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This is a list of spacecraft missions (including unsuccessful ones) to the planet Mars, such as orbiters, landers, and rovers. Mission time is often measured in Mars sols, solar days on Mars.
| Mission | Launch date | Operator | Carrier rocket[1] | Spacecraft | Mission type[2] | Outcome | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1M No.1 | 10 October 1960 | Molniya | 1M No.1 | Flyby | Launch failure | |||||||
| Failed to achieve Earth orbit. | |||||||||||||
| 2 | 1M No.2 | 14 October 1960 | Molniya | 1M No.2 | Flyby | Launch failure | |||||||
| Failed to achieve Earth orbit. | |||||||||||||
| 3 | 2MV-4 No.1 | 24 October 1962 | Molniya | 2MV-4 No.1 | Flyby | Launch failure | |||||||
| Booster stage ("Block L") disintegrated in LEO. | |||||||||||||
| 4 | Mars 1 | 1 November 1962 | Molniya | 2MV-4 No.2 | Flyby | Spacecraft failure | |||||||
| Communications lost before first flyby. | |||||||||||||
| 5 | 2MV-3 No.1 | 4 November 1962 | Molniya | 2MV-3 No.1 | Lander | Launch failure | |||||||
| Never left Low Earth orbit. | |||||||||||||
| 6 | Mariner 3 | 5 November 1964 | Atlas LV-3 Agena-D | Mariner 3 | Flyby | Launch failure | |||||||
| Payload fairing failed to separate. | |||||||||||||
| 7 | Mariner 4 | 28 November 1964 | Atlas LV-3 Agena-D | Mariner 4 | Flyby | Success | |||||||
| First successful flyby of Mars on 15 July 1965. | |||||||||||||
| 8 | Zond 2 | 30 November 1964 | Molniya | 3MV-4A No.2 | Flyby | Spacecraft failure | |||||||
| Communications lost before flyby. | |||||||||||||
| 9 | Mariner 6 | 25 February 1969 | Atlas SLV-3C Centaur-D | Mariner 6 | Flyby | Success | |||||||
| Part of a dual mission to Mars along with Mariner 7.[3] | |||||||||||||
| 10 | 2M No.521 | 27 March 1969 | Proton-K / D | 1969A[4] | Orbiter | Launch failure | |||||||
| Failed to achieve Earth orbit. | |||||||||||||
| 11 | Mariner 7 | 27 March 1969 | Atlas SLV-3C Centaur-D | Mariner 7 | Flyby | Success | |||||||
| Part of a dual mission to Mars along with Mariner 7. Closest approach to Mars was five days after Mariner 6.[5] | |||||||||||||
| 12 | 2M No.522 | 2 April 1969 | Proton-K / D | 1969B[4] | Orbiter | Launch failure | |||||||
| Failed to achieve Earth orbit. | |||||||||||||
| 13 | Mariner 8 | 9 May 1971 | Atlas SLV-3C Centaur-D | Mariner 8 | Orbiter | Launch failure | |||||||
| Failed to achieve Earth orbit. | |||||||||||||
| 14 | Kosmos 419 | 10 May 1971 | Proton-K / D | 3MS No.170 | Orbiter | Launch failure | |||||||
| Never left Low Earth orbit; booster stage burn timer set incorrectly. | |||||||||||||
| 15 | Mars 2 | 19 May 1971 | Proton-K / D | 4M No.171 | Orbiter | Success | |||||||
| SA 4M No.171 | Lander | Spacecraft failure | |||||||||||
| PrOP-M | Rover | Precluded | |||||||||||
| On November 27, the Mars 2 Orbiter became in short sequence the second spacecraft to orbit another planet.[6] The lander became the first human-made object to impact Mars. Deployed from Mars 2, failed to land during attempt on 27 November 1971.[7] Operated for 362 orbits[8] PrOP-M was the first rover launched to Mars. Lost when the Mars 2 lander crashed into the surface of Mars. | |||||||||||||
| 16 | Mars 3 | 28 May 1971 | Proton-K / D | 4M No.172 | Orbiter | Success | |||||||
| SA 4M No.172 | Lander | Partial failure[9][10] | |||||||||||
| PrOP-M | Rover | Precluded | |||||||||||
| On December 2, it became in short sequence the third spacecraft to orbit another planet.[6] Operated for 20 orbits.[11][12] Mars 3 Lander was the first lander to make a soft landing on Mars on 2 December 1971. First partial image (70 lines) transmitted showing "gray background with no details".[11] Contact lost 20 seconds after transmission started, 110 seconds after landing.[13][14] PrOP-M was the first rover to make a soft landing on another planet. 4.5 kg (9.9 lb) rover connected to the Mars 3 lander by a tether. Deployment status unknown due to loss of communications with the Mars 3 lander.[13] | |||||||||||||
| 17 | Mariner 9 | 30 May 1971 | Atlas SLV-3C Centaur-D | Mariner 9 | Orbiter | Success | |||||||
| First spacecraft to orbit another planet, two weeks ahead of Mars 2 on November 14.[6] Deactivated 516 days after entering orbit.[15] | |||||||||||||
| 18 | Mars 4 | 21 July 1973 | Proton-K / D | 3MS No.52S | Orbiter | Partial failure | |||||||
| Failed to perform orbital insertion burn. Returned photographs of Mars during flyby.[16] | |||||||||||||
| 19 | Mars 5 | 25 July 1973 | Proton-K / D | 3MS No.52S | Orbiter | Success | |||||||
| Contact lost after 9 days in Mars orbit. Returned 180 frames. | |||||||||||||
| 20 | Mars 6 | 5 August 1973 | Proton-K / D | 3MS No.50P | Orbiter | Success | |||||||
| Mars 6 lander | Lander | Spacecraft failure | |||||||||||
| Flyby bus collected data.[17] Contact lost upon landing, atmospheric data mostly unusable. | |||||||||||||
| 21 | Mars 7 | 9 August 1973 | Proton-K / D | 3MP No.51P | Flyby | Success | |||||||
| Mars 7 lander | Lander | Spacecraft failure | |||||||||||
| Flyby bus collected data. Lander separated from coast stage prematurely, failed to enter Martian atmosphere.{{citation needed|date=March 2026} |- | 22 | Viking 1 | 20 August 1975 | Titan IIIE Centaur-D1T | Viking 1 orbiter | Orbiter | Success | ||||||
| Viking 1 lander | Lander | Success | |||||||||||
| Entered Mars orbit on 19 June 1976 and operated until 1385 orbits. Viking 1 lander was the First successful Mars lander. Deployed from Viking 1 orbiter. Landed on Mars on 20 July 1976. Operated for 2245 sols.{{citation needed|date=March 2026} |- | 23 | Viking 2 | 9 September 1975 | Titan IIIE Centaur-D1T | Viking 2 orbiter | Orbiter | Success | ||||||
| Viking 2 lander | Lander | Success | |||||||||||
| Operated for 700 orbits. Entered Mars orbit on 7 August 1976. Viking 2 lander was deployed from Viking 2 orbiter. Landed on Mars in September 1976. Operated for 1281 sols (11 April 1980).{{citation needed|date=March 2026} |- id="1980" | 24 | Phobos 1 | 7 July 1988 | Proton-K / D-2 | 1F No.101 | Orbiter | Spacecraft failure | ||||||
| DAS | Lander (Phobos) | Precluded | |||||||||||
| Communications lost before reaching Mars; failed to enter orbit. Phobos lander was to have been deployed by the spacecraft. | |||||||||||||
| 25 | Phobos 2 | 12 July 1988 | Proton-K / D-2 | 1F No.102 | Orbiter | Mostly successful | |||||||
| DAS | Lander (Phobos) | Precluded | |||||||||||
| Prop-F | Rover (Phobos) | Precluded | |||||||||||
| Orbital observations successful, communications lost before lander and rover deployment. | |||||||||||||
| 26 | Mars Observer | 25 September 1992 | Commercial Titan III | Mars Observer | Orbiter | Spacecraft failure | |||||||
| Lost communications before orbital insertion. | |||||||||||||
| 27 | Mars Global Surveyor | 7 November 1996 | Delta II 7925 | Mars Global Surveyor | Orbiter | Success | |||||||
| Operated for ten years. | |||||||||||||
| 28 | Mars 96 | 16 November 1996 | Proton-K / D-2 | M1 No.520(Mars-8)[4] | Orbiter | Launch failure | |||||||
| Mars 96 lander (A) | Lander | Precluded | |||||||||||
| Mars 96 lander (B) | Lander | Precluded | |||||||||||
| Mars 96 penetrator (A) | Penetrator | Precluded | |||||||||||
| Mars 96 penetrator (B) | Penetrator | Precluded | |||||||||||
| Never left Low Earth orbit. Two small landers and penetrators were to have been deployed by the Mars 96 orbiter.[18] | |||||||||||||
| 29 | Mars Pathfinder | 4 December 1996 | Delta II 7925 | Mars Pathfinder | Orbiter | Success | |||||||
| Sojourner | Rover | Success | |||||||||||
| Landed at 19.13°N 33.22°W on 4 July 1997,[19] last contact on 27 September 1997.[20] Sojourner was the first rover to operate on another planet. Operated for 84 days[21] | |||||||||||||
| 30 | Nozomi | 3 July 1998 | M-V | PLANET-B | Orbiter | Spacecraft failure | |||||||
| Performed a Mars flyby. Later contact lost due to loss of fuel. However provided crucial information about the deep space environment.[22] | |||||||||||||
| 31 | Mars Surveyor '98 Orbiter | 11 December 1998 | Delta II 7425 | Mars Climate Orbiter | Orbiter | Spacecraft failure | |||||||
| Approached Mars too closely during orbit insertion attempt due to a software interface bug involving different units for impulse and either burned up in the atmosphere or entered solar orbit. | |||||||||||||
| 32 | Mars Surveyor '98 Lander | 3 January 1999 | Delta II 7425 | Mars Polar Lander | Lander | Spacecraft failure | |||||||
| Deep Space 2 (A) | Penetrator | Spacecraft failure | |||||||||||
| Deep Space 2 (B) | Penetrator | Spacecraft failure | |||||||||||
| Failed to function after landing. No data transmitted from Deep Space 2 after deployment from MPL. | |||||||||||||
| 33 | 2001 Mars Odyssey | 7 April 2001 | Delta II 7925 | Mars Odyssey | Orbiter | Operational | |||||||
| Was expected to remain operational until 2025. Operational as of Template:Today.[23] | |||||||||||||
| 34 | Mars Express | 2 June 2003 | 23px ESA |
Soyuz-FG / Fregat | Mars Express Orbiter | Orbiter | Operational | ||||||
| Beagle 2 | Lander | Spacecraft failure | |||||||||||
| Enough fuel to remain operational until 2035. No communications received after release from Mars Express. Orbital images of landing site suggest a successful landing, but two solar panels failed to deploy, obstructing its communications.{{citation needed|date=March 2026} |- | 35 | Spirit | 10 June 2003 | Delta II 7925 | Spirit (MER-A) | Rover | Success | ||||||
| Landed on 4 January 2004. Operated for 2208 sols. | |||||||||||||
| 36 | Opportunity | 8 July 2003 | Delta II 7925H | Opportunity (MER-B) | Rover | Success | |||||||
| Landed on 25 January 2004. Operated for 5351 sols. | |||||||||||||
| – | Cornerstone 9 | 2 March 2004 | 23px ESA |
Ariane 5G+ | Rosetta | Flyby (Gravity assist) | Success | ||||||
| Philae | Flyby (Gravity assist) | Success | |||||||||||
| Flyby in February 2007 en route to 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko.[24] | |||||||||||||
| 37 | Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter | 12 August 2005 | Atlas V 401 | Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter | Orbiter | Operational | |||||||
| Entered orbit on 10 March 2006. | |||||||||||||
| 38 | Phoenix | 4 August 2007 | Delta II 7925 | Phoenix | Lander | Success | |||||||
| Landed on 25 May 2008. End of mission 2 November 2008. | |||||||||||||
| – | Dawn | 27 September 2007 | Delta II 7925H | Dawn | Flyby (Gravity assist) | Success | |||||||
| Flyby in February 2009 en route to 4 Vesta and Ceres. | |||||||||||||
| 39 | China-Russia joint Mars mission | 8 November 2011 | Zenit-2M | Fobos-Grunt | Sample return (Phobos) | Launch failure | |||||||
| Yinghuo-1 | Orbiter | Precluded | |||||||||||
| Never left Low Earth orbit (intended to depart under own power). Yinghuo-1 was to have been deployed by Fobos-Grunt. | |||||||||||||
| 40 | Mars Science Laboratory | 26 November 2011 | Atlas V 541 | Curiosity | Rover | Operational | |||||||
| Landed on 6 August 2012. | |||||||||||||
| 41 | Mars Orbiter Mission | 5 November 2013 | PSLV-XL | MOM | Orbiter | Success | |||||||
| Entered orbit on 24 September 2014. Mission extended to 2022, where the mission concluded on September 27, 2022, after contact was lost.[25] | |||||||||||||
| 42 | MAVEN | 18 November 2013 | Atlas V 401 | MAVEN | Orbiter | Operational | |||||||
| Orbit insertion on 22 September 2014[26] Contact lost on 6 December 2025. | |||||||||||||
| 43 | ExoMars | 14 March 2016 | Proton-M / Briz-M | Trace Gas Orbiter | Sample return (Phobos) | Launch failure | |||||||
| 23px ESA | Schiaparelli EDM | Lander | Spacecraft failure | ||||||||||
| Entered orbit on 19 October 2016. Schiaparelli EDM lander was Carried by the Orbiter. Although the lander crashed,[27][28] engineering data on the first five minutes of entry was successfully retrieved.[29][30] | |||||||||||||
| 44 | Discovery 12 | 5 May 2018 | Atlas V 401 | InSight | Lander | Success | |||||||
| MarCO-A | Flyby | Success | |||||||||||
| MarCO-B | Flyby | Success | |||||||||||
| InSight landed on 26 November 2018. Last contact 15 December 2022. MarCO A and B relay cubesats which were used to test communications, flewby Mars on 26 November 2018 with last contact contact on 4 January 2019.[31][32][33] | |||||||||||||
| 45 | Emirates Mars Mission | 19 July 2020 | Long March 5 | Hope | Orbiter | Operational | |||||||
| Entered orbit on 9 February 2021.[34][35][36][37] | |||||||||||||
| 46 | Tianwen-1 | 23 July 2020 | Long March 5 | Tianwen-1 orbiter | Orbiter | Operational | |||||||
| Tianwen-1 lander | Lander | Success | |||||||||||
| Zhurong | Rover | Success | |||||||||||
| Tianwen-1 Remote Camera | Camera | Success | |||||||||||
| Tianwen-1 Deployable Camera 2 | Camera | Success | |||||||||||
| Entered orbit on 10 February 2021.[38][39] Tianwen-1 lander landed on 14 May 2021 and deployed Zhurong rover. Rover became inactive on 20 May 2022.[40] Remote Camera was deployed by the Tianwen-1 lander on 22 May 2021.[41] Deployable Camera 2 entered orbit on 10 February 2021, deployed 31 December 2021.[42] | |||||||||||||
| 47 | Mars 2020 | 30 July 2020 | Atlas V 541 | Perseverance | Rover | Operational | |||||||
| Ingenuity | Helicopter | Success | |||||||||||
| Landed on 18 February 2021.[43][44] Ingenuity took the first aerodynamic flight on another planet. Landed with Perseverance rover on 18 February 2021.[45] Deployed from rover on 3 April 2021. First flight achieved on April 19, 2021.[46] Retired on 25 January 2024 due to sustained rotor blade damage. | |||||||||||||
| – | Discovery 14 | 13 October 2023 | Falcon Heavy | Psyche | Flyby (Gravity assist) | Enroute | |||||||
| Gravity assist en route to 16 Psyche in May 2026[47] | |||||||||||||
| – | S2P-1 | 7 October 2024 | 23px ESA | Falcon 9 | Hera | Flyby (Gravity assist) | Success | ||||||
| Flyby in March 2025 en route to 65803 Didymos. | |||||||||||||
| – | Europa Clipper | 14 October 2024 | Falcon Heavy | Europa Clipper | Flyby (Gravity assist) | Success | |||||||
| Flyby in March 2025 en route to Jupiter and Europa. | |||||||||||||
| 48 | ESCAPADE | 13 November 2025 | New Glenn | ESCAPADE Blue | Orbiter | Enroute | |||||||
| ESCAPADE Gold | Orbiter | Enroute | |||||||||||
| Twin spacecraft; Mars orbit insertion expected in September 2027.[48] | |||||||||||||

There are a number of derelict spacecraft orbiting Mars whose location is not known precisely. There is a proposal to use the Optical Navigation Camera on the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter to search for small moons, dust rings and old orbiters.[49] As of 2016, there were believed to be eight derelict spacecraft in orbit around Mars (barring unforeseen event).[50] The Viking 1 orbiter was not expected to decay until at least 2019.[51] Mariner 9, which entered Mars orbit in 1971, was expected to remain in orbit until approximately 2022, when it was projected to enter the Martian atmosphere and either burn up, or crash into the planet's surface.[52]
Template:Timeline of Mars landers and rovers



There have also been proposed missions dedicated to explore the two moons of Mars, Phobos and Deimos. Many missions to Mars have also included dedicated observations of the moons, while this section is about missions focused solely on them. There have been three unsuccessful dedicated missions and many proposals. Because of the proximity of the Mars moons to Mars, any mission to them may also be considered a mission to Mars from some perspectives.
Three missions to land on Phobos have been launched; the Soviet Phobos program in the late 1980s saw the launch of Phobos 1 and Phobos 2, while the Russian Fobos-Grunt sample return mission was launched in 2011. None of these missions were successful: Phobos 1 failed en route to Mars, Phobos 2 failed shortly before landing, and Fobos-Grunt never left low Earth orbit.
| Mission | Target | Outcome | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Phobos 1 | Phobos | Spacecraft failure | |
| Phobos 2 | Phobos | Spacecraft failure | |
| Fobos-Grunt | Phobos | Launch failure |
In Japan, the Institute of Space and Astronautical Science (ISAS) is developing a sample return mission to Phobos.[54][55] This mission is called Martian Moons eXploration (MMX)[56] and is a flagship Strategic Large Mission.[57] MMX will build on the expertise the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) would gain through the Hayabusa2 and SLIM missions.[58] As of December 2023, MMX is scheduled to launch in 2026.[59]
| Planned mission | Target | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) | Phobos and Deimos | [56] |
There have been at least three proposals in NASA's Discovery Program, including PADME, PANDORA, and MERLIN.[60] The ESA has also considered a sample return mission, like Martian Moon Sample Return (MMSR).[61]
Osiris-Rex 2 was a proposal to make OR a double mission, with the other one collecting samples from the two Mars moons.[62] In 2012, it was considered the quickest and least expensive way to get samples from the moons.[63]
The "Red Rocks Project", a part of Lockheed Martin's "Stepping Stones to Mars" program, proposed to explore Mars robotically from Deimos.[64][65]
| Proposal | Target | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Aladdin | Phobos and Deimos | [66] |
| DePhine | Phobos and Deimos | [67] |
| DSR | Deimos | [68] |
| Gulliver | Deimos | [69] |
| Hall | Phobos and Deimos | [70] |
| M-PADS | Phobos and Deimos | [71] |
| Merlin | Phobos and Deimos | [72] |
| MMSR | Phobos or Deimos | [61] |
| OSIRIS-REx 2 | Phobos or Deimos | [63] |
| Pandora | Phobos and Deimos | [60] |
| PCROSS | Phobos | [73] |
| Phobos Surveyor | Phobos | [74] |
| PRIME | Phobos | [75] |
| Fobos-Grunt 2 | Phobos | [76] |
| Phootprint | Phobos | [77][78] |
| PADME | Phobos and Deimos | [79][80] |

| Decade |
|
|---|---|
| 1960s | 12
|
| 1970s | 11
|
| 1980s | 2
|
| 1990s | 7
|
| 2000s | 6
|
| 2010s | 6
|
| 2020s | 4
|
Achieved
Failed attempt
† First to achieve
| Country/Agency | Flyby | Orbit | Impact | Lander | Rover | Drone | Sample return | Crewed Landing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mariner 4, 1965 † | Mariner 9, 1971 † | Mars Polar Lander, 1999 | Viking 1, 1976 | Sojourner, 1997 † | Ingenuity, 2021 † | — | — | |
| Tianwen-1, 2021 | Tianwen-1, 2021 | — | Tianwen-1, 2021 | Zhurong, 2021 | — | — | — | |
| Mars 2, 1971 | Mars 2, 1971 | Mars 2 Lander, 1971 † | Mars 3, 1971 † | PrOP-M, 1971 | — | — | — | |
| 23px ESA | Mars Express, 2003 | Mars Express, 2003 | Schiaparelli EDM, 2016 | Schiaparelli EDM, 2016 | — | — | — | — |
| Beagle 2, 2003 | — | Beagle 2, 2003 | Beagle 2, 2003[lower-alpha 1] | — | — | — | — | |
| TGO, 2016 | TGO, 2016 | Mars 96, 1996 | Mars 96, 1996 | — | — | — | — | |
| MOM, 2014 | MOM, 2014 | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Hope, 2021 | Hope, 2021 | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Nozomi, 1998 | Nozomi, 1998 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Country/Agency | Impact | Lander | Rover | Sample return |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Phobos 1, 1988 | Phobos 1, 1988 | Phobos 1, 1988 | — | |
| Fobos-Grunt, 2011 | Fobos-Grunt, 2011 | — | Fobos-Grunt, 2011 |
| Country | Agency or company | Successful | Partial failure | Failure | Operational | Gravity assist | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NASA | 13 | - | 5 | 5 | 1 | 24 | |
| Energia | 1 | 6 | 10 | - | - | 17 | |
| Roscosmos | - | 1 | 2 | - | - | 3 | |
23 member states
|
ESA | - | 2 | - | - | 1 | 3 |
| CNSA | 1 | - | 1 | 1 | - | 2 | |
| ISRO | 1 | - | - | - | - | 1 | |
| UAESA | 1 | - | - | 1 | - | 1 | |
| ISAS | - | - | 1 | - | - | 1 | |
| NSC | - | - | 1 | - | - | 1 |
| Name | Proposed launch date |
Type | Status | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Phobos sample return mission | under development | [59] | |
| 2028 | Mars sample return mission | under development | [81] | |
| 23px Rosalind Franklin | 2028 | Rover | under development | |
| 2031 | Orbiter, lander, rover, aircraft | under development | [82] |
| Mission | Organisation | Proposed launch |
Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mars Telecommunications Orbiter | TBA | Orbiter | |
| Space Reactor‑1 Freedom / Skyfall | NET 2028 | The "first nuclear powered interplanetary spacecraft" and several Ingenuity-class helicopters[83] | |
| TEREX | Mid 2020s | Orbiter[84] | |
| Fobos-Grunt 2 and Mars-Grunt | 2030s[85] | Orbiter, lander, ascent vehicle, sample-return | |
| M-MATISSE | 23px ESA | 2037[86] | Two orbiters[87] |
|title= specified when using {{Cite web}}" (in ja) (PDF). Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency. 13 October 2015. http://www8.cao.go.jp/space/comittee/27-kagaku/kagaku-dai3/siryou4-3.pdf#page=2.
|title= specified when using {{Cite web}}" (in ja). National Institute of Information and Communications Technology. 25 January 2017. http://www.soumu.go.jp/main_content/000462914.pdf.