By Aazam
The diligent orbiter has not only relayed its own data to Earth, but it has also established a channel of communication between other Martian missions and ground operations.
The European Space Organization's (ESA) Mars Express has set a new record by relaying data for seven distinct Mars surface missions, the agency reported Friday.
On behalf of NASA's Perseverance rover, a Martian robot that has been exploring the Red Planet since February 2021, it made its most recent long-distance contact.
In 2004, the orbiter flew above NASA's Spirit rover and gave the robot a series of instructions while Spirit sent up its data so that Mars Express could send it back to Earth.
Later in 2012, NASA's Curiosity rover, which has been exploring Mars for ten years, sent mission control valuable data via Mars Express.
For the first time, Mars Express was used to transfer scientific data; the data in question was a picture of a rock on Mars.
The outdated orbiter is still functional and has recently undergone a much-needed software upgrade to enhance its signal sending and receiving capabilities.
Even though Mars Express is the ESA's most affordable mission to date, it has been providing useful information on Mars and its moon Phobos.