Mars probe intended to photograph Mars on a flyby trajectory. The Mars probe had a mass of about 640 kg and carried a magnetometer, cosmic ray counter, plasma-ion trap, and micrometeorite detector.

Mass: 640 kg (1,410 lb).

• 1959 December 10 - Further development of Soviet Lunar and Planetary probes approved. -
  Central Committee of the Communist Party and Council of Soviet Ministers Decree 1386-618 'On the Creation of AMS for Landing on the Moon. and Flights to Venus and Mars-- approving automated lunar and interplanetary spacecraft' was issued.

• 1960 October 10 - Mars probe 1M s/n 1 failure. - Program: Mars. Launch Site: Baikonur. Launch Complex: LC1. Launch Vehicle: Soyuz. FAILURE: At T+300.9 sec, the launcher went out of control and the destruct command was given at T+324.2 sec - the engine of Stage 3 cut off after 13.32 s of burning. Mass: 640 kg (1,410 lb).
  This was the Soviet Union's first attempt at a planetary probe. Mars probe intended to photograph Mars on a flyby trajectory. The possible cause lay in resonance vibrations of upper stages during Stage 2 burning, which led to break of contact in the command potentiometer of the gyrohorizon. As a result a pitch control malfunctioned and the launcher began to veer off the desired ascent profile. On exceeding 7 degrees of veering in pitch, the control system failed. The upper stage with the payload reached an altitude of 120 km before burning up on re-entry into the atmosphere above East Siberia.

• 1960 October 14 - Mars probe 1M s/n 2 failure. - Program: Mars. Launch Site: Baikonur. Launch Complex: LC1. Launch Vehicle: Soyuz. FAILURE: At T+290 sec Stage 3's engine 8D715K failed to ignite because a LOX leak froze kerosene in the fuel inlet to the pump on the launch pad due to a faulty LOX valve seal.
  Mars probe intended to photograph Mars on a flyby trajectory. This was the Soviet Union's second attempt at a planetary probe. The upper stages and payload broke up on re-entry into the atmosphere.