The following table is a partial list of artificial objects on the surface of

Mars Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun and the second-smallest planet in the Solar System, only being larger than Mercury. In the English language, Mars is named for the Roman god of war. Mars is a terrestrial planet with a thin at ...

, consisting of

spacecraft A spacecraft is a vehicle or machine designed to fly in outer space. A type of artificial satellite, spacecraft are used for a variety of purposes, including communications, Earth observation, meteorology, navigation, space colonization, ...

which were launched from Earth. Although most are defunct after having served their purpose, the ''

Curiosity Curiosity (from Latin '' cūriōsitās'', from ''cūriōsus'' "careful, diligent, curious", akin to ''cura'' "care") is a quality related to inquisitive thinking such as exploration, investigation, and learning, evident by observation in human ...

'' rover, '' Perseverance'' rover, ''Ingenuity'' helicopter, and ''Zhurong'' rover are all active. China's Tianwen-1 spacecraft is the most recent artificial object to land safely on Mars, with Mars 3 and ''Tianwen-1 remote camera'' the heaviest and lightest Martian spacecraft respectively. The table does not include smaller objects, such as springs, fragments,

parachute A parachute is a device used to slow the motion of an object through an atmosphere by creating drag or, in a ram-air parachute, aerodynamic lift. A major application is to support people, for recreation or as a safety device for aviators, w ...

s and

heat shield In thermodynamics, heat is defined as the form of energy crossing the boundary of a thermodynamic system by virtue of a temperature difference across the boundary. A thermodynamic system does not ''contain'' heat. Nevertheless, the term is al ...

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

List of landers and vehicles

In this listing, it is implied that each mission left debris according to its design. For example, the ''Schiaparelli'' EDM lander likely exploded on impact, creating an unknown number of fragments at one location. At another location, there may be a lower heat shield, and at another location, a parachute and upper heat shield. Another example is the

counterweight A counterweight is a weight that, by applying an opposite force, provides balance and stability of a mechanical system. The purpose of a counterweight is to make lifting the load faster and more efficient, which saves energy and causes less we ...

s ejected by MSL during its descent. In some cases, the nature and location of this additional debris has been determined and, in other cases, even the location of the main spacecraft has remained unknown. The identification of ''Beagle 2'' after 11 years is one of the greatest breakthroughs yet, since prior to that, it could not be confirmed what had happened. Spacecraft that have not been precisely located include ''Mars 2'', ''Mars 3'', ''Mars 6'', Mars Polar Lander, and the two Deep Space 2 probes. Combined, the total weight would be 9470 kg.

Other objects

*Orbiters whose orbit could eventually decay and impact the surface, include: ''

Viking 1 ''Viking 1'' was the first of two spacecraft, along with '' Viking 2'', each consisting of an orbiter and a lander, sent to Mars as part of NASA's Viking program. The lander touched down on Mars on July 20, 1976, the first successful Mars la ...

'' and ''

Viking 2 The ''Viking 2'' mission was part of the American Viking program to Mars, and consisted of an orbiter and a lander essentially identical to that of the ''Viking 1'' mission. ''Viking 2'' was operational on Mars for sols ( days; '). The ''Vi ...

'' orbiters, '' Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter'', ''

2001 Mars Odyssey ''2001 Mars Odyssey'' is a robotic spacecraft orbiting the planet Mars. The project was developed by NASA, and contracted out to Lockheed Martin, with an expected cost for the entire mission of US$297 million. Its mission is to use ...

'', ''

Mars Express ''Mars Express'' is a space exploration mission being conducted by the European Space Agency (ESA). The ''Mars Express'' mission is exploring the planet Mars, and is the first planetary mission attempted by the agency. "Express" originally ref ...

'', ''

Mars Global Surveyor ''Mars Global Surveyor'' (MGS) was an American robotic space probe developed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory and launched November 1996. MGS was a global mapping mission that examined the entire planet, from the ionosphere down through t ...

'', Phobos 2, Mars 2, Mars 3, and Mars 5 orbiters, and

Mariner 9 Mariner 9 (Mariner Mars '71 / Mariner-I) was a robotic spacecraft that contributed greatly to the exploration of Mars and was part of the NASA Mariner program. Mariner 9 was launched toward Mars on May 30, 1971 from LC-36B at Cape Canaveral A ...

. (See also

List of Mars orbiters The following table is a list of Mars orbiters, consisting of space probes which were launched from Earth and are currently orbiting Mars. As of February 2021, there have been 18 spacecraft missions operating in Mars' orbit, 8 of which are cu ...

) *The fate of ''

Mars Climate Orbiter The ''Mars Climate Orbiter'' (formerly the Mars Surveyor '98 Orbiter) was a robotic space probe launched by NASA on December 11, 1998, to study the Martian climate, Martian atmosphere, and surface changes and to act as the communications re ...

'' (1999) is unknown, but it is thought to have burnt up in the atmosphere before impacting. *

, which entered Mars orbit in 1971, is expected to remain in orbit until approximately 2022, when the spacecraft is projected to enter the Martian atmosphere and either burn up or crash into the planet's surface.

Gallery

From surface

PIA05117 Empty Nest.jpg, MER-A ''Spirit'' rover lander Opportunity heat shield Sol335B P2364 L456-B339R1.jpg, MER-B ''Opportunity''s heat shield PIA20844-MarsCuriosityRover-SelfPortrait-Sol1466-20160920.jpg, MSL ''Curiosity'' self-portrait, 2016

From orbit

PSP 001521 2025 RED VL-1 lander.png, ''Viking 1'' lander in 2006 (HiRise) PSP 001501 2280 RED VL-2 lander.png, ''Viking 2'' lander in 2006 (HiRise) Phoenix Lander from HiRISE.JPG, ''Phoenix'' lander and heat-shield in 2009 (HiRise) MPT Hardware on the Surface MRO picture.jpg, ''Mars Pathfinder'' seen from space by the MRO

HiRISE High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment is a camera on board the '' Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter'' which has been orbiting and studying Mars since 2006. The 65 kg (143 lb), US$40 million instrument was built under the direction ...

Oppland02a.jpg, MER-B ''Opportunity'' lander in Eagle crater (2006) PIA19107-Beagle2-Found-MRO-20140629.jpg, ''Beagle 2'', after 11 years found and showing that it made it to the surface but did not expand fully to transmit PIA15696-HiRISE-MSL-Sol11 2 -br2.jpg, ''Curiosity'' landing remnants PIA21131 - Closer Look at Schiaparelli Impact Site on Mars.jpg, ''Schiaparelli'' remnants (2016)

Landing site namings and memorials

Several landing sites have been named, either the spacecraft itself or the landing site: * Pennants of Soviet Union on Mars 2 and Mars 3 landers (1971). * Thomas Mutch Memorial Station, the ''

'' lander (1976). * Gerald Soffen Memorial Station, the ''

'' lander (1976). * Carl Sagan Memorial Station,

Mars Pathfinder ''Mars Pathfinder'' (''MESUR Pathfinder'') is an American robotic spacecraft that landed a base station with a roving probe on Mars in 1997. It consisted of a lander, renamed the Carl Sagan Memorial Station, and a lightweight, wheeled robot ...

(''

Sojourner A sojourner is a person who resides temporarily in a place. Sojourner may also refer to: *Sojourner Truth (1797–1883), abolitionist and women's rights activist *Albert Sojourner (1872–1951), member of the Mississippi House of Representatives ...

'') base (1997). * ''Challenger'' Memorial Station,

MER-B ''Opportunity'', also known as MER-B (Mars Exploration Rover – B) or MER-1, is a robotic rover that was active on Mars from 2004 until 2018. ''Opportunity'' was operational on Mars for sols (). Launched on July 7, 2003, as part of NASA's ...

(''

Opportunity Opportunity may refer to: Places * Opportunity, Montana, an unincorporated community, United States * Opportunity, Nebraska, an unincorporated community, United States * Opportunity, Washington, a former census-designated place, United States * ...

'') landing site area (2004). * ''Columbia'' Memorial Station,

MER-A ''Spirit'', also known as MER-A (Mars Exploration Rover – A) or MER-2, is a Mars robotic rover, active from 2004 to 2010. ''Spirit'' was operational on Mars for sols or 3.3 Martian years ( days; '). It was one of two rovers of NASA's Ma ...

('' Spirit'') landing site area (2004). * Green Valley, the '' Phoenix'' lander (2008). *

Bradbury Landing Bradbury Landing is the August 6, 2012, landing site within Gale crater on planet Mars of the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) ''Curiosity'' rover. On August 22, 2012, on what would have been his 92nd birthday, NASA named the site for author Ra ...

, ''Curiosity'' rover landing site (August 6, 2012). (Note: Due to the nature of the landing system, there is no actual space hardware at the touchdown location of Bradbury Landing, see ''Curiosity'' (rover)) * InSight Landing, the ''

InSight Insight is the understanding of a specific cause and effect within a particular context. The term insight can have several related meanings: *a piece of information *the act or result of understanding the inner nature of things or of seeing intui ...

'' lander (2018) * Octavia E. Butler Landing, ''Perseverance'' rover and ''Ingenuity'' helicopter landing site (February 18, 2021) *

Wright Brothers Field ''Ingenuity,'' nicknamed ''Ginny,'' is a small robotic helicopter operating on Mars as part of NASA's Mars 2020 mission along with the ''Perseverance'' rover, which landed with ''Ingenuity'' attached to its underside on February 18, 2021 ...

, the initial take-off and landing site for the ''Ingenuity'' helicopter, used for five flights (April, May, 2021)

References

{{Portal bar, Solar System * Artificial objects on Mars Artificial objects on Mars