Mission Timeline
Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Event Timeline
| Pre-launch Activities | 2002 - Aug. 2005 | Preparation for the mission, including assembly and testing, and delivery to Cape Canaveral |
| Launch | Aug. 12, 2005 | Lift-off from Earth |
| Cruise | Aug. 2005 - Mar. 2006 | Voyage through space to Mars |
| Approach | Mar. 2006 | Nearing the red planet |
| Mars Orbit Insertion | Mar. 2006 | Capturing the spacecraft into orbit around Mars |
| Aerobraking | Mar. 2006 - Nov. 2006 | Slowing down in the martian atmosphere and settling into a lower, circular orbit for science-data collecting |
| Science Operations | Nov. 2006 - Nov. 2008 | Gathering information about Mars through the day-to-day activities of the orbiter |
| Communications Relay | Nov. 2008 - Dec. 2010 | Using the orbiter to communicate with other landed missions |