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

List of landers and vehicles

+ Key Success Operational Failure

Year AgencyMission 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 1971 USSR Mars 3 Mars 3 lander and PrOP-M rover 1210 Transmission failure 110 seconds after soft landing Estimated at Sirenum Terra 1973 USSR Mars 6 Mars 6 lander 635 Returned corrupted data for 224 seconds during its descent but contact lost before reaching surface Estimated at Margaritifer Terra 1976 NASA Viking 1 Viking 1 lander 657 Operated 2245 sols. Last contact Nov 11, 1982 Chryse Planitia 1976 NASAViking 2 Viking 2 lander 657 Operated 1281 sols. Last contact Apr 11, 1980 Utopia Planitia 1997 NASAMars Pathfinder Pathfinder (lander) 360 Operated 83 sols. Last contact Sep 27, 1997 Ares VallisSojourner (rover)11.5 1999 NASAMars Surveyor '98 Mars Polar Lander and Deep Space 2 (probes) 500 Unknown failure during descent; crashed on surface Estimated at Ultimi Scopuli 2003 ESA (UK)Mars Express Beagle 2 (lander) 33.2 Landed safely; solar panels failed to deploy Isidis Planitia 2004 NASAMars Exploration Rover Spirit (rover) 185 Operated 2210 sols. Last contact Mar 22, 2010 Gusev crater Opportunity (rover) 185 Operated 5111 sols. Last contact June 10, 2018 Meridiani Planum 2008 NASAPhoenix Mars Lander Phoenix (lander) 350 Operated 155 sols. Last contact Nov 2, 2008 Green Valley in Vastitas Borealis 2012 NASAMars Science Laboratory Curiosity (rover) 900 In operation, sols Aeolis Palus in Gale Crater 2016 ESA RoscosmosExoMars 2016 Schiaparelli EDM (lander) 577 Crashed on impact; transmitted descent telemetry Meridiani Planum 2018 NASAInSight InSight (lander) 358 Reached end of designed lifespan after landing on 19 Dec 2022. Elysium Planitia 2021 NASAMars 2020 Perseverance (rover) 1024 In operation, sols Jezero crater Ingenuity (helicopter) 1.8 Operated sols. Wright Brothers Field 2021CNSATianwen-1Tianwen-1 (lander) 1285 Reached end of designed lifespan after landing on 14 May 2021. Utopia Planitia Zhurong (rover) 240 Inactive due to sandstorm. Operated for sols. Tianwen-1 Remote camera <1 Reached end of designed lifespan after mission completion on 1 June 2021.

Other objects

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. 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.NASA - This Month in NASA History: Mariner 9, November 29, 2011 – Vol. 4, Issue 9

Gallery

From surface

From orbit

Landing site namings and memorials

Several landing sites have been named, either the spacecraft itself or the landing site: Pennants of Soviet Union on Mars 2 and Mars 3 landers (1971).Soviet Craft - Mars (1960–1974) Thomas Mutch Memorial Station, the Viking 1 lander (1976).NSSDC - Viking 1 lander Gerald Soffen Memorial Station, the Viking 2 lander (1976).NSSDC - Viking 2 lander Carl Sagan Memorial Station, Mars Pathfinder (Sojourner) base (1997).NSSDC - Mars Pathfinder Challenger Memorial Station, MER-B (Opportunity) landing site area (2004).NASA - Space Shuttle Challenger Crew Memorialized on Mars Columbia Memorial Station, MER-A (Spirit) landing site area (2004).NASA - Space Shuttle Columbia Crew Memorialized on Mars Green Valley, the Phoenix lander (2008). Bradbury Landing, Curiosity rover landing site (August 6, 2012). (Note: Due to the nature of the landing system, there is no actual space hardware at the touchdown location of Bradbury Landing, see Curiosity (rover)) InSight Landing, the InSight lander (2018) Octavia E. Butler Landing, Perseverance rover and Ingenuity helicopter landing site (February 18, 2021) Wright Brothers Field, the initial take-off and landing site for the Ingenuity helicopter, used for five flights (April, May 2021) Three Forks Sample Depot, backup sample Depot of Perseverance cached samples for return to Earth by NASA-ESA Mars Sample Return Mission (2022)

See also Exploration of Mars Life on Mars List of artificial objects on extra-terrestrial surfaces List of extraterrestrial memorials List of missions to Mars Satellites of Mars Timeline of planetary exploration

References