During the 1960s, competition between the Soviet Union and the USA was fierce as they battled to execute the first ever Mars flyby as well as send an orbiter and lander spacecraft to reach the red planet of our solar system. The Soviet Union tried to launch the first spacecraft to Mars on 10 October 1960, but this first attempt ended with a launch failure. Though the Soviet Union persistently pursued a number of missions to Mars during the 1960s, NASA ultimately beat them to Mars when they accomplished the first successful Mars flyby mission on November 28th, 1964. Since then, more countries have entered themselves into the competition to better understand Mars, and thus, our solar system.
With all of this information, you probably have a few questions! Some of them may be . . .
- Which countries have participated in the Mars missions?
- Which country has performed the greatest number of missions to Mars?
- What percentage of Mars missions have resulted in failure? In success?
- What were the results of the missions to Mars?
Discover the answers to these questions and more by taking a look at the detailed table below, which lists all of the world’s missions to Mars as well as relevant details including launch date, spacecraft details, mission goals, and mission results.
Missions to Mars
The below table includes all missions to Mars by world’s countries as per NASA[1], their launching dates, spacecraft details, missions aims, and missions results:
Year [1] | Launch date [1] | Spacecraft [2] | Mission [1] | Result | Launcher [1] |
1960 | 10 October 1960 | 1M No.1 | Mars Flyby | Launch Failure [1] | Soviet Union |
14 October 1960 | 1M No.2 | Mars Flyby | Launch Failure [1] | Soviet Union | |
1962 | 24 October 1962 | 2MV-4 No.1 | Attempted Mars Flyby | Launch Failure [2] | Soviet Union |
1 November 1962 | Mars 1 | Mars Flyby | Contact lost [1] | Soviet Union | |
4 November 1962 | 2MV-3 No.1 | Attempted Mars Lander | Launch Failure [2] | Soviet Union | |
1964 | 5 November 1964 | Mariner 3 | Attempted Mars Flyby | Launch Failure [2] | NASA United States |
28 November 1964 | Mariner 4 | Mars Flyby | Successful [3] | NASA United States | |
30 November 1964 | Zond 2 | Mars Flyby (Contact Lost) | Contact lost [2] | Soviet Union | |
1969 | 25 February 1969 | Mariner 6 | Mars Flyby | Successful [4] | NASA United States |
27 March 1969 | 2M No.521 | Mars Flyby | Launch Failure [2] | Soviet Union | |
27 March 1969 | Mariner 7 | Attempted Mars Orbiter (Launch Failure) | Successful [5] | NASA United States | |
2 April 1969 | 2M No.522 | Attempted Mars Orbiter (Launch Failure) | Launch Failure [2] | Soviet Union | |
1971 | 9 May 1971 | Mariner 8 | Attempted Mars Flyby (Launch Failure) | Launch Failure [2] | NASA United States |
10 May 1971 | Kosmos 419 | Attempted Mars Orbiter/Lander | Launch Failure [2] | Soviet Union | |
19 May 1971 | Mars 2 | Mars Orbiter/ Attempted Lander | Successful [2] | Soviet Union | |
28 May 1971 | Mars 3 | Mars Orbiter/ Lander | Successful orbiter and partial failure lander [2] | Soviet Union | |
30 May 1971 | Mariner 9 | Mars Orbiter | Successful [6] | NASA United States | |
1973 | 21 July 1973 | Mars 4 | Mars Flyby (Attempted Mars Orbiter) | Spacecraft failure [2] | Soviet Union |
25 July 1973 | Mars 5 | Mars Orbiter | Partial failure [2] | Soviet Union | |
5 August 1973 | Mars 6 | Mars Lander (Contact Lost) | Spacecraft failure [2] | Soviet Union | |
9 August 1973 | Mars 7 | Mars Flyby (Attempted Mars Lander) | Spacecraft failure [2] | Soviet Union | |
1975 | 20 August 1975 | Viking 1 | Mars Orbiter and Lander | Successful orbiter and lander [7] | NASA United States |
9 September 1975 | Viking 2 | Mars Orbiter and Lander | Successful orbiter and lander [7] | NASA United States | |
1988 | 7 July 1988 | Phobos 1 | Attempted Mars Orbiter/Phobos Landers | Spacecraft failure [2] | Soviet Union |
12 July 1988 | Phobos 2 | Mars Orbiter/Attempted Phobos Landers | Partial failure [2] | Soviet Union | |
1992 | 25 September 1992 | Mars Observer | Attempted Mars Orbiter (Contact Lost) | Spacecraft failure [2] | NASA United States |
1996 | 07 November 1996 | Mars Global Surveyor | Mars Orbiter | Successful [8] | NASA United States |
16 November 1996 | Mars 96 | Attempted Mars Orbiter/Landers | Launch failure [2] |
Rosaviakosmos Russia | |
04 December 1996 | Mars Pathfinder | Mars Lander and Rover | Successful [10] | NASA United States | |
1998 | 3 July 1998 | Nozomi | Mars Orbiter | Spacecraft failure [2] |
Japan |
11 December 1998 | Mars Climate Orbiter | Attempted Mars Orbiter | Spacecraft failure [2] | NASA United States | |
1999 | 3 January 1999 | Mars Polar Lander | Attempted Mars Lander | Spacecraft failure [2] | NASA United States |
3 January 1999 | Deep Space 2 | Attempted Mars Penetrators | Spacecraft failure [2] | NASA United States | |
2001 | 7 April 2001 | Mars Odyssey | Mars Orbiter | Successful; expected to be operating until 2025[9] | NASA United States |
2003 | 2 June 2003 | Mars Express | Mars Orbiter and Lander | Successful orbiter; expected to be operating until 2025 and failed lander [2] | ESA European Union |
10 June 2003 | Spirit | Mars Rover | Successful [10] | NASA United States | |
8 July 2003 | Opportunity | Mars Rover | Successful [11] | NASA United States | |
2005 | 12 August 2005 | Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter | Mars Orbiter | Successful [12] | NASA United States |
2007 | 04 August 2007 | Phoenix | Mars Scout Lander | Successful [13] | NASA United States |
2011 | 08 November 2011 | Fobos-Grunt | Attempted Martian Moon Phobos Lander | Spacecraft failure [2] |
Roskosmos Russia |
08 November 2011 | Yinghuo-1 | Attempted Mars Orbiter | Failure [2] |
CNSA China | |
26 November 2011 | Curiosity | Mars Rover | Successful [14] | NASA United States | |
2013 | 05 November 2013 | Mars Orbiter Mission | Mars Orbiter | Successful [2] |
ISRO India |
18 November 2013 | MAVEN | Mars Scout Mission Orbiter | Successful [15] | NASA United States | |
2016 | 14 March 2016 | ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter | Mars Orbiter and Lander | Successful [2] | ESA European Union |
2018 | 5 May 2018 | InSight & MarCO | Mars Lander | Spacecraft failure [2] | NASA United States |
Which countries participated in the Mars missions?
At the beginning of the 1960s, the Soviet Union and the USA were the only two countries participating in the Mars missions. It is recorded that Russia completed its first Mars mission in 1996. Following the Soviet Union, the USA, and Russia, Japan was the next to take part in the Mars missions with the launch of its Mars Orbiter mission. Though this first mission resulted in the failure of its spacecraft, Nozomi, it seemed to spark a global excitement for the Mars Missions: After Japan, many of the world’s countries stepped up to join in the Mars missions, including China, India, and the countries of the European Union.
Which country has performed the greatest number of missions to Mars?
Among the long list of participants taking part in the Mars missions, the United States and the Soviet Union continue to hold onto their spots as having performed the greatest number of Mars missions:
- The United States has conducted 22 (both successful and unsuccessful) Mars missions including Mars flybys, orbiters, and lander missions.
- The Soviet Union has conducted 17 (successful and unsuccessful) Mars missions including Mars flybys, orbiters, and lander missions.
Which country has carried out the most successful Mars missions?
The United States is recorded as having carried out the most successful missions to Mars among the world’s countries; boasting 14 successful missions out of the total of 22 missions — a 63% success rate.
What percentage of the Mars missions were failures?
The data below summarizes the Mars missions and their success and failure rates as of May 2018:
World Wide:
- Total number of Mars missions: 46
- Successful Mars missions: 18
- Failed Mars missions: 28
- Percent of successful Mars missions: 40%
- Percent of failed Mars missions: 60%
NASA Wide:
- Total number of Mars missions: 22
- Successful Mars missions: 14
- Failed Mars missions: 8
- Percent of successful Mars missions: 63%
- Percent of failed Mars missions: 37%
