Mars Missions
Every robotic mission ever sent toward the Red Planet, from the Soviet Marsnik 1 in 1960 through to the spacecraft launching this decade. Currently active missions are featured below; the full historical archive sits in the collapsible section beneath, filterable by agency, mission type and decade.
Active missions
Eight spacecraft are currently operating in Mars orbit or on the surface — the most that have ever worked Mars simultaneously. A ninth, NASA's MAVEN, fell silent in December 2025; recovery attempts are ongoing.
Perseverance (Mars 2020)
Searching for ancient microbial life and caching rock samples for eventual return to Earth. Delivered the Ingenuity helicopter, which flew 72 times before rotor damage retired it in January 2024.
Curiosity (Mars Science Laboratory)
Nuclear-powered car-sized rover, now in its 14th year on Mars. Discovered organic molecules in ancient rocks and confirmed Mars once hosted long-lasting lakes. Currently climbing Mount Sharp.
Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter
The workhorse of Mars orbital science for nearly two decades. HiRISE camera resolves objects under one metre across; SHARAD radar maps subsurface ice. Also serves as a critical communications relay.
Mars Express
Europe's first planetary mission and the second-longest-serving Mars orbiter after Odyssey. Discovered methane and subsurface water ice. Extended to end of 2026 with provisional extension to 2028.
Mars Odyssey
The longest-serving spacecraft at Mars — and the longest-continuously-operating mission in orbit around any planet other than Earth. Still mapping surface mineralogy and relaying data after 25 years.
ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter
First half of ESA's ExoMars programme. Searches for trace gases in the Martian atmosphere — particularly methane and other potential biosignatures. Will relay data for the Rosalind Franklin rover after 2030.
Tianwen-1
China's first independent interplanetary mission and the first nation to achieve orbit, landing and rover deployment on a single mission. The orbiter is still active; the Zhurong rover has been in unrecovered hibernation since May 2022.
Hope (Emirates Mars Mission)
The first Arab interplanetary mission, making the UAE only the fifth nation to reach Mars. Studies the planet's atmosphere and weather; recently extended through 2028. Captured images of interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS in October 2025.
MAVEN
Studies how the Martian atmosphere has been stripped away by the solar wind. Lost contact with Earth on 6 December 2025 after emerging from behind Mars in an unexpected rotation. Recovery attempts continued through early 2026.
En route & upcoming missions
The launch window for Mars opens roughly every 26 months. The next decade will see Japan attempt to bring back the first ever samples from the Martian system, Europe land a deep-drilling rover, and China attempt full sample return.
ESCAPADE (Blue & Gold)
First multi-spacecraft orbital science mission to another planet. Launched on the second flight of Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket in November 2025. Will study how solar wind drives Mars's atmospheric escape.
MMX (Martian Moons eXploration)
Will become the first mission to return samples from the Mars system. Carries an MMX Rover developed with CNES and DLR. The sample return capsule is scheduled to land at Woomera, South Australia, in 2031 — directly relevant to MSA's interests.
Rosalind Franklin (ExoMars rover)
The second half of ESA's ExoMars programme. Will be the first rover to drill 2 metres below the Martian surface, hunting for biosignatures preserved from cosmic radiation. Launches on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy after Russia's withdrawal in 2022.
Tianwen-3
China's planned Mars sample return mission — would be the first to bring rock and regolith samples from the Martian surface back to Earth. Targeting a 2028 launch with samples returned around 2031.
Mission archive — 1960 to present
Every mission ever launched toward Mars, including the many early failures of the 1960s and 1970s. Filter by mission type or agency to narrow the list.
Includes successful, partially-successful and failed missions from every Mars-faring agency since the Soviet Union's Marsnik 1 in 1960.
- 2025ESCAPADE (Blue & Gold)NASAOrbiterEn route
- 2020Tianwen-1 / ZhurongCNSAMultiSuccess
- 2020Hope (Emirates Mars Mission)UAE Space AgencyOrbiterActive
- 2020Mars 2020 (Perseverance + Ingenuity)NASARoverActive
- 2018InSightNASALanderRetired 2022
- 2016ExoMars 2016 (TGO + Schiaparelli)ESAMultiPartial
- 2013Mangalyaan (Mars Orbiter Mission)ISRO · IndiaOrbiterSuccess
- 2013MAVENNASAOrbiterStatus uncertain
- 2011Curiosity (Mars Science Laboratory)NASARoverActive
- 2011Phobos-GruntRoscosmos · RussiaMultiFailure
- 2011Yinghuo-1CNSA · ChinaOrbiterFailure
- 2007Phoenix Mars MissionNASALanderSuccess
- 2005Mars Reconnaissance OrbiterNASAOrbiterActive
- 2003Opportunity (MER-B)NASARoverEnded 2018
- 2003Spirit (MER-A)NASARoverEnded 2010
- 2003Mars Express + Beagle 2ESAMultiPartial
- 2001Mars OdysseyNASAOrbiterActive
- 1999Mars Polar Lander + Deep Space 2NASALanderFailure
- 1998Mars Climate OrbiterNASAOrbiterFailure
- 1998NozomiJAXA · JapanOrbiterFailure
- 1996Mars Pathfinder + SojournerNASARoverSuccess
- 1996Mars 96Roscosmos · RussiaMultiFailure
- 1996Mars Global SurveyorNASAOrbiterSuccess
- 1992Mars ObserverNASAOrbiterFailure
- 1988Phobos 2USSROrbiterPartial
- 1988Phobos 1USSROrbiterFailure
- 1975Viking 2NASAMultiSuccess
- 1975Viking 1NASAMultiSuccess
- 1973Mars 7USSRLanderFailure
- 1973Mars 6USSRLanderPartial
- 1973Mars 5USSROrbiterPartial
- 1973Mars 4USSROrbiterFailure
- 1971Mariner 9NASAOrbiterSuccess
- 1971Mars 3USSRMultiPartial
- 1971Mars 2USSRMultiPartial
- 1971Kosmos 419USSROrbiterFailure
- 1971Mariner 8NASAOrbiterFailure
- 1969Mars 1969BUSSROrbiterFailure
- 1969Mars 1969AUSSROrbiterFailure
- 1969Mariner 7NASAFlybySuccess
- 1969Mariner 6NASAFlybySuccess
- 1964Zond 2USSRFlybyFailure
- 1964Mariner 4NASAFlybySuccess
- 1964Mariner 3NASAFlybyFailure
- 1962Sputnik 24USSRLanderFailure
- 1962Mars 1USSRFlybyFailure
- 1962Sputnik 22USSRFlybyFailure
- 1960Marsnik 2USSRFlybyFailure
- 1960Marsnik 1USSRFlybyFailure
Page last updated: May 2026. Mars exploration evolves quickly — recent additions include ESCAPADE (en route as of November 2025) and the MAVEN status change (lost contact December 2025). This page is intended for an annual refresh; significant new missions or status changes between updates should be flagged via the contact page.
The Australian connection: Japan's MMX mission will return the first samples from the Martian system to Woomera, South Australia in 2031 — using the same landing site as Hayabusa2's asteroid samples in 2020. That makes Australia an active partner in the next era of Mars science.