Mars is covered in a remarkably diverse landscape. In fact, the planet is roughly divided into two halves: half is covered in ancient soil, dotted with craters and other signs of age and activity, while the other half is much smoother, having been covered over time by lava. These landscape features were explored in detail by Mars Express, which launched on June 2, 2003, from the Baikonur Cosmodrome aboard a Soyuz-U-FG launch vehicle with a Fregat upper stage. The spacecraft continues to operate, collecting data about our planetary neighbor.