The US is scheduled to launch a Mars atmosphere probe in November.

The U.S. space agency announced on the 28th that it will launch a Mars probe on November 18th, which will study the upper atmosphere of Mars with "unprecedented accuracy." This will also be the first probe launched by the United States specifically for this mission.

The U.S. space agency released a message on the same day saying that the 2.45-ton "Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution (MAVEN)" probe will be carried aboard an "Atlas V" rocket and is scheduled to lift off at 13:28 Eastern Time on November 18th (1:28 AM Beijing Time on the 19th) from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Base in Florida. The probe is expected to enter Mars orbit in September 2014.

According to reports, the "Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution" probe project costs over $670 million and aims to investigate Mars' upper atmosphere, helping to understand the impact of the escape of Mars atmospheric gases into space on the evolution of Mars' climate. During its primary mission period of one year, the probe will conduct observations at different altitudes ranging from 150 kilometers to 6,100 kilometers above Mars and will carry out five dives to an altitude of 125 kilometers, which is the lower boundary of Mars' upper atmosphere.

John Grunsfeld, a relevant official from the U.S. space agency, said that launching this probe is "a big step towards unraveling the mysteries of Mars' past and present environment," and the knowledge gained from this mission will help with future missions to send humans to Mars. Previously, President Obama proposed that the United States should send astronauts to Mars in the mid-2030s.

Currently, the United States has two probes operating on Mars, namely the "Opportunity" rover, which was launched more than 10 years ago, and the "Curiosity" rover, which landed in August last year.