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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

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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

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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

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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

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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 2029[4] orbiter success solar wind observations 1997-045A

Since 2000

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Mercury probes

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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

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Early programs encompassing multiple spacecraft include:

1961–1969

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1970–1978

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1982–1999

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Since 2006

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Earth flybys

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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

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See List of lunar probes

Mars probes

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Major early programs encompassing multiple probes include:

1960–1969

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1971–1976

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1988–1999

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2001–2009

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2011–2018

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Since 2020

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Phobos probes

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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

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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

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Jupiter probes

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Ganymede probes

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Spacecraft Organization Date Type Status Notes Image Ref
JUICE Europe ESA 14 April 2023 (launch) orbiter enroute 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. [55]

Saturn probes

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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Kuiper belt probes

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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

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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

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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

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References

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