Monday 20 July 2026 3:02 pm  |  Updated:  Monday 20 July 2026 3:15 pm

We reached Mars 50 years ago, why haven’t we sent people?

By: Rainer Zitelmann

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Viking 1 landed on Mars 50 years ago, so why haven’t we sent people there? Because there are no property rights in space, says Rainer Zitelmann

Today marks the 50th anniversary of one of the greatest achievements in the history of space exploration. On July 20, 1976, NASA’s Viking 1 became the first spacecraft to successfully land on Mars and carry out a long-term scientific mission on its surface. The landing took place exactly seven years after the Apollo 11 Moon landing, linking two historic milestones in space exploration.

Viking 1 sent back the first detailed color images ever taken from the Martian surface. It also conducted the first experiments designed to search for signs of life on another planet. The mission operated for more than six years, far exceeding its planned lifetime and transforming our understanding of Mars. Many of today’s ambitious plans for human settlement and commercial activity on the Red Planet can be traced back to the success of Viking 1. Some 50 years later, its legacy continues to inspire a new era of private and public exploration of Mars.

But what about a human landing on Mars?

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