Soviet and Russian Mars Programme
The Soviet and Russian Mars programme — robotic missions to Mars and its moon Phobos, 1960–2011. Of its 19 launches, 9 failed to leave Earth or its orbit. It achieved the first flyby of Mars (Mars 1, by then silent), the first object to reach its surface (Mars 2), the first soft landing (Mars 3) and the first data from inside its atmosphere (Mars 6).
Key facts
Mission & specifications
Mission
- Operator
- OKB-1 / Lavochkin (USSR / Russia)
- Launched
- October 10, 1960
- Status
- Completed
Trajectory
- Distance from the Sun
- 1.58 AU
- Computed from the cached position
- Distance from Earth
- 1.58 AU
- Computed from cached positions
- Distance from Mars
- 3,494,120 km
- Computed from cached positions
Mission
The Soviet Union began trying to reach Mars in 1960, and Russia continued after it. Between October 1960 and November 2011 there were 19 launches, counting Zond 2 of 1964. Nine of them never left Earth or its orbit — those left in orbit were given Sputnik or Kosmos names — and several more fell silent on the way. The firsts are real all the same. Mars 1 was the first spacecraft to fly past Mars, though silent by then. Mars 2 put the first human-made object on its surface, and Mars 3 made the first soft landing, sending a signal for about 14.5 seconds. Mars 5 photographed signs of ancient flowing water, Mars 6 sent the first data from inside the Martian atmosphere, and Phobos 2 took close-up pictures of Mars's moon Phobos. The last two missions, Mars 96 and Phobos-Grunt, were lost in Earth orbit. The timeline lists every launch, with its date and what happened.
- 1960Mars 1960A (Marsnik 1)Launch
Its rocket veered off course and was shut down; it reached 120 km and fell in eastern Siberia. Some of those involved have said only the second 1960 launch was aimed at Mars.
- 1960Mars 1960B (Marsnik 2)Launch
Its third stage failed to ignite, probably because frozen kerosene could not reach the pump, and it fell back to Earth.
- 1962Sputnik 22Launch
A flyby attempt that broke up as it reached, or tried to leave, Earth orbit; during the Cuban missile crisis its debris was briefly feared to be a missile attack.
The first spacecraft to fly past Mars, though silent by then.
- 1962Sputnik 24Launch
An attempted lander, stranded in Earth orbit when its upper stage failed.
A flyby probe that tested electric thrusters on the way; contact was lost before it arrived, and it passed Mars on 6 August 1965 — at 1,500 km according to NSSDCA, 650,000 km according to Beyond Earth.
- 1969Mars 1969ALaunch
A planned orbiter: its rocket's third stage caught fire and exploded, and the wreckage fell in the Altai mountains.
- 1969Mars 1969BLaunch
Its twin: a first-stage engine exploded at liftoff and the rocket crashed about 3 km from the pad.
- 1971Kosmos 419Launch
An orbiter meant to be the first at Mars; its upper-stage timer was set for 1.5 years instead of 1.5 hours, and it re-entered two days later.
The first human-made object to reach the surface of Mars, and an orbiter.
The first soft landing on Mars; its lander fell silent after about 14.5 seconds.
An orbiter that flew past instead, detecting the night-side ionosphere.
The only orbiter of 1973 to reach Mars orbit; it worked for about two weeks.
The first data from inside the atmosphere of Mars.
Its lander missed the planet by 1,300 km.
Lost on the way to Mars after a wrong command.
Orbited Mars and photographed Phobos, then fell silent.
Russia's first Mars mission; it re-entered the next day.
A Phobos sample return stranded in Earth orbit, with China's Yinghuo-1.
Images
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