All Missions

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Mars 2 (Lander)

Part of Mars 2

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.

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Mars 2 (Orbiter)

Part of Mars 2

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.

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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.

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.

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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.

NASA

Mariner 7

NASA's Mariner 7 mission, launched in March 1969, was a resounding success. Alongside its twin, Mariner 6, it flew by Mars in August 1969, sending back 126 images. Its key discovery was determining that the southern polar cap was composed primarily of frozen CO2, not water ice, altering the scientific view of the planet.

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.

NASA

Mariner 6

Mariner 6, launched in February 1969, was a resounding NASA success. During its Mars flyby, the probe returned 75 images and crucial data. Its instruments revealed an atmosphere composed mainly of CO2, measured very low surface pressures, and, most importantly, determined the south polar cap was frozen carbon dioxide (dry ice), not water ice.

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Zond 2

Zond 2 (1964) was a failed Soviet Mars flyby mission. A mechanical failure during rocket separation prevented one solar panel from deploying, cutting power by half. This led to thermal problems and the loss of communication in May 1965. It flew past Mars silently, but was the first spacecraft to test plasma thrusters in space.

NASA

Mariner 4

Mariner 4, launched by NASA on November 28, 1964, was a monumental success. It performed the first successful flyby of Mars on July 14, 1965, returning 21 historic images. These revealed a desolate, crater-filled, Moon-like landscape with a much thinner atmosphere than expected, fundamentally altering the scientific perception of the Red Planet.

NASA

Mariner 3

Mariner 3 (1964) was NASA's first Mars flyby attempt. The launch was successful, but the fiberglass fairing protecting the probe failed to jettison. Trapped inside, the spacecraft could not deploy its solar panels. Its batteries died 8 hours later, leaving it inert in a solar orbit.

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

Sputnik 24, launched by the Soviet Union on November 4, 1962, using a Molniya 8K78 rocket, was a lander-type mission designed to study the surface and atmosphere of Mars. However, a failure in the Block L upper stage prevented it from leaving low Earth orbit, causing its re-entry and disintegration weeks later without reaching the red planet.