On October 19, 2016, the Russian-European ExoMars-2016 mission is landing the Schiaparelli module on Mars. ExoMars-2016 was launched from the Baikonur space center by a Proton-M carrier rocket on March 14. The mission comprises the Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO) and the Schiaparelli landing demonstrator module. Schiaparelli will operate on the Red Planet for several days until the energy capacity of its batteries is depleted. The ExoMars 2nd stage envisages sending a Russian landing platform and a European rover to the Red Planet in 2020. The mission’s 2nd stage will focus on drilling and analyzing Martian soil.

Roughly two-thirds of all spacecraft destined for Mars have failed without completing their missions, and it has a reputation as a difficult space exploration target. Below is the brief look into the study of Mars by spacecraft.