03-Jan-1999 :- The Mars Polar Lander is launched.

The Mars Polar Lander, also known as the Mars Surveyor '98 Lander, was a 290-kilogram robotic spacecraft lander launched by NASA on January 3, 1999 to study the soil and climate of Planum Australe, a region near the south pole on Mars. It formed part of the Mars Surveyor '98 mission. On December 3, 1999, however, after the descent phase was expected to be complete, the lander failed to re establish communication with Earth. A post-mortem analysis determined the most likely cause of the mishap was premature termination of the engine firing prior to the lander touching the surface, causing it to strike the planet at a high velocity.

The primary objectives of the mission were to:

• land on the layered terrain in the south polar region of Mars’;
• search for evidence related to ancient climates and more recent periodic climate change;
• give a picture of the current climate and seasonal change at high latitudes and, in particular, the exchange of water vapor between the atmosphere and ground;
• search for near-surface ground ice in the polar regions, and analyse the soil for physically and chemically bound carbon dioxide and water; and
• study surface morphology (forms and structures), geology, topography, and weather of the landing site.