US President Barack Obama called the landing of a new rover on Mars a historic moment that marked a major advance in space exploration, DPA reported.
"The successful landing of Curiosity - the most sophisticated roving laboratory ever to land on another planet - marks an unprecedented feat of technology that will stand as a point of national pride far into the future," Obama said.
"It proves that even the longest of odds are no match for our unique blend of ingenuity and determination."
Obama said the advance comes alongside US efforts to shift spaceflight to the nearby International Space Station to private companies and have NASA focus on longer-term goals, such as travel to Mars.
"I congratulate and thank all the men and women of NASA who made this remarkable accomplishment a reality, and I eagerly await what Curiosity has yet to discover," he said.