The Mars 2 mission (USSR, 1971) was a dual orbiter and lander mission. It arrived during a global dust storm. The orbiter successfully entered orbit, but its science was limited by the dust. The lander failed due to an incorrect entry angle and crashed, becoming the first human object to impact Mars.

Orbiter 19 MAY 1971

Failed · orbital failure

OKB-1

Kosmos 419

The Soviet Kosmos 419 mission, launched on May 10, 1971, was an attempt to be the first Mars orbiter. It failed in Earth orbit when the Blok D upper stage failed to ignite. The cause was a programming error: the ignition timer was set for 1.5 years instead of 1.5 hours. It re-entered the atmosphere two days later.

Orbiter 10 MAY 1971

Failed · launch failure

NASA

Mariner 8

Mariner 8 (NASA), launched on May 9, 1971, was intended to be the first spacecraft to orbit Mars. However, the mission failed catastrophically during launch. The Centaur upper stage of the Atlas-Centaur rocket suffered an uncontrolled oscillation, leading to a premature engine shutdown. The spacecraft failed to reach orbit and fell into the Atlantic Ocean.

Orbiter 9 MAY 1971

Failed · launch failure

OKB-1

Mars 1969B

The Mars 1969B mission (USSR), internally designated M-69 No.522, was an attempt to send a heavy orbiter to Mars, launched on April 2, 1969. It failed catastrophically and instantly at liftoff when a first-stage engine of the Proton-K rocket failed, causing the vehicle to crash back onto the launch pad and explode.

Orbiter 2 APR 1969

Failed · launch failure

Roscosmos

Mars 1969A (Mars 2M No. 521)

Mars 1969A (Mars 2M No. 521) was a Soviet orbiter designed to study the Martian atmosphere and surface using optical and spectrometric systems. Launched on March 27, 1969, aboard a Proton-K rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome, the mission failed 438.66 seconds into flight due to a critical failure in the third-stage engine.

Orbiter 27 MAR 1969

Planned

NASA

Aeolus

The Aeolus orbital mission (2028), structured through a public-private partnership between NASA and Relativity Space under a Space Act Agreement, will deploy the innovative DWTS radiometer to continuously map Mars' winds and three-dimensional thermal profiles. Utilizing the Terran R heavy launcher and an onboard AI data center, this meteorological mission will mitigate atmospheric density risks for future crewed landing systems following the loss of the MAVEN probe.

Orbiter Date to be confirmed

Chronology of Mars exploration

Mars 2 (Orbiter)

Kosmos 419

Mariner 8

Mars 1969B

Mars 1969A (Mars 2M No. 521)

Aeolus

Initiate Telemetry