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NASA's Perseverance rover, China's Tianwen-1 orbiter and rover, and the United Arab Emirates' Hope orbiter all arrived at Mars this February. This page is your home for news, arrival times, resource guides, and ways you can support Mars exploration with The Planetary Society.
Bookmark this page: planetary.org/mars2021
Hope: Success! Hope entered Mars orbit on 9 February.
Tianwen-1: Success! Tianwen-1 entered Mars orbit on 10 February. The rover is still attached and will not land until May or June.
Perseverance landing: Success! Perseverance landed in Jezero crater on 18 February 2021.
Mission Guides
Mars Guides
NASA's Perseverance rover will collect samples that will be returned to Earth in 2031. Getting them back will require the most ambitious Mars missions in history and require sustained public support to succeed.
Mars Sample Return, an international project to bring Mars to Earth
Despite advances in space technology, certain science questions, including whether or not a Mars rock contains signs of ancient life, can only be answered in Earth-based laboratories.
Sounds from Mars
What does Mars sound like? Two microphones aboard NASA's Perseverance rover will find out. Learn about the crowdfunded microphone we flew to Mars in 1999 that began with a proposal to NASA by our co-founder Carl Sagan.
Why did Perseverance, Tianwen-1, and Hope all launch around the same time?
Mars launches are scheduled when Earth and Mars are closest to each other, allowing mission planners to minimize the rocket energy required and maximize the weight of their spacecraft. It takes almost twice as long for Mars to orbit the Sun than Earth—365 days versus 687 days—which means Earth and Mars will be closest roughly every 2 years.
This was the first time 3 different countries have launched during the same opportunity. Launch periods differ for each mission, but typically last just a few weeks.
How do you get to Mars? This video shows how to launch a spacecraft to Mars, including why launch opportunities occur roughly every 2 years. Credit: NASA/JPL
Planetary Radio
Mastcam-Z Stories
The Planetary Society is an education and outreach partner for the Mastcam-Z instrument on NASA's Perseverance rover. We feature personal stories from the team sending this cutting-edge camera system to Mars.
How You Can Support Perseverance, Tianwen-1, and Hope
Planetary Society co-founder Carl Sagan once said that when you’re in love, you want to tell the world. Space missions like Perseverance, Tianwen-1, and Hope are dependent upon sustained public enthusiasm from people like you. You know your audience best; we've got tools to help.
Tell the world
Send this page to others using the short URL planetary.org/mars2021
Share pretty pictures of Mars, Perseverance, Tianwen-1, and Hope
Learn more
Stay up to date on Perseverance, Tianwen-1, Hope, and other missions by signing up for The Downlink, our weekly newsletter
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Action Center
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