# |
Launch |
Name |
Country |
Result |
Details |
1 |
1960 |
Korabl 4 |
USSR (flyby) |
Failure |
Didn't reach Earth orbit |
2 |
1960 |
Korabl 5 |
USSR (flyby) |
Failure |
Didn't reach Earth orbit |
3 |
1962 |
Korabl 11 |
USSR (flyby) |
Failure |
Earth orbit only; spacecraft broke apart |
4 |
1962 |
Mars 1 |
USSR (flyby) |
Failure |
Radio Failed |
5 |
1962 |
Korabl 13 |
USSR (flyby) |
Failure |
Earth orbit only; spacecraft broke apart |
6 |
1964 |
Mariner 3 |
US (flyby) |
Failure |
Shroud failed to jettison |
7 |
1964 |
Mariner 4 |
US (flyby) |
Success |
Returned 21 images |
8 |
1964 |
Zond 2 |
USSR (flyby) |
Failure |
Radio failed |
9 |
1969 |
Mars 1969A |
USSR |
Failure |
Launch vehicle failure |
10 |
1969 |
Mars 1969B |
USSR |
Failure |
Launch vehicle failure |
11 |
1969 |
Mariner 6 |
US (flyby) |
Success |
Returned 75 images |
12 |
1969 |
Mariner 7 |
US (flyby) |
Success |
Returned 126 images |
13 |
1971 |
Mariner 8 |
US |
Failure |
Launch failure |
14 |
1971 |
Kosmos 419 |
USSR |
Failure |
Achieved Earth orbit only |
15 |
1971 |
Mars 2 Orbiter/Lander |
USSR |
Failure |
Orbiter arrived, but sent no useful data; lander destroyed |
16 |
1971 |
Mars 3 Orbiter/Lander |
USSR |
Success/Failure |
Orbiter obtained approximately 8 months of data and lander landed safely, but only 20 seconds of data returned |
17 |
1971 |
Mariner 9 |
US |
Success |
Returned 7,329 images |
18 |
1973 |
Mars 4 |
USSR |
Failure |
Flew past Mars |
19 |
1973 |
Mars 5 |
USSR |
Success |
Returned 60 images; only lasted 9 days |
20 |
1973 |
Mars 6 Orbiter/Lander |
USSR |
Success/Failure |
Occultation experiment produced data and Lander failure on descent |
21 |
1973 |
Mars 7 Lander |
USSR |
Failure |
Missed planet; now in solar orbit. |
22 |
1975 |
Viking 1 Orbiter/Lander |
US |
Success |
Orbiter returned over 36,000 images; lander returned first image from the surface of Mars and conducted soil experiments |
23 |
1975 |
Viking 2 Orbiter/Lander |
US |
Success |
Returned 16,000 images and extensive atmospheric data and soil experiments |
24 |
1988 |
Phobos 1 Orbiter |
USSR |
Failure |
Lost en route to Mars |
25 |
1988 |
Phobos 2 Orbiter/Lander |
USSR |
Failure |
Lost near Phobos |
26 |
1992 |
Mars Observer |
US |
Failure |
Lost prior to Mars arrival |
27 |
1996 |
Mars Global Surveyor |
US |
Success |
Mapped Mars and its topography; studied indications of Mars’ wetter past |
28 |
1996 |
Mars 96 |
Russia |
Failure |
Launch vehicle failure |
29 |
1996 |
Mars Pathfinder |
US |
Success |
Technology experiment lasting 5 times longer than warranty |
30 |
1998 |
Nozomi |
Japan |
Failure |
No orbit insertion; fuel problems |
31 |
1998 |
Mars Climate Orbiter |
US |
Failure |
Lost on arrival |
32 |
1999 |
Mars Polar Lander |
US |
Failure |
Lost on arrival |
33 |
1999 |
Deep Space 2 Probes (2) |
US |
Failure |
Lost on arrival (carried on Mars Polar Lander) |
34 |
2001 |
Mars Odyssey |
US |
Success |
High resolution images of Mars |
35 |
2003 |
Mars Express Orbiter/Beagle 2 Lander |
ESA |
Success/Failure |
Orbiter imaging Mars in detail; lander appears to have landed intact but didn’t communicate with Earth |
36 |
2003 |
Mars Exploration Rover - Spirit |
US |
Success |
Operated for over 6 years on Mars, long past design life |
37 |
2003 |
Mars Exploration Rover - Opportunity |
US |
Success |
Operated for nearly 15 years, roving a record 28 miles (45 km) |
38 |
2005 |
Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter |
US |
Success |
Studying Mars in detail; has returned over 400 terabits of data (more than all other Mars missions combined) |
39 |
2007 |
Phoenix Mars Lander |
US |
Success |
Returned more than 25 gigabits of data from its studies of Mars’ north polar region |
40 |
2011 |
Mars Science Laboratory |
US |
Success |
Exploring Mars' habitability |
41 |
2011 |
Phobos-Grunt/Yinghuo-1 |
Russia/China |
Failure |
Stranded in Earth orbit |
42 |
2013 |
Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution |
US |
Success |
Studying the Martian atmosphere |
43 |
2013 |
Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM) |
India |
Success |
Develop interplanetary technologies and explore Mars' surface features, mineralogy and atmosphere. |
44 |
2016 |
ExoMars Orbiter/Schiaparelli EDL Demo Lander |
ESA/Russia |
Success/Failure |
Orbiter studying Martian atmosphere and EDL demo lander lost on arrival |
45 |
2018 |
Mars InSight Lander |
US |
Success |
Measuring “marsquakes” and studying the planet’s interior |
46 |
2020 |
Hope Orbiter |
UAE |
Success |
Studying the Martian atmosphere |
47 |
2020 |
Tianwen-1 Orbiter/Zhurong Rover |
China |
Success |
Orbiter arrived in Feb. 2021; released lander for successful touchdown and rover deployment in May 2021 |
48 |
2020 |
Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover |
US |
Success |
Searching for signs of ancient life and collecting samples for future return to Earth |