Originally designed for a 90-day mission, Opportunity operated for nearly 15 years, traveling over 45 km across the Martian surface before a global dust storm ended its mission in 2018.
Launch Date
Jul 7, 2003
202 day transit
Landing Date
Jan 25, 2004
8,098 days on Mars
Total Photos
198,439
5 cameras
Max Sol
5,111
Martian days
Status
Complete
Mission ended
Opportunity was one of NASA's twin Mars Exploration Rovers, landing on Meridiani Planum on January 25, 2004. Designed for a 90-day mission, it became one of the longest-running Mars surface operations in history, lasting nearly 15 years. Opportunity traveled over 45.16 kilometers -- a record for any off-Earth wheeled vehicle. Among its most significant discoveries was finding mineral evidence (hematite "blueberries" and sulfate-rich rocks) confirming that liquid water once flowed across the Martian surface. The rover explored multiple craters including Eagle, Endurance, Victoria, and Endeavour. Its mission ended in June 2018 when a planet-encircling dust storm blocked sunlight from its solar panels, and NASA declared the mission complete on February 13, 2019.
Launch
July 7, 2003
Launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida
Mars Landing
January 25, 2004
After 202 days in transit
Mission End
Sol 5,111
Operated for 5,111 Martian days
FHAZ
Front Hazard Avoidance Camera
RHAZ
Rear Hazard Avoidance Camera
NAVCAM
Navigation Camera
PANCAM
Panoramic Camera
MINITES
Miniature Thermal Emission Spectrometer
Latest Martian days with available photos.
No recent photos available.