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Europe launches its first voyage to another planet, Mars. The European Space Agency's Mars Express probe launches from the Baikonur space center in Kazakhstan.
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Mars
Fourth planet from the Sun
Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun. It is also known as the "Red Planet", because of its orange-red appearance. Mars is a desert-like rocky planet with a tenuous carbon dioxide atmosphere. At the average surface level the atmospheric pressure is a few thousandths of Earth's,…Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)
European Space Agency
European organisation dedicated to space exploration
The European Space Agency (ESA) is a 23-member international organization devoted to space exploration. With its headquarters in Paris and a staff of around 2,547 people globally as of 2023, ESA was founded in 1975 in the context of European integration. Its 2025 annual budget…Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)
Mars Express
European orbiter mission to Mars (2003–present)
Mars Express is a space exploration mission by the European Space Agency (ESA) exploring the planet Mars and its moons since 2003, and the first planetary mission attempted by ESA.Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)
Baikonur
City in Kazakhstan with a Russian spaceport
Baikonur is a city in Kazakhstan on the northern bank of the Syr Darya river. It is currently leased and administered by the Russian Federation as an enclave until 2050. It was constructed to serve the Baikonur Cosmodrome with administrative offices and employee housing. During…Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)
Kazakhstan
Country in Central Asia and Eastern Europe
Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a landlocked country primarily in Central Asia, with a small portion in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the north and west, China to the east, Kyrgyzstan to the southeast, Uzbekistan to the south, and Turkmenistan to the…Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)