Jump to content

List of Solar System probes

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is a list of space probes that have left Earth orbit (or were launched with that intention but failed), organized by their planned destination. It includes planetary probes, solar probes, and probes to asteroids and comets, but excludes lunar missions, which are listed separately at List of lunar probes and List of Apollo missions. Flybys (such as gravity assists) that were incidental to the main purpose of the mission are also included. Flybys of Earth are listed separately at List of Earth flybys. Planned and proposed missions are in the List of proposed Solar System probes.

Key

[edit]

Colour key:

  – Mission or flyby completed successfully (or partially successfully)      Failed mission
  – Mission en route or in progress (including mission extensions)
  • 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.
  • 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. As a result of this scheme missions are not always listed in order of launch.
  • Some of the terms used under Type:
  • Flyby: The probe flies by an astronomical body, but does not orbit it
  • Orbiter: Part of a probe that orbits an astronomical body
  • Lander: Part of a probe that descend to the surface of an astronomical body
  • Rover: Part of a probe that acts as a vehicle to move on the solid-surface of an astronomical body
  • Penetrator: Part of a probe that impacts an astronomical body
  • Atmospheric probe or balloon: Part of a probe that descend through or floats in the atmosphere of an astronomical body; not restricted to weather balloons and other atmospheric sounders, as it can also be used for surface and subsurface imaging and remote sensing.
  • Sample return: Parts of the probe return to Earth with physical samples
  • Under Status, 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.

Solar probes

[edit]

While the Sun is not physically explorable with current technology, the following solar observation probes have been designed and launched to operate in heliocentric orbit or at one of the Earth–Sun Lagrangian points – additional solar observatories were placed in Earth orbit and are not included in this list:

1960–1969

[edit]
Spacecraft Organization Date Type Status Notes Image Ref
Pioneer 5 United States NASA/
DOD
March–April 1960 orbiter success measured magnetic field phenomena, solar flare particles, and ionization in the interplanetary region 1960-001A
Pioneer 6(A) United States NASA December 1965 – still contactable in 2000 orbiter success network of solar-orbiting "space weather" monitors, observing solar wind, cosmic rays, and magnetic fields 1965-105A
Pioneer 7(B) United States NASA August 1966 – still contactable in 1995 orbiter success 1966-075A
Pioneer 8(C) United States NASA December 1967 – still contactable in 2001 orbiter success 1967-123A
Pioneer 9(D) United States NASA November 1968 – May 1983 orbiter success 1968-100A
Pioneer-E United States NASA 27 August 1969 orbiter failure intended as part of the Pioneer 6–9 network; failed to reach orbit PIONE

1974–1997

[edit]
Spacecraft Organization Date Type Status Notes Image Ref
Helios A West Germany DFVLR/
United States NASA
November 1974 – 1982 orbiter success observations of solar wind, magnetic and electric fields, cosmic rays and cosmic dust between Earth and Sun 1974-097A
Helios B West Germany DFVLR/
United States NASA
January 1976 – 1985? orbiter success 1976-003A
ISEE-3 United States NASA 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 1976-003A
Ulysses
(first pass)
Europe ESA/
United States NASA
1994 orbiter success south polar observations 1990-090B
1995 north polar observations
WIND United States NASA November 1994 – still active as of October 2024[2] orbiter success solar wind measurements 1994-071A
SOHO Europe ESA/
United States NASA
May 1996 – extended to December 2025[3] orbiter success investigation of Sun's core, corona, and solar wind; comet discoveries 1995-065A
ACE United States NASA August 1997 – projected until 2024

[4]

orbiter success solar wind observations 1997-045A

Since 2000

[edit]

Mercury probes

[edit]
Spacecraft Organization Date Type Status Notes Image Ref
Mariner 10 United States NASA 29 March 1974 flyby success minimum distance 704 km 1973-085A
21 September 1974 48,069 km
16 March 1975 327 km
MESSENGER United States NASA 14 January 2008 flyby success minimum distance 200 km 2004-030A
6 October 2008 minimum distance 200 km
29 September 2009 minimum distance 228 km
18 March 2011 –
30 April 2015
orbiter success first spacecraft to orbit Mercury; unavoidable impact on the surface at end of mission
BepiColombo
(Mercury Cruise System)
Europe ESA/
Japan JAXA
1 October 2021 flyby success 2018-080A
23 June 2022
19 June 2023
September 2024
December 2024 flyby en route
January 2025
   Mercury
Planetary Orbiter
Europe ESA 5 December 2025 (orbital insertion)
14 March 2026 (final MPO orbit)
orbiter en route (attached to Mercury Cruise System)
Mio
(Mercury
Magnetospheric Orbiter)
Japan JAXA 5 December 2025 (orbital insertion) orbiter en route (attached to Mercury Cruise System)

Venus probes

[edit]

Early programs encompassing multiple spacecraft include:

1961–1969

[edit]

1970–1978

[edit]

1982–1999

[edit]

Since 2006

[edit]

Earth flybys

[edit]
See List of Earth flybys

In addition, several planetary probes have sent back observations of the Earth-Moon system shortly after launch, most notably Mariner 10, Pioneers 10 and 11 and both Voyager probes (Voyager 1 and Voyager 2).

Lunar probes

[edit]
See List of lunar probes

Mars probes

[edit]

Major early programs encompassing multiple probes include:

1960–1969

[edit]

1971–1976

[edit]

1988–1999

[edit]

2001–2009

[edit]

2011–2018

[edit]

Since 2020

[edit]

Phobos probes

[edit]
Spacecraft Organization Date Type Status Notes Image Ref
Phobos 1 Soviet Union USSR 7 July 1988 (launch) flyby failure contact lost en route to Mars 1988-058A
   DAS Soviet Union USSR 2 September 1988 fixed lander failure never deployed
Phobos 2 Soviet Union USSR 27 March 1989 (contact lost) flyby failure attained Mars orbit; contact lost prior to deployment of lander 1988-059A
   DAS Soviet Union USSR 27 March 1989 fixed lander failure never deployed
   "Frog" Soviet Union USSR 27 March 1989 mobile lander failure never deployed
Fobos-Grunt Russia RKA 8 November 2011 (launch) sample return failure failed to escape Earth orbit; launched with Yinghuo-1 Mars orbiter 2011-065A

Ceres probes

[edit]
Spacecraft Organization Date Type Status Notes Image Ref
Dawn United States NASA 6 March 2015 – 1 November 2018 orbiter success first spacecraft to orbit two different celestial bodies; previously visited Vesta 2007-043A

Asteroid probes

[edit]

Jupiter probes

[edit]

Ganymede probes

[edit]
Spacecraft Organization Date Type Status Notes Image Ref
JUICE Europe ESA 14 April 2023 (launch) orbiter en route mission to study Jupiter's three icy moons Callisto, Europa and Ganymede, eventually orbiting Ganymede as the first spacecraft to orbit a satellite of another planet. [59]

Saturn probes

[edit]
Spacecraft Organization Date Type Status Notes Image Ref
Pioneer 11 United States NASA 1 September 1979 flyby success previously visited Jupiter 1973-019A
Voyager 1 United States NASA 12 November 1980 flyby success previously visited Jupiter 1977-084A
Voyager 2 United States NASA 5 August 1981 flyby success previously visited Jupiter, went on to visit Uranus and Neptune 1977-076A
Cassini United States NASA/
Europe ESA/
Italy ASI
1 July 2004 – 15 September 2017 orbiter success also performed flybys of a number of Saturn's moons, and deployed the Huygens Titan lander; first spacecraft to orbit Saturn 1997-061A

Titan probes

[edit]
Spacecraft Organization Date Type Status Notes Image Ref
Huygens Europe ESA 14 January 2005 atmospheric probe, lander success deployed by Cassini; first probe to land on a satellite of another planet 1997-061C[61]

Uranus probes

[edit]
Spacecraft Organization Date Type Status Notes Image Ref
Voyager 2 United States NASA 24 January 1986 flyby success previously visited Jupiter and Saturn; went on to visit Neptune 1977-076A


Neptune probes

[edit]
Spacecraft Organization Date Type Status Notes Image Ref
Voyager 2 United States NASA 25 August 1989 flyby success previously visited Jupiter, Saturn and Uranus 1977-076A


Pluto probes

[edit]
Spacecraft Organization Date Type Status Notes Image Ref
New Horizons United States NASA 14 July 2015 flyby success later flew by Kuiper belt object 486958 Arrokoth when it was 43.4 AU from the Sun. 2006-001A

Comet probes

[edit]

Kuiper belt probes

[edit]
Target Spacecraft Organization Date Type Status Notes Image Ref
486958 Arrokoth New Horizons United States NASA 1 January 2019 flyby success extended mission after Pluto; may flyby another object in 2020s.[62] 2006-001A


Probes leaving the Solar System

[edit]
Spacecraft Organization Status Notes Image Ref
Pioneer 10 United States NASA success Left Jupiter in December 1973. Mission ended March 1997. Last contact 23 January 2003. Craft now presumed to lack sufficient power for antenna. 1972-012A
Pioneer 11 United States NASA success Left Saturn in September 1979. Last contact September 1995. The craft's antenna cannot be maneuvered to point to Earth. Craft now presumed to lack sufficient power for antenna. 1973-019A
Voyager 1 United States NASA success Left Saturn in November 1980. Still in regular contact and transmitting scientific data. 1977-084A
Voyager 2 United States NASA success Left Neptune in August 1989. Still in regular contact and transmitting scientific data. 1977-076A
New Horizons United States NASA success Left Pluto 14 July 2015; flew by Kuiper belt object 486958 Arrokoth on 1 January 2019 when it was 43.4 AU from the Sun. 2006-001A

Other probes to leave Earth orbit

[edit]

For completeness, this section lists probes that have left (or will leave) Earth orbit, but are not primarily targeted at any of the above bodies.

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c d NSSDC. "Tentatively Identified Missions and Launch Failures". NASA. Retrieved 27 August 2016.
  2. ^ "WIND Near Real-Time Data". NASA. 3 December 2017. Retrieved 14 December 2017.
  3. ^ "soho FACT SHEET". European Space Agency. 3 November 2020. Retrieved 4 December 2022.
  4. ^ Christian, Eric R.; Davis, Andrew J. (10 February 2017). "Advanced Composition Explorer (ACE) Mission Overview". California Institute of Technology. Retrieved 14 December 2017.
  5. ^ "STEREO". stereo.gsfc.nasa.gov. Retrieved 19 February 2021.
  6. ^ "STEREO Status". NASA Stereo Science Center. 22 August 2016. Retrieved 26 September 2016.
  7. ^ a b "Positions of STEREO A and B for 26-Sep-2016 13:00 UT". NASA Stereo Science Center. 26 September 2016. Retrieved 26 September 2016.
  8. ^ Kucera, Therese A., ed. (23 October 2018). "STEREO-B Status Update". NASA/STEREO Science Center. Retrieved 26 February 2019.
  9. ^ "DSCOVR: Deep Space Climate Observatory". National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service. 2 May 2023. Retrieved 25 October 2024.
  10. ^ NASA.gov
  11. ^ a b c d e Science and Technology Definition Team (2008). "Solar Probe Plus" (PDF). NASA. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 July 2008. Retrieved 1 July 2008.
  12. ^ a b c d e f "Solar orbiter". European Space Agency. Retrieved 17 March 2016.
  13. ^ "ADITYA-L1". Indian Space Research Organisation. Retrieved 2 February 2023.
  14. ^ C.S., Hemanth (6 January 2024). "ISRO's Aditya-L1 successfully placed in a halo orbit around L1 point". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
  15. ^ a b c Jet Propulsion Laboratory. "Solar System Exploration: : Galileo Legacy Site". NASA. Archived from the original on 19 April 2001. Retrieved 30 November 2012.
  16. ^ NSSDC. "Magellan Mission to Venus". NASA. Retrieved 30 November 2012.
  17. ^ "NASA - NSSDCA - Spacecraft - Details".
  18. ^ "Breaking News | Japanese mission unleashes solar sail in deep space". Spaceflight Now. Retrieved 20 August 2012.
  19. ^ a b "Solar Power Sail Demonstrator "IKAROS"|JAXA Space Exploration Center". Jspec.jaxa.jp. 21 May 2010. Archived from the original on 22 September 2008. Retrieved 30 November 2012.
  20. ^ [1] Archived 25 February 2011 at the Wayback Machine
  21. ^ a b "UNITEC-1". Unisec.jp. Retrieved 30 November 2012.
  22. ^ a b "First student-built interplanetary mission goes silent – space – 29 May 2010". New Scientist. Retrieved 20 August 2012.
  23. ^ "BepiColombo flies by Venus en route to Mercury|". European Space Agency. 15 October 2020. Retrieved 15 October 2020.
  24. ^ Witasse, O.; Altobelli, N.; Andres, R.; Atzei, A.; Boutonnet, A.; Budnik, F.; Dietz, A.; Erd, C.; Evill, R.; Lorente, R.; Munoz, C.; Pinzan, G.; Scharmberg, C.; Suarez, A.; Tanco, I.; Torelli, F.; Torn, B.; Vallat, C.; JUICE Science Working Team (July 2021). JUICE (Jupiter Icy Moon Explorer): Plans for the cruise phase. Europlanet Science Congress (EPSC) 2021. doi:10.5194/epsc2021-358. Retrieved 28 August 2021.
  25. ^ "Mars Odyssey - NASA Science". science.nasa.gov. Retrieved 25 October 2024.
  26. ^ "Mars Express". www.esa.int. Retrieved 25 October 2024.
  27. ^ "mars beagle lander found". 16 January 2015. Retrieved 17 January 2015.
  28. ^ "Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter - NASA Science". science.nasa.gov. Retrieved 25 October 2024.
  29. ^ "NASA – Phoenix". Nasa.gov. Retrieved 30 November 2012.
  30. ^ Jet Propulsion Laboratory. "Mars Science Laboratory". NASA. Retrieved 30 November 2012.
  31. ^ "ISRO: Mars Orbiter Mission". Archived from the original on 20 November 2013. Retrieved 24 November 2013.
  32. ^ "ISRO - Government of India".
  33. ^ Jet Propulsion Laboratory (5 October 2010). "Thumbs Up Given for 2013 NASA Mars Orbiter – NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory". NASA. Retrieved 30 November 2012.
  34. ^ "Robotic Exploration of Mars: ExoMars Orbiter and EDM Mission (2016)". European Space Agency. 4 September 2012. Archived from the original on 23 December 2009. Retrieved 30 November 2012.
  35. ^ Amos, Jonathan (21 October 2016). "Schiaparelli Mars probe's parachute 'jettisoned too early'". BBC News. Germany. Retrieved 21 October 2016.
  36. ^ Jet Propulsion Laboratory, NASA InSight Team on Course for Mars Touchdown, NASA
  37. ^ Jet Propulsion Laboratory (20 August 2012). "New NASA Mission to take First Look Deep Inside Mars". NASA. Archived from the original on 24 January 2013. Retrieved 6 December 2012.
  38. ^ Clark, Stephen (8 May 2015). "UAE details ambitious plan for Martian weather satellite". Spaceflight Now. Retrieved 10 May 2015.
  39. ^ "China lands its Zhurong rover on Mars". bbc.com. 14 May 2021. Retrieved 14 May 2021.
  40. ^ Connor, Neil (21 September 2017). "Beijing eyes 'robotic and human settlement' on Mars with ambitious 2020 mission". The Telegraph.
  41. ^ "China's Mars mission named Tianwen-1, appears on track for July launch". 24 April 2020.
  42. ^ Jones, Andrew (23 July 2020). "Tianwen-1 launches for Mars, marking dawn of Chinese interplanetary exploration". spacenews.com. Retrieved 23 July 2020.
  43. ^ "Send blessings to the sky, and the full moon welcomes the birthday——Tianwen No.1 blessed the 71st birthday of the motherland with a "selfie flag"".
  44. ^ Chang, Kenneth (5 March 2020). "NASA's Mars 2020 Rover Gets New, Official Name: Perseverance". The New York Times.
  45. ^ "Mission to Europa". NASA. 27 April 2015. Retrieved 27 August 2016.
  46. ^ a b "HERA COMMUNITY WORKSHOP". ESA. Retrieved 15 May 2020.
  47. ^ a b c Bergin, Chris (7 January 2019). "Hera adds objectives to planetary defense test mission". NASASpaceFlight.com. Retrieved 11 January 2019.
  48. ^ a b c d Northon, Karen (4 January 2017). "NASA Selects Two Missions to Explore the Early Solar System". NASA. Retrieved 5 January 2017.
  49. ^ "PROCYON". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 23 September 2015.
  50. ^ Lakdawalla, Emily (8 May 2015). "Due to ion engine failure, PROCYON will not fly by an asteroid". Retrieved 23 September 2015.
  51. ^ Deep Impact sets path for asteroid encounter in 2020 – spaceflightnow.com – Stephen Clark – 17 December 2011
  52. ^ Rivkin, Andy (27 September 2018). "Asteroids have been hitting the Earth for billions of years. In 2022, we hit back". Applied Physics Laboratory. Archived from the original on 31 October 2018. Retrieved 31 October 2018.
  53. ^ Krebs, Gunter Dirk (13 April 2015). "NEA-Scout". Retrieved 13 May 2015.
  54. ^ a b "Asteroid explorer, Hayabusa2, reporter briefing" (PDF). JAXA. 15 September 2020. Retrieved 21 November 2020.
  55. ^ "NASA gives green light for OSIRIS-REx spacecraft to visit another asteroid". University of Arizona. 25 April 2022. Retrieved 26 April 2022.
  56. ^ NASA.gov
  57. ^ Wall, Mike (8 June 2018). "NASA Extends Juno Jupiter Mission Until July 2021". Space.com. Archived from the original on 23 June 2018. Retrieved 23 June 2018.
  58. ^ "NASA's Juno Mission Expands Into the Future". NASA. 13 January 2021. Archived from the original on 13 January 2021. Retrieved 13 January 2021.
  59. ^ a b "JUICE – JUpiter ICy moons Explorer". European Space Agency. Retrieved 27 August 2016.
  60. ^ "Mission to Europa". NASA. 27 April 2015. Retrieved 27 August 2016.
  61. ^ 1997-061C
  62. ^ Foust, Jeff (31 December 2018). "New Horizons team looking ahead to another flyby". SpaceNews. Retrieved 7 January 2019.
  63. ^ a b "MISSION COMPLETE! WMAP FIRES ITS THRUSTERS FOR THE LAST TIME". Archived from the original on 25 December 2010. Retrieved 3 November 2010.
  64. ^ Ames Research Center. "Kepler – A Search for Habitable Planets". NASA. Archived from the original on 15 March 2004. Retrieved 27 August 2016.
  65. ^ "ESA Science & Technology: Gaia". European Space Agency. Retrieved 30 November 2012.
  66. ^ "世界初!「しんえん2」が地球から230万km離れた深宇宙との通信に成功!!" (in Japanese). Kyutech. Archived from the original on 21 November 2018. Retrieved 13 June 2017.
  67. ^ "DESPATCH (ARTSAT 2, FO 81, Fuji-OSCAR 81)". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 13 June 2017.
  68. ^ "ESA Science & Technology: LISA Pathfinder". European Space Agency. Retrieved 20 August 2012.
  69. ^ "Space Science – LISA Pathfinder overview". European Space Agency. 11 June 2012. Retrieved 30 November 2012.
  70. ^ "Spektr-RG Home Page".
  71. ^ Jones, Andrew (21 December 2020). "Chang'e-5 orbiter embarks on extended mission to Sun-Earth Lagrange point". spacenews.com. Retrieved 21 December 2020.
  72. ^ Jones, Andrew (19 March 2021). "Chang'e-5 orbiter reaches Lagrange point on extended mission". spacenews.com. Retrieved 19 March 2021.
  73. ^ Jones, Andrew (6 September 2021). "China's Chang'e-5 orbiter is heading back to the moon". spacenews.com. Retrieved 12 September 2021.
  74. ^ "ESA Portal – ESA and NASA sign agreement on James Webb Space Telescope and LISA Pathfinder". European Space Agency. 18 June 2007. Retrieved 30 November 2012.
  75. ^ "NSSDCA ID: TEAMMILES". Retrieved 30 October 2024.
  76. ^ "ESA Science & Technology: Euclid". European Space Agency. Retrieved 30 November 2012.
  77. ^ Jones, Andrew (10 September 2024). "China's Chang'e-6 orbiter tunrs up at Sun-Earth Lagrange point after moon sampling mission". SpaceNews. Retrieved 10 September 2024.
[edit]