List of missions to Mars

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Mars and its moons have been a target for many spacecraft, with flyby, orbiter, lander and rover
missions visiting the planet.[1][2] In addition, two spacecraft, Rosetta and Dawn, have made
flybys to get gravity assists for other missions; the former having visited comet
67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko, and the latter en route to asteroid 4 Vesta and dwarf planet
Ceres. Three missions were dedicated to Phobos, but they did not achieve their goals.

Contents
 1 Missions
 2 Locations of selected Mars landers and rovers
 3 Future missions
o 3.1 In development
o 3.2 Proposals
 4 Missions to the moons of Mars
 5 See also
 6 References

Missions
Launch Carrier
Spacecraft Operator Mission[1] Outcome[1] Remarks
date[1] rocket[2]
10
OKB-1 Launch
1M No.1 October Flyby Failed to orbit Molniya
Soviet Union failure
1960
14
OKB-1 Launch
1M No.2 October Flyby Failed to orbit Molniya
Soviet Union failure
1960
24
2MV-4 Launch Disintegrated in
October Soviet Union Flyby Molniya
No.1 failure LEO
1962
1
Mars 1 Spacecraft Communications
November Soviet Union Flyby Molniya
(2MV-4 No.2) failure lost before flyby
1962
4
2MV-3 Launch
November Soviet Union Lander Never left LEO Molniya
No.1 failure
1962
5
NASA Launch Payload fairing Atlas LV-3
Mariner 3 November Flyby
United States failure failed to separate Agena-D
1964
 Launch Carrier
Spacecraft Operator Mission[1] Outcome[1] Remarks
date[1] rocket[2]
28 Closest approach
NASA Atlas LV-3
Mariner 4 November Flyby Successful at 01:00:57 UTC
United States Agena-D
1964 on 15 July 1965
Zond 2 30
Spacecraft Communications
(3MV-4A November Soviet Union Flyby Molniya
No.2)
failure lost before flyby
1964
25 Atlas SLV-
Mariner 6 February NASA Flyby Successful 3C Centaur-
United States
1969 D
27 March Launch
2M No.521 Soviet Union Orbiter Failed to orbit Proton-K/D
1969 failure
Atlas SLV-
27 March NASA
Mariner 7 Flyby Successful 3C Centaur-
1969 United States
D
2 April Launch
2M No.522 Soviet Union Orbiter Failed to orbit Proton-K/D
1969 failure
Atlas SLV-
9 May NASA Launch
Mariner 8 Orbiter Failed to orbit 3C Centaur-
1971 United States failure
D
Never left LEO;
Kosmos 10 May Launch upper stage burn
419 Soviet Union Orbiter Proton-K/D
1971 failure timer set
(3MS No.170)
incorrectly
Entered orbit on
14 November Atlas SLV-
30 May NASA [3]
Mariner 9 Orbiter Successful 1971, deactivated 3C Centaur-
1971 United States
516 days after D
entering orbit
Entered orbit 27
November 1971,
operated for 362
Mars 2 19 May Mostly orbits. Mapping
Soviet Union Orbiter Proton-K/D
(4M No.171) 1971 successful operations
unsuccessful due
to dust storms on
the surface[4]
Deployed from
Mars 2 Mars 2, failed to
lander 19 May Spacecraft
Soviet Union Lander land during Proton-K/D
(SA 4M 1971 failure
No.171)
attempt on 27
November 1971
Mars 3 28 May Soviet Union Orbiter Mostly Entered orbit 2 Proton-K/D
 Launch Carrier
Spacecraft Operator Mission[1] Outcome[1] Remarks
date[1] rocket[2]
(4M No.172) 1971 successful December 1971,
operated for 20
orbits.[5] Mapping
operations
unsuccessful due
to dust storms on
the surface[6]
Deployed from
Mars 3 Mars 3; landed at
lander 28 May Partial 13:52 UTC on 2
Soviet Union Lander Proton-K/D
(SA 4M 1971 failure December 1971
No.172) but contact lost
14.5 seconds later
Prop-M
Rover rover 28 May Soviet Union Rover
Spacecraft
Failed to deploy Proton-K/D
(SA 4M 1971 failure
No.172)
Failed to perform
Mars 4 21 July Spacecraft
Soviet Union Orbiter orbital insertion Proton-K/D
(3MS No.52S) 1973 failure
burn
Mars 5 25 July Spacecraft Failed after nine
Soviet Union Orbiter Proton-K/D
(3MS No.53S) 1973 failure days in Mars orbit
Contact lost upon
landing,
atmospheric data
Mars 6 5 August Lander Spacecraft
Soviet Union mostly Proton-K/D
(3MP No.50P) 1973 Flyby failure
unreadable. Flyby
bus collected
data.[7]
Separated from
coast stage
Mars 7 9 August Lander Spacecraft prematurely,
Soviet Union Proton-K/D
(3MP No.51P) 1973 Flyby failure failed to enter
Martian
atmosphere
Titan IIIE
Viking 1 20 August NASA Operated for 1385
Orbiter Successful Centaur-
orbiter 1975 United States orbits
D1T
Deployed from
Titan IIIE
Viking 1 20 August NASA Viking 1 orbiter,
Lander Successful Centaur-
lander 1975 United States operated for 2245
D1T
sols
 Launch Carrier
Spacecraft Operator Mission[1] Outcome[1] Remarks
date[1] rocket[2]
9 Titan IIIE
Viking 2 Operated for 700
September NASA Orbiter Successful Centaur-
orbiter United States orbits
1975 D1T
Deployed from
9 Titan IIIE
Viking 2 Viking 2 orbiter,
September NASA Lander Successful Centaur-
lander United States operated for 1281
1975 D1T
sols
Communications
Orbiter lost before
Fobos 1 7 July Spacecraft Proton-
Soviet Union Phobos reaching Mars;
(1F No.101) 1988 failure K/D-2
lander failed to enter
orbit
Orbital
observations
Orbiter
Fobos 2 7 July Partial successful, Proton-
Soviet Union Phobos
(1F No.102) 1988 failure communications K/D-2
lander
lost before
landing
Lost
25
Mars Spacecraft communications Commercial
September NASA Orbiter
Observer United States failure before orbital Titan III
1992
insertion
Mars 7
NASA Operated for Delta II
Global November Orbiter Successful
United States seven years 7925
Surveyor 1996
16
Mars 96 November Rosaviakosmos Orbiter Launch
Never left LEO
Proton-
(M1 No.520) Russia Penetrators failure K/D-2
1996
4 Landed at
Mars NASA Delta II
December Lander Successful 19.13°N 33.22°W
Pathfinder United States 7925
1996 on 4 July 1997[8]
4
NASA Operated for 84 Delta II
Sojourner December Rover Successful
United States days[9] 7925
1996
Ran out of fuel
Nozomi 3 July ISAS Spacecraft
Orbiter before reaching M-V
(PLANET-B) 1998 Japan failure
Mars
Approached Mars
Mars 11 too closely during
Spacecraft Delta II
Climate December NASA Orbiter orbit insertion
United States failure 7425
Orbiter 1998 attempt due to
unit conversion
 Launch Carrier
Spacecraft Operator Mission[1] Outcome[1] Remarks
date[1] rocket[2]
error and burned
up in the
atmosphere
Mars Polar 3 January NASA Spacecraft Delta II
Lander Failed to land
Lander 1999 United States failure 7425
Deployed from
Deep Space 3 January NASA Spacecraft Delta II
Penetrators MPL, no data
2 1999 United States failure 7425
returned
Mars 7 April NASA Delta II
Orbiter Operational
Odyssey 2001 United States 7925
Mars 2 June ESA Soyuz-
Orbiter Operational
Express 2003 Europe FG/Fregat
Deployed from
Mars Express.
Successful
2 June ESA Lander landing, but two Soyuz-
Beagle 2 Lander
2003 Europe failure solar panels failed FG/Fregat
to deploy,
obstructing its
communications.
Spirit 10 June NASA operated for 2208 Delta II
Rover Successful
(MER-A) 2003 United States sols 7925
Opportunity 8 July NASA Rover Operational
Delta II
(MER-B) 2003 United States 7925H
Flyby in February
2 March ESA Gravity 2007 en route to
Rosetta Successful Ariane 5G+
2004 Europe assist 67P/Churyumov–
Gerasimenko[10]
12 August NASA
MRO Orbiter Operational Atlas V 401
2005 United States
4 August NASA Delta II
Phoenix Lander Successful
2007 United States 7925
27 Flyby in February
Gravity Delta II
Dawn September NASA Successful 2009 en route to 4
United States assist 7925H
2007 Vesta and Ceres
Never left LEO
8 Orbiter
Fobos- Spacecraft (intended to
November Roskosmos Phobos Zenit-2M
Grunt Russia failure depart under own
2011 sample
power)
8 CNSA Failure To have been
Yinghuo-1 Orbiter Zenit-2M
November PR China Lost with deployed by
 Launch Carrier
Spacecraft Operator Mission[1] Outcome[1] Remarks
date[1] rocket[2]
2011 Fobos-Grunt Fobos-Grunt
Curiosity 26 NASA
(Mars Science November Rover Operational Atlas V 541
United States
Laboratory) 2011
Entered Mars
Mars orbit on 24
5
Orbiter September 2014.
November ISRO Orbiter Operational PSLV-XL
Mission India Mission extended
2013
(Mangalyaan) by six
months.[11][12]
18 Orbit insertion on
MAVEN November NASA Orbiter Operational September 22, Atlas V 401
United States
2013 2014[13]

Locations of selected Mars landers and rovers

Interactive imagemap of the global topography of Mars, overlain with locations of Mars landers
and rovers. Hover your mouse to see the names of prominent geographic features, and click to
link to them. Coloring of the base map indicates relative elevations, based on data from the Mars
Orbiter Laser Altimeter on NASA's Mars Global Surveyor. Reds and pinks are higher elevation
(+3 km to +8 km); yellow is 0 km; greens and blues are lower elevation (down to −8 km).
Whites (>+12 km) and browns (>+8 km) are the highest-most elevations. Axes are latitude and
longitude; note poles are not shown.
Spirit (2004) >
Opportunity (2004) >
< Sojourner (1997)
Viking 1 (1976) >
Viking 2 (1976) >
< Phoenix (2008)
< Mars 3 (1971)
Curiosity (2012) >
< Beagle 2 (2003)

Future missions
In development

Mission Launch Notes Countries

ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter 2016 Orbiter, lander European Union
InSight 2018?[14][15][16] Lander United States
ExoMars Rover 2018 Rover European Union
[17]
Mangalyaan 2 2018 Lander, rover India
[18][19][20]
Mars Hope 2020 Orbiter[18] United Arab Emirates
Mars 2020 2020 Rover United States

Proposals

Mission Launch Notes Countries

United
Mars to Stay Settlement
States
NASA 2022 United
2022 Orbiter[21]
orbiter States
2040- Crewed phase of the Chinese Mars exploration
China
2060 program[22]
2040- Crewed phase of the Russian Mars exploration
Russia
2060 program[23]

Missions to the moons of Mars

Phobos' stickney crater

Missions dedicated to explore the two moons of Mars, Phobos and Deimos. Many missions to
Mars have also included dedicated observations of the Moons, what this is about is missions
focused just on them. There have been three unsuccessful dedicated missions and many
proposals. Because of the proximity of the Mars moons to Mars, any mission to them may also
be considered a Mission to Mars from some perspectives.

There have been at least three proposals in the United States Discovery Program, including
PADME, PANDORA, and MERLIN.[24] The ESA has also considered a sample return mission,
one of the latest known as Martian Moon Sample Return or MMSR, and it may use heritage from
an asteroid sample return mission.[25]

In Japan, the Institute of Space and Astronautical Science (ISAS) is assessing a sample return
mission to one of the moons of Mars, preferably Phobos.[26] This mission is called MMX (Mars
Moon eXploration)[27] and is proposed as a flagship Strategic Large Mission.[28] If funded, MMX
will build on the expertise the Japanese Space Agency (JAXA) would gain through the Hayabusa
2 and SLIM missions.[29] As of late 2015, MMX is under review by JAXA, and is proposed to be
launched in the early 2020s.[30]

Deimos (lower left) and Phobos (lower right) compared with the asteroid 951 Gaspra
Poster art for the PADME concept

Phobos by Mars Global Surveyor in 1998[31]

Proposal Target Reference
Alladin Phobos and Deimos [32]
[33]
DSR Deimos
[34]
Gulliver Deimos
Hall Phobos and Deimos [35]
M-PADS Phobos and Deimos [36]
Merlin Phobos and Deimos [37]
MMSR (2011 ver.) Phobos or Deimos [38]
OSRIS-REx 2 Phobos or Deimos [39]
Pandora Phobos and Deimos [24]
[40]
PCROSS Phobos
[41]
Phobos Surveyor Phobos
[42]
PRIME Phobos
[43]
Fobos-Grunt 2 Phobos
[44][45]
Phootprint Phobos
PADME Phobos and Deimos [46][47]
Mars Moon eXploration (MMX) Phobos or Deimos [27]

Three missions to land on Phobos have been launched; the Phobos program in the late 1980s saw
the launch of Fobos 1 and Fobos 2, while the Fobos-Grunt sample return mission was launched
in 2011. None of these missions were successful: Fobos 1 failed en route to Mars, Fobos 2 failed
shortly before landing, and Fobos-Grunt never left low Earth orbit.

Launched mission Target Reference

 Launched mission Target Reference
Phobos 1 Phobos
Phobos 2 Phobos
Fobos-Grunt Phobos

Missions sent to the Martian system have returned data on Phobos and Deimos and missions
specifically dedicated to the moons are a subset of missions Mars that often include dedicated
goals to acquire data about these moons. An example of this is the imaging campaigns by Mars
Express of the Mars moons.

The 'Red Rocks Project', a part of Lockheed Martin's "Stepping stones to Mars" program,
proposed to explore Mars robotically from Deimos.[48][49]