Every Mars Landing Site on One Map – Where Rovers and Landers Touched Down
A list and map of every successful Mars landing site, from Viking 1 in 1976 to Perseverance and Zhurong in 2021, with links to explore each one in 3D.
Since 1971 many spacecraft have tried to land on Mars, and many failed. Here are the missions that touched down and worked on the surface, and where they are.
| Mission | Landed | Where | Explore |
|---|---|---|---|
| Viking 1 | 1976 | Chryse Planitia, 22.3° N | 3D |
| Viking 2 | 1976 | Utopia Planitia, 47.6° N | 3D |
| Mars Pathfinder and Sojourner | 1997 | Ares Vallis, 19.1° N | 3D |
| Spirit | 2004 | Gusev Crater, 14.6° S | 3D |
| Opportunity | 2004 | Meridiani Planum, 1.9° S | 3D |
| Phoenix | 2008 | Vastitas Borealis, 68.2° N | 3D |
| Curiosity | 2012 | Gale Crater, 4.6° S | 3D |
| InSight | 2018 | Elysium Planitia, 4.5° N | 3D |
| Perseverance and Ingenuity | 2021 | Jezero Crater, 18.4° N | 3D |
| Zhurong (China) | 2021 | southern Utopia Planitia |
The Soviet Mars 3 lander reached the surface in 1971, but stopped transmitting within seconds, so it is usually not counted as a working landing.
Why these places?
Landing sites are a compromise between science and safety. Engineers want low, flat, smooth ground with thick enough air to slow the spacecraft down. Scientists want places where water once flowed, or where old rocks are exposed. That is why most sites are in the northern lowlands or near the equator, and why none are on the tallest volcanoes or in the deep canyons.
All of them in one game
Every site in the table above, except Zhurong's, is a landing option in Trawers. Pick one, land at real scale and see how far it is to the next mission. Hint: much farther than it looks on a globe.