Launch Success
Liftoff Time (GMT)
18:39:00
Tuesday September 9, 1975
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The Viking 2 mission was part of the American Viking program to Mars, and consisted of an orbiter and a lander essentially identical to that of the Viking 1 mission. The Viking 2 lander operated on the surface for 1316 days, or 1281 sols, and was turned off on April 12, 1980 when its batteries failed. The orbiter worked until July 25, 1978, returning almost 16,000 images in 706 orbits around Mars.
Heliocentric Orbit
1 Payload
3,530 kilograms
Agency
Martin MariettaRocket
Height: 48.8m
Payload to Orbit
LEO: 15,400 kg
Liftoff Thrust
12,769 Kilonewtons
Stages
3
Strap-ons
2
88th
Mission
6th
Mission of 1975
87th
Orbital launch attempt