All Mars Missions: Complete Timeline & Comparison
Complete list of every Mars mission ever launched — from Marsnik 1 (1960) to Mars Sample Return. Compare agencies, outcomes, and discoveries in one definitive reference.
Humanity has sent over 50 missions to Mars since 1960. About half have failed. This page is the definitive reference for every Mars mission — past, present, and planned — with key facts, outcomes, and links to in-depth articles.
| Mission | Agency | Year | Type | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marsnik 1 (Mars 1960A) | 🇷🇺 Soviet Union | 1960 | Flyby | Launch failure |
| Mariner 4 | 🇺🇸 NASA | 1964–1967 | Flyby | Success |
| Mars 3 | 🇷🇺 Soviet Union | 1971 | Orbiter + Lander | Partial success |
| Mariner 9 | 🇺🇸 NASA | 1971–1972 | Orbiter | Success |
| Viking 1 | 🇺🇸 NASA | 1975–1982 | Orbiter + Lander | Success |
| Viking 2 | 🇺🇸 NASA | 1975–1980 | Orbiter + Lander | Success |
| Mars Pathfinder / Sojourner | 🇺🇸 NASA | 1996–1997 | Lander + Rover | Success |
| Mars Global Surveyor | 🇺🇸 NASA | 1996–2006 | Orbiter | Success |
| Spirit (MER-A) | 🇺🇸 NASA | 2003–2010 | Rover | Success |
| Opportunity (MER-B) | 🇺🇸 NASA | 2003–2018 | Rover | Success |
| Mars Express | 🇪🇺 ESA | 2003 | Orbiter | Success (still active) |
| Phoenix | 🇺🇸 NASA | 2007–2008 | Lander | Success |
| Mars Orbiter Mission (Mangalyaan) | 🇮🇳 ISRO | 2013–2022 | Orbiter | Success |
| MAVEN | 🇺🇸 NASA | 2013 | Orbiter | Success (still active) |
| InSight | 🇺🇸 NASA | 2018–2022 | Lander | Success |
| Curiosity (MSL) | 🇺🇸 NASA | 2011 | Rover | Active — exploring Mt. Sharp |
| Perseverance + Ingenuity | 🇺🇸 NASA | 2020 | Rover + Helicopter | Active — collecting samples in Jezero Crater |
| Tianwen-1 / Zhurong | 🇨🇳 CNSA | 2020 | Orbiter + Rover | Orbiter active; Zhurong rover in hibernation since May 2022 |
| Hope (Al-Amal) | 🇦🇪 UAE (MBRSC) | 2020 | Orbiter | Active — studying Mars weather and atmosphere |
| Mars Odyssey | 🇺🇸 NASA | 2001 | Orbiter | Active — longest-serving Mars spacecraft |
| Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) | 🇺🇸 NASA | 2005 | Orbiter | Active — high-resolution imaging and relay |
| ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter | 🇪🇺 ESA / Roscosmos | 2016 | Orbiter | Active — studying trace gases |
| ExoMars Rosalind Franklin Rover | 🇪🇺 ESA | 2028 (planned) | Rover | In development — drill 2m below surface |
| Mars Sample Return (MSR) | 🇺🇸 NASA / ESA | 2030s (under review) | Sample return | Architecture being redesigned — budget challenges |
| Tianwen-2 | 🇨🇳 CNSA | 2025 | Asteroid sample return | In development — asteroid sample return + Mars transfer |
| Tianwen-3 | 🇨🇳 CNSA | 2028 (planned) | Sample return | In development — China's Mars sample return |
| SpaceX Starship Mars Missions | 🇺🇸 SpaceX | 2030s (aspirational) | Cargo + Crewed transport | Starship in testing — Mars timeline TBD |
| Mangalyaan-2 (Mars Orbiter Mission 2) | 🇮🇳 ISRO | 2026+ (under study) | Orbiter + lander (proposed) | Under study |
| Emirates Mars & Asteroid Mission (EMA) | 🇦🇪 UAE (MBRSC) | 2028 (planned) | Asteroid flyby + Mars orbit | In development — will visit 7 asteroids then orbit Mars |
Mission Details
Marsnik 1 (Mars 1960A)
Past🇷🇺 Soviet Union
Flyby · 1960 · Mars
- •First ever attempt to reach Mars
Mariner 4
Past🇺🇸 NASA
Flyby · 1964–1967 · Mars
- •First successful Mars flyby
- •First close-up photos of another planet
- •Discovered Mars has a thin CO2 atmosphere
Mars 3
Past🇷🇺 Soviet Union
Orbiter + Lander · 1971 · Mars
- •First soft landing on Mars (14.5 seconds of transmission)
- •Orbiter returned data for 8 months
Mariner 9
Past🇺🇸 NASA
Orbiter · 1971–1972 · Mars
- •First spacecraft to orbit another planet
- •Mapped 85% of Mars surface
- •Discovered Olympus Mons and Valles Marineris
Viking 1
Past🇺🇸 NASA
Orbiter + Lander · 1975–1982 · Mars
- •First successful Mars lander (July 20, 1976)
- •First color photos from Mars surface
- •Conducted first biology experiments on Mars
- •Operated for over 6 years
Viking 2
Past🇺🇸 NASA
Orbiter + Lander · 1975–1980 · Mars
- •Landed at Utopia Planitia
- •Detected water frost on Mars
- •Conducted soil analysis experiments
Mars Pathfinder / Sojourner
Past🇺🇸 NASA
Lander + Rover · 1996–1997 · Mars
- •First successful Mars rover (Sojourner, 65 Earth days)
- •Pioneered airbag landing system
- •Proved low-cost Mars exploration was feasible
Mars Global Surveyor
Past🇺🇸 NASA
Orbiter · 1996–2006 · Mars
- •Mapped entire Mars surface in high resolution
- •Found evidence of liquid water in Mars' past
- •Operated for nearly 10 years
Spirit (MER-A)
Past🇺🇸 NASA
Rover · 2003–2010 · Mars (Gusev Crater)
- •Designed for 90 days, operated 6+ years
- •Found evidence of ancient hot springs
- •Discovered silica deposits indicating past water
Opportunity (MER-B)
Past🇺🇸 NASA
Rover · 2003–2018 · Mars (Meridiani Planum)
- •Designed for 90 days, operated nearly 15 years
- •Drove 45.16 km — longest off-Earth distance
- •Found hematite 'blueberries' proving past water
- •Lost contact during 2018 global dust storm
Mars Express
Past🇪🇺 ESA
Orbiter · 2003 · Mars
- •First ESA mission to Mars
- •Detected subsurface water ice at south pole
- •MARSIS radar found liquid water lake beneath surface (2018)
- •Still operational after 20+ years
Phoenix
Past🇺🇸 NASA
Lander · 2007–2008 · Mars (North Pole)
- •First to directly sample and confirm water ice on Mars
- •Found perchlorate salts in soil
- •Operated for 5 months in arctic region
Mars Orbiter Mission (Mangalyaan)
Past🇮🇳 ISRO
Orbiter · 2013–2022 · Mars
- •India's first interplanetary mission
- •Cheapest Mars mission ever ($74 million)
- •First Asian nation to reach Mars orbit on first attempt
- •Operated for 8 years (designed for 6 months)
MAVEN
Past🇺🇸 NASA
Orbiter · 2013 · Mars
- •Studying Mars upper atmosphere and solar wind interaction
- •Determined how Mars lost its atmosphere over billions of years
- •Serves as communication relay for surface missions
InSight
Past🇺🇸 NASA
Lander · 2018–2022 · Mars (Elysium Planitia)
- •First to detect marsquakes (over 1,300 recorded)
- •Measured Mars' internal structure (core, mantle, crust)
- •Deployed first seismometer on another planet
Curiosity (MSL)
Active🇺🇸 NASA
Rover · 2011 · Mars (Gale Crater)
- •Confirmed Mars was once habitable
- •Detected organic molecules and methane spikes
- •Measured radiation levels for future human missions
- •Over 12 years of continuous operation
Perseverance + Ingenuity
Active🇺🇸 NASA
Rover + Helicopter · 2020 · Mars (Jezero Crater)
- •Produced oxygen on Mars (MOXIE experiment)
- •Ingenuity completed 72 flights — first powered flight on another world
- •Cached 24+ sample tubes for future return
- •Found organic molecules in delta deposits
Tianwen-1 / Zhurong
Active🇨🇳 CNSA
Orbiter + Rover · 2020 · Mars (Utopia Planitia)
- •China's first Mars mission — orbiter, lander, and rover on first attempt
- •Zhurong operated 358 sols, drove 1,921 meters
- •Found evidence of water at low Mars latitudes
- •Orbiter continues to map Mars surface
Hope (Al-Amal)
Active🇦🇪 UAE (MBRSC)
Orbiter · 2020 · Mars
- •First Arab interplanetary mission
- •First complete picture of Mars weather across a full Martian year
- •Studying how Mars loses hydrogen and oxygen to space
Mars Odyssey
Active🇺🇸 NASA
Orbiter · 2001 · Mars
- •Longest-serving spacecraft at Mars (24+ years)
- •Mapped water ice distribution across Mars
- •Primary communication relay for surface missions
Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO)
Active🇺🇸 NASA
Orbiter · 2005 · Mars
- •HiRISE camera: most detailed images of Mars ever taken
- •Found seasonal liquid water flows (recurring slope lineae)
- •Critical relay satellite for Curiosity and Perseverance
ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter
Active🇪🇺 ESA / Roscosmos
Orbiter · 2016 · Mars
- •Mapping methane and other trace gases in Mars atmosphere
- •Searching for evidence of biological or geological activity
- •Serves as data relay for future surface missions
ExoMars Rosalind Franklin Rover
Future🇪🇺 ESA
Rover · 2028 (planned) · Mars (Oxia Planum)
- •Will drill 2 meters below Mars surface — deepest ever
- •Searching for biosignatures in protected subsurface samples
- •Carries 9 instruments including a Raman spectrometer
Mars Sample Return (MSR)
Future🇺🇸 NASA / ESA
Sample return · 2030s (under review) · Mars → Earth
- •Would be first mission to bring Mars samples to Earth
- •Perseverance has already cached 24+ sample tubes
- •Estimated cost: $8–11 billion
- •Critical for determining if Mars ever harbored life
Tianwen-2
Future🇨🇳 CNSA
Asteroid sample return · 2025 · Asteroid 469219 Kamoʻoalewa → Mars flyby
- •Will collect samples from a near-Earth asteroid
- •May be quasi-satellite of Earth — possibly lunar ejecta
- •Demonstrates China's growing deep-space capabilities
Tianwen-3
Future🇨🇳 CNSA
Sample return · 2028 (planned) · Mars → Earth
- •China's independent Mars sample return mission
- •Could return samples before NASA/ESA MSR
- •Two-launch architecture: orbiter + lander/ascent vehicle
SpaceX Starship Mars Missions
Future🇺🇸 SpaceX
Cargo + Crewed transport · 2030s (aspirational) · Mars
- •Goal: establish permanent human presence on Mars
- •100+ ton payload capacity to Mars surface
- •In-situ resource utilization (ISRU) for return propellant
- •Elon Musk's stated goal: 1 million people on Mars
Mangalyaan-2 (Mars Orbiter Mission 2)
Future🇮🇳 ISRO
Orbiter + lander (proposed) · 2026+ (under study) · Mars
- •Follow-up to India's successful Mangalyaan
- •May include a lander or small rover
- •Would carry more advanced scientific instruments
Emirates Mars & Asteroid Mission (EMA)
Future🇦🇪 UAE (MBRSC)
Asteroid flyby + Mars orbit · 2028 (planned) · Main belt asteroids → Mars
- •Will fly by 7 main-belt asteroids before Mars orbit insertion
- •Most ambitious UAE space mission to date
- •Studying asteroid composition and Mars atmosphere
Frequently Asked Questions
How many missions have been sent to Mars?▾
Over 50 missions have been sent to Mars since 1960, by the Soviet Union, NASA, ESA, ISRO, CNSA, UAE, and JAXA. Roughly half have failed due to the extreme difficulty of reaching and landing on Mars — earning it the nickname 'the Bermuda Triangle of space.'
Which country has the most successful Mars missions?▾
NASA (United States) leads with the most successful Mars missions, including 5 rovers (Sojourner, Spirit, Opportunity, Curiosity, Perseverance), multiple orbiters (MRO, MAVEN, Odyssey), and landers (Viking 1 & 2, Phoenix, InSight). China (CNSA) achieved a remarkable first with Tianwen-1, deploying an orbiter, lander, and rover on its first Mars attempt.
Is there a rover on Mars right now?▾
Yes, as of 2026 there are two active rovers on Mars: NASA's Curiosity (operating since 2012 in Gale Crater) and NASA's Perseverance (operating since 2021 in Jezero Crater). China's Zhurong rover entered hibernation in May 2022 and has not resumed contact.
When will humans go to Mars?▾
No confirmed date exists for a crewed Mars mission. SpaceX aims for the 2030s with Starship, though many experts consider this aspirational. NASA's current roadmap targets crewed Mars missions in the late 2030s to 2040s, building on Artemis lunar experience. China has announced plans for crewed Mars missions around 2033.
Will Mars samples be brought back to Earth?▾
NASA and ESA's Mars Sample Return mission aims to retrieve the 24+ sample tubes cached by Perseverance, but the program faces budget challenges and is being redesigned. China's Tianwen-3 is an independent Mars sample return mission planned for ~2028 that could return samples to Earth before the NASA/ESA effort.
What was the first successful Mars mission?▾
NASA's Mariner 4 performed the first successful Mars flyby on July 14–15, 1965, returning 22 close-up photos of Mars. The first successful Mars orbiter was Mariner 9 (1971), and the first successful lander was Viking 1 (1976).
Which Mars rover lasted the longest?▾
NASA's Opportunity rover holds the record at nearly 15 years of operation (2004–2018) and 45.16 km driven. Curiosity, still active since 2012, has surpassed 12 years of operation.
Has life been found on Mars?▾
No confirmed evidence of life has been found on Mars. However, Curiosity and Perseverance have detected organic molecules, Perseverance found evidence of ancient river deltas in Jezero Crater, and Mars Express detected a possible subsurface liquid water lake. Mars Sample Return would provide the best chance to determine if Mars ever harbored microbial life.
Last updated: 2026-03-27. Data sourced from NASA, ESA, JAXA, ISRO, CNSA, and official agency publications.
© SpaceOdysseyHub. Cite with attribution.