Humanity has sent over 50 missions to Mars since 1960. About half have failed. This page is the definitive reference for every Mars mission — past, present, and planned — with key facts, outcomes, and links to in-depth articles.
29+
Total Attempted
7
Active Today
7
Orbiters in Service
2
Rovers on Surface
7
Flybys
14
Orbiters
10
Landers
6
Rovers
1
Helicopters
Compare missions side-by-side
Full comparison table with technical specs, outcomes, and agency breakdown.
NASA
Perseverance is NASA's most sophisticated Mars rover and the centerpiece of the agency's astrobiology campaign on the red planet. Launched i…
NASA
Curiosity, the rover at the heart of NASA's Mars Science Laboratory mission, has been operating in Gale Crater since the dramatic 'seven min…
NASA / ESA
Mars Sample Return (MSR) is the joint NASA-ESA campaign designed to bring the rock cores Perseverance is collecting back to Earth for labora…
CNSA
Tianwen-1 is China's first independent interplanetary mission and the first ever to deliver an orbiter, lander, and rover to Mars on the cou…
CNSA
Tianwen-3 is China's planned Mars Sample Return mission and, if it launches on schedule, may become the first mission to return Martian samp…
| Mission | Agency | Type | Launch | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Curiosity (MSL) | NASA | Rover | 2011 | Active — exploring Mt. Sharp |
| Perseverance + Ingenuity | NASA | Rover + Helicopter | 2020 | Active — collecting samples in Jezero Crater |
| Tianwen-1 / Zhurong | CNSA | Orbiter + Rover | 2020 | Orbiter active; Zhurong rover in hibernation since May 2022 |
| Hope (Al-Amal) | UAE (MBRSC) | Orbiter | 2020 | Active — studying Mars weather and atmosphere |
| Mars Odyssey | NASA | Orbiter | 2001 | Active — longest-serving Mars spacecraft |
| Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) | NASA | Orbiter | 2005 | Active — high-resolution imaging and relay |
| ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter | ESA / Roscosmos | Orbiter | 2016 | Active — studying trace gases |
ESA · Rover
NASA / ESA · Sample return
CNSA · Asteroid sample return
CNSA · Sample return
SpaceX · Cargo + Crewed transport
ISRO · Orbiter + lander (proposed)
UAE (MBRSC) · Asteroid flyby + Mars orbit
Last updated: 2026-03-27
How we source and verify Mars data →