Viking

Viking was designed to orbit Mars and to land and operate ont he planet's surface. Two identical spacecraft, each consisting of a lander and an orbiter, were built. These spacecraft were launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida in 1975. They spent nearly a year cruising to Mars. Viking 1 reached Mars orbit June 19, 1976, and Viking 2 began orbiting August 7, 1976. Viking 1 landed on Mars July 20, 1976 on the western slope of Chruse Planitia (the Plains of Gold) at 22.3 deg N latitude, 48 deg longitude.

Country of Origin	United States
Customer/User	NASA

Launch Facts

Name	Int'l Desig.	Date	Site	Vehicle	Orbit	Mass(kg)
Notes
Viking 1	1975-075A	8/20/75	ESMC	Titan 3E Centaur		3399
Viking 2	1975-083A	9/9/75	ESMC	Titan 3E Centaur		3399