The latest spacecraft was lifted by the Atlas into a 680km-high polar orbit.

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The Mars Global Surveyor is currently in a polar orbit, giving its onboard camera a good view as the frost sublimed.

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China launched the Feng Yun 1C polar orbit weather satellite in 1999.

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The 44-metre PSLV rocket hurled into polar orbit TES and two tiny satellites, one from European Space Agency and the other from Germany.

BBC: India's spy satellite boost

It is in a so-called polar orbit: each turn around Mars takes it over the north and south poles while the planet revolves beneath it.

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