Home - Horizonte Marciano

ESCAPADE

Launch: Sol 23 of Marinero, Year 38

(November 13, 2025)

Successfully launched on November 13, 2025, aboard the New Glenn rocket, NASA's ESCAPADE mission (SIMPLEx program) deploys twin orbiters, Blue and Gold, toward Mars. Currently en route to point L2 for a gravity assist maneuver, the mission aims to reach Mars in 2027. They will use their coordinated sensors to study the magnetosphere in stereo and determine how the solar wind stripped the planet of its atmosphere and water.

En Route Discover more →

Perseverance

Launch: Sol 36 of Phobo, Year 35

(July 30, 2020)

Perseverance landed in Jezero Crater in 2021 to search for ancient life and collect samples. It successfully deployed Ingenuity, the first helicopter on another world, and produced oxygen with MOXIE. It is the cornerstone of the future Mars Sample Return campaign.

Operational Surface Discover more →

Zhurong

Launch: Sol 29 of Phobo, Year 35

(July 23, 2020)

Zhurong successfully landed at Utopia Planitia in May 2021 following the launch of the Long March 5 rocket. China became the second nation to operate a rover on Mars, mapping the subsurface and studying regional climate before entering final hibernation in May 2022.

Operational Surface Discover more →

Timeline

Start of Spring MY 1

Apr 11, 1955

Start of Summer MY 1

Oct 27, 1955

1956 Launch Window Opening

Apr 10, 1956

Start of Autumn MY 1

Apr 27, 1956

1956 Launch Window Closing

Jun 28, 1956

Start of Winter MY 1

Sep 21, 1956

Start of Spring MY 2

Feb 26, 1957

Start of Summer MY 2

Sep 13, 1957

Start of Autumn MY 2

Mar 15, 1958

1958 Launch Window Opening

Jun 20, 1958

Start of Winter MY 2

Aug 9, 1958

1958 Launch Window Closing

Sep 14, 1958

Start of Spring MY 3

Jan 14, 1959

Start of Summer MY 3

Aug 1, 1959

Start of Autumn MY 3

Jan 31, 1960

Start of Winter MY 3

Jun 26, 1960

1960 Launch Window Opening

Sep 4, 1960

Launch and failure of Mars 1M No.1 (Marsnik 1)

Oct 10, 1960

Launch of Mars 1M No.2 (Marsnik 2)

Oct 14, 1960

1960 Launch Window Closing

Nov 12, 1960

Start of Spring MY 4

Dec 1, 1960

Start of Summer MY 4

Jun 18, 1961

Start of Autumn MY 4

Dec 18, 1961

Start of Winter MY 4

May 14, 1962

Start of Spring MY 5

Oct 19, 1962

Launch of Mars 2MV-4 No.1 (Sputnik 22)

Oct 24, 1962

Failure of the Blok-L escape stage

Oct 24, 1962

1962 Launch Window Opening

Oct 28, 1962

Mars 1 Launch

Nov 1, 1962

Launch of Mars 2MV-3 No.1 (Sputnik 24)

Nov 4, 1962

Ignition failure of Blok-L stage (Sputnik 24)

Nov 4, 1962

1962 Launch Window Closing

Dec 23, 1962

Atmospheric disintegration of Sputnik 24

Jan 19, 1963

Loss of contact with Mars 1

Mar 21, 1963

Start of Summer MY 5

May 6, 1963

Mars 1 performs Mars flyby

Jun 19, 1963

Start of Autumn MY 5

Nov 5, 1963

Start of Winter MY 5

Mar 31, 1964

Start of Spring MY 6

Sep 5, 1964

Mariner 3 Launch

Nov 5, 1964

Mariner 3 Battery Depletion

Nov 5, 1964

Mariner 4 Launch

Nov 28, 1964

Zond 2 Launch

Nov 30, 1964

1964 Launch Window Opening

Dec 5, 1964

Plasma Thruster Test (Zond 2)

Dec 14, 1964

1964 Launch Window Closing

Jan 24, 1965

Start of Summer MY 6

Mar 23, 1965

Mars Flyby (Mariner 4)

Jul 14, 1965

Mars Flyby (Zond 2)

Aug 6, 1965

Start of Autumn MY 6

Sep 22, 1965

Start of Winter MY 6

Feb 16, 1966

Start of Spring MY 7

Jul 24, 1966

1967 Launch Window Opening

Jan 6, 1967

Start of Summer MY 7

Feb 7, 1967

1967 Launch Window Closing

Feb 26, 1967

Start of Autumn MY 7

Aug 10, 1967

Start of Winter MY 7

Jan 3, 1968

Start of Spring MY 8

Jun 10, 1968

Start of Summer MY 8

Dec 25, 1968

1969 Launch Window Opening

Feb 8, 1969

Atlas (AC-20) Pre-launch Incident

Feb 14, 1969

Mariner 6 Launch

Feb 25, 1969

Mariner 6 Trajectory Correction

Mar 1, 1969

Mars 1969A Launch Failure

Mar 27, 1969

Mariner 7 Launch

Mar 27, 1969

Mars 1969B Launch and Failure

Apr 2, 1969

1969 Launch Window Closing

Apr 5, 1969

Mariner 7 Trajectory Correction Maneuver (TCM)

Apr 8, 1969

Start of Autumn MY 8

Jun 27, 1969

Mariner 7 In-Route Incident

Jul 30, 1969

Mars Flyby and Dry Ice Discovery

Jul 31, 1969

Mariner 7 Mars Flyby

Aug 5, 1969

Start of Winter MY 8

Nov 20, 1969

Start of Spring MY 9

Apr 28, 1970

Start of Summer MY 9

Nov 12, 1970

1971 Launch Window Opening

Mar 22, 1971

Mariner 8 Launch and Failure

May 9, 1971

Launch of Kosmos 419

May 10, 1971

Ignition Failure of Blok D Stage

May 10, 1971

Re-entry and Destruction of Kosmos 419

May 12, 1971

Start of Autumn MY 9

May 15, 1971

Mars 2 Launch

May 19, 1971

Mariner 9 Launch

May 30, 1971

1971 Launch Window Closing

May 31, 1971

Start of Winter MY 9

Oct 8, 1971

Mariner 9 Enters Mars Orbit

Nov 14, 1971

Mars 2 Mars Arrival and Orbital Insertion

Nov 27, 1971

Mars 2 Lander Failure and Crash

Nov 27, 1971

First Human Impact on Mars

Nov 27, 1971

Start of Clear Imaging After Dust Storm

Jan 2, 1972

Mariner 9 Achieves All Mission Objectives

Feb 11, 1972

Start of Spring MY 10

Mar 15, 1972

Start of Summer MY 10

Sep 29, 1972

End of Mariner 9 Mission (Last Contact)

Oct 27, 1972

Start of Autumn MY 10

Apr 1, 1973

1973 Launch Window Opening

May 21, 1973

Mars 4 Launch

Jul 21, 1973

Mars 5 Launch

Jul 25, 1973

Mars 6 Launch

Aug 5, 1973

Mars 7 Launch

Aug 9, 1973

1973 Launch Window Closing

Aug 16, 1973

Start of Winter MY 10

Aug 25, 1973

Start of Spring MY 11

Jan 31, 1974

Mars 4 Unplanned Flyby

Feb 10, 1974

Mars 5 Orbital Insertion

Feb 12, 1974

Loss of Contact with Mars 5

Feb 28, 1974

Mars 7 Insertion Failure

Mar 9, 1974

Mars 6 Atmospheric Entry

Mar 12, 1974

Mars 6 Surface Impact

Mar 12, 1974

Start of Summer MY 11

Aug 17, 1974

Start of Autumn MY 11

Feb 17, 1975

Start of Winter MY 11

Jul 13, 1975

1975 Launch Window Opening

Aug 8, 1975

Launch of the Viking 2 mission

Sep 9, 1975

1975 Launch Window Closing

Oct 23, 1975

Start of Spring MY 12

Dec 19, 1975

Start of Summer MY 12

Jul 4, 1976

Viking 2 Orbital Insertion

Aug 7, 1976

Viking 2 Landing at Utopia Planitia

Sep 3, 1976

Start of Autumn MY 12

Jan 4, 1977

Start of Winter MY 12

May 30, 1977

1977 Launch Window Opening

Oct 10, 1977

Start of Spring MY 13

Nov 5, 1977

1977 Launch Window Closing

Dec 8, 1977

Start of Summer MY 13

May 22, 1978

End of Viking 2 Orbiter mission

Jul 25, 1978

Start of Autumn MY 13

Nov 22, 1978

Start of Winter MY 13

Apr 17, 1979

Start of Spring MY 14

Sep 23, 1979

1979 Launch Window Opening

Nov 22, 1979

1979 Launch Window Closing

Jan 13, 1980

Start of Summer MY 14

Apr 8, 1980

End of Viking 2 Lander mission

Apr 11, 1980

Start of Autumn MY 14

Oct 9, 1980

Start of Winter MY 14

Mar 4, 1981

Start of Spring MY 15

Aug 10, 1981

1981 Launch Window Opening

Dec 25, 1981

1981 Launch Window Closing

Feb 13, 1982

Start of Summer MY 15

Feb 24, 1982

Start of Autumn MY 15

Aug 27, 1982

Start of Winter MY 15

Jan 20, 1983

Start of Spring MY 16

Jun 28, 1983

Start of Summer MY 16

Jan 12, 1984

1984 Launch Window Opening

Jan 27, 1984

1984 Launch Window Closing

Mar 20, 1984

Start of Autumn MY 16

Jul 14, 1984

Start of Winter MY 16

Dec 7, 1984

Start of Spring MY 17

May 15, 1985

Start of Summer MY 17

Nov 29, 1985

1986 Launch Window Opening

Mar 4, 1986

1986 Launch Window Closing

May 7, 1986

Start of Autumn MY 17

Jun 1, 1986

Start of Winter MY 17

Oct 25, 1986

Start of Spring MY 18

Apr 2, 1987

Start of Summer MY 18

Oct 17, 1987

Start of Autumn MY 18

Apr 18, 1988

1988 Launch Window Opening

Apr 24, 1988

1988 Launch Window Closing

Jul 16, 1988

Start of Winter MY 18

Sep 11, 1988

Start of Spring MY 19

Feb 16, 1989

Start of Summer MY 19

Sep 3, 1989

Start of Autumn MY 19

Mar 6, 1990

1990 Launch Window Opening

Jul 8, 1990

Start of Winter MY 19

Jul 30, 1990

1990 Launch Window Closing

Sep 30, 1990

Start of Spring MY 20

Jan 4, 1991

Start of Summer MY 20

Jul 22, 1991

Start of Autumn MY 20

Jan 22, 1992

Start of Winter MY 20

Jun 16, 1992

1992 Launch Window Opening

Sep 18, 1992

Start of Spring MY 21

Nov 21, 1992

1992 Launch Window Closing

Nov 22, 1992

Start of Summer MY 21

Jun 8, 1993

Start of Autumn MY 21

Dec 8, 1993

Start of Winter MY 21

May 4, 1994

Start of Spring MY 22

Oct 9, 1994

1994 Launch Window Opening

Nov 7, 1994

1994 Launch Window Closing

Dec 31, 1994

Start of Summer MY 22

Apr 26, 1995

Start of Autumn MY 22

Oct 26, 1995

Start of Winter MY 22

Mar 21, 1996

Start of Spring MY 23

Aug 26, 1996

Launch of Mars Pathfinder and Sojourner

Dec 4, 1996

1996 Launch Window Opening

Dec 13, 1996

1996 Launch Window Closing

Feb 1, 1997

Start of Summer MY 23

Mar 13, 1997

Mars Pathfinder Landing at Ares Vallis

Jul 4, 1997

Deployment of the first rover Sojourner

Jul 6, 1997

Start of Autumn MY 23

Sep 12, 1997

End of Mars Pathfinder Mission

Sep 27, 1997

Start of Winter MY 23

Feb 6, 1998

Start of Spring MY 24

Jul 14, 1998

1999 Launch Window Opening

Jan 14, 1999

Start of Summer MY 24

Jan 29, 1999

1999 Launch Window Closing

Mar 6, 1999

Start of Autumn MY 24

Jul 31, 1999

Start of Winter MY 24

Dec 25, 1999

Start of Spring MY 25

May 31, 2000

Start of Summer MY 25

Dec 16, 2000

2001 Launch Window Opening

Feb 16, 2001

2001 Launch Window Closing

Apr 16, 2001

Start of Autumn MY 25

Jun 17, 2001

Start of Winter MY 25

Nov 11, 2001

Start of Spring MY 26

Apr 18, 2002

Start of Summer MY 26

Nov 3, 2002

2003 Launch Window Opening

Apr 2, 2003

Start of Autumn MY 26

May 5, 2003

Launch of Mars Express

Jun 2, 2003

Launch of Beagle 2

Jun 2, 2003

2003 Launch Window Closing

Jun 16, 2003

Start of Winter MY 26

Sep 29, 2003

Separation of Beagle 2

Dec 19, 2003

Mars Express Orbital Insertion

Dec 25, 2003

Landing of Beagle 2

Dec 25, 2003

Start of Spring MY 27

Mar 5, 2004

Start of Summer MY 27

Sep 20, 2004

Start of Autumn MY 27

Mar 22, 2005

2005 Launch Window Opening

Jun 7, 2005

Start of Winter MY 27

Aug 16, 2005

2005 Launch Window Closing

Sep 3, 2005

Start of Spring MY 28

Jan 21, 2006

Start of Summer MY 28

Aug 8, 2006

Start of Autumn MY 28

Feb 7, 2007

Start of Winter MY 28

Jul 4, 2007

2007 Launch Window Opening

Aug 25, 2007

2007 Launch Window Closing

Nov 5, 2007

Start of Spring MY 29

Dec 9, 2007

Start of Summer MY 29

Jun 25, 2008

Start of Autumn MY 29

Dec 25, 2008

Start of Winter MY 29

May 21, 2009

2009 Launch Window Opening

Oct 21, 2009

Start of Spring MY 30

Oct 26, 2009

2009 Launch Window Closing

Dec 17, 2009

Start of Summer MY 30

May 13, 2010

Curiosity First Drive Test

Jul 23, 2010

Start of Autumn MY 30

Nov 12, 2010

Start of Winter MY 30

Apr 8, 2011

Start of Spring MY 31

Sep 13, 2011

Launch of Mars Science Laboratory

Nov 26, 2011

2011 Launch Window Opening

Dec 1, 2011

RAD Detector Activation

Dec 13, 2011

Trajectory Correction Maneuver TCM-1

Jan 11, 2012

2011 Launch Window Closing

Jan 20, 2012

Start of Summer MY 31

Mar 30, 2012

Curiosity Atmospheric Entry

Aug 6, 2012

Confirmed Landing in Gale Crater

Aug 6, 2012

Supersonic Parachute Deployment

Aug 6, 2012

First ChemCam Laser Analysis

Aug 19, 2012

First Movement on the Surface

Aug 22, 2012

Start of Autumn MY 31

Sep 29, 2012

Official announcement of the Mars 2020 mission

Dec 1, 2012

Start of Winter MY 31

Feb 23, 2013

Discovery of Ancient Habitability

Mar 1, 2013

Publication of the SDT report

Jul 1, 2013

Start of Spring MY 32

Jul 31, 2013

Formulation Phase Authorization

Oct 1, 2013

Completion of KDP A milestone

Nov 1, 2013

2014 Launch Window Opening

Jan 2, 2014

Start of Summer MY 32

Feb 15, 2014

2014 Launch Window Closing

Feb 21, 2014

Start of Autumn MY 32

Aug 17, 2014

Start of Winter MY 32

Jan 11, 2015

Achievement of KDP B milestone

May 1, 2015

Start of Spring MY 33

Jun 18, 2015

Start of Summer MY 33

Jan 3, 2016

Preliminary Design Review (PDR)

Feb 1, 2016

2016 Launch Window Opening

Feb 3, 2016

2016 Launch Window Closing

Mar 29, 2016

Start of Implementation Phase (KDP C)

Jun 1, 2016

Start of Autumn MY 33

Jul 4, 2016

Start of Winter MY 33

Nov 28, 2016

Critical Design Review (CDR)

Feb 1, 2017

Start of Spring MY 34

May 5, 2017

Start of Summer MY 34

Nov 20, 2017

Start of ATLO operations

Jan 1, 2018

2018 Launch Window Opening

Mar 14, 2018

Successful FED Drilling Technique Test

May 1, 2018

2018 Launch Window Closing

May 21, 2018

Start of Autumn MY 34

May 22, 2018

Start of Winter MY 34

Oct 16, 2018

Start of Spring MY 35

Mar 23, 2019

Start of Summer MY 35

Oct 8, 2019

Naming of the Perseverance rover

Mar 5, 2020

Start of Autumn MY 35

Apr 8, 2020

2020 Launch Window Opening

May 9, 2020

2020 Launch Window Closing

Aug 3, 2020

Start of Winter MY 35

Sep 2, 2020

Start of Spring MY 36

Feb 7, 2021

Cruise stage separation

Feb 18, 2021

Mars 2020 atmospheric entry

Feb 18, 2021

Landing at Jezero Crater

Feb 18, 2021

First driving test

Mar 4, 2021

First flight of the Ingenuity helicopter

Apr 19, 2021

First oxygen production with MOXIE

Apr 20, 2021

Start of Summer MY 36

Aug 25, 2021

Collection of the Montdenier sample

Sep 1, 2021

Start of Autumn MY 36

Feb 24, 2022

Start of Winter MY 36

Jul 21, 2022

2022 Launch Window Opening

Jul 26, 2022

2022 Launch Window Closing

Oct 14, 2022

Start of Spring MY 37

Dec 26, 2022

Start of Summer MY 37

Jul 13, 2023

Arrival at Gediz Vallis Ridge

Aug 14, 2023

Start of Autumn MY 37

Jan 12, 2024

Start of Winter MY 37

Jun 7, 2024

2024 Launch Window Opening

Oct 1, 2024

Start of Spring MY 38

Nov 12, 2024

2024 Launch Window Closing

Dec 2, 2024

Start of Summer MY 38

May 30, 2025

Seven Martian Years Milestone

Oct 10, 2025

Drilling Number 44 at Nevado Sajama

Oct 24, 2025

Postponed Launch Attempt (ESCAPADE)

Nov 12, 2025

Launch of the ESCAPADE Mission

Nov 13, 2025

Start of Autumn MY 38

Nov 29, 2025

Detection of electrical discharges in dust devils

Dec 30, 2025

Start of Winter MY 38

Apr 25, 2026

Start of Spring MY 39

Sep 30, 2026

2026 Launch Window Opening

Nov 16, 2026

2026 Launch Window Closing

Jan 8, 2027

Start of Summer MY 39

Apr 16, 2027

Start of Autumn MY 39

Oct 17, 2027

Start of Winter MY 39

Mar 12, 2028

Start of Spring MY 40

Aug 17, 2028

2028 Launch Window Opening

Dec 20, 2028

2028 Launch Window Closing

Feb 8, 2029

Start of Summer MY 40

Mar 3, 2029

Start of Autumn MY 40

Sep 3, 2029

Start of Winter MY 40

Jan 28, 2030

Start of Spring MY 41

Jul 5, 2030

Start of Summer MY 41

Jan 19, 2031

2031 Launch Window Opening

Jan 21, 2031

2031 Launch Window Closing

Mar 15, 2031

Start of Autumn MY 41

Jul 22, 2031

Start of Winter MY 41

Dec 16, 2031

Start of Spring MY 42

May 22, 2032

Start of Summer MY 42

Dec 6, 2032

2033 Launch Window Opening

Feb 25, 2033

2033 Launch Window Closing

Apr 28, 2033

Start of Autumn MY 42

Jun 8, 2033

Start of Winter MY 42

Nov 2, 2033

Start of Spring MY 43

Apr 9, 2034

Start of Summer MY 43

Oct 24, 2034

2035 Launch Window Opening

Apr 15, 2035

Start of Autumn MY 43

Apr 26, 2035

2035 Launch Window Closing

Jul 4, 2035

Start of Winter MY 43

Sep 20, 2035

Start of Spring MY 44

Feb 25, 2036

Start of Summer MY 44

Sep 10, 2036

Start of Autumn MY 44

Mar 13, 2037

2037 Launch Window Opening

Jun 25, 2037

Start of Winter MY 44

Aug 7, 2037

2037 Launch Window Closing

Sep 19, 2037

Start of Spring MY 45

Jan 12, 2038

Start of Summer MY 45

Jul 29, 2038

Start of Autumn MY 45

Jan 29, 2039

Start of Winter MY 45

Jun 25, 2039

2039 Launch Window Opening

Sep 9, 2039

2039 Launch Window Closing

Nov 16, 2039

Start of Spring MY 46

Nov 30, 2039

Start of Summer MY 46

Jun 15, 2040

Start of Autumn MY 46

Dec 16, 2040

Start of Winter MY 46

May 12, 2041

Start of Spring MY 47

Oct 17, 2041

2041 Launch Window Opening

Oct 31, 2041

2041 Launch Window Closing

Dec 25, 2041

Start of Summer MY 47

May 3, 2042

Start of Autumn MY 47

Nov 3, 2042

Start of Winter MY 47

Mar 30, 2043

Start of Spring MY 48

Sep 4, 2043

2043 Launch Window Opening

Dec 9, 2043

2043 Launch Window Closing

Jan 28, 2044

Start of Summer MY 48

Mar 20, 2044

Start of Autumn MY 48

Sep 20, 2044

Start of Winter MY 48

Feb 13, 2045

Start of Spring MY 49

Jul 22, 2045

2046 Launch Window Opening

Jan 9, 2046

Start of Summer MY 49

Feb 5, 2046

2046 Launch Window Closing

Mar 1, 2046

Start of Autumn MY 49

Aug 8, 2046

Start of Winter MY 49

Jan 1, 2047

Start of Spring MY 50

Jun 9, 2047

Start of Summer MY 50

Dec 24, 2047

2048 Launch Window Opening

Feb 12, 2048

2048 Launch Window Closing

Apr 9, 2048

Start of Autumn MY 50

Jun 25, 2048

Start of Winter MY 50

Nov 18, 2048

2050 Launch Window Opening

Mar 25, 2050

2050 Launch Window Closing

Jun 5, 2050

Start of Spring MY 1

Apr 11, 1955

Start of Summer MY 1

Oct 27, 1955

1956 Launch Window Opening

Apr 10, 1956

Start of Autumn MY 1

Apr 27, 1956

1956 Launch Window Closing

Jun 28, 1956

Start of Winter MY 1

Sep 21, 1956

Start of Spring MY 2

Feb 26, 1957

Start of Summer MY 2

Sep 13, 1957

Start of Autumn MY 2

Mar 15, 1958

1958 Launch Window Opening

Jun 20, 1958

Start of Winter MY 2

Aug 9, 1958

1958 Launch Window Closing

Sep 14, 1958

Start of Spring MY 3

Jan 14, 1959

Start of Summer MY 3

Aug 1, 1959

Start of Autumn MY 3

Jan 31, 1960

Start of Winter MY 3

Jun 26, 1960

1960 Launch Window Opening

Sep 4, 1960

Launch and failure of Mars 1M No.1 (Marsnik 1)

Oct 10, 1960

Launch of Mars 1M No.2 (Marsnik 2)

Oct 14, 1960

1960 Launch Window Closing

Nov 12, 1960

Start of Spring MY 4

Dec 1, 1960

Start of Summer MY 4

Jun 18, 1961

Start of Autumn MY 4

Dec 18, 1961

Start of Winter MY 4

May 14, 1962

Start of Spring MY 5

Oct 19, 1962

Launch of Mars 2MV-4 No.1 (Sputnik 22)

Oct 24, 1962

Failure of the Blok-L escape stage

Oct 24, 1962

1962 Launch Window Opening

Oct 28, 1962

Mars 1 Launch

Nov 1, 1962

Launch of Mars 2MV-3 No.1 (Sputnik 24)

Nov 4, 1962

Ignition failure of Blok-L stage (Sputnik 24)

Nov 4, 1962

1962 Launch Window Closing

Dec 23, 1962

Atmospheric disintegration of Sputnik 24

Jan 19, 1963

Loss of contact with Mars 1

Mar 21, 1963

Start of Summer MY 5

May 6, 1963

Mars 1 performs Mars flyby

Jun 19, 1963

Start of Autumn MY 5

Nov 5, 1963

Start of Winter MY 5

Mar 31, 1964

Start of Spring MY 6

Sep 5, 1964

Mariner 3 Launch

Nov 5, 1964

Mariner 3 Battery Depletion

Nov 5, 1964

Mariner 4 Launch

Nov 28, 1964

Zond 2 Launch

Nov 30, 1964

1964 Launch Window Opening

Dec 5, 1964

Plasma Thruster Test (Zond 2)

Dec 14, 1964

1964 Launch Window Closing

Jan 24, 1965

Start of Summer MY 6

Mar 23, 1965

Mars Flyby (Mariner 4)

Jul 14, 1965

Mars Flyby (Zond 2)

Aug 6, 1965

Start of Autumn MY 6

Sep 22, 1965

Start of Winter MY 6

Feb 16, 1966

Start of Spring MY 7

Jul 24, 1966

1967 Launch Window Opening

Jan 6, 1967

Start of Summer MY 7

Feb 7, 1967

1967 Launch Window Closing

Feb 26, 1967

Start of Autumn MY 7

Aug 10, 1967

Start of Winter MY 7

Jan 3, 1968

Start of Spring MY 8

Jun 10, 1968

Start of Summer MY 8

Dec 25, 1968

1969 Launch Window Opening

Feb 8, 1969

Atlas (AC-20) Pre-launch Incident

Feb 14, 1969

Mariner 6 Launch

Feb 25, 1969

Mariner 6 Trajectory Correction

Mar 1, 1969

Mars 1969A Launch Failure

Mar 27, 1969

Mariner 7 Launch

Mar 27, 1969

Mars 1969B Launch and Failure

Apr 2, 1969

1969 Launch Window Closing

Apr 5, 1969

Mariner 7 Trajectory Correction Maneuver (TCM)

Apr 8, 1969

Start of Autumn MY 8

Jun 27, 1969

Mariner 7 In-Route Incident

Jul 30, 1969

Mars Flyby and Dry Ice Discovery

Jul 31, 1969

Mariner 7 Mars Flyby

Aug 5, 1969

Start of Winter MY 8

Nov 20, 1969

Start of Spring MY 9

Apr 28, 1970

Start of Summer MY 9

Nov 12, 1970

1971 Launch Window Opening

Mar 22, 1971

Mariner 8 Launch and Failure

May 9, 1971

Launch of Kosmos 419

May 10, 1971

Ignition Failure of Blok D Stage

May 10, 1971

Re-entry and Destruction of Kosmos 419

May 12, 1971

Start of Autumn MY 9

May 15, 1971

Mars 2 Launch

May 19, 1971

Mariner 9 Launch

May 30, 1971

1971 Launch Window Closing

May 31, 1971

Start of Winter MY 9

Oct 8, 1971

Mariner 9 Enters Mars Orbit

Nov 14, 1971

Mars 2 Mars Arrival and Orbital Insertion

Nov 27, 1971

Mars 2 Lander Failure and Crash

Nov 27, 1971

First Human Impact on Mars

Nov 27, 1971

Start of Clear Imaging After Dust Storm

Jan 2, 1972

Mariner 9 Achieves All Mission Objectives

Feb 11, 1972

Start of Spring MY 10

Mar 15, 1972

Start of Summer MY 10

Sep 29, 1972

End of Mariner 9 Mission (Last Contact)

Oct 27, 1972

Start of Autumn MY 10

Apr 1, 1973

1973 Launch Window Opening

May 21, 1973

Mars 4 Launch

Jul 21, 1973

Mars 5 Launch

Jul 25, 1973

Mars 6 Launch

Aug 5, 1973

Mars 7 Launch

Aug 9, 1973

1973 Launch Window Closing

Aug 16, 1973

Start of Winter MY 10

Aug 25, 1973

Start of Spring MY 11

Jan 31, 1974

Mars 4 Unplanned Flyby

Feb 10, 1974

Mars 5 Orbital Insertion

Feb 12, 1974

Loss of Contact with Mars 5

Feb 28, 1974

Mars 7 Insertion Failure

Mar 9, 1974

Mars 6 Atmospheric Entry

Mar 12, 1974

Mars 6 Surface Impact

Mar 12, 1974

Start of Summer MY 11

Aug 17, 1974

Start of Autumn MY 11

Feb 17, 1975

Start of Winter MY 11

Jul 13, 1975

1975 Launch Window Opening

Aug 8, 1975

Launch of the Viking 2 mission

Sep 9, 1975

1975 Launch Window Closing

Oct 23, 1975

Start of Spring MY 12

Dec 19, 1975

Start of Summer MY 12

Jul 4, 1976

Viking 2 Orbital Insertion

Aug 7, 1976

Viking 2 Landing at Utopia Planitia

Sep 3, 1976

Start of Autumn MY 12

Jan 4, 1977

Start of Winter MY 12

May 30, 1977

1977 Launch Window Opening

Oct 10, 1977

Start of Spring MY 13

Nov 5, 1977

1977 Launch Window Closing

Dec 8, 1977

Start of Summer MY 13

May 22, 1978

End of Viking 2 Orbiter mission

Jul 25, 1978

Start of Autumn MY 13

Nov 22, 1978

Start of Winter MY 13

Apr 17, 1979

Start of Spring MY 14

Sep 23, 1979

1979 Launch Window Opening

Nov 22, 1979

1979 Launch Window Closing

Jan 13, 1980

Start of Summer MY 14

Apr 8, 1980

End of Viking 2 Lander mission

Apr 11, 1980

Start of Autumn MY 14

Oct 9, 1980

Start of Winter MY 14

Mar 4, 1981

Start of Spring MY 15

Aug 10, 1981

1981 Launch Window Opening

Dec 25, 1981

1981 Launch Window Closing

Feb 13, 1982

Start of Summer MY 15

Feb 24, 1982

Start of Autumn MY 15

Aug 27, 1982

Start of Winter MY 15

Jan 20, 1983

Start of Spring MY 16

Jun 28, 1983

Start of Summer MY 16

Jan 12, 1984

1984 Launch Window Opening

Jan 27, 1984

1984 Launch Window Closing

Mar 20, 1984

Start of Autumn MY 16

Jul 14, 1984

Start of Winter MY 16

Dec 7, 1984

Start of Spring MY 17

May 15, 1985

Start of Summer MY 17

Nov 29, 1985

1986 Launch Window Opening

Mar 4, 1986

1986 Launch Window Closing

May 7, 1986

Start of Autumn MY 17

Jun 1, 1986

Start of Winter MY 17

Oct 25, 1986

Start of Spring MY 18

Apr 2, 1987

Start of Summer MY 18

Oct 17, 1987

Start of Autumn MY 18

Apr 18, 1988

1988 Launch Window Opening

Apr 24, 1988

1988 Launch Window Closing

Jul 16, 1988

Start of Winter MY 18

Sep 11, 1988

Start of Spring MY 19

Feb 16, 1989

Start of Summer MY 19

Sep 3, 1989

Start of Autumn MY 19

Mar 6, 1990

1990 Launch Window Opening

Jul 8, 1990

Start of Winter MY 19

Jul 30, 1990

1990 Launch Window Closing

Sep 30, 1990

Start of Spring MY 20

Jan 4, 1991

Start of Summer MY 20

Jul 22, 1991

Start of Autumn MY 20

Jan 22, 1992

Start of Winter MY 20

Jun 16, 1992

1992 Launch Window Opening

Sep 18, 1992

Start of Spring MY 21

Nov 21, 1992

1992 Launch Window Closing

Nov 22, 1992

Start of Summer MY 21

Jun 8, 1993

Start of Autumn MY 21

Dec 8, 1993

Start of Winter MY 21

May 4, 1994

Start of Spring MY 22

Oct 9, 1994

1994 Launch Window Opening

Nov 7, 1994

1994 Launch Window Closing

Dec 31, 1994

Start of Summer MY 22

Apr 26, 1995

Start of Autumn MY 22

Oct 26, 1995

Start of Winter MY 22

Mar 21, 1996

Start of Spring MY 23

Aug 26, 1996

Launch of Mars Pathfinder and Sojourner

Dec 4, 1996

1996 Launch Window Opening

Dec 13, 1996

1996 Launch Window Closing

Feb 1, 1997

Start of Summer MY 23

Mar 13, 1997

Mars Pathfinder Landing at Ares Vallis

Jul 4, 1997

Deployment of the first rover Sojourner

Jul 6, 1997

Start of Autumn MY 23

Sep 12, 1997

End of Mars Pathfinder Mission

Sep 27, 1997

Start of Winter MY 23

Feb 6, 1998

Start of Spring MY 24

Jul 14, 1998

1999 Launch Window Opening

Jan 14, 1999

Start of Summer MY 24

Jan 29, 1999

1999 Launch Window Closing

Mar 6, 1999

Start of Autumn MY 24

Jul 31, 1999

Start of Winter MY 24

Dec 25, 1999

Start of Spring MY 25

May 31, 2000

Start of Summer MY 25

Dec 16, 2000

2001 Launch Window Opening

Feb 16, 2001

2001 Launch Window Closing

Apr 16, 2001

Start of Autumn MY 25

Jun 17, 2001

Start of Winter MY 25

Nov 11, 2001

Start of Spring MY 26

Apr 18, 2002

Start of Summer MY 26

Nov 3, 2002

2003 Launch Window Opening

Apr 2, 2003

Start of Autumn MY 26

May 5, 2003

Launch of Mars Express

Jun 2, 2003

Launch of Beagle 2

Jun 2, 2003

2003 Launch Window Closing

Jun 16, 2003

Start of Winter MY 26

Sep 29, 2003

Separation of Beagle 2

Dec 19, 2003

Mars Express Orbital Insertion

Dec 25, 2003

Landing of Beagle 2

Dec 25, 2003

Start of Spring MY 27

Mar 5, 2004

Start of Summer MY 27

Sep 20, 2004

Start of Autumn MY 27

Mar 22, 2005

2005 Launch Window Opening

Jun 7, 2005

Start of Winter MY 27

Aug 16, 2005

2005 Launch Window Closing

Sep 3, 2005

Start of Spring MY 28

Jan 21, 2006

Start of Summer MY 28

Aug 8, 2006

Start of Autumn MY 28

Feb 7, 2007

Start of Winter MY 28

Jul 4, 2007

2007 Launch Window Opening

Aug 25, 2007

2007 Launch Window Closing

Nov 5, 2007

Start of Spring MY 29

Dec 9, 2007

Start of Summer MY 29

Jun 25, 2008

Start of Autumn MY 29

Dec 25, 2008

Start of Winter MY 29

May 21, 2009

2009 Launch Window Opening

Oct 21, 2009

Start of Spring MY 30

Oct 26, 2009

2009 Launch Window Closing

Dec 17, 2009

Start of Summer MY 30

May 13, 2010

Curiosity First Drive Test

Jul 23, 2010

Start of Autumn MY 30

Nov 12, 2010

Start of Winter MY 30

Apr 8, 2011

Start of Spring MY 31

Sep 13, 2011

Launch of Mars Science Laboratory

Nov 26, 2011

2011 Launch Window Opening

Dec 1, 2011

RAD Detector Activation

Dec 13, 2011

Trajectory Correction Maneuver TCM-1

Jan 11, 2012

2011 Launch Window Closing

Jan 20, 2012

Start of Summer MY 31

Mar 30, 2012

Curiosity Atmospheric Entry

Aug 6, 2012

Confirmed Landing in Gale Crater

Aug 6, 2012

Supersonic Parachute Deployment

Aug 6, 2012

First ChemCam Laser Analysis

Aug 19, 2012

First Movement on the Surface

Aug 22, 2012

Start of Autumn MY 31

Sep 29, 2012

Official announcement of the Mars 2020 mission

Dec 1, 2012

Start of Winter MY 31

Feb 23, 2013

Discovery of Ancient Habitability

Mar 1, 2013

Publication of the SDT report

Jul 1, 2013

Start of Spring MY 32

Jul 31, 2013

Formulation Phase Authorization

Oct 1, 2013

Completion of KDP A milestone

Nov 1, 2013

2014 Launch Window Opening

Jan 2, 2014

Start of Summer MY 32

Feb 15, 2014

2014 Launch Window Closing

Feb 21, 2014

Start of Autumn MY 32

Aug 17, 2014

Start of Winter MY 32

Jan 11, 2015

Achievement of KDP B milestone

May 1, 2015

Start of Spring MY 33

Jun 18, 2015

Start of Summer MY 33

Jan 3, 2016

Preliminary Design Review (PDR)

Feb 1, 2016

2016 Launch Window Opening

Feb 3, 2016

2016 Launch Window Closing

Mar 29, 2016

Start of Implementation Phase (KDP C)

Jun 1, 2016

Start of Autumn MY 33

Jul 4, 2016

Start of Winter MY 33

Nov 28, 2016

Critical Design Review (CDR)

Feb 1, 2017

Start of Spring MY 34

May 5, 2017

Start of Summer MY 34

Nov 20, 2017

Start of ATLO operations

Jan 1, 2018

2018 Launch Window Opening

Mar 14, 2018

Successful FED Drilling Technique Test

May 1, 2018

2018 Launch Window Closing

May 21, 2018

Start of Autumn MY 34

May 22, 2018

Start of Winter MY 34

Oct 16, 2018

Start of Spring MY 35

Mar 23, 2019

Start of Summer MY 35

Oct 8, 2019

Naming of the Perseverance rover

Mar 5, 2020

Start of Autumn MY 35

Apr 8, 2020

2020 Launch Window Opening

May 9, 2020

2020 Launch Window Closing

Aug 3, 2020

Start of Winter MY 35

Sep 2, 2020

Start of Spring MY 36

Feb 7, 2021

Cruise stage separation

Feb 18, 2021

Mars 2020 atmospheric entry

Feb 18, 2021

Landing at Jezero Crater

Feb 18, 2021

First driving test

Mar 4, 2021

First flight of the Ingenuity helicopter

Apr 19, 2021

First oxygen production with MOXIE

Apr 20, 2021

Start of Summer MY 36

Aug 25, 2021

Collection of the Montdenier sample

Sep 1, 2021

Start of Autumn MY 36

Feb 24, 2022

Start of Winter MY 36

Jul 21, 2022

2022 Launch Window Opening

Jul 26, 2022

2022 Launch Window Closing

Oct 14, 2022

Start of Spring MY 37

Dec 26, 2022

Start of Summer MY 37

Jul 13, 2023

Arrival at Gediz Vallis Ridge

Aug 14, 2023

Start of Autumn MY 37

Jan 12, 2024

Start of Winter MY 37

Jun 7, 2024

2024 Launch Window Opening

Oct 1, 2024

Start of Spring MY 38

Nov 12, 2024

2024 Launch Window Closing

Dec 2, 2024

Start of Summer MY 38

May 30, 2025

Seven Martian Years Milestone

Oct 10, 2025

Drilling Number 44 at Nevado Sajama

Oct 24, 2025

Postponed Launch Attempt (ESCAPADE)

Nov 12, 2025

Launch of the ESCAPADE Mission

Nov 13, 2025

Start of Autumn MY 38

Nov 29, 2025

Detection of electrical discharges in dust devils

Dec 30, 2025

Start of Winter MY 38

Apr 25, 2026

Start of Spring MY 39

Sep 30, 2026

2026 Launch Window Opening

Nov 16, 2026

2026 Launch Window Closing

Jan 8, 2027

Start of Summer MY 39

Apr 16, 2027

Start of Autumn MY 39

Oct 17, 2027

Start of Winter MY 39

Mar 12, 2028

Start of Spring MY 40

Aug 17, 2028

2028 Launch Window Opening

Dec 20, 2028

2028 Launch Window Closing

Feb 8, 2029

Start of Summer MY 40

Mar 3, 2029

Start of Autumn MY 40

Sep 3, 2029

Start of Winter MY 40

Jan 28, 2030

Start of Spring MY 41

Jul 5, 2030

Start of Summer MY 41

Jan 19, 2031

2031 Launch Window Opening

Jan 21, 2031

2031 Launch Window Closing

Mar 15, 2031

Start of Autumn MY 41

Jul 22, 2031

Start of Winter MY 41

Dec 16, 2031

Start of Spring MY 42

May 22, 2032

Start of Summer MY 42

Dec 6, 2032

2033 Launch Window Opening

Feb 25, 2033

2033 Launch Window Closing

Apr 28, 2033

Start of Autumn MY 42

Jun 8, 2033

Start of Winter MY 42

Nov 2, 2033

Start of Spring MY 43

Apr 9, 2034

Start of Summer MY 43

Oct 24, 2034

2035 Launch Window Opening

Apr 15, 2035

Start of Autumn MY 43

Apr 26, 2035

2035 Launch Window Closing

Jul 4, 2035

Start of Winter MY 43

Sep 20, 2035

Start of Spring MY 44

Feb 25, 2036

Start of Summer MY 44

Sep 10, 2036

Start of Autumn MY 44

Mar 13, 2037

2037 Launch Window Opening

Jun 25, 2037

Start of Winter MY 44

Aug 7, 2037

2037 Launch Window Closing

Sep 19, 2037

Start of Spring MY 45

Jan 12, 2038

Start of Summer MY 45

Jul 29, 2038

Start of Autumn MY 45

Jan 29, 2039

Start of Winter MY 45

Jun 25, 2039

2039 Launch Window Opening

Sep 9, 2039

2039 Launch Window Closing

Nov 16, 2039

Start of Spring MY 46

Nov 30, 2039

Start of Summer MY 46

Jun 15, 2040

Start of Autumn MY 46

Dec 16, 2040

Start of Winter MY 46

May 12, 2041

Start of Spring MY 47

Oct 17, 2041

2041 Launch Window Opening

Oct 31, 2041

2041 Launch Window Closing

Dec 25, 2041

Start of Summer MY 47

May 3, 2042

Start of Autumn MY 47

Nov 3, 2042

Start of Winter MY 47

Mar 30, 2043

Start of Spring MY 48

Sep 4, 2043

2043 Launch Window Opening

Dec 9, 2043

2043 Launch Window Closing

Jan 28, 2044

Start of Summer MY 48

Mar 20, 2044

Start of Autumn MY 48

Sep 20, 2044

Start of Winter MY 48

Feb 13, 2045

Start of Spring MY 49

Jul 22, 2045

2046 Launch Window Opening

Jan 9, 2046

Start of Summer MY 49

Feb 5, 2046

2046 Launch Window Closing

Mar 1, 2046

Start of Autumn MY 49

Aug 8, 2046

Start of Winter MY 49

Jan 1, 2047

Start of Spring MY 50

Jun 9, 2047

Start of Summer MY 50

Dec 24, 2047

2048 Launch Window Opening

Feb 12, 2048

2048 Launch Window Closing

Apr 9, 2048

Start of Autumn MY 50

Jun 25, 2048

Start of Winter MY 50

Nov 18, 2048

2050 Launch Window Opening

Mar 25, 2050

2050 Launch Window Closing

Jun 5, 2050

Spring Begins

Start of Spring MY 1

Sol 1 of Acidalo, Year 1

(Apr 11, 1955)

Start of Spring (Ls 0°) for Martian Year 1

Summer Begins

Start of Summer MY 1

Sol 8 of Hespero, Year 1

(Oct 27, 1955)

Start of Summer (Ls 90°) for Martian Year 1

Launch Window (Opens)

1956 Launch Window Opening

Apr 10, 1956

Start of the optimal period for sending missions to Mars in 1956.

Autumn Begins

Start of Autumn MY 1

Sol 38 of Marinero, Year 1

(Apr 27, 1956)

Start of Autumn (Ls 180°) for Martian Year 1

Launch Window (Closes)

1956 Launch Window Closing

Jun 28, 1956

End of the optimal period for sending missions to Mars in 1956.

Winter Begins

Start of Winter MY 1

Sol 32 of Ravo, Year 1

(Sep 21, 1956)

Start of Winter (Ls 270°) for Martian Year 1

Spring Begins

Start of Spring MY 2

Sol 37 of Vikingo, Year 1

(Feb 26, 1957)

Start of Spring (Ls 0°) for Martian Year 2

Summer Begins

Start of Summer MY 2

Sol 7 of Hespero, Year 2

(Sep 13, 1957)

Start of Summer (Ls 90°) for Martian Year 2

Autumn Begins

Start of Autumn MY 2

Sol 1 of Nilo, Year 2

(Mar 15, 1958)

Start of Autumn (Ls 180°) for Martian Year 2

Launch Window (Opens)

1958 Launch Window Opening

Jun 20, 1958

Start of the optimal period for sending missions to Mars in 1958.

Winter Begins

Start of Winter MY 2

Sol 32 of Ravo, Year 2

(Aug 9, 1958)

Start of Winter (Ls 270°) for Martian Year 2

Launch Window (Closes)

1958 Launch Window Closing

Sep 14, 1958

End of the optimal period for sending missions to Mars in 1958.

Spring Begins

Start of Spring MY 3

Sol 37 of Vikingo, Year 2

(Jan 14, 1959)

Start of Spring (Ls 0°) for Martian Year 3

Summer Begins

Start of Summer MY 3

Sol 8 of Hespero, Year 3

(Aug 1, 1959)

Start of Summer (Ls 90°) for Martian Year 3

Autumn Begins

Start of Autumn MY 3

Sol 38 of Marinero, Year 3

(Jan 31, 1960)

Start of Autumn (Ls 180°) for Martian Year 3

Winter Begins

Start of Winter MY 3

Sol 32 of Ravo, Year 3

(Jun 26, 1960)

Start of Winter (Ls 270°) for Martian Year 3

Launch Window (Opens)

1960 Launch Window Opening

Sep 4, 1960

Start of the optimal period for sending missions to Mars in 1960.

Launch

Launch and failure of Mars 1M No.1 (Marsnik 1)

Sol 23 of Utopo, Year 3

(Oct 10, 1960)

The Soviet mission Mars 1M No.1 (Marsnik 1) failed during launch on October 10, 1960. A catastrophic failure occurred at T+309 seconds due to resonant vibrations in the third stage (Blok-I), causing a loss of control and the vehicle's disintegration before reaching Earth orbit.

View mission:: Mars 1M No.1 →

Launch

Launch of Mars 1M No.2 (Marsnik 2)

Sol 27 of Utopo, Year 3

(Oct 14, 1960)

The Mars 1M No.2 (Marsnik 2) mission, launched by the USSR on October 14, 1960, was the second attempt to fly by Mars. It failed at launch and did not reach Earth orbit.

View mission:: Mars 1M No.2 →

Launch Window (Closes)

1960 Launch Window Closing

Nov 12, 1960

End of the optimal period for sending missions to Mars in 1960.

Spring Begins

Start of Spring MY 4

Sol 37 of Vikingo, Year 3

(Dec 1, 1960)

Start of Spring (Ls 0°) for Martian Year 4

Summer Begins

Start of Summer MY 4

Sol 7 of Hespero, Year 4

(Jun 18, 1961)

Start of Summer (Ls 90°) for Martian Year 4

Autumn Begins

Start of Autumn MY 4

Sol 1 of Nilo, Year 4

(Dec 18, 1961)

Start of Autumn (Ls 180°) for Martian Year 4

Winter Begins

Start of Winter MY 4

Sol 32 of Ravo, Year 4

(May 14, 1962)

Start of Winter (Ls 270°) for Martian Year 4

Spring Begins

Start of Spring MY 5

Sol 1 of Acidalo, Year 5

(Oct 19, 1962)

Start of Spring (Ls 0°) for Martian Year 5

Launch

Launch of Mars 2MV-4 No.1 (Sputnik 22)

Sol 6 of Acidalo, Year 5

(Oct 24, 1962)

Launch of the Mars 2MV-4 No.1 (Western Designation: Sputnik 22) mission from the Baikonur Cosmodrome on a Molniya 8K78 vehicle.

View mission:: Mars 2MV-4 No.1 (Sputnik 22) →

Launch

Failure of the Blok-L escape stage

Sol 6 of Acidalo, Year 5

(Oct 24, 1962)

The Blok-L upper stage exploded in Earth orbit (approx. T+60 min) while attempting trans-Martian injection, due to a lubricant leak in the turbopump.

View mission:: Mars 2MV-4 No.1 (Sputnik 22) →

Launch Window (Opens)

1962 Launch Window Opening

Oct 28, 1962

Start of the optimal period for sending missions to Mars in 1962.

Launch

Mars 1 Launch

Sol 13 of Acidalo, Year 5

(Nov 1, 1962)

Mars 1, launched by the USSR in 1962, was the first probe on a successful trajectory to Mars.

View mission:: Mars 1 →

Launch

Launch of Mars 2MV-3 No.1 (Sputnik 24)

Sol 16 of Acidalo, Year 5

(Nov 4, 1962)

Launch of the Soviet mission Mars 2MV-3 No.1 (Sputnik 24) on a Molniya 8K78 rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome.

View mission:: Mars 2MV-3 No.1 (Sputnik 24) →

Launch

Ignition failure of Blok-L stage (Sputnik 24)

Sol 16 of Acidalo, Year 5

(Nov 4, 1962)

The escape stage (Blok-L) failed to ignite for trans-Martian injection due to vibration damage, leaving the probe stranded in LEO.

View mission:: Mars 2MV-3 No.1 (Sputnik 24) →

Launch Window (Closes)

1962 Launch Window Closing

Dec 23, 1962

End of the optimal period for sending missions to Mars in 1962.

Other

Atmospheric disintegration of Sputnik 24

Sol 16 of Deimo, Year 5

(Jan 19, 1963)

After being stranded in Low Earth Orbit (LEO), the spacecraft (designated Sputnik 24) disintegrated in Earth's atmosphere.

View mission:: Mars 2MV-3 No.1 (Sputnik 24) →

Other

Loss of contact with Mars 1

Sol 2 of Galo, Year 5

(Mar 21, 1963)

On March 21, 1963, contact was lost at 106 million km due to a valve failure in the orientation system.

View mission:: Mars 1 →

Summer Begins

Start of Summer MY 5

Sol 8 of Hespero, Year 5

(May 6, 1963)

Start of Summer (Ls 90°) for Martian Year 5

Flyby

Mars 1 performs Mars flyby

Sol 14 of Isido, Year 5

(Jun 19, 1963)

The silent probe continued on its trajectory, passing by Mars on June 19, 1963, at an estimated distance of 193,000 km.

View mission:: Mars 1 →

Autumn Begins

Start of Autumn MY 5

Sol 38 of Marinero, Year 5

(Nov 5, 1963)

Start of Autumn (Ls 180°) for Martian Year 5

Winter Begins

Start of Winter MY 5

Sol 32 of Ravo, Year 5

(Mar 31, 1964)

Start of Winter (Ls 270°) for Martian Year 5

Spring Begins

Start of Spring MY 6

Sol 37 of Vikingo, Year 5

(Sep 5, 1964)

Start of Spring (Ls 0°) for Martian Year 6

Launch

Mariner 3 Launch

Sol 23 of Curioso, Year 6

(Nov 5, 1964)

Launch of the Mariner 3 mission (Mariner-Mars 1964) aboard an Atlas-Agena D rocket from Cape Canaveral, Launch Complex 13.

View mission:: Mariner 3 →

Other

Mariner 3 Battery Depletion

Sol 23 of Curioso, Year 6

(Nov 5, 1964)

Approximately 8 hours after launch, the probe's batteries were completely depleted as the solar panels could not deploy, leading to a loss of all communication.

View mission:: Mariner 3 →

Launch

Mariner 4 Launch

Sol 8 of Deimo, Year 6

(Nov 28, 1964)

Launch of the Mariner 4 mission by NASA from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.

View mission:: Mariner 4 →

Launch

Zond 2 Launch

Sol 10 of Deimo, Year 6

(Nov 30, 1964)

Launch of the Soviet probe Zond 2 (Internal Designation: 3MV-4A No.2) on a Molniya 8K78 vehicle from the Baikonur Cosmodrome.

View mission:: Zond 2 →

Launch Window (Opens)

1964 Launch Window Opening

Dec 5, 1964

Start of the optimal period for sending missions to Mars in 1964.

Other

Plasma Thruster Test (Zond 2)

Sol 24 of Deimo, Year 6

(Dec 14, 1964)

Soviet engineers successfully tested the six plasma thrusters (PPTs) on Zond 2, marking the first use of electric propulsion in space.

View mission:: Zond 2 →

Launch Window (Closes)

1964 Launch Window Closing

Jan 24, 1965

End of the optimal period for sending missions to Mars in 1964.

Summer Begins

Start of Summer MY 6

Sol 7 of Hespero, Year 6

(Mar 23, 1965)

Start of Summer (Ls 90°) for Martian Year 6

Flyby

Mars Flyby (Mariner 4)

Sol 7 of Luno, Year 6

(Jul 14, 1965)

Mariner 4 performs the first successful flyby of Mars, passing within 9,846 km of the surface and returning the first 21 close-up images of the planet.

View mission:: Mariner 4 →

Flyby

Mars Flyby (Zond 2)

Sol 29 of Luno, Year 6

(Aug 6, 1965)

The Zond 2 probe passed silently by Mars, after communication was lost in May 1965.

View mission:: Zond 2 →

Autumn Begins

Start of Autumn MY 6

Sol 1 of Nilo, Year 6

(Sep 22, 1965)

Start of Autumn (Ls 180°) for Martian Year 6

Winter Begins

Start of Winter MY 6

Sol 33 of Ravo, Year 6

(Feb 16, 1966)

Start of Winter (Ls 270°) for Martian Year 6

Spring Begins

Start of Spring MY 7

Sol 1 of Acidalo, Year 7

(Jul 24, 1966)

Start of Spring (Ls 0°) for Martian Year 7

Launch Window (Opens)

1967 Launch Window Opening

Jan 6, 1967

Start of the optimal period for sending missions to Mars in 1967.

Summer Begins

Start of Summer MY 7

Sol 8 of Hespero, Year 7

(Feb 7, 1967)

Start of Summer (Ls 90°) for Martian Year 7

Launch Window (Closes)

1967 Launch Window Closing

Feb 26, 1967

End of the optimal period for sending missions to Mars in 1967.

Autumn Begins

Start of Autumn MY 7

Sol 1 of Nilo, Year 7

(Aug 10, 1967)

Start of Autumn (Ls 180°) for Martian Year 7

Winter Begins

Start of Winter MY 7

Sol 32 of Ravo, Year 7

(Jan 3, 1968)

Start of Winter (Ls 270°) for Martian Year 7

Spring Begins

Start of Spring MY 8

Sol 37 of Vikingo, Year 7

(Jun 10, 1968)

Start of Spring (Ls 0°) for Martian Year 8

Summer Begins

Start of Summer MY 8

Sol 8 of Hespero, Year 8

(Dec 25, 1968)

Start of Summer (Ls 90°) for Martian Year 8

Launch Window (Opens)

1969 Launch Window Opening

Feb 8, 1969

Start of the optimal period for sending missions to Mars in 1969.

Other

Atlas (AC-20) Pre-launch Incident

Sol 20 of Isido, Year 8

(Feb 14, 1969)

On February 14, 1969, a faulty switch caused the Atlas (AC-20) rocket to lose pressure and begin to collapse, being saved by two technicians.

View mission:: Mariner 6 →

Launch

Mariner 6 Launch

Sol 30 of Isido, Year 8

(Feb 25, 1969)

Launch of Mariner 6 (Mariner-F) on an Atlas-Centaur (AC-20) rocket from Cape Canaveral on a direct ascent trajectory to Mars.

View mission:: Mariner 6 →

Other

Mariner 6 Trajectory Correction

Sol 34 of Isido, Year 8

(Mar 1, 1969)

Mariner 6 performed a successful trajectory correction maneuver (TCM) on March 1, 1969.

View mission:: Mariner 6 →

Launch

Mars 1969A Launch Failure

Sol 23 of Korolo, Year 8

(Mar 27, 1969)

The mission failed catastrophically during launch on March 27, 1969. A failure in the third stage turbopump rotor caused a fire and the vehicle's disintegration.

View mission:: Mars 1969A →

Launch

Mariner 7 Launch

Sol 23 of Korolo, Year 8

(Mar 27, 1969)

Launch of the Mariner 7 mission from Cape Canaveral Launch Complex 36A.

View mission:: Mariner 7 →

Launch

Mars 1969B Launch and Failure

Sol 29 of Korolo, Year 8

(Apr 2, 1969)

The Mars 1969B (M-69 No.522) mission failed catastrophically and instantly at liftoff on April 2, 1969. A failure in a first-stage engine of the Proton-K rocket caused the vehicle to collapse onto the launch pad and explode.

View mission:: Mars 1969B →

Launch Window (Closes)

1969 Launch Window Closing

Apr 5, 1969

End of the optimal period for sending missions to Mars in 1969.

Other

Mariner 7 Trajectory Correction Maneuver (TCM)

Sol 34 of Korolo, Year 8

(Apr 8, 1969)

A successful trajectory correction maneuver was performed on April 8, 1969.

View mission:: Mariner 7 →

Autumn Begins

Start of Autumn MY 8

Sol 1 of Nilo, Year 8

(Jun 27, 1969)

Start of Autumn (Ls 180°) for Martian Year 8

Other

Mariner 7 In-Route Incident

Sol 33 of Nilo, Year 8

(Jul 30, 1969)

The spacecraft suddenly lost high-gain telemetry. Mission control successfully switched to the low-gain antenna.

View mission:: Mariner 7 →

Flyby

Mars Flyby and Dry Ice Discovery

Sol 34 of Nilo, Year 8

(Jul 31, 1969)

Mariner 6 made its closest approach at 3,429 km from Mars, discovering that the south polar cap was composed of solid carbon dioxide (dry ice).

View mission:: Mariner 6 →

Flyby

Mariner 7 Mars Flyby

Sol 2 of Oppo, Year 8

(Aug 5, 1969)

Mariner 7 flew by Mars on August 5, 1969. The closest approach was 3,430 km above the Martian surface.

View mission:: Mariner 7 →

Winter Begins

Start of Winter MY 8

Sol 33 of Ravo, Year 8

(Nov 20, 1969)

Start of Winter (Ls 270°) for Martian Year 8

Spring Begins

Start of Spring MY 9

Sol 1 of Acidalo, Year 9

(Apr 28, 1970)

Start of Spring (Ls 0°) for Martian Year 9

Summer Begins

Start of Summer MY 9

Sol 8 of Hespero, Year 9

(Nov 12, 1970)

Start of Summer (Ls 90°) for Martian Year 9

Launch Window (Opens)

1971 Launch Window Opening

Mar 22, 1971

Start of the optimal period for sending missions to Mars in 1971.

Launch

Mariner 8 Launch and Failure

Sol 33 of Marinero, Year 9

(May 9, 1971)

Launched on May 9, 1971, the Mariner 8 mission failed catastrophically during launch due to a failure in the Centaur upper stage.

View mission:: Mariner 8 →

Launch

Launch of Kosmos 419

Sol 34 of Marinero, Year 9

(May 10, 1971)

Launch of the Soviet mission Kosmos 419 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome, in an attempt to be the first Mars orbiter.

View mission:: Kosmos 419 →

Other

Ignition Failure of Blok D Stage

Sol 34 of Marinero, Year 9

(May 10, 1971)

The Blok D upper stage failed to ignite 1.5 hours after reaching LEO due to a programming error, preventing the trans-Mars injection.

View mission:: Kosmos 419 →

Other

Re-entry and Destruction of Kosmos 419

Sol 36 of Marinero, Year 9

(May 12, 1971)

After being stranded in an unstable low Earth orbit, the Kosmos 419 probe re-entered Earth's atmosphere and was destroyed.

View mission:: Kosmos 419 →

Autumn Begins

Start of Autumn MY 9

Sol 1 of Nilo, Year 9

(May 15, 1971)

Start of Autumn (Ls 180°) for Martian Year 9

Launch

Mars 2 Launch

Sol 5 of Nilo, Year 9

(May 19, 1971)

Launch of the Mars 2 mission (M-71 No. 171) from the Baikonur Cosmodrome on a Proton-K / Blok-D vehicle.

View mission:: Mars 2 (Orbiter) →

Launch

Mariner 9 Launch

Sol 16 of Nilo, Year 9

(May 30, 1971)

Mariner 9 lifted off from Cape Canaveral, Florida, at 22:23:04 on May 30, 1971.

View mission:: Mariner 9 →

Launch Window (Closes)

1971 Launch Window Closing

May 31, 1971

End of the optimal period for sending missions to Mars in 1971.

Winter Begins

Start of Winter MY 9

Sol 32 of Ravo, Year 9

(Oct 8, 1971)

Start of Winter (Ls 270°) for Martian Year 9

Mars Arrival

Mariner 9 Enters Mars Orbit

Sol 30 of Schiapo, Year 9

(Nov 14, 1971)

At 00:18 UT on November 14, 1971, Mariner 9 became the first man-made object to enter orbit around another planet.

View mission:: Mariner 9 →

Mars Arrival

Mars 2 Mars Arrival and Orbital Insertion

Sol 6 of Tharso, Year 9

(Nov 27, 1971)

The Mars 2 orbiter arrived at Mars and successfully performed its engine burn, entering an elliptical orbit on November 27, 1971.

View mission:: Mars 2 (Orbiter) →

Other

Mars 2 Lander Failure and Crash

Sol 6 of Tharso, Year 9

(Nov 27, 1971)

The Mars 2 lander failed during atmospheric entry on November 27, 1971, entering at too steep an angle and crashing onto the surface.

View mission:: Mars 2 (Lander) →

Other

First Human Impact on Mars

Sol 6 of Tharso, Year 9

(Nov 27, 1971)

As a result of its landing failure, the Mars 2 lander became the first human-made object to impact the surface of Mars.

View mission:: Mars 2 (Lander) →

Other

Start of Clear Imaging After Dust Storm

Sol 4 of Utopo, Year 9

(Jan 2, 1972)

Starting January 2, 1972, Mariner 9 began sending spectacular photos of the Martian landscape once the dust storm subsided.

View mission:: Mariner 9 →

Other

Mariner 9 Achieves All Mission Objectives

Sol 6 of Vikingo, Year 9

(Feb 11, 1972)

On February 11, 1972, NASA announced that Mariner 9 had achieved all its objectives.

View mission:: Mariner 9 →

Spring Begins

Start of Spring MY 10

Sol 1 of Acidalo, Year 10

(Mar 15, 1972)

Start of Spring (Ls 0°) for Martian Year 10

Summer Begins

Start of Summer MY 10

Sol 8 of Hespero, Year 10

(Sep 29, 1972)

Start of Summer (Ls 90°) for Martian Year 10

Mission End

End of Mariner 9 Mission (Last Contact)

Sol 35 of Hespero, Year 10

(Oct 27, 1972)

Last contact at 22:32 UT on October 27, 1972, when it exhausted its nitrogen gas for attitude control.

View mission:: Mariner 9 →

Autumn Begins

Start of Autumn MY 10

Sol 1 of Nilo, Year 10

(Apr 1, 1973)

Start of Autumn (Ls 180°) for Martian Year 10

Launch Window (Opens)

1973 Launch Window Opening

May 21, 1973

Start of the optimal period for sending missions to Mars in 1973.

Launch

Mars 4 Launch

Sol 36 of Phobo, Year 10

(Jul 21, 1973)

Successful liftoff aboard a Proton-K rocket from Baikonur Cosmodrome aiming to orbit Mars.

View mission:: Mars 4 →

Launch

Mars 5 Launch

Sol 3 of Ravo, Year 10

(Jul 25, 1973)

Liftoff of the Mars 4 sister probe aboard a Proton-K rocket.

View mission:: Mars 5 →

Launch

Mars 6 Launch

Sol 13 of Ravo, Year 10

(Aug 5, 1973)

Liftoff of the lander and flyby bus targeting Margaritifer Terra.

View mission:: Mars 6 →

Launch

Mars 7 Launch

Sol 17 of Ravo, Year 10

(Aug 9, 1973)

Liftoff of the final probe of the 1973 window, sister ship to Mars 6.

View mission:: Mars 7 →

Launch Window (Closes)

1973 Launch Window Closing

Aug 16, 1973

End of the optimal period for sending missions to Mars in 1973.

Winter Begins

Start of Winter MY 10

Sol 33 of Ravo, Year 10

(Aug 25, 1973)

Start of Winter (Ls 270°) for Martian Year 10

Spring Begins

Start of Spring MY 11

Sol 1 of Acidalo, Year 11

(Jan 31, 1974)

Start of Spring (Ls 0°) for Martian Year 11

Flyby

Mars 4 Unplanned Flyby

Sol 11 of Acidalo, Year 11

(Feb 10, 1974)

Due to a retrorocket failure, the spacecraft failed to enter orbit and performed a flyby at 1,844 km, returning images and ionospheric data.

View mission:: Mars 4 →

Mars Arrival

Mars 5 Orbital Insertion

Sol 13 of Acidalo, Year 11

(Feb 12, 1974)

Mars 5 executes braking and becomes the only spacecraft of the 1973 window to successfully enter Martian orbit.

View mission:: Mars 5 →

Other

Loss of Contact with Mars 5

Sol 29 of Acidalo, Year 11

(Feb 28, 1974)

End of mission following depressurization of the instrument compartment, after completing 22 orbits and returning 43 images.

View mission:: Mars 5 →

Flyby

Mars 7 Insertion Failure

Sol 37 of Acidalo, Year 11

(Mar 9, 1974)

The lander failed to separate or correct course, passing 1,300 km from Mars and entering heliocentric orbit.

View mission:: Mars 7 →

Science Milestone

Mars 6 Atmospheric Entry

Sol 2 of Curioso, Year 11

(Mar 12, 1974)

Parachute deployment and transmission of the first direct in-situ data from the Martian atmosphere.

View mission:: Mars 6 →

Other

Mars 6 Surface Impact

Sol 2 of Curioso, Year 11

(Mar 12, 1974)

Loss of signal during retrorocket activation, resulting in a high-speed impact on the surface.

View mission:: Mars 6 →

Summer Begins

Start of Summer MY 11

Sol 7 of Hespero, Year 11

(Aug 17, 1974)

Start of Summer (Ls 90°) for Martian Year 11

Autumn Begins

Start of Autumn MY 11

Sol 38 of Marinero, Year 11

(Feb 17, 1975)

Start of Autumn (Ls 180°) for Martian Year 11

Winter Begins

Start of Winter MY 11

Sol 32 of Ravo, Year 11

(Jul 13, 1975)

Start of Winter (Ls 270°) for Martian Year 11

Launch Window (Opens)

1975 Launch Window Opening

Aug 8, 1975

Start of the optimal period for sending missions to Mars in 1975.

Launch

Launch of the Viking 2 mission

Sol 13 of Tharso, Year 11

(Sep 9, 1975)

Liftoff of the Titan IIIE-Centaur rocket carrying the Viking 2 orbiter and lander from Earth towards Mars.

View mission:: Viking 1 (Orbiter) →

Launch Window (Closes)

1975 Launch Window Closing

Oct 23, 1975

End of the optimal period for sending missions to Mars in 1975.

Spring Begins

Start of Spring MY 12

Sol 37 of Vikingo, Year 11

(Dec 19, 1975)

Start of Spring (Ls 0°) for Martian Year 12

Summer Begins

Start of Summer MY 12

Sol 7 of Hespero, Year 12

(Jul 4, 1976)

Start of Summer (Ls 90°) for Martian Year 12

Mars Arrival

Viking 2 Orbital Insertion

Sol 3 of Isido, Year 12

(Aug 7, 1976)

The Viking 2 Orbiter was successfully inserted into Mars orbit, beginning its global mapping and atmospheric study operations.

View mission:: Viking 2 Orbiter →

Landing

Viking 2 Landing at Utopia Planitia

Sol 29 of Isido, Year 12

(Sep 3, 1976)

The Viking 2 Lander touched down in the Utopia Planitia region (47.64°N 225.71°W) to conduct in-situ biological, environmental, and geophysical analyses.

View mission:: Viking 2 Lander →

Autumn Begins

Start of Autumn MY 12

Sol 1 of Nilo, Year 12

(Jan 4, 1977)

Start of Autumn (Ls 180°) for Martian Year 12

Winter Begins

Start of Winter MY 12

Sol 32 of Ravo, Year 12

(May 30, 1977)

Start of Winter (Ls 270°) for Martian Year 12

Launch Window (Opens)

1977 Launch Window Opening

Oct 10, 1977

Start of the optimal period for sending missions to Mars in 1977.

Spring Begins

Start of Spring MY 13

Sol 37 of Vikingo, Year 12

(Nov 5, 1977)

Start of Spring (Ls 0°) for Martian Year 13

Launch Window (Closes)

1977 Launch Window Closing

Dec 8, 1977

End of the optimal period for sending missions to Mars in 1977.

Summer Begins

Start of Summer MY 13

Sol 8 of Hespero, Year 13

(May 22, 1978)

Start of Summer (Ls 90°) for Martian Year 13

Mission End

End of Viking 2 Orbiter mission

Sol 33 of Isido, Year 13

(Jul 25, 1978)

The orbiter mission concluded on July 25, 1978, following a leak in the attitude control propulsion system.

View mission:: Viking 2 Orbiter →

Autumn Begins

Start of Autumn MY 13

Sol 38 of Marinero, Year 13

(Nov 22, 1978)

Start of Autumn (Ls 180°) for Martian Year 13

Winter Begins

Start of Winter MY 13

Sol 32 of Ravo, Year 13

(Apr 17, 1979)

Start of Winter (Ls 270°) for Martian Year 13

Spring Begins

Start of Spring MY 14

Sol 37 of Vikingo, Year 13

(Sep 23, 1979)

Start of Spring (Ls 0°) for Martian Year 14

Launch Window (Opens)

1979 Launch Window Opening

Nov 22, 1979

Start of the optimal period for sending missions to Mars in 1979.

Launch Window (Closes)

1979 Launch Window Closing

Jan 13, 1980

End of the optimal period for sending missions to Mars in 1979.

Summer Begins

Start of Summer MY 14

Sol 7 of Hespero, Year 14

(Apr 8, 1980)

Start of Summer (Ls 90°) for Martian Year 14

Mission End

End of Viking 2 Lander mission

Sol 10 of Hespero, Year 14

(Apr 11, 1980)

The lander ended operations following battery failure, having operated for 1281 sols, far exceeding its planned lifespan.

View mission:: Viking 2 Lander →

Autumn Begins

Start of Autumn MY 14

Sol 1 of Nilo, Year 14

(Oct 9, 1980)

Start of Autumn (Ls 180°) for Martian Year 14

Winter Begins

Start of Winter MY 14

Sol 32 of Ravo, Year 14

(Mar 4, 1981)

Start of Winter (Ls 270°) for Martian Year 14

Spring Begins

Start of Spring MY 15

Sol 1 of Acidalo, Year 15

(Aug 10, 1981)

Start of Spring (Ls 0°) for Martian Year 15

Launch Window (Opens)

1981 Launch Window Opening

Dec 25, 1981

Start of the optimal period for sending missions to Mars in 1981.

Launch Window (Closes)

1981 Launch Window Closing

Feb 13, 1982

End of the optimal period for sending missions to Mars in 1981.

Summer Begins

Start of Summer MY 15

Sol 8 of Hespero, Year 15

(Feb 24, 1982)

Start of Summer (Ls 90°) for Martian Year 15

Autumn Begins

Start of Autumn MY 15

Sol 38 of Marinero, Year 15

(Aug 27, 1982)

Start of Autumn (Ls 180°) for Martian Year 15

Winter Begins

Start of Winter MY 15

Sol 32 of Ravo, Year 15

(Jan 20, 1983)

Start of Winter (Ls 270°) for Martian Year 15

Spring Begins

Start of Spring MY 16

Sol 37 of Vikingo, Year 15

(Jun 28, 1983)

Start of Spring (Ls 0°) for Martian Year 16

Summer Begins

Start of Summer MY 16

Sol 7 of Hespero, Year 16

(Jan 12, 1984)

Start of Summer (Ls 90°) for Martian Year 16

Launch Window (Opens)

1984 Launch Window Opening

Jan 27, 1984

Start of the optimal period for sending missions to Mars in 1984.

Launch Window (Closes)

1984 Launch Window Closing

Mar 20, 1984

End of the optimal period for sending missions to Mars in 1984.

Autumn Begins

Start of Autumn MY 16

Sol 1 of Nilo, Year 16

(Jul 14, 1984)

Start of Autumn (Ls 180°) for Martian Year 16

Winter Begins

Start of Winter MY 16

Sol 33 of Ravo, Year 16

(Dec 7, 1984)

Start of Winter (Ls 270°) for Martian Year 16

Spring Begins

Start of Spring MY 17

Sol 1 of Acidalo, Year 17

(May 15, 1985)

Start of Spring (Ls 0°) for Martian Year 17

Summer Begins

Start of Summer MY 17

Sol 8 of Hespero, Year 17

(Nov 29, 1985)

Start of Summer (Ls 90°) for Martian Year 17

Launch Window (Opens)

1986 Launch Window Opening

Mar 4, 1986

Start of the optimal period for sending missions to Mars in 1986.

Launch Window (Closes)

1986 Launch Window Closing

May 7, 1986

End of the optimal period for sending missions to Mars in 1986.

Autumn Begins

Start of Autumn MY 17

Sol 1 of Nilo, Year 17

(Jun 1, 1986)

Start of Autumn (Ls 180°) for Martian Year 17

Winter Begins

Start of Winter MY 17

Sol 32 of Ravo, Year 17

(Oct 25, 1986)

Start of Winter (Ls 270°) for Martian Year 17

Spring Begins

Start of Spring MY 18

Sol 37 of Vikingo, Year 17

(Apr 2, 1987)

Start of Spring (Ls 0°) for Martian Year 18

Summer Begins

Start of Summer MY 18

Sol 8 of Hespero, Year 18

(Oct 17, 1987)

Start of Summer (Ls 90°) for Martian Year 18

Autumn Begins

Start of Autumn MY 18

Sol 1 of Nilo, Year 18

(Apr 18, 1988)

Start of Autumn (Ls 180°) for Martian Year 18

Launch Window (Opens)

1988 Launch Window Opening

Apr 24, 1988

Start of the optimal period for sending missions to Mars in 1988.

Launch Window (Closes)

1988 Launch Window Closing

Jul 16, 1988

End of the optimal period for sending missions to Mars in 1988.

Winter Begins

Start of Winter MY 18

Sol 33 of Ravo, Year 18

(Sep 11, 1988)

Start of Winter (Ls 270°) for Martian Year 18

Spring Begins

Start of Spring MY 19

Sol 1 of Acidalo, Year 19

(Feb 16, 1989)

Start of Spring (Ls 0°) for Martian Year 19

Summer Begins

Start of Summer MY 19

Sol 8 of Hespero, Year 19

(Sep 3, 1989)

Start of Summer (Ls 90°) for Martian Year 19

Autumn Begins

Start of Autumn MY 19

Sol 1 of Nilo, Year 19

(Mar 6, 1990)

Start of Autumn (Ls 180°) for Martian Year 19

Launch Window (Opens)

1990 Launch Window Opening

Jul 8, 1990

Start of the optimal period for sending missions to Mars in 1990.

Winter Begins

Start of Winter MY 19

Sol 32 of Ravo, Year 19

(Jul 30, 1990)

Start of Winter (Ls 270°) for Martian Year 19

Launch Window (Closes)

1990 Launch Window Closing

Sep 30, 1990

End of the optimal period for sending missions to Mars in 1990.

Spring Begins

Start of Spring MY 20

Sol 37 of Vikingo, Year 19

(Jan 4, 1991)

Start of Spring (Ls 0°) for Martian Year 20

Summer Begins

Start of Summer MY 20

Sol 8 of Hespero, Year 20

(Jul 22, 1991)

Start of Summer (Ls 90°) for Martian Year 20

Autumn Begins

Start of Autumn MY 20

Sol 1 of Nilo, Year 20

(Jan 22, 1992)

Start of Autumn (Ls 180°) for Martian Year 20

Winter Begins

Start of Winter MY 20

Sol 33 of Ravo, Year 20

(Jun 16, 1992)

Start of Winter (Ls 270°) for Martian Year 20

Launch Window (Opens)

1992 Launch Window Opening

Sep 18, 1992

Start of the optimal period for sending missions to Mars in 1992.

Spring Begins

Start of Spring MY 21

Sol 1 of Acidalo, Year 21

(Nov 21, 1992)

Start of Spring (Ls 0°) for Martian Year 21

Launch Window (Closes)

1992 Launch Window Closing

Nov 22, 1992

End of the optimal period for sending missions to Mars in 1992.

Summer Begins

Start of Summer MY 21

Sol 8 of Hespero, Year 21

(Jun 8, 1993)

Start of Summer (Ls 90°) for Martian Year 21

Autumn Begins

Start of Autumn MY 21

Sol 1 of Nilo, Year 21

(Dec 8, 1993)

Start of Autumn (Ls 180°) for Martian Year 21

Winter Begins

Start of Winter MY 21

Sol 33 of Ravo, Year 21

(May 4, 1994)

Start of Winter (Ls 270°) for Martian Year 21

Spring Begins

Start of Spring MY 22

Sol 1 of Acidalo, Year 22

(Oct 9, 1994)

Start of Spring (Ls 0°) for Martian Year 22

Launch Window (Opens)

1994 Launch Window Opening

Nov 7, 1994

Start of the optimal period for sending missions to Mars in 1994.

Launch Window (Closes)

1994 Launch Window Closing

Dec 31, 1994

End of the optimal period for sending missions to Mars in 1994.

Summer Begins

Start of Summer MY 22

Sol 7 of Hespero, Year 22

(Apr 26, 1995)

Start of Summer (Ls 90°) for Martian Year 22

Autumn Begins

Start of Autumn MY 22

Sol 37 of Marinero, Year 22

(Oct 26, 1995)

Start of Autumn (Ls 180°) for Martian Year 22

Winter Begins

Start of Winter MY 22

Sol 32 of Ravo, Year 22

(Mar 21, 1996)

Start of Winter (Ls 270°) for Martian Year 22

Spring Begins

Start of Spring MY 23

Sol 37 of Vikingo, Year 22

(Aug 26, 1996)

Start of Spring (Ls 0°) for Martian Year 23

Launch

Launch of Mars Pathfinder and Sojourner

Sol 23 of Deimo, Year 23

(Dec 4, 1996)

The mission lifted off aboard a Delta II 7925 rocket from Cape Canaveral, beginning its journey to Mars with the goal of validating the "Faster, Better, Cheaper" philosophy.

View mission:: Mars Pathfinder →

Launch Window (Opens)

1996 Launch Window Opening

Dec 13, 1996

Start of the optimal period for sending missions to Mars in 1996.

Launch Window (Closes)

1996 Launch Window Closing

Feb 1, 1997

End of the optimal period for sending missions to Mars in 1996.

Summer Begins

Start of Summer MY 23

Sol 7 of Hespero, Year 23

(Mar 13, 1997)

Start of Summer (Ls 90°) for Martian Year 23

Landing

Mars Pathfinder Landing at Ares Vallis

Sol 6 of Luno, Year 23

(Jul 4, 1997)

The probe successfully landed at Ares Vallis using an innovative airbag system after entering the atmosphere directly, marking NASA's return to the Martian surface.

View mission:: Mars Pathfinder →

Science Milestone

Deployment of the first rover Sojourner

Sol 8 of Luno, Year 23

(Jul 6, 1997)

The rover descended from the lander two days after landing, becoming the first mobile vehicle to drive on the surface of Mars.

View mission:: Sojourner →

Autumn Begins

Start of Autumn MY 23

Sol 38 of Marinero, Year 23

(Sep 12, 1997)

Start of Autumn (Ls 180°) for Martian Year 23

Mission End

End of Mars Pathfinder Mission

Sol 14 of Nilo, Year 23

(Sep 27, 1997)

Final contact was made with the probe after the lander's battery likely depleted, concluding a mission that far exceeded its design lifespan.

View mission:: Mars Pathfinder →

Winter Begins

Start of Winter MY 23

Sol 32 of Ravo, Year 23

(Feb 6, 1998)

Start of Winter (Ls 270°) for Martian Year 23

Spring Begins

Start of Spring MY 24

Sol 37 of Vikingo, Year 23

(Jul 14, 1998)

Start of Spring (Ls 0°) for Martian Year 24

Launch Window (Opens)

1999 Launch Window Opening

Jan 14, 1999

Start of the optimal period for sending missions to Mars in 1999.

Summer Begins

Start of Summer MY 24

Sol 7 of Hespero, Year 24

(Jan 29, 1999)

Start of Summer (Ls 90°) for Martian Year 24

Launch Window (Closes)

1999 Launch Window Closing

Mar 6, 1999

End of the optimal period for sending missions to Mars in 1999.

Autumn Begins

Start of Autumn MY 24

Sol 1 of Nilo, Year 24

(Jul 31, 1999)

Start of Autumn (Ls 180°) for Martian Year 24

Winter Begins

Start of Winter MY 24

Sol 32 of Ravo, Year 24

(Dec 25, 1999)

Start of Winter (Ls 270°) for Martian Year 24

Spring Begins

Start of Spring MY 25

Sol 37 of Vikingo, Year 24

(May 31, 2000)

Start of Spring (Ls 0°) for Martian Year 25

Summer Begins

Start of Summer MY 25

Sol 8 of Hespero, Year 25

(Dec 16, 2000)

Start of Summer (Ls 90°) for Martian Year 25

Launch Window (Opens)

2001 Launch Window Opening

Feb 16, 2001

Start of the optimal period for sending missions to Mars in 2001.

Launch Window (Closes)

2001 Launch Window Closing

Apr 16, 2001

End of the optimal period for sending missions to Mars in 2001.

Autumn Begins

Start of Autumn MY 25

Sol 38 of Marinero, Year 25

(Jun 17, 2001)

Start of Autumn (Ls 180°) for Martian Year 25

Winter Begins

Start of Winter MY 25

Sol 32 of Ravo, Year 25

(Nov 11, 2001)

Start of Winter (Ls 270°) for Martian Year 25

Spring Begins

Start of Spring MY 26

Sol 37 of Vikingo, Year 25

(Apr 18, 2002)

Start of Spring (Ls 0°) for Martian Year 26

Summer Begins

Start of Summer MY 26

Sol 7 of Hespero, Year 26

(Nov 3, 2002)

Start of Summer (Ls 90°) for Martian Year 26

Launch Window (Opens)

2003 Launch Window Opening

Apr 2, 2003

Start of the optimal period for sending missions to Mars in 2003.

Autumn Begins

Start of Autumn MY 26

Sol 1 of Nilo, Year 26

(May 5, 2003)

Start of Autumn (Ls 180°) for Martian Year 26

Launch

Launch of Mars Express

Sol 28 of Nilo, Year 26

(Jun 2, 2003)

The Mars Express mission was launched aboard a Soyuz-FG/Fregat rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome, beginning its journey as ESA's first planetary mission.

View mission:: Mars Express →

Launch

Launch of Beagle 2

Sol 28 of Nilo, Year 26

(Jun 2, 2003)

The Beagle 2 probe was launched alongside Mars Express using a Soyuz-FG vehicle, with the goal of searching for life in Isidis Planitia.

View mission:: Beagle 2 →

Launch Window (Closes)

2003 Launch Window Closing

Jun 16, 2003

End of the optimal period for sending missions to Mars in 2003.

Winter Begins

Start of Winter MY 26

Sol 33 of Ravo, Year 26

(Sep 29, 2003)

Start of Winter (Ls 270°) for Martian Year 26

Other

Separation of Beagle 2

Sol 36 of Tharso, Year 26

(Dec 19, 2003)

The Beagle 2 lander successfully separated from the Mars Express spacecraft, placing itself on a controlled collision trajectory towards Mars.

View mission:: Beagle 2 →

Mars Arrival

Mars Express Orbital Insertion

Sol 5 of Utopo, Year 26

(Dec 25, 2003)

The Mars Express orbiter successfully completed its orbital insertion maneuver around Mars, initiating its long-duration scientific mission.

Landing

Landing of Beagle 2

Sol 5 of Utopo, Year 26

(Dec 25, 2003)

Beagle 2 landed on Isidis Planitia. Although the landing was soft, the solar panels did not fully deploy, preventing communication.

View mission:: Beagle 2 →

Spring Begins

Start of Spring MY 27

Sol 1 of Acidalo, Year 27

(Mar 5, 2004)

Start of Spring (Ls 0°) for Martian Year 27

Summer Begins

Start of Summer MY 27

Sol 8 of Hespero, Year 27

(Sep 20, 2004)

Start of Summer (Ls 90°) for Martian Year 27

Autumn Begins

Start of Autumn MY 27

Sol 38 of Marinero, Year 27

(Mar 22, 2005)

Start of Autumn (Ls 180°) for Martian Year 27

Launch Window (Opens)

2005 Launch Window Opening

Jun 7, 2005

Start of the optimal period for sending missions to Mars in 2005.

Winter Begins

Start of Winter MY 27

Sol 32 of Ravo, Year 27

(Aug 16, 2005)

Start of Winter (Ls 270°) for Martian Year 27

Launch Window (Closes)

2005 Launch Window Closing

Sep 3, 2005

End of the optimal period for sending missions to Mars in 2005.

Spring Begins

Start of Spring MY 28

Sol 37 of Vikingo, Year 27

(Jan 21, 2006)

Start of Spring (Ls 0°) for Martian Year 28

Summer Begins

Start of Summer MY 28

Sol 7 of Hespero, Year 28

(Aug 8, 2006)

Start of Summer (Ls 90°) for Martian Year 28

Autumn Begins

Start of Autumn MY 28

Sol 1 of Nilo, Year 28

(Feb 7, 2007)

Start of Autumn (Ls 180°) for Martian Year 28

Winter Begins

Start of Winter MY 28

Sol 33 of Ravo, Year 28

(Jul 4, 2007)

Start of Winter (Ls 270°) for Martian Year 28

Launch Window (Opens)

2007 Launch Window Opening

Aug 25, 2007

Start of the optimal period for sending missions to Mars in 2007.

Launch Window (Closes)

2007 Launch Window Closing

Nov 5, 2007

End of the optimal period for sending missions to Mars in 2007.

Spring Begins

Start of Spring MY 29

Sol 1 of Acidalo, Year 29

(Dec 9, 2007)

Start of Spring (Ls 0°) for Martian Year 29

Summer Begins

Start of Summer MY 29

Sol 8 of Hespero, Year 29

(Jun 25, 2008)

Start of Summer (Ls 90°) for Martian Year 29

Autumn Begins

Start of Autumn MY 29

Sol 1 of Nilo, Year 29

(Dec 25, 2008)

Start of Autumn (Ls 180°) for Martian Year 29

Winter Begins

Start of Winter MY 29

Sol 32 of Ravo, Year 29

(May 21, 2009)

Start of Winter (Ls 270°) for Martian Year 29

Launch Window (Opens)

2009 Launch Window Opening

Oct 21, 2009

Start of the optimal period for sending missions to Mars in 2009.

Spring Begins

Start of Spring MY 30

Sol 37 of Vikingo, Year 29

(Oct 26, 2009)

Start of Spring (Ls 0°) for Martian Year 30

Launch Window (Closes)

2009 Launch Window Closing

Dec 17, 2009

End of the optimal period for sending missions to Mars in 2009.

Summer Begins

Start of Summer MY 30

Sol 8 of Hespero, Year 30

(May 13, 2010)

Start of Summer (Ls 90°) for Martian Year 30

Other

Curiosity First Drive Test

Sol 3 of Korolo, Year 30

(Jul 23, 2010)

Curiosity performed its first movement test in the Jet Propulsion Laboratory clean room, demonstrating its turning capability.

View mission:: Curiosity (MSL) →

Autumn Begins

Start of Autumn MY 30

Sol 1 of Nilo, Year 30

(Nov 12, 2010)

Start of Autumn (Ls 180°) for Martian Year 30

Winter Begins

Start of Winter MY 30

Sol 33 of Ravo, Year 30

(Apr 8, 2011)

Start of Winter (Ls 270°) for Martian Year 30

Spring Begins

Start of Spring MY 31

Sol 1 of Acidalo, Year 31

(Sep 13, 2011)

Start of Spring (Ls 0°) for Martian Year 31

Launch

Launch of Mars Science Laboratory

Sol 36 of Curioso, Year 31

(Nov 26, 2011)

Launch from Cape Canaveral aboard an Atlas V 541 rocket, beginning the journey to Mars.

View mission:: Curiosity (MSL) →

Launch Window (Opens)

2011 Launch Window Opening

Dec 1, 2011

Start of the optimal period for sending missions to Mars in 2011.

Science Milestone

RAD Detector Activation

Sol 15 of Deimo, Year 31

(Dec 13, 2011)

The Radiation Assessment Detector instrument began measuring space radiation during the cruise phase.

View mission:: Curiosity (MSL) →

Other

Trajectory Correction Maneuver TCM-1

Sol 7 of Elyso, Year 31

(Jan 11, 2012)

First trajectory correction maneuver to adjust the course towards the Red Planet.

View mission:: Curiosity (MSL) →

Launch Window (Closes)

2011 Launch Window Closing

Jan 20, 2012

End of the optimal period for sending missions to Mars in 2011.

Summer Begins

Start of Summer MY 31

Sol 8 of Hespero, Year 31

(Mar 30, 2012)

Start of Summer (Ls 90°) for Martian Year 31

Landing

Curiosity Atmospheric Entry

Sol 23 of Luno, Year 31

(Aug 6, 2012)

The capsule enters the Martian atmosphere protected by its heat shield at a speed of 21,000 km/h.

View mission:: Curiosity (MSL) →

Landing

Confirmed Landing in Gale Crater

Sol 23 of Luno, Year 31

(Aug 6, 2012)

The rover touches the ground at Bradbury Landing after the Sky Crane maneuver, confirming a successful arrival.

View mission:: Curiosity (MSL) →

Landing

Supersonic Parachute Deployment

Sol 23 of Luno, Year 31

(Aug 6, 2012)

Deployment of the parachute to slow down the spacecraft's descent speed in the Martian atmosphere.

View mission:: Curiosity (MSL) →

Science Milestone

First ChemCam Laser Analysis

Sol 36 of Luno, Year 31

(Aug 19, 2012)

The ChemCam instrument fired its first laser at a rock named Coronation for chemical analysis.

View mission:: Curiosity (MSL) →

Other

First Movement on the Surface

Sol 2 of Marinero, Year 31

(Aug 22, 2012)

The Curiosity rover performed its first drive on Martian terrain on Sol 16.

View mission:: Curiosity (MSL) →

Autumn Begins

Start of Autumn MY 31

Sol 1 of Nilo, Year 31

(Sep 29, 2012)

Start of Autumn (Ls 180°) for Martian Year 31

Other

Official announcement of the Mars 2020 mission

Sol 25 of Oppo, Year 31

(Dec 1, 2012)

NASA officially announces a new Mars rover mission scheduled for launch in 2020.

View mission:: Perseverance →

Winter Begins

Start of Winter MY 31

Sol 33 of Ravo, Year 31

(Feb 23, 2013)

Start of Winter (Ls 270°) for Martian Year 31

Science Milestone

Discovery of Ancient Habitability

Sol 38 of Ravo, Year 31

(Mar 1, 2013)

Sample analysis at John Klein revealed clay minerals and essential elements for life.

View mission:: Curiosity (MSL) →

Other

Publication of the SDT report

Sol 8 of Vikingo, Year 31

(Jul 1, 2013)

The Science Definition Team report is published, establishing the detailed objectives of the mission.

View mission:: Perseverance →

Spring Begins

Start of Spring MY 32

Sol 1 of Acidalo, Year 32

(Jul 31, 2013)

Start of Spring (Ls 0°) for Martian Year 32

Other

Formulation Phase Authorization

Sol 24 of Curioso, Year 32

(Oct 1, 2013)

The mission receives formal authorization to begin its conceptual development.

View mission:: Perseverance →

Other

Completion of KDP A milestone

Sol 17 of Deimo, Year 32

(Nov 1, 2013)

The mission marks the completion of the initial concept and technology development phase.

View mission:: Perseverance →

Launch Window (Opens)

2014 Launch Window Opening

Jan 2, 2014

Start of the optimal period for sending missions to Mars in 2014.

Summer Begins

Start of Summer MY 32

Sol 8 of Hespero, Year 32

(Feb 15, 2014)

Start of Summer (Ls 90°) for Martian Year 32

Launch Window (Closes)

2014 Launch Window Closing

Feb 21, 2014

End of the optimal period for sending missions to Mars in 2014.

Autumn Begins

Start of Autumn MY 32

Sol 1 of Nilo, Year 32

(Aug 17, 2014)

Start of Autumn (Ls 180°) for Martian Year 32

Winter Begins

Start of Winter MY 32

Sol 33 of Ravo, Year 32

(Jan 11, 2015)

Start of Winter (Ls 270°) for Martian Year 32

Other

Achievement of KDP B milestone

Sol 28 of Utopo, Year 32

(May 1, 2015)

Validation of the preliminary design and completion of the necessary technological development.

View mission:: Perseverance →

Spring Begins

Start of Spring MY 33

Sol 1 of Acidalo, Year 33

(Jun 18, 2015)

Start of Spring (Ls 0°) for Martian Year 33

Summer Begins

Start of Summer MY 33

Sol 7 of Hespero, Year 33

(Jan 3, 2016)

Start of Summer (Ls 90°) for Martian Year 33

Other

Preliminary Design Review (PDR)

Sol 36 of Hespero, Year 33

(Feb 1, 2016)

Exhaustive examination confirming the feasibility of the proposed mission design.

View mission:: Perseverance →

Launch Window (Opens)

2016 Launch Window Opening

Feb 3, 2016

Start of the optimal period for sending missions to Mars in 2016.

Launch Window (Closes)

2016 Launch Window Closing

Mar 29, 2016

End of the optimal period for sending missions to Mars in 2016.

Other

Start of Implementation Phase (KDP C)

Sol 6 of Marinero, Year 33

(Jun 1, 2016)

Approval of the final design and authorization to begin manufacturing and assembly.

View mission:: Perseverance →

Autumn Begins

Start of Autumn MY 33

Sol 38 of Marinero, Year 33

(Jul 4, 2016)

Start of Autumn (Ls 180°) for Martian Year 33

Winter Begins

Start of Winter MY 33

Sol 32 of Ravo, Year 33

(Nov 28, 2016)

Start of Winter (Ls 270°) for Martian Year 33

Other

Critical Design Review (CDR)

Sol 20 of Tharso, Year 33

(Feb 1, 2017)

The final major examination before large-scale construction of the flight hardware began.

View mission:: Perseverance →

Spring Begins

Start of Spring MY 34

Sol 37 of Vikingo, Year 33

(May 5, 2017)

Start of Spring (Ls 0°) for Martian Year 34

Summer Begins

Start of Summer MY 34

Sol 7 of Hespero, Year 34

(Nov 20, 2017)

Start of Summer (Ls 90°) for Martian Year 34

Other

Start of ATLO operations

Sol 11 of Isido, Year 34

(Jan 1, 2018)

Assembly, test, and launch operations formally begin at JPL.

View mission:: Perseverance →

Launch Window (Opens)

2018 Launch Window Opening

Mar 14, 2018

Start of the optimal period for sending missions to Mars in 2018.

Science Milestone

Successful FED Drilling Technique Test

Sol 17 of Marinero, Year 34

(May 1, 2018)

Successful use of the Feed Extended Drilling technique on the Duluth rock after drill motor failures.

View mission:: Curiosity (MSL) →

Launch Window (Closes)

2018 Launch Window Closing

May 21, 2018

End of the optimal period for sending missions to Mars in 2018.

Autumn Begins

Start of Autumn MY 34

Sol 1 of Nilo, Year 34

(May 22, 2018)

Start of Autumn (Ls 180°) for Martian Year 34

Winter Begins

Start of Winter MY 34

Sol 32 of Ravo, Year 34

(Oct 16, 2018)

Start of Winter (Ls 270°) for Martian Year 34

Spring Begins

Start of Spring MY 35

Sol 37 of Vikingo, Year 34

(Mar 23, 2019)

Start of Spring (Ls 0°) for Martian Year 35

Summer Begins

Start of Summer MY 35

Sol 8 of Hespero, Year 35

(Oct 8, 2019)

Start of Summer (Ls 90°) for Martian Year 35

Other

Naming of the Perseverance rover

Sol 5 of Marinero, Year 35

(Mar 5, 2020)

NASA officially announces the name Perseverance for the rover and Ingenuity for the helicopter.

View mission:: Perseverance →

Autumn Begins

Start of Autumn MY 35

Sol 38 of Marinero, Year 35

(Apr 8, 2020)

Start of Autumn (Ls 180°) for Martian Year 35

Launch Window (Opens)

2020 Launch Window Opening

May 9, 2020

Start of the optimal period for sending missions to Mars in 2020.

Launch Window (Closes)

2020 Launch Window Closing

Aug 3, 2020

End of the optimal period for sending missions to Mars in 2020.

Winter Begins

Start of Winter MY 35

Sol 32 of Ravo, Year 35

(Sep 2, 2020)

Start of Winter (Ls 270°) for Martian Year 35

Spring Begins

Start of Spring MY 36

Sol 37 of Vikingo, Year 35

(Feb 7, 2021)

Start of Spring (Ls 0°) for Martian Year 36

Other

Cruise stage separation

Sol 11 of Acidalo, Year 36

(Feb 18, 2021)

The spacecraft prepares for the atmospheric entry phase by separating from its travel stage.

View mission:: Perseverance →

Mars Arrival

Mars 2020 atmospheric entry

Sol 11 of Acidalo, Year 36

(Feb 18, 2021)

The spacecraft begins its autonomous descent toward the surface of Jezero Crater.

View mission:: Perseverance →

Landing

Landing at Jezero Crater

Sol 11 of Acidalo, Year 36

(Feb 18, 2021)

Confirmation of touchdown at the site named Octavia E. Butler Landing.

View mission:: Perseverance →

Other

First driving test

Sol 24 of Acidalo, Year 36

(Mar 4, 2021)

Perseverance completes its first mobility test on the Martian terrain.

View mission:: Perseverance →

Science Milestone

First flight of the Ingenuity helicopter

Sol 32 of Curioso, Year 36

(Apr 19, 2021)

First controlled and powered flight on another planet, a historic milestone in space aviation.

View mission:: Perseverance →

Science Milestone

First oxygen production with MOXIE

Sol 33 of Curioso, Year 36

(Apr 20, 2021)

The MOXIE instrument successfully produces oxygen from the Martian atmosphere.

Summer Begins

Start of Summer MY 36

Sol 7 of Hespero, Year 36

(Aug 25, 2021)

Start of Summer (Ls 90°) for Martian Year 36

Science Milestone

Collection of the Montdenier sample

Sol 14 of Hespero, Year 36

(Sep 1, 2021)

Perseverance collects and seals its first Martian rock sample in a titanium tube.

View mission:: Perseverance →

Autumn Begins

Start of Autumn MY 36

Sol 1 of Nilo, Year 36

(Feb 24, 2022)

Start of Autumn (Ls 180°) for Martian Year 36

Winter Begins

Start of Winter MY 36

Sol 33 of Ravo, Year 36

(Jul 21, 2022)

Start of Winter (Ls 270°) for Martian Year 36

Launch Window (Opens)

2022 Launch Window Opening

Jul 26, 2022

Start of the optimal period for sending missions to Mars in 2022.

Launch Window (Closes)

2022 Launch Window Closing

Oct 14, 2022

End of the optimal period for sending missions to Mars in 2022.

Spring Begins

Start of Spring MY 37

Sol 37 of Vikingo, Year 36

(Dec 26, 2022)

Start of Spring (Ls 0°) for Martian Year 37

Summer Begins

Start of Summer MY 37

Sol 8 of Hespero, Year 37

(Jul 13, 2023)

Start of Summer (Ls 90°) for Martian Year 37

Other

Arrival at Gediz Vallis Ridge

Sol 2 of Isido, Year 37

(Aug 14, 2023)

Curiosity reaches Gediz Vallis Ridge, an area with debris from water flows from 3 billion years ago.

View mission:: Curiosity (MSL) →

Autumn Begins

Start of Autumn MY 37

Sol 38 of Marinero, Year 37

(Jan 12, 2024)

Start of Autumn (Ls 180°) for Martian Year 37

Winter Begins

Start of Winter MY 37

Sol 32 of Ravo, Year 37

(Jun 7, 2024)

Start of Winter (Ls 270°) for Martian Year 37

Launch Window (Opens)

2024 Launch Window Opening

Oct 1, 2024

Start of the optimal period for sending missions to Mars in 2024.

Spring Begins

Start of Spring MY 38

Sol 37 of Vikingo, Year 37

(Nov 12, 2024)

Start of Spring (Ls 0°) for Martian Year 38

Launch Window (Closes)

2024 Launch Window Closing

Dec 2, 2024

End of the optimal period for sending missions to Mars in 2024.

Summer Begins

Start of Summer MY 38

Sol 7 of Hespero, Year 38

(May 30, 2025)

Start of Summer (Ls 90°) for Martian Year 38

Anniversary

Seven Martian Years Milestone

Sol 26 of Luno, Year 38

(Oct 10, 2025)

Completion of seven Martian years of continuous operations on the planet's surface.

View mission:: Curiosity (MSL) →

Other

Drilling Number 44 at Nevado Sajama

Sol 3 of Marinero, Year 38

(Oct 24, 2025)

Execution of the 44th drill hole for sample extraction at the Nevado Sajama target.

View mission:: Curiosity (MSL) →

Other

Postponed Launch Attempt (ESCAPADE)

Sol 22 of Marinero, Year 38

(Nov 12, 2025)

The first launch attempt was postponed due to a severe G4-class geomagnetic storm.

View mission:: ESCAPADE →

Launch

Launch of the ESCAPADE Mission

Sol 23 of Marinero, Year 38

(Nov 13, 2025)

Successful launch of the Blue and Gold spacecraft aboard a New Glenn rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.

View mission:: ESCAPADE →

Autumn Begins

Start of Autumn MY 38

Sol 1 of Nilo, Year 38

(Nov 29, 2025)

Start of Autumn (Ls 180°) for Martian Year 38

Science Milestone

Detection of electrical discharges in dust devils

Sol 31 of Nilo, Year 38

(Dec 30, 2025)

The SuperCam microphone detects static electrical discharges within Martian dust devils.

View mission:: Perseverance →

Winter Begins

Start of Winter MY 38

Sol 33 of Ravo, Year 38

(Apr 25, 2026)

Start of Winter (Ls 270°) for Martian Year 38

Spring Begins

Start of Spring MY 39

Sol 1 of Acidalo, Year 39

(Sep 30, 2026)

Start of Spring (Ls 0°) for Martian Year 39

Launch Window (Opens)

2026 Launch Window Opening

Nov 16, 2026

Start of the optimal period for sending missions to Mars in 2026.

Launch Window (Closes)

2026 Launch Window Closing

Jan 8, 2027

End of the optimal period for sending missions to Mars in 2026.

Summer Begins

Start of Summer MY 39

Sol 8 of Hespero, Year 39

(Apr 16, 2027)

Start of Summer (Ls 90°) for Martian Year 39

Autumn Begins

Start of Autumn MY 39

Sol 1 of Nilo, Year 39

(Oct 17, 2027)

Start of Autumn (Ls 180°) for Martian Year 39

Winter Begins

Start of Winter MY 39

Sol 32 of Ravo, Year 39

(Mar 12, 2028)

Start of Winter (Ls 270°) for Martian Year 39

Spring Begins

Start of Spring MY 40

Sol 37 of Vikingo, Year 39

(Aug 17, 2028)

Start of Spring (Ls 0°) for Martian Year 40

Launch Window (Opens)

2028 Launch Window Opening

Dec 20, 2028

Start of the optimal period for sending missions to Mars in 2028.

Launch Window (Closes)

2028 Launch Window Closing

Feb 8, 2029

End of the optimal period for sending missions to Mars in 2028.

Summer Begins

Start of Summer MY 40

Sol 7 of Hespero, Year 40

(Mar 3, 2029)

Start of Summer (Ls 90°) for Martian Year 40

Autumn Begins

Start of Autumn MY 40

Sol 1 of Nilo, Year 40

(Sep 3, 2029)

Start of Autumn (Ls 180°) for Martian Year 40

Winter Begins

Start of Winter MY 40

Sol 33 of Ravo, Year 40

(Jan 28, 2030)

Start of Winter (Ls 270°) for Martian Year 40

Spring Begins

Start of Spring MY 41

Sol 1 of Acidalo, Year 41

(Jul 5, 2030)

Start of Spring (Ls 0°) for Martian Year 41

Summer Begins

Start of Summer MY 41

Sol 8 of Hespero, Year 41

(Jan 19, 2031)

Start of Summer (Ls 90°) for Martian Year 41

Launch Window (Opens)

2031 Launch Window Opening

Jan 21, 2031

Start of the optimal period for sending missions to Mars in 2031.

Launch Window (Closes)

2031 Launch Window Closing

Mar 15, 2031

End of the optimal period for sending missions to Mars in 2031.

Autumn Begins

Start of Autumn MY 41

Sol 1 of Nilo, Year 41

(Jul 22, 2031)

Start of Autumn (Ls 180°) for Martian Year 41

Winter Begins

Start of Winter MY 41

Sol 32 of Ravo, Year 41

(Dec 16, 2031)

Start of Winter (Ls 270°) for Martian Year 41

Spring Begins

Start of Spring MY 42

Sol 37 of Vikingo, Year 41

(May 22, 2032)

Start of Spring (Ls 0°) for Martian Year 42

Summer Begins

Start of Summer MY 42

Sol 8 of Hespero, Year 42

(Dec 6, 2032)

Start of Summer (Ls 90°) for Martian Year 42

Launch Window (Opens)

2033 Launch Window Opening

Feb 25, 2033

Start of the optimal period for sending missions to Mars in 2033.

Launch Window (Closes)

2033 Launch Window Closing

Apr 28, 2033

End of the optimal period for sending missions to Mars in 2033.

Autumn Begins

Start of Autumn MY 42

Sol 1 of Nilo, Year 42

(Jun 8, 2033)

Start of Autumn (Ls 180°) for Martian Year 42

Winter Begins

Start of Winter MY 42

Sol 33 of Ravo, Year 42

(Nov 2, 2033)

Start of Winter (Ls 270°) for Martian Year 42

Spring Begins

Start of Spring MY 43

Sol 1 of Acidalo, Year 43

(Apr 9, 2034)

Start of Spring (Ls 0°) for Martian Year 43

Summer Begins

Start of Summer MY 43

Sol 8 of Hespero, Year 43

(Oct 24, 2034)

Start of Summer (Ls 90°) for Martian Year 43

Launch Window (Opens)

2035 Launch Window Opening

Apr 15, 2035

Start of the optimal period for sending missions to Mars in 2035.

Autumn Begins

Start of Autumn MY 43

Sol 1 of Nilo, Year 43

(Apr 26, 2035)

Start of Autumn (Ls 180°) for Martian Year 43

Launch Window (Closes)

2035 Launch Window Closing

Jul 4, 2035

End of the optimal period for sending missions to Mars in 2035.

Winter Begins

Start of Winter MY 43

Sol 33 of Ravo, Year 43

(Sep 20, 2035)

Start of Winter (Ls 270°) for Martian Year 43

Spring Begins

Start of Spring MY 44

Sol 1 of Acidalo, Year 44

(Feb 25, 2036)

Start of Spring (Ls 0°) for Martian Year 44

Summer Begins

Start of Summer MY 44

Sol 7 of Hespero, Year 44

(Sep 10, 2036)

Start of Summer (Ls 90°) for Martian Year 44

Autumn Begins

Start of Autumn MY 44

Sol 1 of Nilo, Year 44

(Mar 13, 2037)

Start of Autumn (Ls 180°) for Martian Year 44

Launch Window (Opens)

2037 Launch Window Opening

Jun 25, 2037

Start of the optimal period for sending missions to Mars in 2037.

Winter Begins

Start of Winter MY 44

Sol 32 of Ravo, Year 44

(Aug 7, 2037)

Start of Winter (Ls 270°) for Martian Year 44

Launch Window (Closes)

2037 Launch Window Closing

Sep 19, 2037

End of the optimal period for sending missions to Mars in 2037.

Spring Begins

Start of Spring MY 45

Sol 37 of Vikingo, Year 44

(Jan 12, 2038)

Start of Spring (Ls 0°) for Martian Year 45

Summer Begins

Start of Summer MY 45

Sol 7 of Hespero, Year 45

(Jul 29, 2038)

Start of Summer (Ls 90°) for Martian Year 45

Autumn Begins

Start of Autumn MY 45

Sol 38 of Marinero, Year 45

(Jan 29, 2039)

Start of Autumn (Ls 180°) for Martian Year 45

Winter Begins

Start of Winter MY 45

Sol 32 of Ravo, Year 45

(Jun 25, 2039)

Start of Winter (Ls 270°) for Martian Year 45

Launch Window (Opens)

2039 Launch Window Opening

Sep 9, 2039

Start of the optimal period for sending missions to Mars in 2039.

Launch Window (Closes)

2039 Launch Window Closing

Nov 16, 2039

End of the optimal period for sending missions to Mars in 2039.

Spring Begins

Start of Spring MY 46

Sol 37 of Vikingo, Year 45

(Nov 30, 2039)

Start of Spring (Ls 0°) for Martian Year 46

Summer Begins

Start of Summer MY 46

Sol 7 of Hespero, Year 46

(Jun 15, 2040)

Start of Summer (Ls 90°) for Martian Year 46

Autumn Begins

Start of Autumn MY 46

Sol 1 of Nilo, Year 46

(Dec 16, 2040)

Start of Autumn (Ls 180°) for Martian Year 46

Winter Begins

Start of Winter MY 46

Sol 33 of Ravo, Year 46

(May 12, 2041)

Start of Winter (Ls 270°) for Martian Year 46

Spring Begins

Start of Spring MY 47

Sol 37 of Vikingo, Year 46

(Oct 17, 2041)

Start of Spring (Ls 0°) for Martian Year 47

Launch Window (Opens)

2041 Launch Window Opening

Oct 31, 2041

Start of the optimal period for sending missions to Mars in 2041.

Launch Window (Closes)

2041 Launch Window Closing

Dec 25, 2041

End of the optimal period for sending missions to Mars in 2041.

Summer Begins

Start of Summer MY 47

Sol 8 of Hespero, Year 47

(May 3, 2042)

Start of Summer (Ls 90°) for Martian Year 47

Autumn Begins

Start of Autumn MY 47

Sol 38 of Marinero, Year 47

(Nov 3, 2042)

Start of Autumn (Ls 180°) for Martian Year 47

Winter Begins

Start of Winter MY 47

Sol 32 of Ravo, Year 47

(Mar 30, 2043)

Start of Winter (Ls 270°) for Martian Year 47

Spring Begins

Start of Spring MY 48

Sol 37 of Vikingo, Year 47

(Sep 4, 2043)

Start of Spring (Ls 0°) for Martian Year 48

Launch Window (Opens)

2043 Launch Window Opening

Dec 9, 2043

Start of the optimal period for sending missions to Mars in 2043.

Launch Window (Closes)

2043 Launch Window Closing

Jan 28, 2044

End of the optimal period for sending missions to Mars in 2043.

Summer Begins

Start of Summer MY 48

Sol 7 of Hespero, Year 48

(Mar 20, 2044)

Start of Summer (Ls 90°) for Martian Year 48

Autumn Begins

Start of Autumn MY 48

Sol 1 of Nilo, Year 48

(Sep 20, 2044)

Start of Autumn (Ls 180°) for Martian Year 48

Winter Begins

Start of Winter MY 48

Sol 33 of Ravo, Year 48

(Feb 13, 2045)

Start of Winter (Ls 270°) for Martian Year 48

Spring Begins

Start of Spring MY 49

Sol 1 of Acidalo, Year 49

(Jul 22, 2045)

Start of Spring (Ls 0°) for Martian Year 49

Launch Window (Opens)

2046 Launch Window Opening

Jan 9, 2046

Start of the optimal period for sending missions to Mars in 2046.

Summer Begins

Start of Summer MY 49

Sol 8 of Hespero, Year 49

(Feb 5, 2046)

Start of Summer (Ls 90°) for Martian Year 49

Launch Window (Closes)

2046 Launch Window Closing

Mar 1, 2046

End of the optimal period for sending missions to Mars in 2046.

Autumn Begins

Start of Autumn MY 49

Sol 1 of Nilo, Year 49

(Aug 8, 2046)

Start of Autumn (Ls 180°) for Martian Year 49

Winter Begins

Start of Winter MY 49

Sol 32 of Ravo, Year 49

(Jan 1, 2047)

Start of Winter (Ls 270°) for Martian Year 49

Spring Begins

Start of Spring MY 50

Sol 37 of Vikingo, Year 49

(Jun 9, 2047)

Start of Spring (Ls 0°) for Martian Year 50

Summer Begins

Start of Summer MY 50

Sol 7 of Hespero, Year 50

(Dec 24, 2047)

Start of Summer (Ls 90°) for Martian Year 50

Launch Window (Opens)

2048 Launch Window Opening

Sol 19 of Isido, Year 50

(Feb 12, 2048)

Start of the optimal period for sending missions to Mars in 2048.

Launch Window (Closes)

2048 Launch Window Closing

Apr 9, 2048

End of the optimal period for sending missions to Mars in 2048.

Autumn Begins

Start of Autumn MY 50

Sol 1 of Nilo, Year 50

(Jun 25, 2048)

Start of Autumn (Ls 180°) for Martian Year 50

Winter Begins

Start of Winter MY 50

Sol 33 of Ravo, Year 50

(Nov 18, 2048)

Start of Winter (Ls 270°) for Martian Year 50

Launch Window (Opens)

2050 Launch Window Opening

Sol 28 of Luno, Year 51

(Mar 25, 2050)

Start of the optimal period for sending missions to Mars in 2050.

Launch Window (Closes)

2050 Launch Window Closing

Jun 5, 2050

End of the optimal period for sending missions to Mars in 2050.

On This Sol...

Sol 25 of Ravo, Year 38

There are no notable historical events for this date.

Sync Clocks

MTC

14:04:20

UTC

09:33:29

Calendar

Ravo

Year 38

View full calendar →

Challenges

Cosmic Radiation Thin Atmosphere Extreme Temperatures Water Resources Communications Lag Food Production Reduced Gravity Martian Dust Psychological Isolation Mechanical Failures

Mars in High Definition

ESCAPADE

Perseverance

Zhurong

Start of Spring MY 1

Start of Summer MY 1

1956 Launch Window Opening

Start of Autumn MY 1

1956 Launch Window Closing

Start of Winter MY 1

Start of Spring MY 2

Start of Summer MY 2

Start of Autumn MY 2

1958 Launch Window Opening

Start of Winter MY 2

1958 Launch Window Closing

Start of Spring MY 3

Start of Summer MY 3

Start of Autumn MY 3

Start of Winter MY 3

1960 Launch Window Opening

Launch and failure of Mars 1M No.1 (Marsnik 1)

Launch of Mars 1M No.2 (Marsnik 2)

1960 Launch Window Closing

Start of Spring MY 4

Start of Summer MY 4

Start of Autumn MY 4

Start of Winter MY 4

Start of Spring MY 5

Launch of Mars 2MV-4 No.1 (Sputnik 22)

Failure of the Blok-L escape stage

1962 Launch Window Opening

Mars 1 Launch

Launch of Mars 2MV-3 No.1 (Sputnik 24)

Ignition failure of Blok-L stage (Sputnik 24)

1962 Launch Window Closing

Atmospheric disintegration of Sputnik 24

Loss of contact with Mars 1

Start of Summer MY 5

Mars 1 performs Mars flyby

Start of Autumn MY 5

Start of Winter MY 5

Start of Spring MY 6

Mariner 3 Launch

Mariner 3 Battery Depletion

Mariner 4 Launch

Zond 2 Launch

1964 Launch Window Opening

Plasma Thruster Test (Zond 2)

1964 Launch Window Closing

Start of Summer MY 6

Mars Flyby (Mariner 4)

Mars Flyby (Zond 2)

Start of Autumn MY 6

Start of Winter MY 6

Start of Spring MY 7

1967 Launch Window Opening

Start of Summer MY 7

1967 Launch Window Closing

Start of Autumn MY 7

Start of Winter MY 7

Start of Spring MY 8

Start of Summer MY 8

1969 Launch Window Opening

Atlas (AC-20) Pre-launch Incident

Mariner 6 Launch

Mariner 6 Trajectory Correction

Mars 1969A Launch Failure

Mariner 7 Launch

Mars 1969B Launch and Failure

1969 Launch Window Closing

Mariner 7 Trajectory Correction Maneuver (TCM)

Start of Autumn MY 8

Mariner 7 In-Route Incident

Mars Flyby and Dry Ice Discovery

Mariner 7 Mars Flyby

Start of Winter MY 8

Start of Spring MY 9

Start of Summer MY 9

1971 Launch Window Opening