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Phobos program
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Phobos 2
Operator
IKI
Mission type
Orbiter
Launch date
July 12, 1988
Launch vehicle
Proton-K rocket
Satellite of
Mars
Orbital insertion date
January 29, 1989
COSPAR ID
1988-059A
Homepage
Phobos Mission
Mass
2600 kg (6220 kg with orbital insertion hardware attached)
The Phobos (Russian: ?????, Fobos, Greek: F?ß??) program was an unmanned space mission consisting of two probes launched by the Soviet Union to study Mars and its moons Phobos and Deimos. Phobos 1 was launched on July 7, 1988, and Phobos 2 on July 12, 1988, each aboard a Proton-K rocket. Phobos 1 suffered a terminal failure en route to Mars. Phobos 2 attained Mars orbit and returned 38 images with a resolution of up to 40 meters, but contact was lost prior to deployment of a planned Phobos lander.Phobos 1 and 2 were of a new spacecraft design, succeeding the type used in the Venera planetary missions of 1975–1985, last used during the Vega 1 and Vega 2 missions to comet Halley. They each had a mass of 2600 kg (6220 kg with orbital insertion hardware attached).The program featured co-operation from 14 other nations, including Sweden, Switzerland, Austria, France, West Germany, and the United States (which contributed the use of its Deep Space Network for tracking the twin spacecraft).
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