Mars rover

Rovers have several advantages over stationary landers: they examine more territory, they can be directed to interesting features, they can place themselves in sunny positions to weather winter months, and they can advance the knowledge of how to perform very remote robotic vehicle control.

As of May 2021[update], there have been six successful robotically operated Mars rovers; the first five, managed by the American NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, were (by date of Mars landing): Sojourner (1997), Spirit (2004–2010), Opportunity (2004–2018), Curiosity (2012–present), and Perseverance (2021–present).

[1][2][3][4][5] The search for evidence of habitability, taphonomy (related to fossils), and organic carbon on Mars is now a primary NASA objective.

As of November 2023, Curiosity is still active, while Spirit, Opportunity, and Sojourner completed their missions before losing contact.

The primary goal of the Spirit and Opportunity rovers was to investigate "the history of water on Mars".

NASA's Curiosity rover, selfie , 2015
Rover and lander captured by HiRISE from NASA's MRO on June 6, 2021
Zhurong rover and lander captured by HiRISE from NASA 's MRO on 6 June 2021
Sojourner disembarks Mars Pathfinder base station lander on the surface of planet Mars
Curiosity's (MSL) rover "hand" featuring a suite of instruments on a rotating "wrist". Mount Sharp is in the background (September 8, 2012).
Opportunity ' s first self-portrait including the camera mast on Mars
(February 14−20, 2018 / sols 4998−5004). It was taken with its microscopic imager instrument.
Map of Mars
Interactive image map of the global topography of Mars , overlaid with the position of Martian rovers and landers . Coloring of the base map indicates relative elevations of Martian surface.
Clickable image: Clicking on the labels will open a new article.
( Active • Inactive • Planned)
Mars Landing Sites (December 16, 2020)
Comparison of the distances travelled by various Mars rovers