Mars: Exploration

No planet beyond Earth has been studied as intensely as Mars. Recorded observations of Mars date back more than 4,000 years. Today, an international fleet of robotic spacecraft are studying Mars from all angles.

Perseverance Selfie with Ingenuity

A carefully selected international fleet of robotic orbiters, landers and rovers keep a continuous flow of scientific information and discovery from Mars.

Launch Date
Spacecraft
Nation
Goal
Result
Oct 10, 1960
1M No. 1
USSR
Mars Flyby
Unsuccessful
Oct 1, 1960
1M No. 2
USSR
Mars Flyby
Unsuccessful
Oct 24, 1962
2MV-4 No. 1
USSR
Mars Flyby
Unsuccessful
Nov 1, 1962
Mars 1
USSR
Mars Flyby
Unsuccessful
Nov 4, 1962
2MV-3 No. 1
USSR
Mars Lander
Unsuccessful
Nov 5, 1964
USA
Mars Flyby
Unsuccessful
Nov 28, 1964
USA
Mars Flyby
First Successful Mars Flyby
Nov 30, 1964
Zond 2
USSR
Mars Flyby
Unsuccessful
Feb 25, 1969
USA
Mars Flyby
Unsuccessful
Mar 27, 1969
2M No. 521
USSR
Mars Orbit
Unsuccessful
Mar 27, 1969
Mariner 7
USA
Flyby
Successful
Apr 2, 1965
2M No. 522
USSR
Mars Orbit
Unsuccessful
May 9, 1971
USA
Mars Orbit
Unsuccessful
May 10, 1971
Kosmos 419
USSR
Mars Orbit
Unsuccessful
May 19, 1971
Mars 2
USSR
Mars Orbit & Landing
Partial Success; First Mars Impact
May 28, 1971
Mars 3
USSR
Mars Orbit & Landing
Partial Success; First Soft Landing on Another Planet
May 30, 1971
USA
Mars Orbit
Successful; First Spacecraft to Orbit Another Planet
Jul 21, 1973
Mars 4
USSR
Mars Orbit
Partial Success
Jul 25, 1973
Mars 5
USSR
Mars Orbit
Successful
Aug 5, 1973
Mars 6
USSR
Mars Flyby & Landing
Partial Success
Aug 9, 1973
Mars 7
USSR
Mars Flyby & Landing
Partial Success
Aug 20, 1975
USA
Mars Orbit & Landing
First Successful Mars Lander
Sep 9, 1975
USA
Mars Orbit & Landing
Successful
Jul 7, 1998
Phobos 1
USSR
Phobos Orbit & Landing
Unsuccessful
July 12, 1988
Phobos 2
USA
Mars Orbit & Landing
Unsuccessful
Sep 25, 1992
USA
Mars Orbit
Unsuccessful
Nov 7, 1996
USA
Mars Orbit
Successful
Nov 16, 1996
Mars 96
USSR
Mars Orbit, Landing & Impact
Unsuccessful
Dec 4, 1996
USA
Mars Lander & Rover
First Successful Rover on Another Planet
Jul 3, 1998
Nozomi
Japan
Mars Orbit
Unsuccessful
Dec 11, 1998
USA
Mars Orbit
Unsuccessful
Jan 3, 1999
USA
Mars Orbit & Impact
Unsuccessful
Apr 7, 2001
USA
Mars Orbit
Successful
Jun 2, 2003
Mars Express / Beagle 2
ESA
Mars Orbit & Landing
Partial Success
Jun 10, 2003
USA
Mars Rover
Successful
Jul 8, 2003
USA
Mars Rover
Successful
Mar 2, 2004
Rosetta / Philae
ESA
Mars Gravity Assist
Successful
Aug 12, 2005
USA
Mars Orbit
Successful
Aug 4, 2007
USA
Mars Landing
Successful
Sep 27, 2007
Dawn
USA
Mars Gravity Assist
Successful
Nov 8, 2011
Phobos-Grunt / Yinghuo-1
Russia / China
Mars Orbit
Unsuccessful
Nov 26, 2011
USA
Mars Rover
Successful
Nov 5, 2013
Mars Orbiter Mission
India
Mars Orbit
Successful
Nov 18, 2013
USA
Mars Orbit
Successful
Mar 14, 2016
ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter / Schiaparelli
ESA
Mars Orbit & Landing
Partial Success
May 5, 2018
USA
Mars Landing & Flyby
Successful
Jul 19, 2020
Hope
United Arab Emirates
Mars Orbit
Successful
Jul 27, 2020
Tianwen-1
China
Mars Orbiters, Landers & Rover
Successful
Jul 30, 2020
USA
Mars Rover & Helicopter
Successful; First Powered Flight on Another Planet
Primary Source: Siddiqi, Asif A. Beyond Earth: A Chronicle of Deep Space Exploration, 1958-2016. NASA History Program Office, 2018.
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