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This is a list of spacecraft missions (including unsuccessful ones) to the planet Mars, such as orbiters, landers, and rovers.
Mission | Spacecraft | Launch Date | Operator | Mission Type [1] | Outcome [2] | Remarks | Carrier rocket [3] | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 1M No.1 | 1M No.1 | 10 October 1960 | OKB-1 Soviet Union | Flyby | Launch failure | Failed to achieve Earth orbit | Molniya |
2 | 1M No.2 | 1M No.2 | 14 October 1960 | OKB-1 Soviet Union | Flyby | Launch failure | Failed to achieve Earth orbit | Molniya |
3 | 2MV-4 No.1 | 2MV-4 No.1 | 24 October 1962 | Soviet Union | Flyby | Launch failure | Booster stage ("Block L") disintegrated in LEO | Molniya |
4 | Mars 1 | Mars 1 (2MV-4 No.2) | 1 November 1962 | Soviet Union | Flyby | Spacecraft failure | Communications lost before first flyby | Molniya |
5 | 2MV-3 No.1 | 2MV-3 No.1 | 4 November 1962 | Soviet Union | Lander | Launch failure | Never left LEO | Molniya |
6 | Mariner 3 | Mariner 3 | 5 November 1964 | NASA United States | Flyby | Launch failure | Payload fairing failed to separate | Atlas LV-3 Agena-D |
7 | Mariner 4 | Mariner 4 | 28 November 1964 | NASA United States | Flyby | Successful | First successful flyby of Mars on 15 July 1965 | Atlas LV-3 Agena-D |
8 | Zond 2 | Zond 2 (3MV-4A No.2) | 30 November 1964 | Soviet Union | Flyby | Spacecraft failure | Communications lost before flyby | Molniya |
9 | Mariner 6 | Mariner 6 | 25 February 1969 | NASA United States | Flyby | Successful | Atlas SLV-3C Centaur-D | |
10 | 2M No.521 | 2M No.521 (1969A) [4] | 27 March 1969 | Soviet Union | Orbiter | Launch failure | Failed to achieve Earth orbit | Proton-K/D |
11 | Mariner 7 | Mariner 7 | 27 March 1969 | NASA United States | Flyby | Successful | Atlas SLV-3C Centaur-D | |
12 | 2M No.522 | 2M No.522 (1969B) [4] | 2 April 1969 | Soviet Union | Orbiter | Launch failure | Failed to achieve Earth orbit | Proton-K/D |
13 | Mariner 8 | Mariner 8 | 9 May 1971 | NASA United States | Orbiter | Launch failure | Failed to achieve Earth orbit | Atlas SLV-3C Centaur-D |
14 | Kosmos 419 | Kosmos 419 (3MS No.170) | 10 May 1971 | Soviet Union | Orbiter | Launch failure | Never left LEO; booster stage burn timer set incorrectly | Proton-K/D |
15 | Mars 2 | Mars 2 (4M No.171) | 19 May 1971 | Soviet Union | Orbiter | Successful | On November 27 it became in short sequence the second spacecraft to orbit another planet. [5] Operated for 362 orbits [6] | Proton-K/D |
Mars 2 lander (SA 4M No.171) | Lander | Spacecraft failure | First lander to impact Mars. Deployed from Mars 2, failed to land during attempt on 27 November 1971. [7] | |||||
PrOP-M | Rover | Failure Lost with Mars 2 | First rover launched to Mars. Lost when the Mars 2 lander crashed into the surface of Mars. | |||||
16 | Mars 3 | Mars 3 (4M No.172) | 28 May 1971 | Soviet Union | Orbiter | Successful | On December 2 it became in short sequence the third spacecraft to orbit another planet. [5] Operated for 20 orbits [8] [9] | Proton-K/D |
Mars 3 lander (SA 4M No.172) | Lander | Partial success [10] [11] | First lander to make a soft landing on Mars. Landed on 2 December 1971. First partial image (70 lines) transmitted showing "gray background with no details". [8] Contact lost 20 seconds after transmission started, 110 seconds after landing. [12] [13] | |||||
PrOP-M | Rover | Carrier vehicle failed before rover was deployed | First rover to make a soft landing on another planet. 4.5 kg (9.9 lb) rover connected to the Mars 3 lander by a tether. Deployment status unknown due to loss of communications with the Mars 3 lander. [12] | |||||
17 | Mariner 9 | Mariner 9 | 30 May 1971 | NASA United States | Orbiter | Successful [14] | First spacecraft to orbit another planet, two weeks ahead of Mars 2 on November 14. [5] Deactivated 516 days after entering orbit. | Atlas SLV-3C Centaur-D |
18 | Mars 4 | Mars 4 (3MS No.52S) | 21 July 1973 | Soviet Union | Orbiter | Partial success [15] | Failed to perform orbital insertion burn. Returned photographs of Mars during flyby. | Proton-K/D |
19 | Mars 5 | Mars 5 (3MS No.53S) | 25 July 1973 | Soviet Union | Orbiter | Successful | Contact lost after 9 days in Mars orbit. Returned 180 frames | Proton-K/D |
20 | Mars 6 | Mars 6 (3MP No.50P) | 5 August 1973 | Soviet Union | Flyby | Successful | Flyby bus collected data. [16] | Proton-K/D |
Mars 6 lander | Lander | Spacecraft failure | Contact lost upon landing, atmospheric data mostly unusable. | |||||
21 | Mars 7 | Mars 7 (3MP No.51P) | 9 August 1973 | Soviet Union | Flyby | Successful | Flyby bus collected data. | Proton-K/D |
Mars 7 lander | Lander | Spacecraft failure | Separated from coast stage prematurely, failed to enter Martian atmosphere. | |||||
22 | Viking 1 | Viking 1 orbiter | 20 August 1975 | NASA United States | Orbiter | Successful | Operated for 1385 orbits. Entered Mars orbit on 19 June 1976. | Titan IIIE Centaur-D1T |
Viking 1 lander | Lander | Successful | First successful Mars lander. Deployed from Viking 1 orbiter. Landed on Mars on 20 July 1976. Operated for 2245 sols. | |||||
23 | Viking 2 | Viking 2 orbiter | 9 September 1975 | NASA United States | Orbiter | Successful | Operated for 700 orbits. Entered Mars orbit on 7 August 1976. | Titan IIIE Centaur-D1T |
Viking 2 lander | Lander | Successful | Deployed from Viking 2 orbiter. Landed on Mars in September 1976. Operated for 1281 sols (11 April 1980). | |||||
24 | Phobos 1 | Phobos 1 (1F No.101) | 7 July 1988 | Soviet Union | Orbiter | Spacecraft failure | Communications lost before reaching Mars; failed to enter orbit | Proton-K/D-2 |
DAS | Phobos lander | Failure Lost with Phobos 1 | To have been deployed by Phobos 1 | |||||
25 | Phobos 2 | Phobos 2 (1F No.102) | 12 July 1988 | Soviet Union | Orbiter | Mostly successful | Orbital observations successful, communications lost before lander deployment. | Proton-K/D-2 |
Prop-F | Phobos rover | Failure Lost with Phobos 2 | To have been deployed by Phobos 2 | |||||
DAS | Phobos lander | Failure Lost with Phobos 2 | To have been deployed by Phobos 2 | |||||
26 | Mars Observer | Mars Observer | 25 September 1992 | NASA United States | Orbiter | Spacecraft failure | Lost communications before orbital insertion | Commercial Titan III |
27 | Mars Global Surveyor | Mars Global Surveyor | 7 November 1996 | NASA United States | Orbiter | Successful | Operated for ten years | Delta II 7925 |
28 | Mars 96 | Mars 96 (M1 No.520) (Mars-8) [4] | 16 November 1996 | Rosaviakosmos Russia | Orbiter Penetrators | Launch failure | Never left LEO | Proton-K/D-2 |
Mars 96 lander | Lander | Launch failure Lost with Mars 96 | Two Mars landers to have been deployed by Mars 96. | |||||
Mars 96 lander | Lander | Launch failure Lost with Mars 96 | ||||||
Mars 96 penetrator | Penetrator | Launch failure Lost with Mars 96 | Two Mars Penetrators to have been deployed by Mars 96. | |||||
Mars 96 penetrator | Penetrator | Launch failure Lost with Mars 96 | ||||||
29 | Mars Pathfinder | Mars Pathfinder | 4 December 1996 | NASA United States | Lander | Successful | Landed at 19.13°N 33.22°W on 4 July 1997, [17] Last contact on 27 September 1997 | Delta II 7925 |
Sojourner | Rover | Successful | First rover to operate on another planet. Operated for 84 days [18] | |||||
30 | Nozomi | Nozomi (PLANET-B) | 3 July 1998 | ISAS Japan | Orbiter | Spacecraft failure | Performed a Mars flyby. Later contact lost due to loss of fuel. However provided crucial information about the deep space environment. [19] | M-V |
31 | Mars Climate Orbiter | Mars Climate Orbiter | 11 December 1998 | NASA United States | Orbiter | Spacecraft failure | Approached Mars too closely during orbit insertion attempt due to a software interface bug involving different units for impulse and either burned up in the atmosphere or entered solar orbit | Delta II 7425 |
32 | Mars Polar Lander / Deep Space 2 | Mars Polar Lander | 3 January 1999 | NASA United States | Lander | Spacecraft failure | Failed to function after landing | Delta II 7425 |
Deep Space 2 | Penetrator | Spacecraft failure | No data transmitted after deployment from MPL. | |||||
Deep Space 2 | Penetrator | Spacecraft failure | ||||||
33 | Mars Odyssey | Mars Odyssey | 7 April 2001 | NASA United States | Orbiter | Operational | Expected to remain operational until 2025. | Delta II 7925 |
34 | Mars Express | Mars Express | 2 June 2003 | ESA | Orbiter | Operational | Enough fuel to remain operational until 2035 | Soyuz-FG / Fregat |
Beagle 2 | Lander | Lander failure | No communications received after release from Mars Express. Orbital images of landing site suggest a successful landing, but two solar panels failed to deploy, obstructing its communications. | |||||
35 | Spirit | Spirit (MER-A) | 10 June 2003 | NASA United States | Rover | Successful | Landed on 4 January 2004. Operated for 2208 sols [20] | Delta II 7925 |
36 | Opportunity | Opportunity (MER-B) | 8 July 2003 | NASA United States | Rover | Successful | Landed on 25 January 2004. Operated for 5351 sols | Delta II 7925H |
– | Rosetta | Rosetta | 2 March 2004 | ESA | Flyby (Gravity assist) | Successful | Flyby in February 2007 en route to 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko [21] | Ariane 5G+ |
Philae | Flyby (Gravity assist) | Successful | ||||||
37 | Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter | Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter | 12 August 2005 | NASA United States | Orbiter | Operational | Entered orbit on 10 March 2006 | Atlas V 401 |
38 | Phoenix | Phoenix | 4 August 2007 | NASA United States | Lander | Successful | Landed on 25 May 2008. End of mission 2 November 2008 | Delta II 7925 |
– | Dawn | Dawn | 27 September 2007 | NASA United States | Flyby (Gravity assist) | Successful | Flyby in February 2009 en route to 4 Vesta and Ceres | Delta II 7925H |
39 | Fobos-Grunt / Yinghuo-1 | Fobos-Grunt | 8 November 2011 | Roscosmos Russia | Orbiter Phobos sample return | Launch failure | Never left LEO (intended to depart under own power) | Zenit-2M |
Yinghuo-1 | CNSA China | Orbiter | Precluded Lost with Fobos-Grunt | To have been deployed by Fobos-Grunt | ||||
40 | Mars Science Laboratory | Curiosity (Mars Science Laboratory) | 26 November 2011 | NASA United States | Rover | Operational | Landed on 6 August 2012 | Atlas V 541 |
41 | Mars Orbiter Mission | Mars Orbiter Mission | 5 November 2013 | ISRO India | Orbiter | Successful | Entered orbit on 24 September 2014. Mission extended to 2022, where the mission concluded on September 27, 2022 after contact was lost. [22] | PSLV-XL |
42 | MAVEN | MAVEN | 18 November 2013 | NASA United States | Orbiter | Operational | Orbit insertion on 22 September 2014 [23] | Atlas V 401 |
43 | ExoMars 2016 | ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter | 14 March 2016 | ESA/Roscosmos ESA/ Russia | Orbiter | Operational | Entered orbit on 19 October 2016 | Proton-M / Briz-M |
Schiaparelli EDM lander | ESA | Lander | Spacecraft failure | Carried by the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter. Although the lander crashed, [24] [25] engineering data on the first five minutes of entry was successfully retrieved. [26] [27] | ||||
44 | InSight | InSight | 5 May 2018 [28] [29] | NASA United States | Lander | Successful | Landed on 26 November 2018. Last contact 15 December 2022. [30] | Atlas V 401 |
MarCO A | Flyby | Successful | Flyby 26 November 2018. Last contact 29 December 2018. | |||||
MarCO B | Flyby | Successful | Flyby 26 November 2018. Last contact 4 January 2019. | |||||
45 | Emirates Mars Mission | Hope | 19 July 2020 [31] | MBRSC United Arab Emirates | Orbiter | Operational | Entered orbit on 9 February 2021. [32] [33] [34] | H-IIA |
46 | Tianwen-1 | Tianwen-1 orbiter | 23 July 2020 [35] [36] | CNSA China | Orbiter | Operational | Entered orbit on 10 February 2021 | Long March 5 |
Tianwen-1 lander | Lander | Successful | Landed on 14 May 2021 | |||||
Zhurong rover | Rover | Successful | Landed on 14 May 2021 [37] Deployed by the Tianwen-1 lander on 22 May 2021. Became inactive on 20 May 2022. | |||||
Tianwen-1 Remote Camera | Lander | Successful | Landed on 14 May 2021 Deployed by the Zhurong rover on 1 June 2021. [38] | |||||
Tianwen-1 Deployable Camera 2 [39] | Orbiter | Successful | Entered orbit on 10 February 2021, deployed 31 December 2021 | |||||
47 | Mars 2020 | Perseverance | 30 July 2020 [40] | NASA United States | Rover | Operational | Landed on 18 February 2021 [41] | Atlas V 541 |
Ingenuity | Helicopter | Successful | First aerodynamic flight on another planet. Landed with Perseverance rover on 18 February 2021. [42] Deployed from rover on 3 April 2021. First flight achieved on April 19, 2021. [43] Retired on 25 January 2024 due to sustained rotor blade damage. | |||||
– | Psyche | Psyche | 13 October 2023 | NASA United States | Flyby (Gravity assist) | Enroute | Gravity assist en route to 16 Psyche in May 2026 [44] | Falcon Heavy |
– | Hera | Hera | 7 October 2024 | ESA European Union | Flyby (Gravity assist) | Enroute | Gravity assist en route to 65803 Didymos in March 2025 | Falcon 9 |
– | Europa Clipper | Europa Clipper | 14 October 2024 | NASA United States | Flyby (Gravity assist) | Enroute | Gravity assist en route to Jupiter and Europa in February 2025 | Falcon Heavy |
In 1999, Mars Climate Orbiter accidentally entered Mars' atmosphere and either burnt up or left Mars' orbit on an unknown trajectory.[ citation needed ]
There are a number of derelict spacecraft orbiting Mars whose location is not known precisely. There is a proposal to use the Optical Navigation Camera on the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter to search for small moons, dust rings and old orbiters. [45] As of 2016, there were believed to be eight derelict spacecraft in orbit around Mars (barring unforeseen event). [46] The Viking 1 orbiter was not expected to decay until at least 2019. [47] Mariner 9, which entered Mars orbit in 1971, was expected to remain in orbit until approximately 2022, when it was projected to enter the Martian atmosphere and either burn up, or crash into the planet's surface. [48]
There have also have been proposed missions dedicated to explore the two moons of Mars, Phobos and Deimos. Many missions to Mars have also included dedicated observations of the moons, while this section is about missions focused solely 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.
Three missions to land on Phobos have been launched; the Soviet Phobos program in the late 1980s saw the launch of Phobos 1 and Phobos 2, while the Russian Fobos-Grunt sample return mission was launched in 2011. None of these missions were successful: Phobos 1 failed en route to Mars, Phobos 2 failed shortly before landing, and Fobos-Grunt never left low Earth orbit.
Launched mission | Target | Reference |
---|---|---|
Phobos 1 | Phobos | |
Phobos 2 | Phobos | |
Fobos-Grunt | Phobos |
In Japan, the Institute of Space and Astronautical Science (ISAS) is developing a sample return mission to Phobos. [50] [51] This mission is called Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) [52] and is a flagship Strategic Large Mission. [53] MMX will build on the expertise the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) would gain through the Hayabusa2 and SLIM missions. [54] As of December 2023, MMX is scheduled to launch in 2026. [55]
Planned mission | Target | Reference |
---|---|---|
Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) | Phobos and Deimos | [52] |
There have been at least three proposals in the United States Discovery Program, including PADME, PANDORA, and MERLIN. [56] 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. [57]
Osiris-Rex 2 was a proposal to make OR a double mission, with the other one collecting samples from the two Mars moons. [58] In 2012, it was stated that this mission would be both the quickest and least expensive way to get samples from the Moons. [59]
The 'Red Rocks Project,' a part of Lockheed Martin's "Stepping Stones to Mars" program, proposed to explore Mars robotically from Deimos. [60] [61]
Proposal | Target | Reference |
---|---|---|
Aladdin | Phobos and Deimos | [62] |
DePhine | Phobos and Deimos | [63] |
DSR | Deimos | [64] |
Gulliver | Deimos | [65] |
Hall | Phobos and Deimos | [66] |
M-PADS | Phobos and Deimos | [67] |
Merlin | Phobos and Deimos | [68] |
MMSR (2011 ver.) | Phobos or Deimos | [57] |
OSIRIS-REx 2 | Phobos or Deimos | [59] |
Pandora | Phobos and Deimos | [56] |
PCROSS | Phobos | [69] |
Phobos Surveyor | Phobos | [70] |
PRIME | Phobos | [71] |
Fobos-Grunt 2 | Phobos | [72] |
Phootprint | Phobos | [73] [74] |
PADME | Phobos and Deimos | [75] [76] |
Decade | |
---|---|
1960s | |
1970s | |
1980s | |
1990s | |
2000s | |
2010s | |
2020s |
Achieved
Failed attempt
† First to achieve
Country/Agency | Flyby | Orbit | Impact | Lander | Rover | Powered flight | Sample return | Crewed Landing |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
United States | Mariner 4, 1965 † | Mariner 9, 1971 † | Mars Polar Lander, 1999 | Viking 1, 1976 | Sojourner, 1997 † | Ingenuity, 2021 † | — | — |
China | Tianwen-1, 2021 | Tianwen-1, 2021 | — | Tianwen-1, 2021 | Zhurong, 2021 | — | — | — |
Soviet Union | Mars 2, 1971 | Mars 2, 1971 | Mars 2 Lander, 1971 † | Mars 3, 1971 † | PrOP-M, 1971 | — | — | — |
ESA | Mars Express, 2003 | Mars Express, 2003 | Schiaparelli EDM, 2016 | Schiaparelli EDM, 2016 | — | — | — | — |
Russia | TGO, 2016 | TGO, 2016 | Mars 96, 1996 | Mars 96, 1996 | — | — | — | — |
India | MOM, 2014 | MOM, 2014 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
UAE | Hope, 2021 | Hope, 2021 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
United Kingdom | Beagle 2, 2003 | — | Beagle 2, 2003 | Beagle 2, 2003 [a] | — | — | — | — |
Japan | Nozomi, 1998 | Nozomi, 1998 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Country/Agency | Impact | Lander | Rover | Sample return |
---|---|---|---|---|
Soviet Union | Phobos 1, 1988 | Phobos 1, 1988 | Phobos 1, 1988 | — |
Russia | Fobos-Grunt, 2011 | Fobos-Grunt, 2011 | — | Fobos-Grunt, 2011 |
Country | Agency or company | Successful | Partial failure | Failure | Operational | Gravity assist | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
United States | NASA | 13 | - | 5 | 4 | 1 | 23 |
Soviet Union | Energia | 1 | 6 | 10 | - | - | 17 |
Russia | Roscosmos | - | 1 | 2 | - | - | 3 |
ESA | ESA | - | 2 | - | - | 1 | 3 |
China | CNSA | 1 | - | 1 | 1 | - | 2 |
India | ISRO | 1 | - | - | - | - | 1 |
United Arab Emirates | UAESA | 1 | - | - | 1 | - | 1 |
Japan | ISAS | - | - | 1 | - | - | 1 |
United Kingdom | NSC | - | - | 1 | - | - | 1 |
Name | Proposed launch date | Type | Status | Reference |
---|---|---|---|---|
EscaPADE | NET Spring 2025 | Two orbiters | under development | [77] |
Martian Moons eXploration | 2026 | Phobos sample return mission | under development | [55] |
Tianwen-3 | 2028 | Mars sample return mission | planned | [78] |
TEREX | Mid 2020s | Orbiter | planned | [79] |
Rosalind Franklin | 2028 | Rover | under development | |
Mars Lander Mission | 2031 | Orbiter, lander, rover, aircraft | planned | [80] |
Mission | Organisation | Proposed launch | Type |
---|---|---|---|
First Commercial Mission to Mars | Relativity Space, Impulse Space | 2026 | Lander [81] |
SpaceX Uncrewed Landing | SpaceX | 2026 | Uncrewed lander [82] (SpaceX Mars colonization program) |
SpaceX First Crewed Landing | SpaceX | 2028/2029 | Crewed lander [83] |
NASA-ESA Mars Sample Return | NASA/ESA | NET 2030 [84] [85] | Orbiter/Lander/Return vehicle |
Large Inflatable Fabric Environment | Sierra Nevada Corporation | TBD | Orbital habitat in Low Mars Orbit (LMO) [86] |
International Mars Ice Mapper Mission | NASA (withdrawn) [87] Canadian Space Agency Italian Space Agency JAXA | 2030s [88] | Orbiter |
Fobos-Grunt 2 and Mars-Grunt | Roscosmos | 2030s [89] | Orbiter, lander, ascent vehicle, sample-return |
MAGGIE | NASA | Aircraft | |
M-MATISSE | ESA | Two orbiters [90] |
Phobos is the innermost and larger of the two natural satellites of Mars, the other being Deimos. The two moons were discovered in 1877 by American astronomer Asaph Hall. Phobos is named after the Greek god of fear and panic, who is the son of Ares (Mars) and twin brother of Deimos.
Deimos is the smaller and outer of the two natural satellites of Mars, the other being Phobos. Deimos has a mean radius of 6.2 km (3.9 mi) and takes 30.3 hours to orbit Mars. Deimos is 23,460 km (14,580 mi) from Mars, much farther than Mars's other moon, Phobos. It is named after Deimos, the Ancient Greek god and personification of dread and terror.
A lander is a spacecraft that descends towards, then comes to rest on the surface of an astronomical body other than Earth. In contrast to an impact probe, which makes a hard landing that damages or destroys the probe upon reaching the surface, a lander makes a soft landing after which the probe remains functional.
The planet Mars has been explored remotely by spacecraft. Probes sent from Earth, beginning in the late 20th century, have yielded a large increase in knowledge about the Martian system, focused primarily on understanding its geology and habitability potential. Engineering interplanetary journeys is complicated and the exploration of Mars has experienced a high failure rate, especially the early attempts. Roughly sixty percent of all spacecraft destined for Mars failed before completing their missions, with some failing before their observations could begin. Some missions have been met with unexpected success, such as the twin Mars Exploration Rovers, Spirit and Opportunity, which operated for years beyond their specification.
The Discovery Program is a series of Solar System exploration missions funded by the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) through its Planetary Missions Program Office. The cost of each mission is capped at a lower level than missions from NASA's New Frontiers or Flagship Programs. As a result, Discovery missions tend to be more focused on a specific scientific goal rather than serving a general purpose.
ExoMars is an astrobiology programme of the European Space Agency (ESA).
The two moons of Mars are Phobos and Deimos. They are irregular in shape. Both were discovered by American astronomer Asaph Hall in August 1877 and are named after the Greek mythological twin characters Phobos and Deimos who accompanied their father Ares into battle.
A sample-return mission is a spacecraft mission to collect and return samples from an extraterrestrial location to Earth for analysis. Sample-return missions may bring back merely atoms and molecules or a deposit of complex compounds such as loose material and rocks. These samples may be obtained in a number of ways, such as soil and rock excavation or a collector array used for capturing particles of solar wind or cometary debris. Nonetheless, concerns have been raised that the return of such samples to planet Earth may endanger Earth itself.
A Mars sample-return (MSR) mission is a proposed mission to collect rock and dust samples on Mars and return them to Earth. Such a mission would allow more extensive analysis than that allowed by onboard sensors.
The idea of sending humans to Mars has been the subject of aerospace engineering and scientific studies since the late 1940s as part of the broader exploration of Mars. Long-term proposals have included sending settlers and terraforming the planet. Currently, only robotic landers and rovers have been on Mars. The farthest humans have been beyond Earth is the Moon, under the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Apollo program which ended in 1972.
Yinghuo-1 was a Chinese Mars-exploration space probe, intended to be the first Chinese planetary space probe and the first Chinese spacecraft to orbit Mars. It was launched from Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan, on 8 November 2011, along with the Russian Fobos-Grunt sample return spacecraft, which was intended to visit Mars' moon Phobos. The 115-kg (250-lb) Yinghuo-1 probe was intended by the CNSA to orbit Mars for about two years, studying the planet's surface, atmosphere, ionosphere and magnetic field. Shortly after launch, Fobos-Grunt was expected to perform two burns to depart Earth orbit bound for Mars. However, these burns did not take place, leaving both probes stranded in orbit. On 17 November 2011, CNSA reported that Yinghuo-1 had been declared lost. After a period of orbital decay, Yinghuo-1 and Fobos-Grunt underwent destructive re-entry on 15 January 2012, finally disintegrating over the Pacific Ocean.
Phobos Surveyor is a mission concept under preliminary study by Marco Pavone of Stanford University, the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology as a part of NASA's Innovative Advanced Concepts program.
Phobos And Deimos & Mars Environment (PADME) is a low-cost NASA Mars orbiter mission concept that would address longstanding unknowns about Mars' two moons Phobos and Deimos and their environment.
Phootprint is a proposed sample-return mission to the Mars moon Phobos by the European Space Agency (ESA), proposed to be launched in 2024.
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to Mars:
Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) is a robotic space probe set for launch in 2026 to bring back the first samples from Mars' largest moon Phobos. Developed by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and announced on 9 June 2015, MMX will land and collect samples from Phobos once or twice, along with conducting Deimos flyby observations and monitoring Mars's climate.
Mars 3 was the first spacecraft to make a successful soft landing on Mars.
The Mars 2 and 3 rover, which landed on Mars in 1971.
It was the first spacecraft to enter orbit around another world.
China's Tianwen-1 probe lands on
The picture of the "touring group photo" shows the rover traveling about 10 meters south of the landing platform, releasing the separate camera installed at the bottom of the vehicle, and then retreating to the vicinity of the landing platform.
A technology demonstration to test the first powered flight on Mars.