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 × | Curiosity (MSL) Mars Science Laboratory Active · Last updated 2026-06-01Trust: Agency-primaryⓘ Last verified Remove × | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Agency | NASA/JPL | NASA/JPL | NASA/JPL |
| Status | Active | Mission Complete | Active |
| Vehicle type | rover | rover | rover |
| Launch date | 2020-07-30 | 2003-06-10 | 2011-11-26 |
| Landing date | 2021-02-18 | 2004-01-04 | 2012-08-06 |
| Landing site | Octavia E. Butler Landing, Jezero Crater | Gusev Crater | Bradbury Landing, Gale Crater |
| Launch mass | 1,025 kgas of [1] | 185 kgas of [1] | 899 kgas of [1] |
| Power system | Multi-Mission Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator (MMRTG) | Solar panels + lithium-ion battery | Multi-Mission Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator (MMRTG) |
| Instruments | 7 primary science instruments + 19 cameras + 2 microphonesas of [1]Mastcam-Z, SuperCam, PIXL, SHERLOC, RIMFAX, MEDA, MOXIE; MOXIE completed Oct 2023 | 5 science instruments + RAT drill + Magnet arraysas of [1]Pancam, Mini-TES, Mössbauer Spectrometer, APXS, Microscopic Imager | 10 science instrumentsas of [1]Mastcam, ChemCam, MAHLI, APXS, CheMin, SAM, DAN, REMS, RAD, MARDI |
| Distance traveled | ~22 kmas of [1]Actively driving; cached 24 sample tubes for future Mars Sample Return | 7.73 kmas of [1]Final odometry before contact lost; rover became stuck in soft soil in 2009 | ~33 kmas of [1]Actively driving; figure grows with each drive ↑ Farthest |
| 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. | 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. | Confirmed ancient habitable environment at Gale Crater — lake sediments billions of years old with all ingredients for life. Discovered complex organic molecules and seasonal methane fluctuations. Still driving as of 2026, ascending the foothills of Mount Sharp. |
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.