National Aeronautics and Space Administration

History

Mars 1960A - USSR Mars Probe - (October 10, 1960)

• Failed to reach Earth orbit.

Mars 1960B - USSR Mars Probe - (October 14, 1960)

• Failed to reach Earth orbit.

Mars 1962A - USSR Mars Flyby - (October 24, 1962)

• Spacecraft failed to leave Earth orbit after the final rocketstage exploded.

Mars 1 - USSR Mars Flyby - 893 kg - (November 1, 1962)

• Communications failed en route.

Mars 1962B - USSR Mars lander - (November 4, 1962)

• Failed to leave Earth orbit.

Mariner 3 - USA Mars Flyby - 260 kg - (November 5, 1964)

• Mars flyby attempt. Solar panels did not open, preventing flyby. Mariner 3 is now in a solar orbit.
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Mariner 4 - USA Mars Flyby - 260 kg - (November 28, 1964- December 20, 1967)

• Mariner 4 arrived at Mars on July 14, 1965 and passed within 6,118 miles of the planet's surface after an eight month journey. This mission provided the first close-up images of the red planet. It returned 22 close-up photos showing a cratered surface. The thin atmosphere was confirmed to be composed of carbon dioxide in the range of 5-10 mbar. A small intrinsic magnetic field was detected. Mariner 4 is now in a solar orbit.
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Zond 2 - USSR Mars Flyby - (November 30, 1964)

• Contact was lost en route.

Mariner 6 - USA Mars Flyby - 412 kg - (February 24, 1969)

• Mariner 6 arrived at Mars on February 24, 1969, and passed within 3,437 kilometers of the planet's equatorial region. Mariner 6 and 7 took measurements of the surface and atmospheric temperature, surface molecular composition, and pressure of the atmosphere. In addition, over 200 pictures were taken. Mariner 6 is now in a solar orbit.
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Mariner 7 - USA Mars Flyby - 412 kg - (March 27, 1969)

• Mariner 7 arrived at Mars on August 5, 1969, and passed within 3,551 kilometers of the planet's south pole region. Mariner 6 and 7 took measurements of the surface and atmospheric temperature, surface molecular composition, and pressure of the atmosphere. In addition, over 200 pictures were taken. Mariner 7 is now in a solar orbit.
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Mars 1969A USSR

• Launch Failure

Mars 1969B USSR

• Launch Failure

Mariner 8 - USA Mars Flyby - (May 8, 1971)

• Failed to reach Earth orbit.
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Kosmos 419 - USSR Mars Probe - (May 10, 1971)

• Failed to leave Earth orbit.

Mars 2 - USSR Mars Orbiter/Soft Lander - 4,650 kg - (May 19, 1971)

• The Mars 2 lander was released from the orbiter on November 27, 1971. It crashed-landed because its braking rockets failed- no data was returned and the first human artifact was created on Mars. The orbiter returned data until 1972.

Mars 3 - USSR Mars Orbiter/Soft Lander - 4,643 kg - (May 28, 1971)

• Mars 3 arrived at Mars on December 2, 1971. The lander was released and became the first successful landing on Mars. It failed after relaying 20 seconds of video data to the orbiter. The Mars 3 orbiter returned data until August, 1972. It made measurementsof surface temperature and atmospheric composition.

Mariner 9 - USA Mars Orbiter - 974 kg - (May 30, 1971 -1972)

• Mariner 9 arrived at Mars on November 3, 1971 and was placed into orbit on November 24. This was the first US spacecraft to enter an orbit around a planet other than Earth. At the time of its arrival a huge dust storm was in progress on the planet. Many of the scientific experiments were delayed until the storm had subsided. The first hi-resolution images of the moons Phobos and Deimos were taken. River and channel like features were discovered. Mariner 9 is still in Martian orbit.
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Mars 4 - USSR Mars Orbiter - 4,650 kg - (July 21, 1973)

• Mars 4 arrived at Mars on February, 1974, but failed to go into orbit due to a malfunction of its breaking engine. It flew past the planet within 2,200 kilometers of the surface. It returned some images and data.

Mars 5 - USSR Mars Orbiter - 4,650 kg - (July 25, 1973)

• Mars 5 entered into orbit around Mars on February 12, 1974. It acquired imaging data for the Mars 6 and 7 missions.

Mars 6 - USSR Mars Orbiter/Soft Lander - 4,650 kg - (August 5, 1973)

• On March 12, 1974, Mars 6 entered into orbit and launched its lander. The lander returned atmospheric descent data, but failed on its way down.

Mars 7 - USSR Mars Orbiter/Soft Lander - 4,650 kg - (August 9, 1973)

• On March 6, 1974, Mars 7 failed to go into orbit about Mars and the lander missed the planet. Carrier and lander are now in a solar orbit.

Viking 1 - USA Mars Orbiter/Lander - 3,399 kg - (August 20, 1975 - August 7, 1980)

Viking 2 - USA Mars Orbiter/Lander - 3,399 kg - (September 9, 1975 - July 25, 1978)

• Viking 1 and 2 were designed after the Mariner spacecraft. They consisted of an orbiter and lander. The orbiter weighed 900kg and the lander 600 kg. Viking 1 was launched from the Kennedy Space Center, on August 20, 1975, the trip to Mars and went into orbit about the planet on June 19, 1976. The lander touched down on July 20, 1976 on the western slopes of Chryse Planitia (Golden Plains). Viking 2 was launched for Mars on November 9, 1975, and landed on September 3, 1976. Both landers had experiments to search for Martian micro-organisms. The results of these experiments are still being debated. The landers provided detailed color panoramic views of the Martian terrain. They also monitored the Martian weather. The orbiters mapped the planet's surface, acquiring over 52,000 images. The Viking project's primary mission ended on November 15, 1976, eleven days before Mars' superior conjunction (its passage behind the Sun), although the Viking spacecraft continued to operate for six years after first reaching Mars. The Viking 1 orbiter was deactivated on August 7, 1980, when it ran out of altitude-control propellant. Viking 1 lander was accidentally shut down on November 13, 1982, and communication was never regained. Its last transmission reached Earth on November 11, 1982. Controllers at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory tried unsuccessfully for another six and one­half months to regain contact with the lander, but finally closed down the overall mission on 21 May 1983.
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Phobos 1 - USSR Mars Orbiter/Lander - 5,000 kg - (July 7, 1988)

• Phobos 1 was sent to investigate the Martian moon Phobos. It was lost en route to Mars through a command error on September 2, 1988.

Phobos 2 - USSR Phobos Flyby/Lander - 5,000 kg - (July 12, 1988)

• Phobos 2 arrived at Mars and was inserted into orbit on January 30, 1989. The orbiter moved within 800 kilometers of Phobos and then failed. The lander never made it to Phobos.

Mars Observer - USA Mars Orbiter (September 25, 1992)

• Communication was lost with Mars Observer on August 21, 1993, just before it was to be inserted into orbit. Click here for more information.

Mars Global Surveyor - USA Mars Orbiter (November 7, 1996)

• Initiated due to the loss of the Mars Observer spacecraft, the Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) mission launched on November 7, 1996. MGS has been in a Martian orbit, successfully mapping the surface since March 1998. Click here to check out the MGS page at JPL.

Mars 96 - Russia Orbiter & Lander - (November 16, 1996)

• Mars '96 consisted of an orbiter, two landers, and two soil penetrators that were to reach the planet in September 1997. The rocket carring Mars 96 lifted off successfully, but as it entered orbit the rocket's fourth stage ignited prematurely and sent the probe into a wild tumble. It crashed into the ocean somewhere between the Chilean coast and Easter Island. The spacecraft sank, carrying with it 270 grams of plutonium-238.

Mars Pathfinder - USA Lander & Surface Rover - (December 1996)

• The Mars Pathfinder delivered a stationary lander and a surface rover to the Red Planet on July 4, 1997. The six-wheel rover, named Sojourner, explored the area near the lander. The mission's primary objective was to demonstrate the feasibility of low-cost landings on the martian surface. This was the second mission in NASA's low-cost Discovery series. After great scientific success and public interest, the mission formally ended on November 4, 1997, when NASA ended daily communications with the Pathfinder lander and Sojourner rover. Click here to go to the official Mars Pathfinder page at JPL.

Nozomi - Japan Mars Orbiter (July 3, 1998) (Planet B)

• Japan's Institute of Space and Astronautical Science (ISAS) launched this probe on July 4, 1998 to study the Martian environment. This would have been the first Japanese spacecraft to reach another planet. The probe was due to arrive at Mars in December of 2003. After revising the flight plan due to earlier problems with the probe, the mission was abandoned on December 9, 2003 when ISAS was unable to communicate with the probe in order to prepare it for orbital insertion.
  Click here for more information on the Nozomi mission.

Mars Climate Orbiter - USA Orbiter - (December 11, 1998) (Mars Surveyor '98 Orbiter)

• This orbiter was the companion spacecraft to the Mars Surveyor '98 Lander, but the mission failed. You may read the Mars Climate Orbiter Mishap Investigation Board's report or see an overview of the mission.

Mars Polar Lander - USA Lander - (January 3, 1999) (Mars Surveyor '98 Lander)

• The Polar Lander was scheduled to land on Mars on December 3, 1999. Ground crews were unable to contact the spacecraft, and it was declared a loss. NASA concluded that spurious signals during the lander leg deployment caused the spacecraft to think it had landed, resulting in premature shutdown of the spacecraft's engines and destruction of the lander on impact. Click here for more information about this mission.

2001 Mars Odyssey - USA Mars Orbiter and Lander/Rover- (April 7, 2001) (Mars Surveyor 2001 Orbiter)

• This Mars orbiter reached the planet on October 24, 2001. This satellite will conduct mineral research and serve as a communications relay for future Mars missions. It is expected to serve in this capacity for the next five years. Click here for more information.

Mars Express - European Space Agency Mars Orbiter and Lander - (June 2003)

• The Mars Express Orbiter and the Beagle 2 lander were launched together on June 2, 2003. The Beagle 2 was released from the Mars Express Orbiter on December 19, 2003. The Mars Express arrived successfully on December 25, 2003. The Beagle 2 was also scheduled to land on December 25, 2003; however, ground controllers have been unable to communicate with the probe. Click here for more information.

Mars Exploration Rover (MER) Mission - USA Mars Rovers - (June/ July 2003)  

• These Mars rovers were launched in 2003. "Spirit", also known as MER-A, was launched on June 10, 2003 and successfully arrived on Mars on January 3, 2004. "Opportunity", also known as MER-B, was launched on July 7, 2003 and successfully arrived on Mars on January 24, 2004. Click here for more information.

Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (August 2005)

• The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) was launched on August 12, 2005 for a seven month voyage to Mars. MRO will reach Mars in March 2006 and begin its scientific mission in November 2006. Click here for more information.

Future Mars Missions - USA - (2005 and beyond)

• Click here for more information about future Mars missions.