| Historical Log |
# |
Launch Date |
Name |
Country |
Result |
Reason |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1960 | Korabl 4 | USSR (flyby) | Failure | Didn't reach Earth orbit |
| 2 | 1960 | Korabl 5 | USSR (flyby) | Failure | Didn't reach Earth orbit |
| 3 | 1962 | Korabl 11 | USSR (flyby) | Failure | Earth orbit only; spacecraft broke apart |
| 4 | 1962 | Mars 1 | USSR (flyby) | Failure | Radio Failed |
| 5 | 1962 | Korabl 13 | USSR (flyby) | Failure | Earth orbit only; spacecraft broke apart |
| 6 | 1964 | Mariner 3 | US (flyby) | Failure | Shroud failed to jettison |
| 7 | 1964 | Mariner 4 | US (flyby) | Success | Returned 21 images |
| 8 | 1964 | Zond 2 | USSR (flyby) | Failure | Radio failed |
| 9 | 1969 | Mars 1969A | USSR | Failure | Launch vehicle failure |
| 10 | 1969 | Mars 1969B | USSR | Failure | Launch vehicle failure |
| 11 | 1969 | Mariner 6 | US (flyby) | Success | Returned 75 images |
| 12 | 1969 | Mariner 7 | US (flyby) | Success | Returned 126 images |
| 13 | 1971 | Mariner 8 | US | Failure | Launch failure |
| 14 | 1971 | Kosmos 419 | USSR | Failure | Achieved Earth orbit only |
| 15 | 1971 | Mars 2 Orbiter/Lander | USSR | Failure | Orbiter arrived, but no useful data and Lander destroyed |
| 16 | 1971 | Mars 3 Orbiter/Lander | USSR | Success | Orbiter obtained approximately 8 months of data and lander landed safely, but only 20 seconds of data |
| 17 | 1971 | Mariner 9 | US | Success | Returned 7,329 images |
| 18 | 1973 | Mars 4 | USSR | Failure | Flew past Mars |
| 19 | 1973 | Mars 5 | USSR | Success | Returned 60 images; only lasted 9 days |
| 20 | 1973 | Mars 6 Orbiter/Lander | USSR | Success/Failure | Occultation experiment produced data and Lander failure on descent |
| 21 | 1973 | Mars 7 Lander | USSR | Failure | Missed planet; now in solar orbit. |
| 22 | 1975 | Viking 1 Orbiter/Lander | US | Success | Located landing site for Lander and first successful landing on Mars |
| 23 | 1975 | Viking 2 Orbiter/Lander | US | Success | Returned 16,000 images and extensive atmospheric data and soil experiments |
| 24 | 1988 | Phobos 1 Orbiter | USSR | Failure | Lost en route to Mars |
| 25 | 1988 | Phobos 2 Orbiter/Lander | USSR | Failure | Lost near Phobos |
| 26 | 1992 | Mars Observer | US | Failure | Lost prior to Mars arrival |
| 27 | 1996 | Mars Global Surveyor | US | Success | More images than all Mars Missions |
| 28 | 1996 | Mars 96 | Russia | Failure | Launch vehicle failure |
| 29 | 1996 | Mars Pathfinder | US | Success | Technology experiment lasting 5 times longer than warranty |
| 30 | 1998 | Nozomi | Japan | Failure | No orbit insertion; fuel problems |
| 31 | 1998 | Mars Climate Orbiter | US | Failure | Lost on arrival |
| 32 | 1999 | Mars Polar Lander | US | Failure | Lost on arrival |
| 33 | 1999 | Deep Space 2 Probes (2) | US | Failure | Lost on arrival (carried on Mars Polar Lander) |
| 34 | 2001 | Mars Odyssey | US | Success | High resolution images of Mars |
| 35 | 2003 | Mars Express Orbiter/Beagle 2 Lander | ESA | Success/Failure | Orbiter imaging Mars in detail and lander lost on arrival |
| 36 | 2003 | Mars Exploration Rover - Spirit | US | Success | Operating lifetime of more than 15 times original warranty |
| 37 | 2003 | Mars Exploration Rover - Opportunity | US | Success | Operating lifetime of more than 15 times original warranty |
| 38 | 2005 | Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter | US | Success | Returned more than 26 terabits of data (more than all other Mars missions combined) |
| 39 | 2007 | Phoenix Mars Lander | US | Success | Returned more than 25 gigabits of data |
| 40 | 2011 | Mars Science Laboratory | US | Success | Exploring Mars' habitability |
| 41 | 2011 | Phobos-Grunt/Yinghuo-1 | Russia/China | Failure | Stranded in Earth orbit |
| 42 | 2013 | Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution | US | Success | Studying the Martian atmosphere |
| 43 | 2013 | Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM) | India | Success | Develop interplanetary technologies and explore Mars' surface features, mineralogy and atmosphere. |