NASA, the US space agency, is making preparations to launch its Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution (Maven) spacecraft to explore the atmosphere surrounding the Red Planet. The spacecraft will be launched next month.

Maven will investigate about Mars and will help scientists to find out how Mars lost its atmosphere. Earlier, it was believed that the atmosphere of Mars was thicker as compared to that of Earth.

The mission is to be launched on November 18 from Florida and will reach its destination on September 22, 2014. The launch date was confirmed by NASA on Monday. The announcement marked a sigh of relief for space scientists. The latest partial shutdown of the US federal government over a budget clash had put the mission at risk of missing its launch window.

Proofs from different space probes specify that billions of years ago Mars comprised of a much thicker carbon dioxide atmosphere along with free-flowing water that may have supported the life of microbes on the planet. However, after time, no atmosphere has been observed around Mars and this stripping away of atmosphere has made the planet much similar to a desert.

The 5,410-lb (2,450-kg) unmanned probe was built by Lockheed Martin. It is based on the previous Mars spacecraft named as Reconnaissance Orbiter and Mars Odyssey.