Sources: BBC
NASA awards Lockheed Martin a contract to build a next-generation "Mars Ascent Vehicle" to return the first rock samples from Mars to Earth in the 2030s. 2022-02-8
NASA's "Perseverance" rover successfully synthesizes breathable oxygen while on the surface of Mars. This demonstrates the feasibility of locally producing oxygen for human life support and propellant production. 2021-04-22
Scientists in a paper published to "Nature Astronomy" confirm the existence of four underground saltwater lakes spread out over 75000 sqkm near Mars' south pole. Depending on their salt content, these lakes could be potential holders of life. 2020-09-28
The China National Space Administration successfully launches Tianwen-1, China's first independent interplanetary mission to Mars, from Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site in Wenchang, Hainan. The mission includes an orbiter, lander and rover, which will search for evidence of both current and past life on the planet. 2020-07-23
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries successfully launches "Hope", a United Arab Emirates space probe to Mars, from Tanegashima Space Center in Japan. It is the first mission to Mars from the Arab world. 2020-07-19
A new study finds that water on Mars may contain more oxygen than previously thought. 2018-10-25
Oort cloud Comet Siding Spring makes a close fly-by the planet Mars passing within 140,000 kilometres. 2014-10-19
A NASA spacecraft, Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, is providing new evidence of a wet underground environment on Mars that adds to an increasingly complex picture of the Red Planet's early evolution. 2013-01-20
Russia's unmanned Fobos-Grunt space probe re-enters the Earth's atmosphere after a failed mission to the Martian moon Phobos. The 13-ton spacecraft disintegrates over the southern Pacific Ocean at approximately 16:45 UTC. China's first Mars probe, Yinghuo-1, which was launched together with Fobos-Grunt, is also destroyed. 2012-01-15
A Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence Institute study suggests that the Nili Fossae area on the surface of Mars could be a good spot to search for evidence of past life on Mars. 2010-07-30