Pick up to 4 vehicles to compare side-by-side. State lives in the URL — share the link and the comparison loads exactly as you left it.
Six missions have operated on the Martian surface since 1997 — three simultaneously in 2022.
| Attribute | Perseverance (Mars 2020) Mars 2020 Active · Last updated 2026-06-01Trust: Agency-primaryⓘ Last verified Remove × | |
|---|---|---|
| Agency | NASA/JPL | NASA/JPL |
| Status | Active | Mission Complete |
| Vehicle type | rover | rover |
| Launch date | 2020-07-30 | 1996-12-04 |
| Landing date | 2021-02-18 | 1997-07-04 |
| Landing site | Octavia E. Butler Landing, Jezero Crater | Ares Vallis, Chryse Planitia |
| Launch mass | 1,025 kgas of [1] | 10.6 kgas of [1] |
| Power system | Multi-Mission Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator (MMRTG) | Solar panels + non-rechargeable lithium thionyl chloride batteries |
| Instruments | 7 primary science instruments + 19 cameras + 2 microphonesas of [1]Mastcam-Z, SuperCam, PIXL, SHERLOC, RIMFAX, MEDA, MOXIE; MOXIE completed Oct 2023 | 3 science instruments (APXS ×2, ASI/MET) + 3 camerasas of [1]Alpha Proton X-ray Spectrometer (fore/aft), Atmospheric Structure Instrument/Meteorology Package |
| Distance traveled | ~22 kmas of [1]Actively driving; cached 24 sample tubes for future Mars Sample Return ↑ Farthest | 0.1 km (100 metres)as of [1]Traveled ~100 m over 83 sols; contact lost when lander base station batteries depleted |
| Mission outcome | First spacecraft to demonstrate oxygen production on Mars (MOXIE). Collected and cached 24 sample tubes for eventual Mars Sample Return. Documented diverse rock types in Jezero's ancient river delta. Deployed and supported Ingenuity through 72 flights. | First Mars rover in history. Deployed by the Mars Pathfinder lander on July 4, 1997, Sojourner operated 83 sols — nearly 12× its 7-sol design lifetime. Its APXS instrument analyzed 16 rocks and soil patches, including 'Barnacle Bill' and 'Yogi', revealing andesite-like compositions suggesting a more geochemically differentiated volcanic history than expected. The mission proved roving exploration on Mars was feasible. |
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.