The first Mars Global remote sensing and regional survey mission of China has been approved for the first time, and the first Mars probe is going to Mars. In order to meet the needs of Mars material composition analysis, different types of instruments on Mars rover have been developed in China, including Mars Surface composition detection Package (MarsCoDe) using laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) technology. Because the surface of Mars is covered with dust, we must get rid of the dust layer or destroy rock surface if we want to detect the material composition under the Mars dust accurately. LIBS can be used to ablate the surface of the object by its laser, and obtain the spectral information of deep rock. In addition, LIBS is almost suitable for detecting every element in Mars exploration, including light elements H, Li, Be, B, C, N, O, etc., which helps to find evidence for organic matter and water-bearing geological process. Due to Mars environment, the physical properties of the plasma are completely different from those on earth. In order to ensure the quality of the returned LIBS spectral data, it is necessary to carry out onboard calibration after landing, meanwhile carrying calibration board with specific standard samples on Mars rover, for data correction, ensuring the reliability of the returned data and more accurately interpreting the Martian surface material. The selection of calibration samples is a very important work. There are various factors such as the limitation of equipment engineering conditions, the representativeness of the calibration sample types, the distribution range of the elements and the stability of the samples. In this paper, we summarized the research progress of onboard calibration of Mars onboard LIBS and focused on analyzing the selection criteria of LIBS calibration samples and the advantages and disadvantages of foreign sample selection. After summarizing experiences, some suggestions were put forward to provide reference for our onboard calibration work. This article is of scientific significance to the correct interpretation of Mars exploration data and future research on the origin of Mars and the long-term geological evolution of Mars.