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Every Mission to Mars in One Visualization

Published

10 months ago

on

chart showing ever mission to mars ever attempted

Timeline: A Historical Look at Every Mission to Mars

Within our Solar System, Mars is one of the most similar planets to Earthโ€”both have rocky landscapes, solid outer crusts, and cores made of molten rock.

Because of its similarities to Earth and proximity, humanity has been fascinated by Mars for centuries. In fact, itโ€™s one of the most explored objects in our Solar System.

But just how many missions to Mars have we embarked on, and which of these journeys have been successful? This graphic by Jonathan Letourneau shows a timeline of every mission to Mars since 1960 using NASA’s historical data.

A Timeline of Mars Explorations

According to a historical log from NASA, there have been 48 missions to Mars over the last 60 years. Hereโ€™s a breakdown of each mission, and whether or not they were successful:

#LaunchNameCountryResult
11960Korabl 4USSR (flyby)Failure
21960Korabl 5USSR (flyby)Failure
31962Korabl 11USSR (flyby)Failure
41962Mars 1USSR (flyby)Failure
51962Korabl 13USSR (flyby)Failure
61964Mariner 3US (flyby)Failure
71964Mariner 4US (flyby)Success
81964Zond 2USSR (flyby)Failure
91969Mars 1969AUSSRFailure
101969Mars 1969BUSSRFailure
111969Mariner 6US (flyby)Success
121969Mariner 7US (flyby)Success
131971Mariner 8USFailure
141971Kosmos 419USSRFailure
151971Mars 2 Orbiter/LanderUSSRFailure
161971Mars 3 Orbiter/LanderUSSRSuccess/Failure
171971Mariner 9USSuccess
181973Mars 4USSRFailure
191973Mars 5USSRSuccess
201973Mars 6 Orbiter/LanderUSSRSuccess/Failure
211973Mars 7 LanderUSSRFailure
221975Viking 1 Orbiter/LanderUSSuccess
231975Viking 2 Orbiter/LanderUSSuccess
241988Phobos 1 OrbiterUSSRFailure
251988Phobos 2 Orbiter/LanderUSSRFailure
261992Mars ObserverUSFailure
271996Mars Global SurveyorUSSuccess
281996Mars 96RussiaFailure
291996Mars PathfinderUSSuccess
301998NozomiJapanFailure
311998Mars Climate OrbiterUSFailure
321999Mars Polar LanderUSFailure
331999Deep Space 2 Probes (2)USFailure
342001Mars OdysseyUSSuccess
352003Mars Express Orbiter/Beagle 2 LanderESASuccess/Failure
362003Mars Exploration Rover - SpiritUSSuccess
372003Mars Exploration Rover - OpportunityUSSuccess
382005Mars Reconnaissance OrbiterUSSuccess
392007Phoenix Mars LanderUSSuccess
402011Mars Science LaboratoryUSSuccess
412011Phobos-Grunt/Yinghuo-1Russia/ChinaFailure
422013Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutionUSSuccess
432013Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM)IndiaSuccess
442016ExoMars Orbiter/Schiaparelli EDL Demo LanderESA/RussiaSuccess/Failure
452018Mars InSight LanderUSSuccess
462020Hope OrbiterUAESuccess
472020Tianwen-1 Orbiter/Zhurong RoverChinaSuccess
482020Mars 2020 Perseverance RoverUSSuccess

The first mission to Mars was attempted by the Soviets in 1960, with the launch of Korabl 4, also known as Mars 1960A.

As the table above shows, the voyage was unsuccessful. The spacecraft made it 120 km into the air, but its third-stage pumps didnโ€™t generate enough momentum for it to stay in Earthโ€™s orbit.

For the next few years, several more unsuccessful Mars missions were attempted by the USSR and then NASA. Then, in 1964, history was made when NASA launched the Mariner 4 and completed the first-ever successful trip to Mars.

The Mariner 4 didnโ€™t actually land on the planet, but the spacecraft flew by Mars and was able to capture photos, which gave us an up-close glimpse at the planetโ€™s rocky surface.

Then on July 20, 1976, NASA made history again when its spacecraft called Viking 1 touched down on Marsโ€™ surface, making it the first space agency to complete a successful Mars landing. Viking 1 captured panoramic images of the planetโ€™s terrain, and also enabled scientists to monitor the planet’s weather.

Vacation to Mars, Anyone?

To date, all Mars landings have been done without crews, but NASA is planning to send humans to Mars by the late 2030s.

And itโ€™s not just government agencies that are planning missions to Marsโ€”a number of private companies are getting involved, too. Elon Musk’s aerospace company SpaceX has a long-term plan to build an entire city on Mars.

Two other aerospace startups, Impulse and Relativity, also announced an unmanned joint mission to Mars in July 2022, with hopes it could be ready as soon as 2024.

As more players are added to the mix, the pressure is on to be the first company or agency to truly make it to Mars. If (or when) we reach that point, what’s next is anyone’s guess.

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This article was published as a part of Visual Capitalist's Creator Program, which features data-driven visuals from some of our favorite Creators around the world.

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Technology

All of the World’s Spaceports on One Map

This map is a comprehensive look at both existing and proposed spaceports and missile launching locations around the world.

Published

8 months ago

on

October 18, 2022

By

Mapped: The World’s Rocket Launch Sites

From Sputnik 1 to today’s massive satellite constellations, every object in space was launched from just a handful of locations.

The map above, from BryceTech, is a comprehensive look at the world’s spaceports (both orbital and sub-orbital) as well as ballistic missile test sites.

โ„น๏ธ In sub-orbital spaceflight, a spacecraft reaches outer space, but it doesn’t complete an orbital revolution or reach escape velocity. In orbital spaceflight, a spacecraft remains in space for at least one orbit.

The World’s Major Spaceports

Though the graphic above is a detailed list of many types of rocket launch sites, we’ll focus on major sites that are sending satellites and passengers into sub-orbit, orbit, and beyond.

Launch FacilityLocationCountry
Cape Canaveral Space Force StationFlorida๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ U.S.
Cape Canaveral SpaceportFlorida๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ U.S.
Kennedy Space CenterFlorida๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ U.S.
Cecil Field SpaceportFlorida๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ U.S.
Colorado Air & Space PortColorado๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ U.S.
Vandenberg Air Force BaseCalifornia๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ U.S.
Mojave Air and Space PortCalifornia๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ U.S.
Oklahoma Air & Space PortOklahoma๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ U.S.
Poker Flat Research RangeAlaska๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ U.S.
Pacific Spaceport ComplexAlaska๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ U.S.
Spaceport AmericaNew Mexico๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ U.S.
Launch Site One (Corn Ranch)Texas๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ U.S.
Houston SpaceportTexas๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ U.S.
Midland Air & Space PortTexas๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ U.S.
SpaceX Development and Test FacilityTexas๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ U.S.
SpaceX StarbaseTexas๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ U.S.
Spaceport CamdenGeorgia๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ U.S.
Mid-Atlantic Regional SpaceportVirginia๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ U.S.
Wallops Flight FacilityVirginia๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ U.S.
Reagan Test SiteKwajalein Atoll๐Ÿ‡ฒ๐Ÿ‡ญ Marshall Islands
Naro Space CenterOuter Naro Island๐Ÿ‡ฐ๐Ÿ‡ท South Korea
Sohae Satellite Launching StationNorth Pyongan Province๐Ÿ‡ฐ๐Ÿ‡ต North Korea
Kapustin YarAstrakhan Oblast๐Ÿ‡ท๐Ÿ‡บ Russia
Plesetsk CosmodromeArkhangelsk Oblast๐Ÿ‡ท๐Ÿ‡บ Russia
Vostochny CosmodromeAmur Oblast๐Ÿ‡ท๐Ÿ‡บ Russia
Yasny Launch BaseOrenburg Oblast๐Ÿ‡ท๐Ÿ‡บ Russia
Arnhem Space CentreNorthern Territory๐Ÿ‡ฆ๐Ÿ‡บ Australia
Whalers Way Orbital Launch ComplexSouth Australia๐Ÿ‡ฆ๐Ÿ‡บ Australia
Koonibba Test RangeSouth Australia๐Ÿ‡ฆ๐Ÿ‡บ Australia
Bowen Orbital Spaceport Queensland ๐Ÿ‡ฆ๐Ÿ‡บ Australia
Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1Wairoa District๐Ÿ‡ณ๐Ÿ‡ฟ New Zealand
Baikonur CosmodromeBaikonur๐Ÿ‡ฐ๐Ÿ‡ฟ Kazakhstan
Space Port OitaลŒita๐Ÿ‡ฏ๐Ÿ‡ต Japan
Tanegashima Space CenterKagoshima๐Ÿ‡ฏ๐Ÿ‡ต Japan
Uchinoura Space CenterKagoshima๐Ÿ‡ฏ๐Ÿ‡ต Japan
Taiki Aerospace Research FieldHokkaido๐Ÿ‡ฏ๐Ÿ‡ต Japan
Hokkaido SpaceportHokkaido๐Ÿ‡ฏ๐Ÿ‡ต Japan
Ryori Launch SiteIwate๐Ÿ‡ฏ๐Ÿ‡ต Japan
Sonmiani Satellite Launch CenterBalochistan๐Ÿ‡ต๐Ÿ‡ฐ Pakistan
Integrated Test RangeOdisha๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡ณ India
Thumba Equatorial Rocket Launching StationKerala๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡ณ India
Satish Dhawan Space CentreSriharikota๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡ณ India
Guiana Space CentreKourou๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ซ French Guiana
Barreira do Inferno Launch CenterRio Grande do Norte๐Ÿ‡ง๐Ÿ‡ท Brazil
Alcรขntara Space CenterMaranhรฃo๐Ÿ‡ง๐Ÿ‡ท Brazil
Stasiun Peluncuran RoketWest Java๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡ฉ Indonesia
Jiuquan Satellite Launch CenterGansu Province๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ณ China
Taiyuan Satellite Launch CenterShanxi Province๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ณ China
Wenchang Spacecraft Launch SiteHainan Province๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ณ China
Xichang Satellite Launch CenterSichuan Province๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ณ China
Palmachim AirbaseCentral District๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡ฑ Israel
Imam Khomeini Space Launch TerminalSemnan๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡ท Iran
Qom Lauch FacilityQom๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡ท Iran
El Arenosillo Test CentreHuelva๐Ÿ‡ช๐Ÿ‡ธ Spain
Spaceport SwedenLapland๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ช Sweden
Esrange Space CenterLapland๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ช Sweden
Andรธya SpaceNordland๐Ÿ‡ณ๐Ÿ‡ด Norway
SaxaVord SpaceportShetland Islands๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ง UK
Sutherland SpaceportSutherland๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ง UK
Western Isles SpaceportOuter Hebrides๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ง UK
Spaceport MachrihanishCampbeltown๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ง UK
Prestwick SpaceportGlasgow๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ง UK
Snowdonia SpaceportNorth West Wales๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ง UK
Spaceport CornwallCornwall๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ง UK
Orbex LP1Moray๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ง UK
Spaceport Nova ScotiaNova Scotia๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ฆ Canada

Editor’s note: The above table includes all sites that are operational, as well as under construction, as of publishing date.

The list above covers fixed locations, and does not include SpaceX’s autonomous spaceport drone ships. There are currently three active drone shipsโ€”one based near Los Angeles, and the other two based at Port Canaveral, Florida.

Two of the most famous launch sites on the list are the Baikonur Cosmodrome (Kazakhstan) and Cape Canaveral (United States). The former was constructed as the base of operations for the Soviet space program and was the launch point for Earth’s first artificial satellite, Sputnik 1. The latter was NASA’s primary base of operations and the first lunar-landing flight was launched from there in 1969.

The global roster of spaceports has grown immensely since Baikonur and Cape Canaveral were the only game in town. Now numerous countries have the ability to launch satellites, and many more are getting in on the action.

Wenchang Space Launch Site, on the island of Hainan, is China’s newest launch location. The site recorded its first successful launch in 2016.

Location, Location

One interesting quirk of the map above is the lack of spaceports in Europe. Europe’s ambitions for space are actually launched from the Guiana Space Centre in South America. Europe’s Spaceport has been operating in French Guiana since 1968.

Low altitude launch locations near the equator are the most desirable, as far less energy is required to take a spacecraft from surface level to an equatorial, geostationary orbit.

Islands and coastal areas are also common locations for launch sites. Since the open waters aren’t inhabited, there is minimal risk of harm from debris in the event of a launch failure.

As demand for satellites and space exploration grows, the number of launch locations will continue to grow as well.

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