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Six missions have operated on the Martian surface since 1997 — three simultaneously in 2022.
| Attribute | Perseverance (Mars 2020) Mars 2020 Active · Last updated 2026-06-28Trust: Agency-primaryⓘ Last verified Remove × | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Agency | NASA/JPL | NASA/JPL | NASA/JPL |
| Status | Mission Complete | Mission Complete | Active |
| Vehicle type | helicopter | rover | rover |
| Launch date | 2020-07-30 | 2003-06-10 | 2020-07-30 |
| Landing date | 2021-02-18 | 2004-01-04 | 2021-02-18 |
| Landing site | Wright Brothers Field, Jezero Crater (deployed from Perseverance) | Gusev Crater | Octavia E. Butler Landing, Jezero Crater |
| Launch mass | 1.8 kgas of [1] | 185 kgas of [1] | 1,025 kgas of [1] |
| Power system | Solar panels + 6 lithium-ion batteries | Solar panels + lithium-ion battery | Multi-Mission Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator (MMRTG) |
| Instruments | 2 cameras (color + navigation)as of [1]Navigation camera + color camera; no science instruments beyond imaging | 5 science instruments + RAT drill + Magnet arraysas of [1]Pancam, Mini-TES, Mössbauer Spectrometer, APXS, Microscopic Imager | 7 primary science instruments + 19 cameras + 2 microphonesas of [1]Mastcam-Z, SuperCam, PIXL, SHERLOC, RIMFAX, MEDA, MOXIE; MOXIE completed Oct 2023 |
| Distance traveled | ~11.6 kmas of [1]Total distance across 72 flights; final flight January 18, 2024 | 7.73 kmas of [1]Final odometry before contact lost; rover became stuck in soft soil in 2009 | >30 kmas of [3]Passed the 30 km odometry milestone in October 2024; actively driving ↑ Farthest |
| Mission outcome | First powered controlled flight on another planet — technology demonstration that exceeded all expectations. Originally planned for 5 test flights, completed 72 before a rotor blade broke in January 2024. Achieved altitudes up to 24 m and flight durations up to 169.5 seconds. | Landed in Gusev Crater and traversed 7.73 km over 2,208 sols — 24× its design lifetime. Found evidence of ancient hydrothermal activity at Home Plate. Became permanently immobile in soft soil in 2009; contact lost March 2010. | First spacecraft to demonstrate oxygen production on Mars (MOXIE). Has collected 33 sample tubes (including the Three Forks depot cache). The NASA-ESA Mars Sample Return campaign lost its funding in January 2026, but retrieval is not off the table: China's Tianwen-3 (2028 launch, ~2031 return) is now the leading active sample-return effort, and the FY26 appropriation redirected ~$110M into a 'Mars Future Missions' technology pool. Documented diverse rock types in Jezero's ancient river delta. Deployed and supported Ingenuity through 72 flights. |
All 6 surface vehicles with primary-source citations from NASA JPL, NASA NSSDCA, and CNSA. Pure URL state — bookmark or share the link and the comparison reproduces exactly.