Viking 1
Mission overview
Viking 1 delivered the first spacecraft to operate successfully on the surface of Mars and returned the first images from the Martian surface.
Mission data
Identity and engineering data from Wikidata (type-verified match · Q210199) · launch date 1975-08-20 confirmed
| Operator | National Aeronautics and Space Administration | Wikidata · catalogued |
| Launch mass | 3,527 kg | Wikidata · catalogued |
Full field-level provenance
- Operator: Wikidata (Wikimedia Foundation) — community-curated structured knowledge base · Wikidata · wdt · P137 · catalogued value · retrieved 2026-07-11
- Launch mass: Wikidata (Wikimedia Foundation) — community-curated structured knowledge base · Wikidata · wdt · P2067 · catalogued value · retrieved 2026-07-11
Sourced from Wikidata (community-maintained structured data, whose statements link to their own citations where provided); each value carries its Wikidata QID. A field with conflicting Wikidata values is omitted. Launch date is used only to cross-check the catalogue, never to override it. Fields Wikidata did not provide, or where conflicting values exist, are omitted, never invented.
Outcome & discoveries
Operated on Mars for over six years; its biology experiments searched for signs of life.
- ★First images from the surface of Mars
- ★Detailed analysis of Martian soil and atmosphere
Mission profile
Knowledge connections
- Target ofMars
- Operated byNASA
- Part of programViking program
- Mission targetMars
- Associated withViking 1 Lands on Mars
- Associated withFirst Successful Mars Landing
Related missions
| Mission | Type | Agency | Launch | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Viking 2Mars | Orbiter and lander | NASA | 1975-09-09 | Completed |
Sources
The primary and reference sources this topic draws on.
- NASANational Aeronautics and Space Administration
Mission data, planetary science, space telescopes, and public-domain imagery.
Most NASA-produced imagery is in the public domain; individual items are checked for usage terms before publication.