Hello Mars vs ISS Explorer
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Hello Mars
Explore the stars and journey to Mars with real-time weather data directly from the Curiosity Rover. Track planetary positions and share your cosmic adventures.
- Real-time weather from Curiosity Rover
- Accurate planetary tracking
- Share experiences on social media
- Explore Mars on your phone
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Next stop, Mars. A manned mission to the red planet is happening sooner than you think. That’s why Hello Mars from Lockheed Martin provides a beautiful experience as you search the stars, travel to distant orbits and reach Mars with real-time weather data. Explore Mars – on your phone. Download today. FEATURES: - Get real-time weather direct from Curiosity Rover. - Discover where the planets are with accurate planetary tracking. - Share your experience on Twitter and Facebook.
ISS Explorer
Explore a detailed 3D model of the International Space Station. Rotate, zoom, and select individual components to learn about their function and systems. Organize your view by turning parts and labels on or off.
- Interactive 3D ISS model
- Rotate and zoom functionality
- Selectable parts with isolation
- Detailed information on components
- Hierarchical part organization
- Toggle parts and labels
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The ISS explorer is an interactive tool for exploring the parts and pieces of the International Space Station (ISS). The application allows the user to view a 3D model of the ISS, rotate it, zoom into it, and select different parts and pieces. When the application starts, you can see a view of the entire ISS with category labels. Tabs are available on the left hand side of the screen which allow you access to information, the hierarchy, settings and application information. From this point, you can zoom into the station, revealing more labels of visible parts. The station can also be rotated to view from different angles. If a part is selected, the part is isolated so that you can focus on the specific piece. The information tab shows information about the currently isolated part. Inside the hierarchy tab, you can turn parts on or off, turn labels for parts on or off, turn parts transparent, or select a part to focus on. The parts are organized in a hierarchy to allow for systems to be described and displayed. This includes things such as truss, modules, and external platforms. The Information tab shows information about the current isolated part, system, or the full ISS if the entire station is shown.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: ISS Explorer at 100% against Hello Mars's 57%. ISS Explorer also leads on rating (4.9 vs 3.6). Hello Mars's advantage is update cadence (every 3 days vs every 10 months) and iOS requirement (6.0 vs 13.0). On price, ratings volume, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
ISS Explorer holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 3.6. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 22 and 16 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 57% of Hello Mars's written reviews are positive against 100% of ISS Explorer's.
Hello Mars ships an update every 3 days, ISS Explorer every 10 months. Both last shipped on September 7, 2026.
| Parameter | Hello Mars | ISS Explorer |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.6 (22 ratings) | 4.9 (16 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 57.1% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 22 — better | 16 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 days — better | Every 10 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 6.0 — better | 13.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 227 MB | 747 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Lockheed Martin | NASA |
Customer experience
Hello Mars
ISS Explorer
In-app purchases
Hello Mars
No in-app purchases
ISS Explorer
No in-app purchases









