Getting to Mars: Where We Are Now

Before we ever send humans to Mars, we've already sent something else—a legacy of machines, silently working, roving, and orbiting a world 140 million miles away. From the first blurry black-and-white images in the 1960s to rovers that still operate today, these missions have laid the groundwork for everything we know—and hope to achieve—on the Red Planet.

Here’s a detailed look at the most important Mars missions humanity has launched so far.

1960s–1970s: First Contact and First Landings

Mariner 4 (1964) – NASA

• The first successful flyby of Mars.

• Returned the first close-up photos of another planet—21 grainy but historic images.

• Revealed a cratered, moon-like surface, challenging early hopes of life.

(Mariner 4 - source)

Mariner 9 (1971) – NASA

• First spacecraft to orbit another planet.

• Mapped ~85% of the Martian surface.

• Discovered volcanoes, canyons (like Valles Marineris), and evidence of past floods.

Viking 1 and 2 (1975) – NASA

• The first successful landers on Mars.

• Conducted biological experiments to search for life.

• Took high-resolution images and performed soil and atmospheric analysis.

• Some results still fuel debate about possible microbial life signatures.

(Viking source)

1990s–Early 2000s: New Eyes and Wheels

Mars Pathfinder & Sojourner Rover (1996) – NASA

• First successful rover mission.

• Demonstrated airbag landing tech and rover mobility.

• Sojourner operated for 85 days (planned for 7), analyzing rocks and terrain.

Mars Pathfinder (NASA)

Mars Global Surveyor (1996) – NASA

• Provided high-res mapping of the surface.

• Monitored seasonal weather patterns and surface changes.

• Operated for over 9 years, delivering massive amounts of data.

Mars Odyssey (2001) – NASA

• Still operational today.

• Discovered subsurface hydrogen, indicating water ice near the surface.

• Acts as a communications relay for surface missions like Curiosity and Perseverance.

Mars Odyssey

2000s–2010s: Rovers and Orbiters Dig Deeper

Spirit and Opportunity Rovers (2003) – NASA

• Twin solar-powered rovers.

• Spirit operated until 2010; Opportunity lasted until 2018—over 14 years.

• Found geological evidence of water and past habitable environments.

Opportunity Rover

Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (2005) – NASA

• Carried the HiRISE camera, capturing incredibly detailed images of the surface.

• Mapped Mars’ climate, surface, and potential landing zones.

• Still operational, supporting both science and future mission planning.

Phoenix Lander (2007) – NASA

• Landed near the north pole of Mars.

• Discovered water ice in the soil and studied its potential for supporting life.

• First to use a robotic arm to dig below the surface.

MAVEN (2013) – NASA

• Orbiting spacecraft focused on Mars’ upper atmosphere.

• Studied how solar wind strips away the atmosphere—key to understanding Mars’ loss of habitability over time.

Mars Orbiter Mission (Mangalyaan) (2013) – ISRO, India

• India’s first interplanetary mission.

• Entered orbit successfully on its first try—a major engineering feat.

• Focused on studying surface features and atmosphere, on a tight budget.

ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter (2016) – ESA & Roscosmos

• Focused on detecting trace gases (like methane) linked to possible life.

• Still in orbit and relaying data from other missions.

InSight Lander (2018) – NASA

• Placed a seismometer on the surface to study “Marsquakes.”

• Helped scientists understand the internal structure of Mars.

• Retired in 2022 after completing its mission goals.

Tianwen-1 & Zhurong Rover (2020) – CNSA, China

• First Chinese Mars mission: included an orbiter, lander, and rover.

• Zhurong rover explored terrain, studied atmosphere, and used ground-penetrating radar.

• A major leap forward in China's planetary exploration program.

Zhurong rover

Perseverance Rover (2020) – NASA

• The most advanced rover to date.

• Searching for signs of ancient microbial life in the Jezero Crater.

• Collecting rock samples for future return missions.

• Accompanied by Ingenuity, the first powered aircraft flown on another world—originally a tech demo, it completed 72 successful flights before its retirement in 2024.

So Where Are We Now?

As of 2024, Mars is buzzing with activity—not from humans, but from machines.

Currently active missions include:

• Curiosity Rover

• Perseverance Rover

• Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter

• Mars Odyssey

• MAVEN

• Tianwen-1 Orbiter

• ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter

Together, these robotic explorers are mapping, analyzing, digging, and scanning every corner of the planet—paving the way for the first human footsteps to follow.