Mars Express: Pioneering Two Decades of European Science and Exploration of Mars

This article collection celebrates 20 years since the launch of ESA's Mars Express.

Since beginning science operations in 2004, Mars Express has provided breathtaking views of Mars in three dimensions. It has provided the most complete map of the chemical composition of the atmosphere, studied Mars’s innermost moon Phobos in unprecedented detail, and traced the history of water across the globe, demonstrating that Mars once harboured environmental conditions that may have been suitable for life.