Chronology of Mars Exploration
Mariner 8 - USA Mars Flyby - 997.9 kg - (May 8, 1971)
Failed to reach Earth orbit.
Click here for more information about the Mariner missions.
Kosmos 419 - USSR Mars Probe - 4,549 kg - (May 10, 1971)
Failed to leave Earth orbit.
Mars 2 - USSR Mars Orbiter/Soft Lander - 4,650 kg - (May 19, 1971)
The Mars 2 lander was released from the orbiter on November 27, 1971. It             crashed-landed because its braking rockets failed- no data was returned and             the first human artifact was created on Mars. The orbiter returned data until             1972.
Mars 3 - USSR Mars Orbiter/Soft Lander - 4,643 kg - (May 28, 1971)
Mars 3 arrived at Mars on December 2, 1971. The lander was released and             became the first successful landing on Mars. It failed after relaying 20 seconds             of video data to the orbiter. The Mars 3 orbiter returned data until August,             1972. It made measurements of surface temperature and atmospheric composition.
Mariner 9 - USA Mars Orbiter - 974 kg - (May 30, 1971 -1972)
Mariner 9 arrived at Mars on November 3, 1971 and was placed into orbit             on November 24. This was the first US spacecraft to enter an orbit around             a planet other than Earth. At the time of its arrival a huge dust storm was             in progress on the planet. Many of the scientific experiments were delayed             until the storm had subsided. The first hi-resolution images of the moons             Phobos and Deimos were taken. River and channel like features were discovered.             Mariner 9 is still in Martian orbit.
Click here for more information about the Mariner missions.
Mars 4 - USSR Mars Orbiter - 4,650 kg - (July 21, 1973)
Mars 4 arrived at Mars on February, 1974, but failed to go into orbit due             to a malfunction of its breaking engine. It flew past the planet within 2,200             kilometers of the surface. It returned some images and data.
Mars 5 - USSR Mars Orbiter - 4,650 kg - (July 25, 1973)
Mars 5 entered into orbit around Mars on February 12, 1974. It acquired             imaging data for the Mars 6 and 7 missions.
Mars 6 - USSR Mars Orbiter/Soft Lander - 4,650 kg - (August 5, 1973)
On March 12, 1974, Mars 6 entered into orbit and launched its lander. The             lander returned atmospheric descent data, but failed on its way down.
Mars 7 - USSR Mars Orbiter/Soft Lander - 4,650 kg - (August 9, 1973)
On March 6, 1974, Mars 7 failed to go into orbit about Mars and the lander             missed the planet. Carrier and lander are now in a solar orbit.
Viking 1 - USA Mars Orbiter/Lander - 3,527  kg including fuel - (August 20, 1975 - August           7, 1980)
Viking 2 - USA Mars Orbiter/Lander - 3,527 kg including fuel - (September 9, 1975 -           July 25, 1978)
Viking 1 and 2 spacecraft included orbiters (designed after the Mariner 8 and 9 orbiters) and landers.              The orbiter weighed 883 kg and the lander 572 kg.             Viking 1 was launched from the Kennedy Space Center, on August 20, 1975, the             trip to Mars and went into orbit about the planet on June 19, 1976. The lander             touched down on July 20, 1976 on the western slopes of Chryse Planitia (Golden             Plains). Viking 2 was launched for Mars on November 9, 1975, and landed on             September 3, 1976. Both landers had experiments to search for Martian micro-organisms.             The results of these experiments are still being debated. The landers provided             detailed color panoramic views of the Martian terrain. They also monitored             the Martian weather. The orbiters mapped the planet's surface, acquiring over             52,000 images. The Viking project's primary mission ended on November 15,             1976, eleven days before Mars' superior conjunction (its passage behind the             Sun), although the Viking spacecraft continued to operate for six years after             first reaching Mars. The Viking 1 orbiter was deactivated on August 7, 1980,             when it ran out of altitude-control propellant. Viking 1 lander was accidentally             shut down on November 13, 1982, and communication was never regained. Its             last transmission reached Earth on November 11, 1982. Controllers at NASA's             Jet Propulsion Laboratory tried unsuccessfully for another six and one ­half             months to regain contact with the lander, but finally closed down the overall             mission on 21 May 1983.
Click here for more information on the Viking missions.
Phobos 1 - USSR Mars Orbiter/Lander - 5,000 kg - (July 7, 1988)
Phobos 1 was sent to investigate the Martian moon Phobos. It was lost en route to Mars through a command error on September 2, 1988.
Phobos 2 - USSR Phobos Flyby/Lander - 5,000 kg - (July 12, 1988)
Phobos 2 arrived at Mars and was inserted into orbit on January 30, 1989.             The orbiter moved within 800 kilometers of Phobos and then failed. The lander             never made it to Phobos.
Mars Observer - USA Mars Orbiter - 2,573 kg - (September 25, 1992)
Communication was lost with Mars Observer on August 21, 1993, just before             it was to be inserted into orbit.
Mars Global Surveyor - USA Mars Orbiter ï¿½ 1,062.1 kg - (November 7, 1996)
Initiated due to the loss of the Mars Observer spacecraft, the Mars Global             Surveyor (MGS) mission launched on November 7, 1996. MGS has been in a Martian             orbit, successfully mapping the surface since March 1998. Click here to check             out the MGS page at JPL .
Mars 96 - Russia Orbiter & Lander - 6,200 kg - (November 16, 1996)
Mars '96 consisted of an orbiter, two landers, and two soil penetrators             that were to reach the planet in September 1997. The rocket carrying Mars 96             lifted off successfully, but as it entered orbit the rocket's fourth stage              ignited prematurely and sent the probe into a wild tumble. It crashed into             the ocean somewhere between the Chilean coast and Easter Island. The spacecraft             sank, carrying with it 270 grams of plutonium-238.
Mars Pathfinder - USA Lander & Surface Rover - 870 kg - (December 1996)
The Mars Pathfinder delivered a stationary lander and a surface rover to             the Red Planet on July 4, 1997. The six-wheel rover, named Sojourner, explored             the area near the lander. The mission's primary objective was to demonstrate             the feasibility of low-cost landings on the Martian surface. This was the             second mission in NASA's low-cost Discovery series. After great scientific             success and public interest, the mission formally ended on November 4, 1997,             when NASA ended daily communications with the Pathfinder lander and Sojourner             rover.
Nozomi - Japan Mars Orbiter ï¿½ 536 kg - (July 3, 1998) (Planet B)
Japan's Institute of Space and Astronautical Science (ISAS) launched this         probe on July 4, 1998 to study the Martian environment. This would have been         the first Japanese spacecraft to reach another planet. The probe was due to         arrive at Mars in December of 2003. After revising the flight plan due to         earlier problems with the probe, the mission was abandoned on December 9,         2003 when ISAS was unable to communicate with the probe in order to prepare         it for orbital insertion.
Mars Climate Orbiter - USA Orbiter - 629 kg - (December 11, 1998) (Mars Surveyor       '98 Orbiter)
This orbiter was the companion spacecraft to the Mars Surveyor '98 Lander,       but the mission failed. Click here to read the Mars       Climate Orbiter Mishap Investigation Board's report.
Mars Polar Lander - USA Lander - 583 kg - (January 3, 1999) (Mars Surveyor '98           Lander)
The Polar Lander was scheduled to land on Mars on December 3, 1999. Mounted on the cruise stage of the Mars Polar Lander were two Deep Space 2 impact probes, named Amundsen and Scott.  The probes had a mass of 3.572 kg each.  The cruise stage was to separate from the Mars Polar Lander, and subsequently the two probes were to detach from the cruise stage.  The two probes planned to impact the surface 15 to 20 seconds before the Mars Polar Lander was to touch down. Ground         crews were unable to contact the spacecraft, and the two probes. NASA         concluded that spurious signals during the lander leg deployment caused the         spacecraft to think it had landed, resulting in premature shutdown of the         spacecraft's engines and destruction of the lander on impact.
2001 Mars Odyssey - USA Mars Orbiter and Lander/Rover - 376.3 kg - (April 7, 2001)       (Mars Surveyor 2001 Orbiter)
This Mars orbiter reached the planet on October 24, 2001 and         served as a communications relay for future         Mars missions. In 2010 Odyssey broke the record for longest-serving spacecraft at the Red Planet. It will support the 2012 landing of the Mars Science Laboratory and surface operations of that mission. Click here for more         information.
Mars Express - European Space Agency Mars Orbiter and Lander - 666 kg  - (June 2, 2003)
The Mars Express Orbiter and the Beagle 2 lander were launched together         on June 2, 2003. The Beagle 2 was released from the Mars Express Orbiter on         December 19, 2003. The Mars Express arrived successfully on December 25, 2003.         The Beagle 2 was also scheduled to land on December 25, 2003; however, ground         controllers have been unable to communicate with the probe. Click here for more information.
Spirit (MER-A) ï¿½ USA Mars Rover ï¿½ 185 kg - (June 10, 2003)
As part of the Mars Exploration Rover (MER) Mission, "Spirit", also known         as MER-A, was launched on June 10, 2003 and successfully arrived on Mars on         January 3, 2004. The last communication with Spirit occurred on March 22, 2010.      JPL ended attempts to re-establish contact on May 25, 2011.  The rover likely lost power due to excessively cold internal temperatures.
Opportunity (MER-B) ï¿½ USA Mars Rover ï¿½ 185 kg - (July 7, 2003)
"Opportunity", also known as MER-B, was launched         on July 7, 2003 and successfully arrived on Mars on January 24, 2004. Click here for more information on the MER mission.
Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter – USA  Mars Orbiter - 1,031 kg - (August 12, 2005)
The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter       (MRO) was launched on August 12, 2005 for a seven month voyage to Mars.       MRO reached Mars in March 10, 2006 and began its scientific mission in       November 2006. Click  here  for more information.
Phoenix – USA Mars  Lander - 350 kg - (August 4, 2007)
The Phoenix Mars Lander was       launched on August 4, 2007 and landed on Mars on May 25, 2008. It is the       first in NASA's Scout Program. Phoenix was designed to study the history       of water and habitability potential in the Martian arctic’s ice-rich soil.       The solar-powered lander completed its three-month mission and kept       working until sunlight waned two months later. The mission was officially       ended in May 2010. Click  here  for more information from the NASA HQ site       and  here  for more from the JPL- University of Arizona       site.
Phobos-Grunt – Russia Mars Lander - 730 kg/Yinghuo-1 – China Mars Orbital Probe – 115 kg - (November 8, 2011)
The Phobos-Grunt spacecraft was       meant to land on the Martian moon Phobos. The Russian spacecraft did not       properly leave Earth’s orbit to set out on its trajectory toward Mars.       Yinghuo-1 was a planned Chinese Mars orbital probe launched along with       Phobos-Grunt. Both craft were destroyed on re-entry from Earth orbit in       January 2012.
Mars Science Laboratory – USA  Mars Rover – 750 kg - (November 26, 2011)
The Mars Science Laboratory was       launched on November 26, 2011. With its rover named Curiosity, NASA's Mars       Science Laboratory mission is designed to assess whether Mars ever had an       environment able to support small life forms called microbes. Curiosity       landed successfully in Gale Crater at 1:31 am EDT on August 6, 2012.       Click  here  for more information from the NASA JPL site.
Mars Orbiter Mission (Mangalyaan) – India Mars Orbiter - 15 kg - (November 5, 2013)
The Indian Mars Orbiter Mission       was launched on November 5, 2013, from the Satish Dhawan Space Center. It       was inserted into orbit around Mars on September 24, 2014 and completed       its planned 160-day mission duration in March 2015. The spacecraft       continues to operate, mapping the planet and measuring radiation.
MAVEN – USA  Mars Orbiter – 2,550 kg - (Launch November 18, 2013)
MAVEN (Mars Atmospheric and       Volatile EvolutioN) was the second mission selected for NASA's Mars Scout       program. It launched on November 18, 2013 and entered orbit around Mars on       September 21, 2014. MAVEN’s mission is to obtain critical measurements of       the Martian atmosphere to further understanding of the dramatic climate       change that has occurred over the course of its history. Click  here  for more information about MAVEN.
InSight – USA  Mars Lander - (Launch Window March 8 - March 27, 2016)
InSight (Interior Exploration       using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport) is the twelfth       mission in NASA's series of Discovery-class missions. InSight will take       the first look into the deep interior of Mars to see why the Red Planet evolved       so differently from Earth as one of our solar system's rocky planets.       Click  here  for       more information from the NASA JPL site.
We also have an annotated         bibliography available.
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