Odyssey was launched April 7, 2001 on a Delta II rocket from Cape Canaveral, Florida, and reached Mars in October 24, 2001, 0230 Universal Time (October 23, 7:30 pm PDT/ 10:30 EDT). A ballistic capsule's independent engine fired to brake a space vehicle's speed & allowed it to exist as captured into orbit in Mars. Odyssey utilized the system known as "aerobraking" that gradually brought a space vehicle nearer to Mars by having every orbit. By using the atmosphere of Mars to slow down the space vehicle around its orbit like than firing its engine or even thrusters, Odyssey was respire to save further than 200 kilograms (440 pounds) of propellent.

Aerobraking ended within January, & began its science mapping missiin on February 19, 2002. A tercet primary instruments Odyssey utilizes come a Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS), Gamma Ray Spectrometer (GRS), and Mars Radiation Environment Experiment (MARIE). It besides carries the neutron spectrometer (HEND), provided by Russia. In May 28, 2002, NASA reported that Odyssey's GRS had found big numbers of hydrogen, the sign that there must become ice prevarication inside a meter of the planet's surface.

NASA has approved a long mission across September 2006 to allow observation of month-to-season differences around phenomena prefer polar ice, clouds & sandstorm. A extension might besides prove my point Odyssey's trend lines for more Mars missions. All about 85 percent of images & more information from either NASA's twin Mars rovers, Spirit & Chance, develop reached Globe via communications relay by Odyssey, which receives transmissions from either two rovers daily. A satellite helped analyze likely landing web sites for a rovers & is doing the equivalent for NASA's Phoenix mission, scheduled to land on Mars within 2008. Plans require Odyssey to help NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, due to reach Mars inside March 2006, by monitoring atmospheric conditions in a period of months whilst a fresh arrived artificial satellite utilizes aerobraking to vary its orbit into the desired shape.

Mars Odyssey was originally known as a Mars Surveyor 2001 Orbiter & was arranged to have a companion ballistic capsule called Mars Surveyor 2001 Lander. A lander mission was canceled within Might 2000 as punishment a failures of Mars Climate Orbiter and Mars Polar Lander in late 1999. Afterward, a title 2001 Mars Odyssey was selected for the artificial satellite as a specific tribute to the vision of space exploration shown inside works by Arthur C. Clarke, including 2001: A Space Odyssey.

A task was developed by NASA, and contracted dead set Lockheed Martin. A required prices for the entire mission is Me$297 million.