A malfunction during booster firing to send it to Mars marooned the spacecraft in Earth orbit. It re-entered Earth's atmosphere after three orbits.
At 6,200 kg, Mars 8 was the heaviest interplanetary probe and the most ambitious Mars mission of its time.
Instruments were developed in Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czechia, Finland, France, Hungary, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Norway, Poland, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine, the United States and the ESA.
