List of artificial objects on Mars

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The following table is a partial list of artificial objects on the surface of Mars, consisting of spacecraft which were launched from Earth. Although most are defunct after having served their purpose, the Curiosity and Perseverance rovers are active. China's Tianwen-1 spacecraft is the most recent artificial object to land safely on Mars.

The table does not include smaller objects, such as springs, fragments, parachutes and heat shields. (As of February 2021), there are 14 missions with objects on the surface of Mars. Some of these missions contain multiple spacecraft.

Error: Image is invalid or non-existent.

white;">← Beagle 2 (2003)

white;">Curiosity (2012) →

white;">Deep Space 2 (1999) →

black;">← Rosalind Franklin rover (2021?)

white;">InSight (2018) →

black;">← Mars 2020 rover (2021?)

white;">Mars 2 (1971) →

white;">← Mars 3 (1971)

white;">Mars 6 (1973) →

white;">Polar Lander (1999) ↓

white;">↑ Opportunity (2004)

white;">← Phoenix (2008)

white;">Schiaparelli EDM (2016) →

white;">← Sojourner (1997)

white;">Spirit (2004) ↑

white;">Viking 1 (1976) →

white;">Viking 2 (1976) →

## Contents

* 1 List of landers and vehicles
* 2 Other objects
* 3 Gallery
* 3.1 From surface
* 3.2 From orbit
* 4 Landing site namings and memorials
* 5 See also
* 6 References

## List of landers and vehicles

Key  | Success

|

| Operational
| Failure
Year  | Agency  | Mission  | Object(s)  | Image  | Mass
(kg)  | Status  | Location

|
|
|
|
|
|
|

1971  | USSR | Mars 2 | Mars 2 lander and PrOP-M rover  |  | 1210  | Failure during descent; crashed on surface  | Estimated at  [ ⚑ ] 45°S 313°W﻿ / ﻿45°S 313°W﻿ / -45; -313﻿ (Mars 2)[1]
1971  | USSR | Mars 3 | Mars 3 lander and PrOP-M rover  |  | 1210  | Transmission failure 110 seconds after soft landing  | Estimated at Sirenum Terra

[ ⚑ ] 45°S 158°W﻿ / ﻿45°S 158°W﻿ / -45; -158﻿ (Mars 3)[2]

1973  | USSR | Mars 6 | Mars 6 lander  |  | 635  | Returned corrupted data for 224 seconds during its descent but contact lost before reaching surface[3] | Estimated at Margaritifer Terra

[ ⚑ ] 23°54′S 19°25′W﻿ / ﻿23.90°S 19.42°W﻿ / -23.90; -19.42﻿ (Mars 6)[3]

1976  | NASA | Viking 1 | Viking 1 lander  |  | 657  | Operated 2245 sols. Last contact Nov 11, 1982  | Chryse Planitia

[ ⚑ ] 22°41′49″N 48°13′19″W﻿ / ﻿22.697°N 48.222°W﻿ / 22.697; -48.222﻿ (Viking 1)[4]

1976  | NASA | Viking 2 | Viking 2 lander  |  | 657  | Operated 1281 sols. Last contact Apr 11, 1980  | Utopia Planitia

[ ⚑ ] 48°16′08″N 225°59′24″W﻿ / ﻿48.269°N 225.990°W﻿ / 48.269; -225.990﻿ (Viking 2)[5]

1997  | NASA | Mars Pathfinder | Pathfinder (lander)  |  | 360  | Operated 83 sols. Last contact Sep 27, 1997[6] | Ares Vallis

[ ⚑ ] 19°20′N 33°33′W﻿ / ﻿19.33°N 33.55°W﻿ / 19.33; -33.55﻿ (Mars Pathfinder and Sojourner)[7][8]

Sojourner (rover)  | 11.5
1999  | NASA | Mars Surveyor '98 | Mars Polar Lander and

Deep Space 2 (probes)

|  | 500  | Unknown failure during descent; crashed on surface  | Estimated at Ultimi Scopuli

[ ⚑ ] 76°S 195°W﻿ / ﻿76°S 195°W﻿ / -76; -195﻿ (Mars Polar Lander and Deep Space 2)

2003  | ESA

(United Kingdom )

| Mars Express | Beagle 2 (lander)  |  | 33.2  | Landed safely; solar panels failed to deploy  | Isidis Planitia

[ ⚑ ] 11°31′35″N 90°25′46″E﻿ / ﻿11.5265°N 90.4295°E﻿ / 11.5265; 90.4295﻿ (Beagle 2 landing site)

2004  | NASA | Mars Exploration Rover | Spirit (rover)  |  | 185  | Operated 2210 sols. Last contact Mar 22, 2010  | Gusev crater

[ ⚑ ] 14°34′18″S 175°28′43″E﻿ / ﻿14.5718°S 175.4785°E﻿ / -14.5718; 175.4785﻿ (Spirit rover)

Opportunity (rover)  |  | 185  | Operated 5111 sols. Last contact June 10, 2018  | Meridiani Planum

[ ⚑ ] 1°56′46″S 354°28′24″E﻿ / ﻿1.9462°S 354.4734°E﻿ / -1.9462; 354.4734﻿ (Opportunity rover)

2008  | NASA | Phoenix Mars Lander  | Phoenix (lander)  |  | 350  | Operated 155 sols. Last contact Nov 2, 2008  | Green Valley in Vastitas Borealis

[ ⚑ ] 68°13′N 125°42′W﻿ / ﻿68.22°N 125.7°W﻿ / 68.22; -125.7﻿ (Phoenix)

2012  | NASA | Mars Science Laboratory | Curiosity (rover)  |  | 900  | In operation, 4242 sols  | Aeolis Palus in Gale Crater

[ ⚑ ] 4°35′22″S 137°26′30″E﻿ / ﻿4.5895°S 137.4417°E﻿ / -4.5895; 137.4417

2016  | ESA

Roscosmos

| ExoMars 2016  | Schiaparelli EDM (lander)  |  | 577  | Crashed on impact; transmitted descent telemetry  | Meridiani Planum

[ ⚑ ] 2°03′S 6°13′W﻿ / ﻿2.05°S 6.21°W﻿ / -2.05; -6.21﻿ (Schiaparelli EDM lander crash site)

2018  | NASA | InSight | InSight (lander)  |  | 358  | Reached end of designed lifespan after landing on 19 Dec, 2022.  | Elysium Planitia

[ ⚑ ] 4°30′09″N 135°37′24″E﻿ / ﻿4.5024°N 135.6234°E﻿ / 4.5024; 135.6234﻿ (InSight landing site)

2021  | NASA | Mars 2020 | Perseverance (rover)  |  | 1024  | In operation, 1208 sols  | Jezero crater

[ ⚑ ] 18°26′45″N 77°27′03″E﻿ / ﻿18.4457°N 77.4508°E﻿ / 18.4457; 77.4508﻿ (Perseverance landing site)

Ingenuity (helicopter)  |  | 1.8  | Operated 1208 sols.[9] | Wright Brothers Field

[ ⚑ ] 18°26′45″N 77°27′03″E﻿ / ﻿18.4457°N 77.4508°E﻿ / 18.4457; 77.4508﻿ (Ingenuity drop site)

2021  | CNSA  | Tianwen-1 | Tianwen-1 (lander)  |  | 1285
[citation needed] | Reached end of designed lifespan after landing on 14 May, 2021.  | Utopia Planitia

[ ⚑ ] 25°06′N 109°54′E﻿ / ﻿25.1°N 109.9°E﻿ / 25.1; 109.9﻿ (Zhurong landing site)

Zhurong (rover)  | 240  | Inactive due to sandstorm. Operated for 361 sols.[10]
Tianwen-1 Remote camera  | <1  | Reached end of designed lifespan after mission completion on 1 June, 2021.

## Other objects

An example of an additional object from a spacecraft landing is the metal shroud ejected by the Viking 2 lander, as seen in this 1977 view of Mars. The shroud covered the surface sampler instrument and could be seen in images taken by the lander while it was active on the surface.[11]

* Each mission left debris according to its design. For example, the Schiaparelli EDM lander likely exploded on impact, creating an unknown number of fragments at one location. At another location, there may be a lower heat shield, and at another location, a parachute and upper heat shield. Another example is the counterweights ejected by MSL during its descent. In some cases, the nature and location of this additional debris has been determined and, in other cases, even the location of the main spacecraft has remained unknown. The identification of Beagle 2 after 11 years is one of the greatest breakthroughs yet, since prior to that, it could not be confirmed what had happened.[12] Spacecraft that have not been precisely located include Mars 2, Mars 3, Mars 6, Mars Polar Lander, and the two Deep Space 2 probes.
* Orbiters whose orbit could eventually decay and impact the surface, include: Viking 1 and Viking 2 orbiters, Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, 2001 Mars Odyssey, Mars Express, Mars Global Surveyor, Phobos 2, Mars 2, Mars 3, and Mars 5 orbiters, and Mariner 9. (See also List of Mars orbiters)
* The fate of Mars Climate Orbiter (1999) is unknown, but it is thought to have burnt up in the atmosphere before impacting.
* Mariner 9, which entered Mars orbit in 1971, is expected to remain in orbit until approximately 2022, when the spacecraft is projected to enter the Martian atmosphere and either burn up or crash into the planet's surface.[13]

## Gallery

### From surface

* MER-A Spirit rover lander

* MER-B Opportunity's heat shield

* MSL Curiosity self-portrait, 2016

### From orbit

* Viking 1 lander in 2006 (HiRise)

* Viking 2 lander in 2006 (HiRise)

* Phoenix lander and heat-shield in 2009 (HiRise)

* Mars Pathfinder seen from space by the MRO HiRISE

* MER-B Opportunity lander in Eagle crater (2006)

* Beagle 2, after 11 years found and showing that it made it to the surface but did not expand fully to transmit

* Curiosity landing remnants

* Schiaparelli remnants (2016)

## Landing site namings and memorials

Several landing sites have been named, either the spacecraft itself or the landing site:

* Pennants of Soviet Union on Mars 2 and Mars 3 landers (1971).[14]
* Thomas Mutch Memorial Station, the Viking 1 lander (1976).[15]
* Gerald Soffen Memorial Station, the Viking 2 lander (1976).[16]
* Carl Sagan Memorial Station, Mars Pathfinder (Sojourner) base (1997).[17]
* Challenger Memorial Station, MER-B (Opportunity) landing site area (2004).[18]
* Columbia Memorial Station, MER-A (Spirit) landing site area (2004).[19]
* Green Valley, the Phoenix lander (2008).
* Bradbury Landing, Curiosity rover landing site (August 6, 2012).[20] (Note: Due to the nature of the landing system, there is no actual space hardware at the touchdown location of Bradbury Landing, see Curiosity (rover))
* InSight Landing, the InSight lander (2018)
* Octavia E. Butler Landing, Perseverance rover and Ingenuity helicopter landing site (February 18, 2021)
* Wright Brothers Field, the initial take-off and landing site for the Ingenuity helicopter, used for five flights (April, May, 2021)

Error: Image is invalid or non-existent.

white;">← Beagle 2 (2003)

white;">Curiosity (2012) →

white;">Deep Space 2 (1999) →

black;">← Rosalind Franklin rover (2021?)

white;">InSight (2018) →

black;">← Mars 2020 rover (2021?)

white;">Mars 2 (1971) →

white;">← Mars 3 (1971)

white;">Mars 6 (1973) →

white;">Polar Lander (1999) ↓

white;">↑ Opportunity (2004)

white;">← Phoenix (2008)

white;">Schiaparelli EDM (2016) →

white;">← Sojourner (1997)

white;">Spirit (2004) ↑

white;">Viking 1 (1976) →

white;">Viking 2 (1976) →

## See also

* Exploration of Mars
* Life on Mars
* List of artificial objects on extra-terrestrial surfaces
* List of extraterrestrial memorials
* List of missions to Mars
* Satellites of Mars
* Timeline of planetary exploration

## References

1. ↑ "NASA NSSDC Master Catalog - Mars 2". https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/spacecraft/display.action?id=1971-045A.
2. ↑ "NASA NSSDC Master Catalog - Mars 3". https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/spacecraft/display.action?id=1971-049A.
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "NASA NSSDC Master Catalog - Mars 6". https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/spacecraft/display.action?id=1973-052A.
4. ↑ "NASA NSSDC Master Catalog - Viking 1 lander". https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/spacecraft/display.action?id=1975-075C.
5. ↑ "NASA NSSDC Master Catalog - Viking 2 lander". https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/spacecraft/display.action?id=1975-083C.
6. ↑ "Mars Pathfinder". http://www.marsnews.com/missions/pathfinder/.
7. ↑ "NASA NSSDC Master Catalog - Mars Pathfinder". https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/spacecraft/display.action?id=1996-068A.
8. ↑ "NASA NSSDC Master Catalog - Mars Pathfinder Rover". https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/spacecraft/display.action?id=MESURPR.
9. ↑ "After Three Years on Mars, NASA's Ingenuity Helicopter Mission Ends". https://mars.nasa.gov/news/9540/after-three-years-on-mars-nasas-ingenuity-helicopter-mission-ends/.
10. ↑ Cheung, Rachel (13 March 2023). "China’s Mars Rover Has Not Moved Since September, NASA Images Revealed". https://www.vice.com/en/article/xgwqpa/china-mars-rover-zhurong-space.
11. ↑ Mars - Viking 2 Lander
12. ↑ "Beagle 2 spacecraft found intact on surface of Mars after 11 years". 2015-01-17. https://www.theguardian.com/science/2015/jan/16/lost-beagle-2-spacecraft-found-mars.
13. ↑ NASA - This Month in NASA History: Mariner 9, November 29, 2011 – Vol. 4, Issue 9
14. ↑ Soviet Craft - Mars (1960-1974)
15. ↑ NSSDC - Viking 1 lander
16. ↑ NSSDC - Viking 2 lander
17. ↑ NSSDC - Mars Pathfinder
18. ↑ NASA - Space Shuttle Challenger Crew Memorialized on Mars
19. ↑ NASA - Space Shuttle Columbia Crew Memorialized on Mars
20. ↑ "Curiosity Landing Site Named for Ray Bradbury". NASA. August 22, 2012. http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/videogallery/index.html?media_id=150917411.

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Outline of Mars

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|

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* Artificial objects on Mars
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Artificial objects|

| On extra-terrestrial surfaces|

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|

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