Mars Science Laboratory Daily Heliocentric Trajectory Coordinates

Heliocentric trajectory data for the Mars Science Laboratory spacecraft, calculated using the 'Mean of Date' method for the Equinox Epoch. The original trajectory data are taken from NASA JPL's Horizons system, where differences between a planet's orbit and a spacecraft's ephemeris are noted to be very small on a heliospheric scale. This dataset is provided by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and was last updated in March 2026.

Use Cases

• Modeling spacecraft heliocentric trajectories based on the provided Heliographic (HG), Heliographic Inertial (HGI), and Solar Ecliptic (SE) coordinates.
• Analyzing solar system dynamics using the 'Mean of Date' method for the Equinox Epoch described in the dataset.
• Comparing planetary orbital trajectories with spacecraft ephemeris for missions like the Mars Science Laboratory.

Strengths

• Data originates from the authoritative NASA JPL Horizons system.
• Coordinates are calculated using a specified 'Mean of Date' method for the Equinox Epoch.
• Last updated on 2026-03-13, indicating recent maintenance.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Description metadata is limited; actual data quality requires manual inspection after download.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration, via JPL Horizons system.

Collection Method

Calculated from original trajectory data taken from http://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/horizons.cgi.

Time Range

Daily data; specific temporal coverage is not stated.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 06:32:09.715761.

Geography

Heliocentric (solar system) coordinates.