The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter fired its thrusters for 12 minutes to adjust to its final position six months after it arrived at its destination. Its altitude ranges between 249km to 315km above the surface of the planet.
"Getting to this point is a great achievement," said Dan Johnston, deputy mission manager at the space agency's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, which manages the US$720 million (A$960.58 million) mission.
Over the next several months, the Orbiter will deploy its 10 metre antenna and remove a lens cap from one of its instruments before starting to collect data in November.
Several weeks after entering orbit, the spacecraft’s high-resolution camera beamed back a test image showing the planet's southern highlands and cratered surface.
After a seven month journey, the unmanned orbiter safely slipped into orbit around Mars, ending its 498.79 million kilometre journey.
The orbiter spent the last half year repeatedly dipping in to the upper atmosphere to shrink its orbit in a tricky process known as aerobraking.
It’s in good company, joining three other spacecraft currently flying around the planet and two rovers rolling across the red surface.