List of Solar System probes
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This is a list of all space probes that have left Earth orbit or were launched with that intention but failed, organised by their planned destination. This includes planetary probes, lunar probes, solar probes and probes to asteroids and comets. Flybys, including terrestrial, (such as gravity assists) that were incidental to the main purpose of the mission are also listed. Confirmed future probes are included, but missions that are still at the concept stage, or which never progressed beyond the concept stage, are not.
[edit] Key
- Grey shading indicates a successful or partly successful mission
- † means "tentatively identified", as classified by NASA [1]. These are Cold War-era Soviet missions, mostly failures, about which few or no details have been officially released. The information given may be speculative.
- Type is one of:
-
- flyby – the spacecraft is to fly past its target
- orbiter – the spacecraft is to study the target from orbit
- lander – the spacecraft is to study the target on its surface
- impactor – the spacecraft is to study the target until it hits the target and is destroyed
- penetrator – the spacecraft is to penetrate the surface of the target
- atmospheric probe/balloon – the spacecraft is to study the atmosphere of the target
- sample return – the spacecraft is to return samples to the Earth
- Date is the date of:
-
- closest encounter (flybys)
- impact (impactors)
- orbital insertion to end of mission, whether planned or premature (orbiters)
- landing to end of mission, whether planned or premature (landers)
- launch (missions that never got underway due to failure at or soon after launch)
- In cases which do not fit any of the above, the event to which the date refers is stated. Note that as a result of this scheme missions are not always listed in order of launch.
- Under Status:
-
- success means that the mission fulfilled its primary goals. In the case of flybys (such as gravity assists) that are incidental to the main mission, "success" indicates the successful completion of the flyby, not necessarily that of the main mission.
- partial success means that the mission fulfilled some but not all of its primary goals
- failure means that the mission did not fulfil any of its primary goals
- Other entries are self-explanatory.
[edit] Solar probes
These are solar observation probes designed to operate in heliocentric orbit or at one of the Earth-Sun Lagrangian points. The list excludes Earth-orbiting solar observatories.
| Spacecraft | Organization | Date | Type | Status | Notes | Image | Ref | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pioneer 5 | March–April 1960 | orbiter | success | measured magnetic field phenomena, solar flare particles, and ionization in the interplanetary region | [2] | |||
| Pioneer 6 | December 1965 – still contactable in 2000 | orbiter | success | network of solar-orbiting "space weather" monitors, observing solar wind, cosmic rays, and magnetic fields | [3] | |||
| Pioneer 7 | August 1966 – still contactable in 1995 | orbiter | success | [4] | ||||
| Pioneer 8 | December 1967 – still contactable in 2001 | orbiter | success | [5] | ||||
| Pioneer 9 | November 1968 – May 1983 | orbiter | success | [6] | ||||
| Pioneer-E | 27 August 1969 | orbiter | failure | intended as part of the Pioneer 6–9 network; failed to reach orbit | [7] | |||
| Helios 1 | November 1974 – 1982 | orbiter | success | observations of solar wind, magnetic and electric fields, cosmic rays and cosmic dust between Earth and Sun | [8] | |||
| Helios 2 | January 1976 – 1985? | orbiter | success | [9] | ||||
| ISEE-3 | 1978–1982 | orbiter | success | observed solar phenomena in conjunction with earth-orbiting ISEE-1 and ISEE-2; later renamed International Cometary Explorer (ICE) and directed to Comet Giacobini-Zinner | [10] | |||
| Ulysses (first pass) |
1994 | orbiter | success | south polar observations | [11] | |||
| 1995 | north polar observations | |||||||
| WIND | November 1994 — still active (as of April 2008[1]) | orbiter | success | solar wind measurements | [12] | |||
| SOHO | May 1996 – still active (as of May 2008) | orbiter | success | investigation of Sun's core, corona, and solar wind | [13] | |||
| ACE | August 1997 – still active (as of May 2008) | orbiter | success | solar wind observations | [14] | |||
| Ulysses (second pass) |
2000 | orbiter | success | south polar observations | [15] | |||
| 2001 | north polar observations | |||||||
| Genesis | 2001–2004 | orbiter/ sample return |
partial success | solar wind sample return; crash landed on return to Earth, some samples salvaged | [16] | |||
| STEREO A | December 2006 – planned 2 year mission | orbiter | operational | stereoscopic imaging of coronal mass ejections and other solar phenomena | [17] | |||
| STEREO B | December 2006 – planned 2 year mission | orbiter | operational | [18] | ||||
| Ulysses (third pass) |
2007 | orbiter | success | south polar observations | [19] | |||
| 2008 | partial success | north polar observations; some data returned despite failing power and reduced transmission capacity | ||||||
| Solar Sentinels | multi-probe orbiter | planned | six probes watching the sun | [20] | ||||
| Solar Orbiter | 2015 | orbiter | planned | close-range solar observations | [21] | |||
| Solar Probe | orbiter | under study | close-range coronal observations | [22] | ||||
[edit] Mercury probes
| Spacecraft | Organization | Date | Type | Status | Notes | Image | Ref | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mariner 10 | March 29, 1974 | flyby | success | minimum distance 704 km | [23] | |||
| September 21, 1974 | 48,069 km | |||||||
| March 16, 1975 | 327 km | |||||||
| MESSENGER | January 14, 2008 | flyby | success | minimum distance 200 km | [24] | |||
| October 6, 2008 | flyby | yet to arrive | planned minimum distance 200 km | |||||
| September 30, 2009 | flyby | |||||||
| March 18, 2011 – March, 2012 |
orbiter | |||||||
| BepiColombo | 2019 | [25] | ||||||
| Mercury Planetary Orbiter |
orbiter | under construction | ||||||
| Mercury Magnetospheric Orbiter |
orbiter | under construction | ||||||
| lander | cancelled | |||||||
[edit] Venus probes
| Spacecraft | Organization | Date | Type | Status | Notes | Image | Ref | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sputnik 7 | February 4, 1961 | lander | failure | failed to escape from Earth orbit | [26] | |||
| Venera 1 | May 19, 1961 – May 20, 1961 |
flyby | failure | contact lost 7 days after launch; first spacecraft to fly by another planet | [27] | |||
| Mariner 1 | July 22, 1962 | flyby | failure | guidance failure shortly after launch | [28] | |||
| Sputnik 19 | August 25, 1962 | lander | failure | failed to escape Earth orbit | [29] | |||
| Sputnik 20 | September 1, 1962 | lander | failure | failed to escape Earth orbit | [30] | |||
| Sputnik 21 | September 12, 1962 | flyby | failure | third stage exploded | [31] | |||
| Mariner 2 | December 14, 1962 | flyby | success | first successful Venus flyby; minimum distance 34,773 km | [32] | |||
| Cosmos 21† | November 11, 1963 | flyby? | failure | failed to escape Earth orbit | [33] | |||
| Venera 1964A† | February 19, 1964 | flyby | failure | failed to reach Earth orbit | [34] | |||
| Venera 1964B† | March 1, 1964 | flyby | failure | failed to reach Earth orbit | [35] | |||
| Cosmos 27 | March 27, 1964 | flyby | failure | failed to escape Earth orbit | [36] | |||
| Zond 1 | 1964 | flyby and possible lander | failure | contact lost en route | [37] | |||
| Cosmos 96 | November 23, 1965 | lander | failure | exploded? | [38] | |||
| Venera 1965A† | November 26, 1965 | flyby | failure | launch vehicle failure? | [39] | |||
| Venera 2 | February 27, 1966 | flyby | failure | ceased to operate en route | [40] | |||
| Venera 3 | March 1, 1966 | lander | failure | contact lost before arrival; first spacecraft to impact on the surface of another planet | [41] | |||
| Cosmos 167 | June 17, 1967 | lander | failure | failed to escape Earth orbit | [42] | |||
| Venera 4 | October 18, 1967 | atmospheric probe | success | continued to transmit to an altitude of 25 km | [43] | |||
| Mariner 5 | October 19, 1967 | flyby | success | minimum distance 5,000 km | [44] | |||
| Venera 5 | May 16, 1969 | atmospheric probe | success | [45] | ||||
| Venera 6 | May 17, 1969 | atmospheric probe | success | [46] | ||||
| Cosmos 359 | August 22, 1970 | lander? | failure | failed to escape Earth orbit | [47] | |||
| Venera 7 | December 15, 1970 | lander | success | first successful landing on another planet; signals returned from surface for 23 minutes | [48] | |||
| Cosmos 482 | March 31, 1972 | lander? | failure | failed to escape Earth orbit | [49] | |||
| Venera 8 | July 22, 1972 | lander | success | signals returned from surface for 50 minutes | [50] | |||
| Mariner 10 | February 5, 1974 | flyby | success | minimum distance 5768 km, en route to Mercury; first use of gravity assist by an interplanetary spacecraft | [51] | |||
| Venera 9 | 1975 | orbiter | success | [52] | ||||
| October 22, 1975 | lander | success | first images from the surface | [53] | ||||
| Venera 10 | 1975 | orbiter | success | [54] | ||||
| October 23, 1975 | lander | success | [55] | |||||
| Pioneer Venus Orbiter | December 4, 1978 – 1992 |
orbiter | success | [56] | ||||
| Pioneer Venus Multiprobe | December 9, 1978 | |||||||
| bus | probe transporter | success | [57] | |||||
| large probe | atmospheric probe | success | [58] | |||||
| north probe | atmospheric probe | success | [59] | |||||
| day probe | atmospheric probe | success | survived impact and continued to transmit from surface for over an hour | [60] | ||||
| night probe | atmospheric probe | success | [61] | |||||
| Venera 12 | ||||||||
| flight platform | December 21, 1978 | flyby | success | minimum distance 34,000 km | [62] | |||
| descent craft | December 21, 1978 | lander | partial success | failure of some instruments | [63] | |||
| Venera 11 | ||||||||
| flight platform | December 25, 1978 | flyby | success | minimum distance 34,000 km | [64] | |||
| descent craft | December 25, 1978 | lander | partial success | failure of some instruments | [65] | |||
| Venera 13 | ||||||||
| bus | March 1, 1982 | flyby | success | [66] | ||||
| descent craft | March 1, 1982 | lander | success | survived on surface for 127 minutes | [67] | |||
| Venera 14 | ||||||||
| bus | March 5, 1982 | flyby | success | [68] | ||||
| descent craft | March 5, 1982 | lander | success | survived on surface for 57 minutes | [69] | |||
| Venera 15 | 1983–1984 | orbiter | success | radar mapping | [70] | |||
| Venera 16 | 1983–1984 | orbiter | success | radar mapping | [71] | |||
| Vega 1 | June 11, 1985 | flyby | success | went on to fly by Halley's comet | [72] | |||
| lander | failure | instruments deployed prematurely | [73] | |||||
| atmospheric balloon | success | [74] | ||||||
| Vega 2 | June 15, 1985 | flyby | success | went on to fly by Halley's comet | [75] | |||
| lander | success | [76] | ||||||
| atmospheric balloon | success | [77] | ||||||
| Galileo | February 10, 1990 | flyby | success | gravity assist en route to Jupiter; minimum distance 16,000 km | [78] | |||
| Magellan | August 10, 1990 – October 12, 1994 |
orbiter | success | global radar mapping | [79] | |||
| Cassini | April 26, 1998 | flyby | success | gravity assist en route to Saturn | [80] | |||
| June 24, 1999 | ||||||||
| Venus Express | April 11, 2006 – still in operation (as of May 2008) | orbiter | success | atmospheric studies | [81] | |||
| MESSENGER | October 24, 2006 | flyby | success | gravity assist only; minimum distance 2990 km | [82] | |||
| June 6, 2007 | success | minimum distance 300 km; en route to Mercury | ||||||
| PLANET-C | 2010 | orbiter | planned | [83] | ||||
| Venera-D | 2013 | orbiter | planned | [84] | ||||
| Venus In-Situ Explorer | 2013 | in-situ explorer | planned | [85] | ||||
| Venus Surface Explorer | 2020 | in-situ explorer | planned | [86] | ||||
[edit] Earth flybys
- See also: Timeline of Earth science satellites
These are probes that incidentally performed Earth flybys during missions to other bodies, often as part of gravity-assist orbital manoeuvres. Earth-orbiting craft are not listed.
| Spacecraft | Organization | Date | Type | Status | Notes | Image | Ref | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Giotto (first pass) |
July 2, 1990 | flyby | success | first Earth flyby, en route to Comet Grigg-Skjellerup | [87] | |||
| Galileo (first pass) |
October 8, 1990 | flyby | success | gravity assist en route to Jupiter; minimum distance 960 km | [88] | |||
| Sakigake (first pass) |
January 8, 1992 | flyby | previously visited Halley's comet | [89] | ||||
| Suisei | August 20, 1992 | flyby | failure | previously visited Halley's comet; hydrazine depleted, further planned comet flybys abandoned | [90] | |||
| Galileo (second pass) |
December 8, 1992 | flyby | success | gravity assist en route to Jupiter; minimum distance 305 km | [91] | |||
| Sakigake (second and third passes) |
June 14, 1993 | flyby | [92] | |||||
| October 28, 1994 | flyby | out of fuel; contact lost November 1995 | ||||||
| NEAR Shoemaker | January 23, 1998 | flyby | success | gravity assist en route to Eros; closest approach 540 km | [93] | |||
| Nozomi (first pass) |
December 20, 1998 | flyby | partial success | gravity assist on planned mission to Mars; valve malfunction during flyby required extra burn, which later forced alternate trajectory plan | [94] | |||
| Giotto (second pass) |
July 1, 1999 | flyby | n/a | already defunct | [95] | |||
| Cassini | August, 1999 | flyby | success | gravity assist en route to Saturn | [96] | |||
| Stardust (first pass) |
January 15, 2001 | flyby | success | gravity assist en route to comet 81P/Wild | [97] | |||
| Nozomi (second pass) |
December, 2002 | flyby | success | gravity assist en route to Mars | [98] | |||
| Nozomi (third pass) |
June 19, 2003 | flyby | success | gravity assist en route to Mars | [99] | |||
| Hayabusa | May 19, 2004 | flyby | success | en route to Itokawa | [100] | |||
| Rosetta (first pass) |
March 4, 2005 | flyby | success | gravity assist en route to asteroid and comet encounters | [101] | |||
| MESSENGER | August 2, 2005 | flyby | success | en route to Venus and Mercury | [102] | |||
| Stardust (second pass) |
January 15, 2006 | flyby | success | drop-off of sample return capsule | [103] | |||
| Rosetta (second pass) |
November 13, 2007 | flyby | success | gravity assist en route to asteroid and comet encounters | ||||
| Deep Impact (redesignated EPOXI) | December 31, 2007 | flyby | success | previously visited Comet 9P/Tempel; gravity assist en route to encounter with Comet 103P/Hartley | [104] | |||
| Stardust (third pass) |
January 14, 2009 | flyby | yet to arrive | mission extension to Comet 9P/Tempel | [105] | |||
| Rosetta (third pass) |
November 13, 2009 | flyby | yet to arrive | gravity assist en route to asteroid and comet encounters | ||||
[edit] Lunar probes
The list does not include the manned Apollo missions.
| Spacecraft | Organization | Date | Type | Status | Notes | Image | Ref | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pioneer 0 | August 17, 1958 | orbiter | failure | first attempted launch beyond Earth orbit; launch vehicle failure; maximum altitude 16 km | [106] | |||
| Luna 1958A† | September 23, 1958 | impactor | failure | launch vehicle failure | [107] | |||
| Pioneer 1 | October 11, 1958 | orbiter | failure | second stage premature shutdown; maximum altitude 113,800 km; some data returned | [108] | |||
| Luna 1958B† | October 12, 1958 | impactor | failure | launch vehicle failure | [109] | |||
| Pioneer 2 | November 8, 1958 | orbiter | failure | third stage failure; maximum altitude 1,550 km; some data returned | [110] | |||
| Luna 1958C† | December 4, 1958 | impactor | failure | launch vehicle failure | [111] | |||
| Pioneer 3 | December 6, 1958 | flyby | failure | fuel depletion; maximum altitude 102,360 km; some data returned | [112] | |||
| Luna 1 | January 4, 1959 | flyby | partial success | first spacecraft in the vicinity of the Moon (flew within 5,995 km, but probably an intended impactor) | [113] | |||
| Luna 1959A† | June 18, 1959 | impactor | failure | failed to reach Earth orbit | [114] | |||
| Pioneer 4 | March 4, 1959 | flyby | partial success | achieved distant flyby; first US probe to enter solar orbit | [115] | |||
| Luna 2 | September 14, 1959 | impactor | success | first impact on Moon | [116] | |||
| Pioneer P-1 | September 24, 1959? | orbiter? | failure | designation sometimes given to a failed launch or launchpad explosion during testing; conflicting information between sources | ||||
| Luna 3 | October 6, 1959 | flyby | success | first images from the lunar farside | [117] | |||
| Pioneer P-3 | November 26, 1959 | orbiter | failure | disintegrated shortly after launch | [118] | |||
| Luna 1960A† | April 15, 1960 | flyby | failure | failed to attain correct trajectory | [119] | |||
| Luna 1960B† | April 16, 1960 | flyby | failure | launch vehicle failure | [120] | |||
| Pioneer P-30 | September 25, 1960 | orbiter | failure | second stage failure; failed to reach Earth orbit | [121] | |||
| Pioneer P-31 | December 15, 1960 | orbiter | failure | first stage failure | [122] | |||
| Ranger 3 | January 28, 1962 | impactor | failure | missed target | [123] | |||
| Ranger 4 | April 26, 1962 | impactor | failure | hit the lunar farside; no data returned | [124] | |||
| Ranger 5 | October 21, 1962 | impactor | failure | power failure, missed target | [125] | |||
| Sputnik 25 | January 5, 1963 | lander | failure | failed to escape Earth orbit | [126] | |||
| Luna 1963B† | February 2, 1963 | lander? | failure | failed to reach Earth orbit | [127] | |||
| Luna 4 | April 5, 1963 | lander? | failure | missed target, became Earth satellite | [128] | |||
| Ranger 6 | 2 February 1964 | impactor | partial success | impacted, but no pictures returned due to power failure | [129] | |||
| Luna 1964A† | March 21, 1964 | lander | failure | failed to reach Earth orbit | [130] | |||
| Luna 1964B† | April 20, 1964 | lander | failure | failed to reach Earth orbit | [131] | |||
| Zond 1964A† | June 4, 1964 | flyby | failure | failed to reach Earth orbit | [132] | |||
| Ranger 7 | July 31, 1964 | impactor | success | returned pictures up until impact | [133] | |||
| Ranger 8 | February 20, 1965 | impactor | success | returned pictures up until impact | [134] | |||
| Cosmos 60 | March 12, 1965 | lander | failure | failed to leave Earth orbit | [135] | |||
| Ranger 9 | March 24, 1965 | impactor | success | TV broadcast of live pictures up until impact | [136] | |||
| Luna 1965A† | April 10, 1965 | lander? | failure | failed to reach Earth orbit? | [137] | |||
| Luna 5 | May 12, 1965 | lander | failure | crashed into Moon | [138] | |||
| Luna 6 | June 8, 1965 | lander | failure | missed Moon | [139] | |||
| Zond 3 | July 20, 1965 | flyby | success | [140] | ||||
| Luna 7 | October 7, 1965 | lander | failure | crashed into Moon | [141] | |||
| Luna 8 | December 6, 1965 | lander | failure | crashed into Moon | [142] | |||
| Luna 9 | February 3, 1966 – February 6, 1966 |
lander | success | first soft landing; first images from the surface | [143] | |||
| Cosmos 111 | March 1, 1966 | orbiter | failure | failed to escape Earth orbit | [144] | |||
| Luna 10 | April 3, 1966 – May 30, 1966 |
orbiter | success | first artificial satellite of the moon | [145] | |||
| Luna 1966A† | April 30, 1966 | orbiter? | failure | failed to reach Earth orbit | [146] | |||
| Surveyor 1 | June 2, 1966 | lander | success | first US soft landing; Surveyor program performed various tests in support of forthcoming manned landings | [147] | |||
| Explorer 33 | July 1, 1966 – September 15, 1971 |
orbiter | partial success | studied interplanetary plasma, cosmic rays, magnetic fields and solar X rays; failed to attain lunar orbit as intended, but achieved mission objectives from Earth orbit | [148] | |||
| Lunar Orbiter 1 | August 14, 1966 – October 29, 1966 |
orbiter | success | photographic mapping of lunar surface; intentionally impacted after completion of mission | [149] | |||
| Luna 11 | August 28, 1966 – October 1, 1966 |
orbiter | success | [150] | ||||
| Surveyor 2 | September 23, 1966 | lander | failure | crashed | [151] | |||
| Luna 12 | October 25, 1966 – January 19, 1967 |
orbiter | success | [152] | ||||
| Lunar Orbiter 2 | November 10, 1966 – October 11, 1967 |
orbiter | success | photographic mapping of lunar surface; intentionally impacted after completion of mission | [153] | |||
| Luna 13 | December 24, 1966 | lander | success | [154] | ||||
| Lunar Orbiter 3 | February 8, 1967 – October 9, 1967 |
orbiter | success | photographic mapping of lunar surface; intentionally impacted after completion of mission | [155] | |||
| Surveyor 3 | April 20, 1967 – May 4, 1967 |
lander | success | [156] | ||||
| Lunar Orbiter 4 | May–October 1967 | orbiter | success | lunar photographic survey | [157] | |||
| Explorer 35 | July 1967 – June 24, 1973 |
orbiter | success | studies of interplanetary plasma, magnetic fields, energetic particles and solar X rays | [158] | |||
| Surveyor 4 | July 17, 1967 | lander | failure | crashed into Moon | [159] | |||
| Lunar Orbiter 5 | August 5, 1967 – January 31, 1968 |
orbiter | success | lunar photographic survey; intentionally impacted after completion of mission | [160] | |||
| Surveyor 5 | September 11, 1967 – December 17, 1967 |
lander | success | [161] | ||||
| Zond 1967A† | September 28, 1967 | failure | lunar capsule test flight; launch failure | [162] | ||||
| Surveyor 6 | November 10, 1967 – December 14, 1967 |
lander | success | [163] | ||||
| Zond 1967B† | November 22, 1967 | failure | lunar capsule test flight; launch failure | [164] | ||||
| Surveyor 7 | January 10, 1968 – February 21, 1968 |
lander | success | [165] | ||||
| Luna 1968A† | February 7, 1968 | orbiter? | failure | failed to reach Earth orbit | [166] | |||
| Zond 4 | March 2, 1968 (launch) | lunar programme flight test, directed away from Moon, either intentionally or unintentionally | [167] | |||||
| Luna 14 | April 10, 1968 – ? | orbiter | success | [168] | ||||
| Zond 1968A† | April 23, 1968 | flyby? | failure | launch failure | [169] | |||
| Zond 5 | September 18, 1968 | flyby | success | bioscience experiments | [170] | |||
| Zond 6 | November 14, 1968 | flyby | success | cosmic-ray, micrometeoroid and bioscience studies | [171] | |||
| Zond 1969A† | January 20, 1969 | flyby | failure | launch aborted | [172] | |||
| Luna 1969A† | February 19, 1969 | rover | failure | launch vehicle failure | [173] | |||
| Zond L1S-1† | February 21, 1969 | orbiter | failure | launch vehicle failure | [174] | |||
| Luna 1969B† | April 15, 1969 | sample return? | failure | launch failure | [175] | |||
| Luna 1969C† | June 14, 1969 | sample return | failure | launch failure | [176] | |||
| Zond L1S-2† | July 3, 1969 | orbiter | failure | launch failure | [177] | |||
| Luna 15 | July 21, 1969 | sample return? | failure? | completed 52 lunar orbits then crash-landed | [178] | |||
| Zond 7 | August 11, 1969 | flyby | success | returned to soft landing on Earth | [179] | |||
| Cosmos 300 | September 23, 1969 | sample return | failure | failed to escape Earth orbit | [180] | |||
| Cosmos 305 | October 22, 1969 | sample return | failure | failed to escape Earth orbit | [181] | |||
| Luna 1970A† | February 6, 1970 | sample return? | failure | launch vehicle failure | [182] | |||
| Luna 1970B† | February 19, 1970 | orbiter? | failure | launch vehicle failure | [183] | |||
| Luna 16 | September 20, 1970 | sample return | success | first robotic sample return | [184] | |||
| Zond 8 | October 24, 1970 | flyby | success | returned to soft landing on Earth | [185] | |||
| Luna 17 | November 17, 1970 – October 4, 1971 |
lander | success | [186] | ||||
| Lunokhod 1 | rover | success | first robotic rover; travelled over 10 km | |||||
| Luna 18 | September 11, 1971 | lander/sample return? | failure | crashed into Moon | [187] | |||
| Luna 19 | October 3, 1971 – October 1972 |
orbiter | success | [188] | ||||
| Luna 20 | February 21, 1972 | sample return | success | second successful robotic sample return | [189] | |||
| Soyuz L3† | November 23, 1972 | orbiter | failure | launch failure | [190] | |||
| Luna 21 | January 15, 1973 – May 1973? |
lander | success | [191] | ||||
| Lunokhod 2 | rover | success | second robotic rover; travelled 37 km | |||||
| Explorer 49 | June 15, 1973 – June 1975 |
orbiter | success | radio astronomy observations; last US lunar mission until 1994 | [192] | |||
| Mariner 10 | November 1973 | flyby | success | en route to Venus and Mercury | [193] | |||
| Luna 22 | June 2, 1974 – November 1974 |
orbiter | success | [194] | ||||
| Luna 23 | November 6, 1974 | sample return | failure | damaged on landing, sample return failed | [195] | |||
| Luna 1975A† | October 16, 1975 | sample return | failure | failed to reach Earth orbit | [196] | |||
| Luna 24 | August 18, 1976 | sample return | success | third and final successful sample return in Luna programme | [197] | |||
| ICE (formerly ISEE3) | December 22, 1983 | flyby | success | gravity assist en route to comet flybys | [198] | |||
| Hiten | February–April 1993 | orbiter | success | in Moon-crossing Earth orbit from January 1990, later transferred to lunar orbit after failure of Hagoromo; intentionally impacted on Moon at end of mission; first Japanese probe to enter lunar orbit | [199] | |||
| Hagoromo | March 1990 | orbiter | failure | released by Hiten into lunar orbit, but transmitter failed and orbit never confirmed | ||||
| Clementine | February–June 1994 | orbiter | partial success | lunar and Earth observations and component testing; planned Geographos flyby failed | [200] | |||
| AsiaSat 3 | AsiaSat | May/June 1998 | errant communications satellite, flew within 6,200 kilometers of Moon during orbit correction manoeuvres | [201] | ||||
| Lunar Prospector | January 1998 – July 1999 |
orbiter | success | lunar surface mapping; intentionally impacted into polar crater at end of mission to test for liberation of water vapour (not detected) | [202] | |||
| Nozomi | September 24, 1998 | flyby | success | gravity assists on planned mission to Mars | [203] | |||
| December 18, 1998 | flyby | success | ||||||
| SMART-1 | November 13, 2004 – September 3, 2006 |
orbiter | success | technology testbed and lunar geological studies; intentionally impacted at end of mission; first European probe to orbit the moon | [204] | |||
| orbiter, penetrators | cancelled | originally scheduled for 2004, finally cancelled 2007 | [205] | |||||
| SELENE (Kaguya) |
October 3, 2007 – planned one year mission | orbiter | in orbit | mineralogical, geographical, magnetic and gravitational observations | [206] | |||
| Okina (Relay Star) |
October 9, 2007 | Kaguya subsatellite | in orbit | Relay for Kaguya's Far Side operations | ||||
| Ouna (VRAD) |
October 12, 2007 | Kaguya subsatellite | in orbit | Very Long Baseline Interferometry | ||||
| Chang'e 1 | November 5, 2007 | orbiter | in orbit | 3D lunar mapping and geological observations; first Chinese probe to orbit a body besides Earth | [207] | |||
| Chandrayaan I | 2008 | orbiter | planned | high resolution mapping and spectral analysis of Moon's surface composition | [208] | |||
| impactor | ||||||||
| Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter | 2008 | orbiter | planned | survey of lunar resources and identification of possible landing sites | [209] | |||
| LCROSS | 2008 | impactor | planned | will analyse upper-stage impact plume for traces of water liberated from the Moon's surface | [210] | |||
| Chang'e 2 | 2009 | orbiter | planned | Sketch three-dimensional lunar map, measure and analyze content of the surface | [211] | |||
| lander | ||||||||
[edit] Mars probes
| Spacecraft | Organization | Date | Type | Status | Notes | Image | Ref | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mars 1960A | October 10, 1960 | flyby | failure | failed to reach Earth orbit | [212] | |||
| Mars 1960B | October 14, 1960 | flyby | failure | failed to reach Earth orbit | [213] | |||
| Mars 1962A | October 24, 1962 | flyby | failure | exploded in or en route to Earth orbit | [214] | |||
| Mars 1962B | November 11, 1962 (launch) | lander | failure | broke up during transfer to Mars trajectory | [215] | |||
| Mars 1 | June 19, 1963 | flyby | failure | contact lost en route; flew within approximately 193,000 km of Mars | [216] | |||
| Mariner 3 | November 5, 1964 | flyby | failure | protective shield failed to eject, preventing craft from attaining correct trajectory | [217] | |||
| Zond 2 | August 6, 1965 | flyby | failure | contact lost en route; flew within 1,500 km of Mars | [218] | |||
| Mariner 4 | July 15, 1965 | flyby | success | first close-up images of Mars | [219] | |||
| Mariner 6 | July 31, 1969 | flyby | success | [220] | ||||
| Mariner 7 | August 5, 1969 | flyby | success | [221] | ||||
| Mars 1969A | March 27, 1969 | orbiter | failure | launch failure | [222] | |||
| Mars 1969B | April 2, 1969 | orbiter | failure | launch failure | [223] | |||
| Mariner 8 | May 9, 1971 | orbiter | failure | launch vehicle failure | [224] | |||
| Mariner 9 | November 14, 1971 | orbiter | success | first spacecraft to orbit another planet | [225] | |||
| Mars 2 | November 1971 – August 1972 |
orbiter | success | first Russian spacecraft to orbit another planet | [226] | |||
| Mars 2 Lander | November 27, 1971 | lander and short range rover | failure | crashed; first manmade object to reach surface of Mars | [227] | |||
| Mars 3 | December 1971 – August 1972 |
orbiter | partial success | attained a different orbit than intended due to insufficient fuel | [228] | |||
| Mars 3 Lander | December 2, 1971 | lander and short range rover | failure | contact lost immediately after soft landing | [229] | |||
| Cosmos 419 | May 10, 1971 | orbiter | failure | failed to escape Earth orbit | [230] | |||
| Mars 4 | February 10, 1974 | orbiter | failure | orbit insertion failed, became flyby | [231] | |||
| Mars 5 | February 1974 | orbiter | success | [232] | ||||
| Mars 6 | March 12, 1974 | flyby | success | [233] | ||||
| Mars 6 Lander | March 12, 1974 | lander | failure | crash-landed, contact lost | ||||
| Mars 7 | March 9, 1974 | flyby | success | [234] | ||||
| Mars 7 Lander | March 9, 1974 | lander | failure | missed Mars | ||||
| Viking 1 Orbiter | June 1976 – August 1980 |
orbiter | success | [235] | ||||
| Viking 1 Lander | July 20, 1976 – November 13, 1982 |
lander | success | first images from surface | [236] | |||
| Viking 2 Orbiter | August 1976 – July 1978 |
orbiter | success | [237] | ||||
| Viking 2 Lander | September 3, 1976 – April 11, 1980 |
lander | success | [238] | ||||
| Phobos 1 | July 7, 1988 (launch) | orbiter | failure | contact lost en route to Mars | [239] | |||
| Phobos 2 | January 29, 1989 – March 27, 1989 |
orbiter | partial success | Mars orbit acquired, but contact lost shortly before Phobos approach phase and deployment of Phobos landers | [240] | |||
| Mars Observer | September 25, 1992 (launch) | orbiter | failure | contact lost shortly before Mars orbit insertion | [241] | |||
| Mars 96 | November 16, 1996 (launch) | orbiter | failure | failed to escape Earth orbit | [242] | |||
| lander | [243] | |||||||
| lander | [244] | |||||||
| penetrator | [245] | |||||||
| penetrator | [246] | |||||||
| Mars Pathfinder | July 4, 1997 – September 27, 1997 |
lander | success | [247] | ||||
| Sojourner | July 6, 1997 – September 27, 1997 |
rover | success | first rover on the surface of Mars | [248] | |||
| Mars Global Surveyor | September 12, 1997 – November 2, 2006 |
orbiter | success | [249] | ||||
| Mars Climate Orbiter | September 23, 1999 | orbiter | failure | Mars orbit insertion failed due to navigation error | [250] | |||
| Mars Polar Lander | December 3, 1999 | lander | failure | contact lost just prior to entering Martian atmosphere | [251] | |||
| Deep Space 2 "Amundsen" | December 3, 1999 | penetrator | [252] | |||||
| Deep Space 2 "Scott" | December 3, 1999 | penetrator | ||||||
| 2001 Mars Odyssey | October 24, 2001 – still active (as of May 2008) |
orbiter | success | [253] | ||||
| 2001 | lander | cancelled | [254] | |||||
| Nozomi | December 14, 2003 | orbiter | failure | failed to attain Mars orbit, became flyby | [255] | |||
| lander | cancelled | [256] | ||||||
| Mars Express | December 25, 2003 – still active (as of May 2008) | orbiter | success | first European probe in Martian orbit | [257] | |||
| Beagle 2 | December 25, 2003 | lander | failure | no contact after landing | [258] | |||
| MER-A "Spirit" | January 4, 2004 – still active (as of May 2008) |
rover | success | [259] | ||||
| MER-B "Opportunity" | January 25, 2004 – still active (as of May 2008) |
rover | success | [260] | ||||
| Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter | March 10, 2006 – still active (as of May 2008) |
orbiter | success | [261] | ||||
| Rosetta | February 25, 2007 | flyby | success | gravity assist en route to asteroid and comet encounters | [262] | |||
| Phoenix | May 25, 2008 | lander | landed successfully | will collect soil samples near the northern pole to investigate the history of water on Mars and the possibility of life there | [263] | |||
| Dawn | March 2009 | flyby | en route | gravity assist en route to Vesta and Ceres | [264] | |||
| 2010 | orbiter | cancelled | [265] | |||||
| Mars Science Laboratory | 2010 | rover | under construction | [266] | ||||
| ExoMars | 2013 | rover | planned | [267] | ||||
| Astrobiology Field Laboratory | 2016 | rover | under study | [268] | ||||
| Mars Sample Return Mission | 2024? | orbiter, lander, rover, and sample return | under study | [269] | ||||
[edit] Phobos probes
| Spacecraft | Organization | Date | Type | Status | Notes | Image | Ref | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Phobos 1 | July 7, 1988 (launch) | lander | failure | contact lost en route to Mars | [270] | |||
| Phobos 2 | March 27, 1989 (contact lost) | lander | failure | attained Mars orbit; contact lost prior to deployment of lander | [271] | |||
| sample return | not selected | [272] | ||||||
| Phobos-Grunt | 2009 | sample return | planned | |||||
[edit] Jupiter probes
| Spacecraft | Organization | Date | Type | Status | Notes | Image | Ref | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pioneer 10 | December 3, 1973 | flyby | success | first probe to cross the asteroid belt. first man-made object on an interstellar trajectory | [273] | |||
| Pioneer 11 | December 4, 1974 | flyby | success | went on to visit Saturn | [274] | |||
| Voyager 1 | March 5, 1979 | flyby | success | went on to visit Saturn | [275] | |||
| Voyager 2 | July 9, 1979 | flyby | success | went on to visit Saturn, Uranus and Neptune | [276] | |||
| Ulysses (first pass) |
February 1992 | flyby | success | gravity assist en route to inclined heliocentric orbit for solar polar observations | [277] | |||
| Galileo Orbiter | December 7, 1995 – September 21, 2003 |
orbiter | success | also flew by various of Jupiter's moons; intentionally flown into Jupiter at end of mission; first spacecraft to orbit Jupiter; first spacecraft to flyby an asteroid | [278] | |||
| Galileo Probe | December 7, 1995 | atmospheric probe | success | first probe to enter Jupiter's atmosphere | [279] | |||
| Cassini | December 2000 | flyby | success | gravity assist en route to Saturn | [280] | |||
| Ulysses (second pass) |
2003–04 | distant flyby | success | [281] | ||||
| New Horizons | February 28, 2007 | flyby | success | gravity assist en route to Pluto | [282] | |||
| Juno | 2016 | orbiter | in development | [283] | ||||
[edit] Europa probes
| Spacecraft | Organization | Date | Type | Status | Notes | Image | Ref | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| orbiter | cancelled | [284] | ||||||
| orbiter | cancelled | [285] | ||||||
[edit] Ganymede probes
| Spacecraft | Organization | Date | Type | Status | Notes | Image | Ref | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| orbiter | cancelled | [286] | ||||||
[edit] Callisto probes
| Spacecraft | Organization | Date | Type | Status | Notes | Image | Ref | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| orbiter | cancelled | [287] | ||||||
[edit] Saturn probes
| Spacecraft | Organization | Date | Type | Status | Notes | Image | Ref | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pioneer 11 | September 1, 1979 | flyby | success | previously visited Jupiter | [288] | |||
| Voyager 1 | November 12, 1980 | flyby | success | previously visited Jupiter | [289] | |||
| Voyager 2 | August 5, 1981 | flyby | success | previously visited Jupiter, went on to visit Uranus and Neptune | [290] | |||
| Cassini | July 1, 2004 – still active (as of May 2008) |
orbiter | success | also performed flybys of a number of Saturn's moons, and deployed the Huygens Titan lander; first spacecraft to orbit Saturn | [291] | |||
[edit] Titan probes
| Spacecraft | Organization | Date | Type | Status | Notes | Image | Ref | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Huygens | January 14, 2005 | atmospheric probe, lander | success | deployed by Cassini; first probe to land on a satellite of another planet | [292] | |||
[edit] Uranus probes
| Spacecraft | Organization | Date | Type | Status | Notes | Image | Ref | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Voyager 2 | January 24, 1986 | flyby | success | previously visited Jupiter and Saturn; went on to visit Neptune | [293] | |||
[edit] Neptune probes
| Spacecraft | Organization | Date | Type | Status | Notes | Image | Ref | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Voyager 2 | August 25, 1989 | flyby | success | previously visited Jupiter, Saturn and Uranus | [294] | |||
| Neptune Orbiter | 2030 | orbiter | under study | [295] | ||||
[edit] Dwarf planet probes
[edit] Ceres probes
| Spacecraft | Organization | Date | Type | Status | Notes | Image | Ref | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dawn | 2015 | orbiter | yet to arrive | will orbit Vesta first | [296] | |||
[edit] Pluto probes
| Spacecraft | Organization | Date | Type | Status | Notes | Image | Ref | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | flyby | cancelled | ||||||
Express |
2012 | flyby | cancelled | [297] | ||||
| New Horizons | 2015 | flyby | yet to arrive | flybys of other Kuiper Belt objects may follow (targets yet to be decided) | [298] | |||
[edit] Asteroid probes
| Target | Spacecraft | Organization | Date | Type | Status | Notes | Image | Ref | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 951 Gaspra | Galileo | October 29, 1991 | flyby | success | en route to Jupiter; minimum distance 1900 km | [299] | |||
| 243 Ida | Galileo | August 28, 1993 | flyby | success | en route to Jupiter; minimum distance 2400 km; discovery of the first asteroid satellite Dactyl | [300] | |||
| 1620 Geographos | Clementine | 1994 | flyby | failure | flyby cancelled due to equipment malfunction | [301] | |||
| 253 Mathilde | NEAR Shoemaker |
June 27, 1997 | flyby | success | flew within 1200 km of 253 Mathilde en route to 433 Eros | [302] | |||
| 433 Eros | NEAR Shoemaker |
January 1999 | orbiter | failure | became flyby due to software and communications problems (later attempt at orbit insertion succeeded; see below) | [303] | |||
| 9969 Braille | Deep Space 1 | July 29, 1999 | flyby | partial success | no close-up images due to camera pointing error; went on to visit comet 19P/Borrelly | [304] | |||
| 2685 Masursky | Cassini | January 23, 2000 | distant flyby | success | en route to Saturn | [305] | |||
| 433 Eros | NEAR Shoemaker |
February 2000 – February 2001 |
orbiter, became lander | success | improvised landing by orbiter at end of mission | [306] | |||
| 5535 Annefrank | Stardust | November 2, 2002 | distant flyby | success | went on to visit comet 81P/Wild | [307] | |||
| Hayabusa | sample return | cancelled | rerouted to 25143 Itokawa | [308] | |||||
| 25143 Itokawa | Hayabusa | 2005–07 | sample return | arrived | return journey to Earth began in April 2007, scheduled to arrive in 2010; status of sample unclear | [309] | |||
| MINERVA | November 12, 2005 | hopper | failure | missed target | |||||
| Rosetta | 2006 | flyby | cancelled | rerouted | [310] | ||||
| Rosetta | 2006 | flyby | cancelled | rerouted | [311] | ||||
| 132524 APL | New Horizons | June 2006 | distant flyby | success | en route to Pluto | [312] | |||
| 2867 Šteins | Rosetta | September 2008 | flyby | yet to arrive | [313] | ||||
| 21 Lutetia | Rosetta | July 2010 | flyby | yet to arrive | en route to comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko | [314] | |||
| 4 Vesta | Dawn | September 2011 | orbiter | en route | scheduled to continue to Ceres | [315] | |||
| 4660 Nereus | SpaceDev | sample return | cancelled | [316] | |||||
[edit] Comet probes
| Target | Spacecraft | Organization | Date | Type | Status | Notes | Image | Ref | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21P/Giacobini-Zinner | ICE (formerly ISEE3) | September 11, 1985 | flyby | success | previously solar monitor ISEE3; went on to observe Halley's Comet | [317] | |||
| 1P/Halley | Vega 1 | March 6, 1986 | flyby | success | minimum distance 8,890 km; previously visited Venus | [318] | |||
| 1P/Halley | Suisei | March 8, 1986 | flyby | success | 151,000 km | [319] | |||
| 1P/Halley | Vega 2 | March 9, 1986 | flyby | success | minimum distance 8,890 km; previously visited Venus | [320] | |||
| 1P/Halley | Sakigake | March 1986 | distant flyby | partial success | minimum distance 6.99 million km | [321] | |||
| 1P/Halley | Giotto | March 14, 1986 | flyby | success | minimum distance 596 km; went on to visit comet 26P/Grigg-Skjellerup | [322] | |||
| 1P/Halley | ICE (formerly ISEE3) | March 28, 1986 | distant obser- vations |
success | minimum distance 32 million km; previously visited comet 21P/Giacobini-Zinner | [323] | |||
| 26P/Grigg-Skjellerup | Giotto | July 10, 1992 | flyby | success | previously visited Halley's Comet | [324] | |||
| 45P/ Honda-Mrkos-Pajdusakova |
Sakigake | 1996 | flyby | failure | contact lost; previously visited Halley's Comet | [325] | |||
| 21P/Giacobini-Zinner | Sakigake | 1998 | flyby | failure | |||||
| 55P/Tempel-Tuttle | Suisei | 1998 | flyby | failure | abandoned due to lack of fuel; previously visited Halley's Comet | [326] | |||
| 21P/Giacobini-Zinner | Suisei | 1998 | flyby | failure | |||||
| 19P/Borrelly | Deep Space 1 | September 22, 2001 | flyby | success | previously visited asteroid 9969 Braille | [327] | |||
| 2P/Encke | CONTOUR | 2003 | flyby | failure | contact lost shortly after launch | [328] | |||
| 81P/Wild | Stardust | January 2, 2004 | flyby, sample return | success | sample returned January 2006; also visited asteroid 5535 Annefrank | [329] | |||
| 9P/Tempel | Deep Impact | July 2005 | flyby | success | [330] | ||||
| Impactor | July 4, 2005 | impactor | success | ||||||
| 73P/ Schwassmann-Wachmann |
CONTOUR | 2006 | flyby | failure | contact lost shortly after launch | [331] | |||
| 6P/d'Arrest | CONTOUR | 2008 | flyby | failure | contact lost shortly after launch | [332] | |||
| 103P/Hartley | Deep Impact (redesignated EPOXI) | October 11, 2010 | flyby | yet to arrive | mission extension (target changed from comet Boethin) | [333] | |||
| 9P/Tempel | Stardust (redesignated NExT) | February 14, 2011 | flyby | yet to arrive | mission extension | [334] | |||
| 46P/Wirtanen | 2011 | orbiter | cancelled | rerouted to 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko | [335] | ||||
| 67P/Churyumov- Gerasimenko |
Rosetta | 2014–15 | orbiter | yet to arrive | flybys of asteroids 2867 Šteins and 21 Lutetia also scheduled | [336] | |||
| Philae | 2014 | lander | yet to arrive | [337] | |||||
[edit] Probes leaving the Solar System
| Spacecraft | Organization | Notes | Image | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pioneer 10 | Left Jupiter in December 1973. Mission ended March 1997. Last contact January 23, 2003. Craft now presumed dead; no further contact attempts planned. | [338] | ||
| Pioneer 11 | Left Saturn in September 1979. Last contact September 1995. The craft's antenna cannot be manoeuvred to point to Earth, and it is not known if it is still transmitting. No further contact attempts are planned. | [339] | ||
| Voyager 1 | Left Saturn in November 1980. Still in regular contact and transmitting scientific data (as of May 2008). Contact hoped to be maintained until at least 2020. | [340] | ||
| Voyager 2 | Left Neptune in August 1989. Still in regular contact and transmitting scientific data (as of May 2008). Contact hoped to be maintained until at least 2020. | [341] | ||
| New Horizons | Currently en route to outer Solar System. Expected to reach Pluto in July 2015. | [342] |
[edit] Other probes to leave Earth orbit
For completeness, this section lists probes that have left (or will leave) Earth orbit, but are not targeted at any of the above bodies.
| Spacecraft | Organization | Date | Location | Status | Notes | Image | Ref | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WMAP | June 30, 2001 (launch) – still active (as of April 2008[2]) | Sun-Earth L2 point | success | cosmic background radiation observations | [343] | |||
| Spitzer Space Telescope | August 25, 2003 (launch) – still active (as of May 2008) | Earth-trailing heliocentric orbit | success | infrared astronomy | [344] | |||
| Herschel Space Observatory | October 2008 (launch) | Sun-Earth L2 point | in development | study of formation and evolution of galaxies and stars | [345] | |||
| Planck Surveyor | October 2008 (launch) | Sun-Earth L2 point | in development | cosmic microwave background observations | [346] | |||
| Kepler | February 2009 (launch) | Earth-trailing heliocentric orbit | planned | search for extrasolar planets | [347] | |||
| LISA Pathfinder | 2009 (launch) | Sun-Earth L1 point | planned | test mission for proposed LISA gravitational wave observatory | [348] | |||
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Lockheed Martin Press Release, April 30, 2008
- ^ "WMAP 5-year results reveal neutrinos and tighten inflation", CERN Courier, Apr 16, 2008
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