1. CNSA
2. ISRO
3. NASA
4. ESA
Answer: 3
Solution: The correct answer is NASA. Just two weeks after its launch, NASA's Double Asteroid Redirection Test DART spacecraft has opened its eye and returned its first images from space a major operational milestone for the spacecraft and DART team. Hence option 3 is correct. The main aim of the mission is to test the newly developed technology that would allow a spacecraft to crash into an asteroid and change its course. DART is a low-cost spacecraft, weighing around 610 kg at launch and 550 kg at impact. It also carries about 10 kg of xenon which will be used to demonstrate the agency's new thrusters called NASA Evolutionary Xenon Thruster Commercial in space. DART will reach its target on September 26, 2022. The target of the spacecraft is a small moonlet called Dimorphous. It is about 160-metre in diameter and the spacecraft is expected to collide when it is 11 million kilometres away from Earth.

Q5. Which of the following is the name of the NASA programme to land first woman and next man on the Moon by 2024?
1. Orion
2. Apollo
3. Artemis
4. Nike
Answer: 3
Solution: The correct answer is Artemis. Artemis is an ongoing space mission run by NASA with the goal of landing the first female astronaut and next male astronaut on the Moon's South Pole by 2024. It is the US space agency's first crewed Moon mission since Apollo 17 in 1972. NASA is working on the Artemis program that aims to land humans on the moon by 2024. It has put forward a plan showing what a US lunar presence may look like after the milestone. NASA submitted a 13-page report to the National Space Council. The report titled NASA's Plan for Sustained Lunar Exploration and Development offers a summary of what NASA will accomplish the 2024 moon landing mission. NASA's VIPER would land near the western edge of the Nobile Crater at the Moon's South Pole, one of the coldest areas in the solar system, VIPER stands for Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover. The robotic rover would be delivered to the Moon's surface in late 2023 under the Artemis program and part of the NASA agency's Commercial Lunar Payload Services initiative.

Q6. Hayabusa-2 space mission belongs to which space agency?
1. JAXA
2. NASA
3. CNSA
4. ISRO
Answer: 1
Solution: The correct answer is JAXA. Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency JAXA - The Hayabusa-2 space mission belongs to JAXA space agency. In December 2014, JAXA launched Hayabusa-2 to collect samples from Ryugu. Hayabusa-2 is a Japanese spacecraft that studied the asteroid Ryugu, took samples, and returned them to Earth for analysis.

Q7. According to ISRO, the X-ray spectrometer CLASS of the ______________ Orbiter has mapped an abundance of sodium on the moon for the first time in October 2022.
1. Chandrayaan-2
2. ASTROSAT
3. NISAR
4. Mangalyaan
Answer: 1
Solution: The correct answer is Chandrayaan-2. The X-ray spectrometer CLASS on the Chandrayaan-2 Orbiter has mapped an abundance of sodium on the moon for the first time, according to ISRO. The findings of the spectrometer were published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters in the last week of Sept 2022. The new findings will be helpful in the study of surface-exosphere interaction on the moon. Chandrayaan-2 was launched on 22 July 2019.

Q8. The space craft launched by NASA to study the Sun is -
1. Parker Solar Probe
2. Probing Sun
3. Mission on Sun
4. Hawking Solar Probe
Answer: 1
Solution: The correct answer of above Question is option 1. The Parker Solar Probe's mission is to study the outer corona of the Sun. Named after physicist Eugene Parker, pioneer in heliophysics and solar wind research. Utilizes a custom heat shield made of carbon-carbon composite to withstand extreme solar temperatures. Designed to approach the Sun within 3.83 million miles 6.16 million kilometers, closer than any previous spacecraft. Carries four instrument suites to measure magnetic fields, solar wind particles, and image the solar corona. The mission aims to solve two key solar mysteries: how the solar wind accelerates and why the Sun's outer atmosphere corona is hotter than its surface. Data from the probe is helping to improve forecasts of space weather that affects life and technology on Earth. As of 2023, it's still operational, providing unprecedented information about the Sun's activity. The mission is slated to end in 2025, after 24 planned orbits and seven gravity assists from Venus.

Also, Read about Axiom 4 Mission (Ax-4) for UPSC