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List of artificial objects on Mars

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Main article: List of Mars landers

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, there are 14 missions with objects on the surface of Mars. Some of these missions contain multiple spacecraft.

List of landers and vehicles

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Key
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 / -45; -313 (Mars 2)[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 / -45; -158 (Mars 3)[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 / -23.90; -19.42 (Mars 6)[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 / 22.697; -48.222 (Viking 1)[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 / 48.269; -225.990 (Viking 2)[5]

1997 NASA Mars Pathfinder Pathfinder (lander) 360 Operated 83 sols. Last contact Sep 27, 1997[6] Ares Vallis

19°20′N 33°33′W / 19.33°N 33.55°W / 19.33; -33.55 (Mars Pathfinder and Sojourner)[7][8]

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 / -76; -195 (Mars Polar Lander and Deep Space 2)

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 / 11.5265; 90.4295 (Beagle 2 landing site)

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 / -14.5718; 175.4785 (Spirit rover)

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 / -1.9462; 354.4734 (Opportunity rover)

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 / 68.22; -125.7 (Phoenix)

2012 NASA Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity (rover) 900 In operation, 4436 sols Aeolis Palus in Gale Crater

4°35′22″S 137°26′30″E / 4.5895°S 137.4417°E / -4.5895; 137.4417

2016 ESA

Roscosmos

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 / -2.05; -6.21 (Schiaparelli EDM lander crash site)

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 / 4.5024; 135.6234 (InSight landing site)

2021 NASA Mars 2020 Perseverance (rover) 1024 In operation, 1401 sols Jezero crater

18°26′45″N 77°27′03″E / 18.4457°N 77.4508°E / 18.4457; 77.4508 (Perseverance landing site)

Ingenuity (helicopter) 1.8 Operated 1401 sols.[9] Wright Brothers Field

18°26′45″N 77°27′03″E / 18.4457°N 77.4508°E / 18.4457; 77.4508 (Ingenuity drop site)

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 / 25.1; 109.9 (Zhurong landing site)

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.

Other objects

[edit]
An example of an additional object from a spacecraft landing is the metal shroud ejected by the Viking 2 lander, as seen in this 1977 view of Mars. The shroud covered the surface sampler instrument and could be seen in images taken by the lander while it was active on the surface.[11]
  • Each mission left debris according to its design. For example, the Schiaparelli EDM lander likely exploded on impact, creating an unknown number of fragments at one location. At another location, there may be a lower heat shield, and at another location, a parachute and upper heat shield. Another example is the counterweights ejected by MSL during its descent. In some cases, the nature and location of this additional debris has been determined and, in other cases, even the location of the main spacecraft has remained unknown. The identification of Beagle 2 after 11 years is one of the greatest breakthroughs yet, since prior to that, it could not be confirmed what had happened.[12] Spacecraft that have not been precisely located include Mars 2, Mars 3, Mars 6, Mars Polar Lander, and the two Deep Space 2 probes.
  • Orbiters whose orbit could eventually decay and impact the surface, include: Viking 1 and Viking 2 orbiters, Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, 2001 Mars Odyssey, Mars Express, Mars Global Surveyor, Phobos 2, Mars 2, Mars 3, and Mars 5 orbiters, and Mariner 9. (See also List of Mars orbiters)
  • The fate of Mars Climate Orbiter (1999) is unknown, but it is thought to have burnt up in the atmosphere before impacting.
  • Mariner 9, which entered Mars orbit in 1971, is expected to remain in orbit until approximately 2022, when the spacecraft is projected to enter the Martian atmosphere and either burn up or crash into the planet's surface.[13]
[edit]

From surface

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  • MER-A Spirit rover lander
    MER-A Spirit rover lander
  • MER-B Opportunity's heat shield
    MER-B Opportunity's heat shield
  • MSL Curiosity self-portrait, 2016
    MSL Curiosity self-portrait, 2016

From orbit

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  • Viking 1 lander in 2006 (HiRise)
    Viking 1 lander in 2006 (HiRise)
  • Viking 2 lander in 2006 (HiRise)
    Viking 2 lander in 2006 (HiRise)
  • Phoenix lander and heat-shield in 2009 (HiRise)
    Phoenix lander and heat-shield in 2009 (HiRise)
  • Mars Pathfinder seen from space by the MRO HiRISE
    Mars Pathfinder seen from space by the MRO HiRISE
  • MER-B Opportunity lander in Eagle crater (2006)
    MER-B Opportunity lander in Eagle crater (2006)
  • Beagle 2, after 11 years found and showing that it made it to the surface but did not expand fully to transmit
    Beagle 2, after 11 years found and showing that it made it to the surface but did not expand fully to transmit
  • Curiosity landing remnants
    Curiosity landing remnants
  • Schiaparelli remnants (2016)
    Schiaparelli remnants (2016)

Landing site namings and memorials

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See also: List of extraterrestrial memorials § Mars

Several landing sites have been named, either the spacecraft itself or the landing site:

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "NASA NSSDC Master Catalog - Mars 2". Retrieved 2010-12-24.
  2. ^ "NASA NSSDC Master Catalog - Mars 3". Retrieved 2010-12-24.
  3. ^ a b "NASA NSSDC Master Catalog - Mars 6". Retrieved 2010-12-24.
  4. ^ "NASA NSSDC Master Catalog - Viking 1 lander". Retrieved 2010-12-24.
  5. ^ "NASA NSSDC Master Catalog - Viking 2 lander". Retrieved 2010-12-24.
  6. ^ "Mars Pathfinder". Retrieved 2011-12-07.
  7. ^ "NASA NSSDC Master Catalog - Mars Pathfinder". Retrieved 2010-12-24.
  8. ^ "NASA NSSDC Master Catalog - Mars Pathfinder Rover". Retrieved 2010-12-24.
  9. ^ "After Three Years on Mars, NASA's Ingenuity Helicopter Mission Ends". Archived from the original on 26 January 2024. Retrieved 26 January 2024.
  10. ^ Cheung, Rachel (13 March 2023). "China's Mars Rover Has Not Moved Since September, NASA Images Revealed". Vice News.
  11. ^ Mars - Viking 2 Lander
  12. ^ "Beagle 2 spacecraft found intact on surface of Mars after 11 years". The Guardian. 2015-01-17. Archived from the original on 2023-04-14.
  13. ^ NASA - This Month in NASA History: Mariner 9, November 29, 2011 – Vol. 4, Issue 9
  14. ^ Soviet Craft - Mars (1960–1974) Archived 2013-07-08 at the Wayback Machine
  15. ^ NSSDC - Viking 1 lander
  16. ^ NSSDC - Viking 2 lander
  17. ^ NSSDC - Mars Pathfinder
  18. ^ NASA - Space Shuttle Challenger Crew Memorialized on Mars
  19. ^ NASA - Space Shuttle Columbia Crew Memorialized on Mars
  20. ^ "Curiosity Landing Site Named for Ray Bradbury". NASA. August 22, 2012. Retrieved August 24, 2012.


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