A History of Mars Missions

At 14:48 (GMT) today, the European Space Agency lander 'Schiaparelli' is due to touch down on Mars. Should all go to plan, this would mark the first successful non-NASA surface mission to mars. As the Statista infographic below shows, since the first mission in 1960 - a failed attempt by the USSR - the majority have not been successful. The USA has up to now had the most joy in its endeavours to the Red Planet. While scientific tests will be carried out by Schiaparelli on the surface of the planet, the main purpose of the mission is to act as a test-run or 'demonstrator' for part two of the ExoMars mission - a rover due to launch in 2020.