The following table is a partial list of artificial objects on the surface of Mars, consisting of spacecraft which were launched from Earth. Although most are defunct after having served their purpose, the Curiosity and Perseverance rovers are active. China's Tianwen-1 spacecraft is the most recent artificial object to land safely on Mars.
The table does not include smaller objects, such as springs, fragments, parachutes and heat shields. As of February 2021[update], there are 14 missions with objects on the surface of Mars. Some of these missions contain multiple spacecraft.
Success | |
Operational | |
Failure |
Year | Agency | Mission | Object(s) | Image | Mass (kg) |
Status | Location |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1971 | USSR | Mars 2 | Mars 2 lander and PrOP-M rover | 1210 | Failure during descent; crashed on surface | Estimated at 45°S 313°W / 45°S 313°W[1] | |
1971 | USSR | Mars 3 | Mars 3 lander and PrOP-M rover | 1210 | Transmission failure 110 seconds after soft landing | Estimated at Sirenum Terra
45°S 158°W / 45°S 158°W[2] | |
1973 | USSR | Mars 6 | Mars 6 lander | 635 | Returned corrupted data for 224 seconds during its descent but contact lost before reaching surface[3] | Estimated at Margaritifer Terra
23°54′S 19°25′W / 23.90°S 19.42°W[3] | |
1976 | NASA | Viking 1 | Viking 1 lander | 657 | Operated 2245 sols. Last contact Nov 11, 1982 | Chryse Planitia
22°41′49″N 48°13′19″W / 22.697°N 48.222°W[4] | |
1976 | NASA | Viking 2 | Viking 2 lander | 657 | Operated 1281 sols. Last contact Apr 11, 1980 | Utopia Planitia
48°16′08″N 225°59′24″W / 48.269°N 225.990°W[5] | |
1997 | NASA | Mars Pathfinder | Pathfinder (lander) | 360 | Operated 83 sols. Last contact Sep 27, 1997[6] | Ares Vallis | |
Sojourner (rover) | 11.5 | ||||||
1999 | NASA | Mars Surveyor '98 | Mars Polar Lander and
Deep Space 2 (probes) |
500 | Unknown failure during descent; crashed on surface | Estimated at Ultimi Scopuli
76°S 195°W / 76°S 195°W | |
2003 | ESA
(UK) |
Mars Express | Beagle 2 (lander) | 33.2 | Landed safely; solar panels failed to deploy | Isidis Planitia
11°31′35″N 90°25′46″E / 11.5265°N 90.4295°E | |
2004 | NASA | Mars Exploration Rover | Spirit (rover) | 185 | Operated 2210 sols. Last contact Mar 22, 2010 | Gusev crater
14°34′18″S 175°28′43″E / 14.5718°S 175.4785°E | |
Opportunity (rover) | 185 | Operated 5111 sols. Last contact June 10, 2018 | Meridiani Planum
1°56′46″S 354°28′24″E / 1.9462°S 354.4734°E | ||||
2008 | NASA | Phoenix Mars Lander | Phoenix (lander) | 350 | Operated 155 sols. Last contact Nov 2, 2008 | Green Valley in Vastitas Borealis
68°13′N 125°42′W / 68.22°N 125.7°W | |
2012 | NASA | Mars Science Laboratory | Curiosity (rover) | 900 | In operation, 4129 sols | Aeolis Palus in Gale Crater
4°35′22″S 137°26′30″E / 4.5895°S 137.4417°E | |
2016 | ESA | ExoMars 2016 | Schiaparelli EDM (lander) | 577 | Crashed on impact; transmitted descent telemetry | Meridiani Planum
2°03′S 6°13′W / 2.05°S 6.21°W | |
2018 | NASA | InSight | InSight (lander) | 358 | Reached end of designed lifespan after landing on 19 Dec, 2022. | Elysium Planitia
4°30′09″N 135°37′24″E / 4.5024°N 135.6234°E | |
2021 | NASA | Mars 2020 | Perseverance (rover) | 1024 | In operation, 1095 sols | Jezero crater
18°26′45″N 77°27′03″E / 18.4457°N 77.4508°E | |
Ingenuity (helicopter) | 1.8 | Operated 1095 sols.[9] | Wright Brothers Field
18°26′45″N 77°27′03″E / 18.4457°N 77.4508°E | ||||
2021 | CNSA | Tianwen-1 | Tianwen-1 (lander) | 1285 [citation needed] |
Reached end of designed lifespan after landing on 14 May, 2021. | Utopia Planitia
25°06′N 109°54′E / 25.1°N 109.9°E | |
Zhurong (rover) | 240 | Inactive due to sandstorm. Operated for 361 sols.[10] | |||||
Tianwen-1 Remote camera | <1 | Reached end of designed lifespan after mission completion on 1 June, 2021. |
Several landing sites have been named, either the spacecraft itself or the landing site: