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 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Agency | NASA/JPL | NASA/JPL |
| Status | Mission Complete | Mission Complete |
| Vehicle type | rover | rover |
| Launch date | 1996-12-04 | 2003-06-10 |
| Landing date | 1997-07-04 | 2004-01-04 |
| Landing site | Ares Vallis, Chryse Planitia | Gusev Crater |
| Launch mass | 10.6 kgas of [1] | 185 kgas of [1] |
| Power system | Solar panels + non-rechargeable lithium thionyl chloride batteries | Solar panels + lithium-ion battery |
| Instruments | 3 science instruments (APXS ×2, ASI/MET) + 3 camerasas of [1]Alpha Proton X-ray Spectrometer (fore/aft), Atmospheric Structure Instrument/Meteorology Package | 5 science instruments + RAT drill + Magnet arraysas of [1]Pancam, Mini-TES, Mössbauer Spectrometer, APXS, Microscopic Imager |
| Distance traveled | 0.1 km (100 metres)as of [1]Traveled ~100 m over 83 sols; contact lost when lander base station batteries depleted | 7.73 kmas of [1]Final odometry before contact lost; rover became stuck in soft soil in 2009 ↑ Farthest |
| Mission outcome | 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. | 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. |
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.