CURRENT MISSIONS |
Future Missions |
Past Missions
Phoenix
Launch: Aug. 4, 2007
Arrival: May 25, 2008
The Phoenix Mars Lander successfully landed on the north polar region of Mars. Its mission is to dig up and analyze icy soil. The mission is the first chosen for NASA's Scout program, an initiative for smaller, lower-cost, competed spacecraft. Named for the resilient mythological bird, Phoenix uses a lander that was intended for use by 2001's Mars Surveyor lander prior to its cancellation. It also carries a complex suite of instruments that are improved variations of those that flew on the lost Mars Polar Lander.
+ View site
Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter
Launch: Aug. 12, 2005; Arrival: Mar. 10, 2006
NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter is capturing unique views of Mars with the most powerful telescopic camera ever to another planet. Its five other scientific instruments are collecting data about the Red Planet.
+ View site
Mars Exploration Rovers
Spirit Launch: Jun. 10, 2003; Mars Landing: Jan. 3, 2004
Opportunity Launch: Jul. 7, 2003; Mars Landing: Jan. 24, 2004
Two powerful Mars rovers are on the red planet. They have far greater mobility than the 1997 Mars Pathfinder rover. Each rover carries a sophisticated set of instruments to search for evidence of liquid water that may have been present in the planet's past. The rovers are identical to each other, but are exploring different regions of Mars.
+ Latest news and images
Mars Express
Launch: Jun. 2, 2003
Arrival: Dec. 2003
NASA is participating in Mars Express, a mission planned by the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Italian Space Agency. The mission is exploring the atmosphere and surface of Mars from polar orbit.
+ ESA's Mars Express site
Mars Odyssey
Launch: Apr. 7, 2001
Arrival: Oct. 24, 2001
2001 Mars Odyssey is an orbiting spacecraft designed to determine the composition of the planet's surface, to detect water and shallow buried ice, and to study the radiation environment.
+ Latest news and images