The Delta II rocket family launched the Mars Pathfinder mission in 1996.
Mars Pathfinder lifted off from Cape Canaveral on 4 December 1996 aboard a Delta II 7925. The mission reached Mars in July 1997 and delivered the Sojourner rover, the first wheeled vehicle to operate on another planet.
Delta II was a United States expendable launch vehicle developed from the Delta family. The 7925 configuration used a liquid-fueled first stage, nine strap-on solid rocket motors, and a second stage, with a small third stage helping send spacecraft onto interplanetary trajectories.
Mars Pathfinder is sometimes remembered mainly for Sojourner, but the lander and its landing system were equally important. The spacecraft used an atmospheric entry shield, parachute, and airbags rather than a sky-crane system.