Mars Science Laboratory
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![](/Images/godic/202502/07/Mars_Science_Laboratory_mission_logo4125.png"){kind=logo}
![Hubble view of Mars: Gale crater can be seen. Slightly left and south of center, it's a small dark spot with dust trailing southward from it.](/Images/godic/202502/07/Mars_and_Elysium_-_GPN-2000-0009194125.jpg")
![MSL self-portrait from Gale Crater sol 85 (October 31, 2012).](/Images/godic/202502/07/PIA16239_High-Resolution_Self-Portrait_by_Curiosity_Rover_Arm_Camera4125.jpg")
Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) is a robotic space probe mission to Mars launched by NASA on November 26, 2011, which successfully landed Curiosity, a Mars rover, in Gale Crater on August 6, 2012. The overall objectives include investigating Mars' habitability, studying its climate and geology, and collecting data for a manned mission to Mars. The rover carries a variety of scientific instruments designed by an international team.