In what year did the Spirit rover land on Mars?

NASA’s Spirit rover landed on Mars in 2004.

Spirit touched down in Gusev crater at 04:35 UTC on January 4, 2004. It was one of two nearly identical Mars Exploration Rovers sent by NASA to investigate whether ancient Martian environments had once supported liquid water. Its twin, Opportunity, landed on the opposite side of Mars about three weeks later.

Spirit’s landing system used a heat shield, parachute, and airbags before the rover rolled away from its lander. The mission was planned to last only 90 Martian sols, but Spirit continued operating for years. It explored volcanic rocks, climbed into the Columbia Hills, and found geological evidence that water had altered parts of the Martian surface in the distant past.

The year 2004 is sometimes confused with Spirit’s launch year. The rover launched from Earth on June 10, 2003, aboard a Delta II rocket, but it did not arrive at Mars until January 2004. Spirit’s last communication came in March 2010 after it became trapped in soft soil and could no longer position its solar panels effectively.