Skimming the surface of Phobos Mars Express will perform the closest ever fly-by of martian moon Phobos, passing only 58 km from the moon's centre (or within around 47 km of the moon's surface). Flying so close to the surface will in itself be a navigation feat, and will provide an unprecedented determination of the moon's mass distribution. Expected date: Flyby will take place on 29 December, with results available in early 2014
On 19 June, the SPC approved new extensions – until 31 December 2016 - for Cassini-Huygens, Cluster, Hinode, Hubble Space Telescope, INTEGRAL, Mars Express, SOHO and XMM-Newton. Consistent with previous cycles, these are subject to mid-term confirmation, in late 2014.