Mars Science Laboratory (MSL), an ambitious new-generation rover, will crisscross the surface of Mars for at least two years, an endurance record for Mars landers. The device will determine whether the Martian soil offers a hospitable environment for any form of life, past or present. MSL will pave the way for a mission, planned by 2014, that will bring back samples from Mars.

The Phoenix mission, organized by NASA in partnership with Canada, the academic world and the aerospace industry, will analyse the soil in the Mars' high latitudes to document the planet's geological history and seek possible signs of life. Phoenix will also study climate change, the geological past and the traces left by water on the Red Planet, and will try to determine whether the soil has ever been able to support life.

The next Martian mission is the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, which will photograph the Martian surface with a high-resolution camera. Detail will be so clear that the device will be able to detect an object the size of a tennis ball. The orbiter will focus on the search for signs of the presence of water on the sites spotted during previous missions.

When it comes to Mars exploration, Spirit and Opportunity are the stars right now. NASA's two rovers both landed on Mars successfully in early 2004 and are sending back to Earth excellent data on soil composition and topography. At its landing site on Meridiani Planum, Opportunity confirmed that there had once been liquid water in the region. Some time later, on the other side of the planet, Spirit analyzed a volcanic rock in Gusev Crater and confirmed that there too are traces of past water.

Mars Express, a European probe, reached the planet in December 2003 and is to remain in Mars orbit for at least one Martian year–that is, 687 Earth days–to gather data on the Martian atmosphere and its interaction with the solar wind. It will also produce images of the surface. Mars Express had on board a lander called Beagle 2; however, contact with Beagle was lost as it entered the Martian atmosphere. Despite this failure, the orbiting probe is continuing its mission and is serving as a communications relay between the Earth and NASA's two rovers, Spirit and Opportunity.

Mars Odyssey, which was launched by NASA, is in orbit around Mars and is studying the chemical and mineral composition of the planet's surface. Mars Odyssey also makes possible the study of climate change on Mars.

Nozomi was Canada's first involvement in a mission to another planet and marked the beginning of a new era for Canadian space exploration. There was a Canadian instrument aboard this Japanese satellite, launched on July 3, 1998: the Thermal Plasma Analyser (TPA), whose mission was to study the Martian atmosphere and its interaction with the solar wind. The satellite had a difficult journey and a number of unforeseen occurrences; on December 10, 2003, Japanese officials announced that they had been unable to place Nozomi in orbit around Mars. Despite the cancellation of the mission, significant advances have been made thanks to the data that were gathered as the satellite made its way toward Mars. In addition, the TPA technology can also be used to study other planetary atmospheres, like that of Venus and Earth.

Launched by NASA, Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) is designed to map the Martian surface from space. The orbiter has been able to confirm the presence of a magnetosphere around Mars and still today is sending back valuable data that allow scientists to better define the composition of the Martian atmosphere.