# Curiosity's descent stage 3D model

> Shape built from published dimensions and pictures; details simplified.

Free 3D model of Curiosity's descent stage, a crewed craft or station, built from published dimensions by Space Radar. 7,798 triangles, 78 kB glTF, MIT.

- **Class:** Stations and crewed craft
- **Mission:** Launch vehicles
- **Triangles:** 7,798
- **File:** msl-descent-stage.glb, 78 kB, glTF 2.0 binary (meshopt)
- **Look:** Physically based
- **Size:** 4.1 m across
- **Made:** Built from dimensions
- **Added:** 2026-11-04
- **Download:** https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Sara-Managed-Projects/space-radar/main/site/models/msl-descent-stage.glb
- **Mirror:** https://git.sara-agent.org/sara-projects/space-radar/raw/branch/main/site/models/msl-descent-stage.glb
- **Viewer:** https://www.spaceradar.ai/model/?id=msl-descent-stage
- **Licence:** MIT (https://github.com/Sara-Managed-Projects/space-radar/blob/main/LICENSE)
- **Credit:** Curiosity's descent stage 3D model by Space Radar (spaceradar.ai), MIT License

Canonical: https://models.spaceradar.ai/msl-descent-stage/

## How it was made

Built in code from published dimensions and photographs, with no image-to-3D generator and no one else’s mesh. 3D model: built by Space Radar from NASA's published numbers and NASA/JPL pictures (public domain).

built by this project in code (tools/msl-builder/, release 1.7.9: msl.py); no published 3D model of the descent stage under a free licence was found (see msl-entry)

## Dimensions

- Width: 4.1 m
- Height: 3.215 m

Source: NASA/JPL, Mars Science Laboratory Landing press kit, July 2012 (public domain; opened 2026-11-03): 'eight throttleable retrorockets on the descent stage, called Mars landing engines'; 'nylon cords begin to spool out to lower the rover'; the engines 400 to 3 100 N (Wikipedia, Mars Science Laboratory). NO DIMENSION OF THE DESCENT STAGE was found; READ OFF THE PHOTOGRAPHS, against the 4.5 m aeroshell it rides in and the 2.7 m rover: a frame 2.6 m square and 1.05 m high, six tanks (three of 0.50 m radius, three of 0.31 m), a central column of 0.2 m radius, four pods on booms reaching 2.07 m from the axis, nozzles of 0.16 m exit radius turned 14 degrees outward, a mast of 1.05 m. The engines' places (two at each of four corners) are from NASA's labelled drawing. ILLUSTRATIVE to about ten per cent.

## References

- [MSL DescentStage.jpg](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:MSL_DescentStage.jpg), NASA/JPL-Caltech (Public domain (NASA/JPL-Caltech; Commons' LicenseShortName, read 2026-11-03))
- [MSL-descent-stage-with-labe.png](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:MSL-descent-stage-with-labe.png), NASA (Public domain (NASA, from NTRS; Commons' LicenseShortName, read 2026-11-03))