Mars Express Orbiter, Which Searches For Water On Mars, Will Receive A Firmware Update 19 Years After Launch
Launched in June 2003, 19 years ago, the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Mars Express spacecraft will receive a software update for its MARSIS science radar. The new firmware will allow the probe to continue searching for water beneath the Martian surface and more effectively track the planet’s closest moon, Phobos.
The ESA blog states that the Mars Advanced Radar for Subsurface and Ionospheric Sounding (MARSIS) instrument aboard Mars Express played a critical role in searching for and detecting signs of liquid water on Mars, including a proposed 20 km by 30 km salt water lake buried under 1.5 km of ice in the southern polar region of the planet.
The device’s on-board computer runs under the Windows 98 operating system and is based on the RAD750 processor, which is a single-core PowerPC 750 chip with a frequency of 233 MHz improved to work in conditions of high radiation. The same processor was once used in iMac computers. In addition, the RAD750 also serves as the core of the Curiosity and Perseverance Martian rovers currently exploring the surface of the Red Planet. The space telescopes Kepler and Fermi also operate at its base.
The new software includes a number of changes that improve signal reception and data processing on board to increase the quantity and quality of science data sent back to Earth.
