The Day Opportunity Changed Our View of Mars Forever
Twenty-one years ago, a golf cart-sized rover bounced to a stop inside a small crater on Mars, beginning one of the most remarkable chapters in space exploration history
Launch Date
October 20, 1968
Launch Site
Launch Pad
LC90/20
Launch Vehicle
Tsiklon-2A
NORAD ID
03583
International Designator
1968-091R
Epoch
Sun, 19 Jul 2026 02:13:53 GMT
Apogee
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Perigee
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Inclination
62.08°
Right Ascension
84.27°
Eccentricity
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Argument of Perigee
152.46°
Period
111.98 min
Mean Motion
12.86 rev/day
Latitude
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Longitude
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Altitude
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Velocity
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Name
COSMOS 249 DEB
Alternative Name
deb Kosmos-249
Type
Status
Owner
PVO
Country
USSR
Constellation
N/A
Related Satellites
Major Events
N/A
1 03583U 68091R 26200.09298558 .00000605 00000+0 95417-3 0 9998
2 03583 62.0799 84.2654 0699311 152.4615 211.5318 12.85930707688326
Source: Celestrak
Length
0
Diameter
0
Span
0
Dry Mass
0
Launch Mass
0
Shape
N/A
Radar Cross Section
0.036
Visual Magnitude
Unknown
Color
Unknown
Material Composition
Unknown
Payload
Unknown
Purpose
Unknown
Mission
Unknown
Manufacturer
Unknown
Life Expectancy
Unknown
Bus
Unknown
Configuration
Unknown
Motor
Unknown
Equipment
Unknown
Power System
Unknown
ADCS
Unknown
Transmitter Frequency
Unknown
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Twenty-one years ago, a golf cart-sized rover bounced to a stop inside a small crater on Mars, beginning one of the most remarkable chapters in space exploration history
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