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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 2026-06-01Trust: Agency-primaryⓘ Last verified Remove × | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Agency | NASA/JPL | CNSA | NASA/JPL |
| Status | Mission Complete | Hibernating | Active |
| Vehicle type | rover | rover | rover |
| Launch date | 1996-12-04 | 2020-07-23 | 2020-07-30 |
| Landing date | 1997-07-04 | 2021-05-22 | 2021-02-18 |
| Landing site | Ares Vallis, Chryse Planitia | Utopia Planitia | Octavia E. Butler Landing, Jezero Crater |
| Launch mass | 10.6 kgas of [1] | 240 kgas of [1] | 1,025 kgas of [1] |
| Power system | Solar panels + non-rechargeable lithium thionyl chloride batteries | Solar panels + rechargeable battery | Multi-Mission Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator (MMRTG) |
| Instruments | 3 science instruments (APXS ×2, ASI/MET) + 3 camerasas of [1]Alpha Proton X-ray Spectrometer (fore/aft), Atmospheric Structure Instrument/Meteorology Package | 6 science instrumentsas of [1]Multispectral camera, terrain camera, subsurface radar (RoPeR), magnetometer, meteorological instrument, LIBS spectrometer | 7 primary science instruments + 19 cameras + 2 microphonesas of [1]Mastcam-Z, SuperCam, PIXL, SHERLOC, RIMFAX, MEDA, MOXIE; MOXIE completed Oct 2023 |
| Distance traveled | 0.1 km (100 metres)as of [1]Traveled ~100 m over 83 sols; contact lost when lander base station batteries depleted | 1.922 kmas of [1]Final confirmed odometry before entering hibernation for Martian winter | ~22 kmas of [1]Actively driving; cached 24 sample tubes for future Mars Sample Return ↑ 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. | China's first successful Mars landing. Operated for 92 sols, traveling 1.922 km and collecting subsurface radar data suggesting ancient water ice deposits. Entered hibernation May 2022; CNSA has not publicly confirmed contact restoration as of mid-2026. | 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. |
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.