Part 3/9:
The "Cursed" Pattern: High Failure Rates Continue
The following years saw a pattern of relentless trials, with both superpowers attempting to orbit and land on Mars:
Mars 1969A (USSR): Failed immediately due to third-stage malfunction.
Mariner 6 & 7 (US): Successful flybys, passing within 3,400 km of Mars.
Mars 1971 (USSR): Mars 2 orbiter succeeded in reaching Mars but its lander crashed; Mars 3 managed a soft landing but lost contact after 14 seconds.
Mariner 9 (US): The first orbiter to successfully enter Martian orbit in 1971, establishing a new milestone.