Mars rover

A Mars rover is a remote-controlled motor vehicle designed to travel on the surface of Mars. Rovers have several advantages over stationary landers: they can examine more territory, move to interesting features, position themselves to get sunlight during winter, and help scientists learn how to control robots from far away. Unlike orbital spacecraft such as the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, rovers can get up close to the Martian ground.

As of March 20, 2026, several rovers have explored Mars. The first five were managed by the American NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory: Sojourner landed in 1997, Spirit and Opportunity in 2004, Curiosity in 2012, and Perseverance in 2021. The sixth rover, Zhurong, was managed by the China National Space Administration and landed in 2021. These rovers have helped scientists search for signs of ancient water and possible life on Mars.

Rovers like Opportunity, Spirit, and Curiosity can operate on their own, while others have needed support from a base station. Today, Curiosity is still active, continuing to explore the Martian surface and send back valuable information about our neighboring planet.

Missions

See also: List of missions to Mars

NASA has sent several rovers to Mars to explore the planet. The Curiosity rover landed in 2012 and is still working. The Perseverance rover landed in 2021 and is also still active. Earlier rovers like Sojourner, Spirit, and Opportunity completed their missions in the past.

Other countries have planned rovers for future missions, including Europe's Rosalind Franklin rover and India's proposed Mars rover for 2030.

Timeline of rover surface operations

The timeline of rover surface operations shows the important events and milestones in the missions of rovers on Mars. Each rover, such as Spirit, Opportunity, Curiosity, and Perseverance, has contributed to our understanding of the Red Planet by exploring different areas and collecting valuable data.

These rovers have traveled long distances, examined interesting geological features, and helped scientists learn more about Mars' past and present. Their missions have advanced our knowledge of how to control robots from very far away and have inspired future explorations of other worlds.

Examples of instruments

Mars rovers carry many special tools to study the planet. Some of these tools include the Alpha particle X-ray spectrometer, which helps identify rocks, and the Hazcam, which takes pictures to help the rover see its surroundings.

Other important instruments are the Mastcam-Z, which captures colorful images, and MOXIE, which tests making oxygen from Mars's air. These tools help scientists learn about Mars and what it is made of.

NASA Mars rover goals

NASA set specific goals for its Mars rover program in the 2010s. These goals were split into two types: mission objectives, which focused on advancing space technology, and science objectives, which were achieved by the instruments on the rovers during their missions.

The main science goal for the Spirit and Opportunity rovers was to study the history of water on Mars. NASA's long-term Mars Exploration Program had four key science goals: to find out if life ever existed on Mars, to study the planet's climate, to understand its geology, and to prepare for future human exploration of Mars.

Main article: Mars Exploration Program
Further information: Human exploration of Mars