Nonequilibrium infrared emission spectra representative of a Mars atmospheric entry mission are modeled using RADIS, a spectral code for CO and CO 2 based on the HITEMP-2010 and CDSD-4000 databases. The modeled experimental data for the free-flow and the forebody radiation were obtained in the JAXA expansion tube facility. In the expanding flow, good agreement with the experimental data can be obtained using a slightly nonequilibrium distribution and a homogeneous flow. The model suggests that all three CO 2 vibration modes share a * Ph.D student, CentraleSupélec,