The planet Mars has not been easy to reach via spacecraft, as this list of missions reveals.

Mars, at last! This is the first image sent by NASA's Viking 1 lander, taken just minutes after the spacecraft touched down on July 20, 1976. One of the lander's three footpads is at right.
NASA / JPL
In the table below, compiled by the editors of Sky & Telescope, green denotes a spacecraft that met its mission objectives, yellow means partial success, and red signifies that something went seriously wrong along the way — often within hours or even minutes of reaching the final destination.
A History of Martian Exploration | ||||
Mission | Origin | Launched | Intent | Result |
Marsnik 1 (Korabl 4) | USSR | 1960 | flyby | launch failure |
Marsnik 2 (Korabl 5) | USSR | 1960 | flyby | launch failure |
Sputnik 22 (Korabl 11) | USSR | 1962 | flyby | Earth orbit only |
Mars 1 | USSR | 1962 | flyby | radio failed |
Sputnik 24 (Korabl 13) | USSR | 1962 | flyby | Earth orbit only |
Mariner 3 | US | 1964 | flyby | launch shroud failed to jettison |
Mariner 4 | US | 1964 | flyby | first flyby |
Zond 2 | USSR | 1964 | flyby | radio failed |
Mariner 6 | US | 1969 | flyby | returned 75 photos |
Mariner 7 | US | 1969 | flyby | returned 126 photos |
Mars 1969A | USSR | 1973 | orbiter | launch failure |
Mars 1969B | USSR | 1973 | orbiter | launch failure |
Mariner 8 | US | 1971 | orbiter | launch failure |
Kosmos 419 | USSR | 1971 | lander | Earth orbit only |
Mars 2 | USSR | 1971 | orbiter & lander | lander lost on entry |
Mars 3 | USSR | 1971 | orbiter & lander | contact lost seconds after landing |
Mariner 9 | US | 1971 | orbiter | returned 7,329 photos |
Mars 4 | USSR | 1973 | orbiter | engine failure; flew past Mars |
Mars 5 | USSR | 1973 | orbiter | only operational a few days |
Mars 6 | USSR | 1973 | flyby & lander | lander failed on entry |
Mars 7 | USSR | 1973 | flyby & lander | lander missed the planet |
Viking 1 | US | 1975 | orbiter & lander | orbiter lasted 4 yr, lander 6+ yr |
Viking 2 | US | 1975 | orbiter & lander | orbiter lasted 2 yr, lander 3½ yr |
Phobos 1 | USSR | 1988 | orbiter & lander | lost en route to Mars |
Phobos 2 | USSR | 1988 | orbiter & lander | orbit achieved; lost near Phobos |
Mars Observer | US | 1992 | orbiter | lost before Mars arrival |
Mars Global Surveyor | US | 1996 | orbiter | operated for 7½ years |
Mars 96 | Russia | 1996 | orbiter & penetrators | launch failure |
Mars Pathfinder | US | 1996 | lander & rover | operated for 2½ months |
Nozomi | Japan | 1998 | orbiter | electronics failure; Mars flyby |
Mars Climate Orbiter | US | 1998 | orbiter | lost on arrival |
Mars Polar Lander | US | 1999 | lander | lost during landing |
Deep Space 2 | US | 1999 | penetrators | lost during landing |
Mars Odyssey | US | 2001 | orbiter | ongoing |
Mars Express | ESA | 2003 | orbiter | ongoing |
Beagle 2 | ESA | 2003 | lander | lost during landing |
Spirit | US | 2003 | rover | operated for 7½ yr |
Opportunity | US | 2003 | rover | ongoing |
Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter | US | 2005 | orbiter | ongoing |
Phoenix | US | 2007 | lander | operated for 5½ months |
Fobos-Grunt | Russia | 2011 | lander (Phobos) | launch failure |
Yinghuo 1 | China | 2011 | orbiter | launch failure |
Curiosity (MSL) | US | 2011 | lander | ongoing |