Mars Climate Orbiter
Cause of failure
On November 10, 1999, the Mars Climate Orbiter Mishap Investigation Board released a Phase I report, detailing the suspected issues encountered with the loss of the spacecraft.
Cause of failure
Still, NASA does not place the responsibility on Lockheed for the mission loss; instead, various officials at NASA have stated that NASA itself was at fault for failing to make the appropriate checks and tests that would have caught the discrepancy.
Project costs
According to NASA, the cost of the mission was $327.6 million ($571.41 million in 2023) total for the orbiter and lander, comprising $193.1 million ($336.81 million in 2023) for spacecraft development, $91.7 million ($159.95 million in 2023) for launching it, and $42.8 million ($74.65 million in 2023) for mission operations.
Reading List
Report Issue