Solar probes

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 EarthSun Lagrangian points additional solar observatories were placed in Earth-orbiting
and are not included in this list:
Spacecraft

Organization Date
NASA/

Pioneer 5
DOD

Pioneer 6

NASA

Pioneer 7

NASA

Pioneer 8

NASA

MarchApril
1960

Type

Status

Notes

measured magnetic
field phenomena,
orbiter success solar flare particles,
and ionization in the
interplanetary region

December
1965 still
orbiter success
contactable in
2000
August 1966
network of solarstill
orbiter success orbiting "space
contactable in
weather" monitors,
1995
observing solar wind,
December
cosmic rays, and
1967 still
orbiter success magnetic fields
contactable in
2001

NASA

November
1968 May
1983

Pioneer-E

NASA

27 August
1969

Helios A

NASA/
BWF

November
1974 1982

orbiter success

Helios B

NASA/
BWF

19781982

observed solar
phenomena in
orbiter success conjunction with
earth-orbiting ISEE-1
and ISEE-2; later

Pioneer 9

ISEE-3

NASA

orbiter success

orbiter failure

intended as part of
the Pioneer 69
network; failed to
reach orbit

observations of solar
wind, magnetic and
electric fields, cosmic
rays and cosmic dust
January 1976
orbiter success between Earth and
1985?
Sun

Image

renamed
International
Cometary Explorer
(ICE) and directed to
Comet GiacobiniZinner
Ulysses
(first pass)

ESA/
NASA

1994
orbiter success
1995

south polar
observations
north polar
observations

NASA

November
1994 still
returning data
solar wind
orbiter success
(as of
measurements
December
[12]
2013)

ESA/
NASA

May 1996
investigation of Sun's
mission
core, corona, and
extended until orbiter success
solar wind; comet
31 December
discoveries
[14]
2016

ACE

NASA

August 1997
still returning
solar wind
data (as of
orbiter success
observations
December
[16]
2013)

Ulysses
(second
pass)

ESA/
NASA

WIND

SOHO

Genesis

NASA

STEREO A

NASA

STEREO B

NASA

2000
orbiter success
2001

20012004

south polar
observations
north polar
observations

solar wind sample

orbiter/
return; crash landed
sample success
on return to Earth,
return
much data salvaged

December
2006 still
returning data
orbiter success stereoscopic imaging
(as of
of coronal mass
December
ejections and other
[19][20]
2013)
solar phenomena
December
orbiter success
2006 still

returning data
(as of
December
[19][20]
2013)
2007

success

south polar
observations

2008

north polar
observations; some
orbiter
partial data returned
success despite failing power
and reduced
transmission capacity

NASA

2015

multisix probes watching

probe planned
the sun
orbiter

Solar Probe
Plus

NASA

2015

orbiter

IntergelioZond

RKA

2019

orbiter planned

Aditya

ISRO

2017-2018

orbiter planned to study Solar Corona

Ulysses
(third pass)

ESA/
NASA

Solar
Sentinels

under
study

close-range coronal
observations
close-range solar
observations

Mercury probes
Main article: Exploration of Mercury
Spacecraft
Organization Date

Type

Status

29 March
1974
Mariner 10

NASA

NASA

minimum
distance 704 km

21
September flyby
1974

success

48,069 km

16 March
1975

327 km

14 January
2008

minimum
distance 200 km

6 October
2008
MESSENGER

Notes

flyby

success

29
September
2009
18 March
2011

minimum
distance 200 km
minimum
distance 200 km

orbiter success

Image

March 2013
BepiColombo

ESA/
JAXA

Mercury
Planetary
Orbiter

ESA

orbiter

under
construction

Mercury
Magnetospheric
Orbiter

JAXA

orbiter

under
construction

2015

Venus probes
Main article: Exploration of Venus
19611965
Spacecraft

Organization Date

Type

Status

Notes

lander

failure

failed to escape from

Earth orbit

(USSR)

4 February
1961

Venera 1

(USSR)

19 May 1961
flyby
20 May 1961

failure

contact lost 7 days

after launch; first
spacecraft to fly by
another planet

Mariner 1

NASA

22 July 1962

flyby

failure

guidance failure
shortly after launch

Sputnik 19

(USSR)

25 August
1962

lander

failure

failed to escape
Earth orbit

Sputnik 20

(USSR)

1 September
1962

lander

failure

failed to escape
Earth orbit

Sputnik 21

(USSR)

12 September
flyby
1962

failure

third stage exploded

Mariner 2

NASA

14 December
flyby
1962

first successful Venus

success flyby; minimum
distance 34,773 km

(USSR)

11 November
flyby?
1963

failure

failed to escape
Earth orbit

Venera

1964A

(USSR)

19 February
1964

flyby

failure

failed to reach Earth

orbit

Venera

1964B

(USSR)

1 March 1964 flyby

failure

failed to reach Earth

orbit

Cosmos 27

(USSR)

27 March

failure

failed to escape

Sputnik 7

Cosmos 21

flyby

Image

1964

Earth orbit
flyby
and
failure
possible
lander

Zond 1

(USSR)

1964

contact lost en route

Cosmos 96

(USSR)

23 November
lander
1965

failure

exploded?

Venera

1965A

(USSR)

26 November
flyby
1965

failure

launch vehicle
failure?

19661970
Spacecraft Organization Date
Venera 2

(USSR)

27 February
1966

Type

Status Notes

flyby

failure

ceased to operate
en route

Venera 3

(USSR)

1 March 1966 lander

contact lost before

arrival; first
failure spacecraft to impact
on the surface of
another planet

Kosmos 167

(USSR)

17 June 1967 lander

failure

Venera 4

(USSR)

18 October
1967

continued to
atmospheric
success transmit to an
probe
altitude of 25 km

Mariner 5

NASA

19 October
1967

flyby

(USSR)

transmitted
atmospheric data
atmospheric
16 May 1969
success for 53 minutes, to
probe
an altitude of about
26 km

Venera 6

(USSR)

transmitted
atmospheric data
atmospheric
17 May 1969
success for 51 minutes, to
probe
an altitude of
perhaps 1012 km

Cosmos
359

(USSR)

22 August
1970

Venera 7

(USSR)

15 December
lander
1970

Venera 5

success

lander?

failed to escape
Earth orbit

minimum distance
5,000 km

failure

failed to escape
Earth orbit

success

first successful
landing on another

Image

planet; signals
returned from
surface for 23
minutes
19711975
Spacecraft

Organization Date

Type

Status

Notes

Cosmos 482

(USSR)

31 March
1972

lander? failure

Venera 8

(USSR)

22 July 1972

lander

signals returned from

success surface for 50
minutes

5 February
1974

flyby

minimum distance
5768 km, en route to
Mercury; first use of
success
gravity assist by an
interplanetary
spacecraft

1975

first spacecraft to
orbit Venus;
communications
orbiter success
relay for lander;
atmospheric and
magnetic studies

Mariner 10

Venera 9

Venera 10

NASA

(USSR)

failed to escape
Earth orbit

first images from the

surface; operated on
success
surface for 53
minutes

22 October
1975

lander

1975

communications
relay for lander;
orbiter success
atmospheric and
magnetic studies

(USSR)
23 October
1975

lander

Image

transmitted from
success surface for 65
minutes

1978
Spacecraft

Organization Date

Type

Status Notes

Image

Pioneer
Venus
Orbiter

NASA

4 December
1978
1992

Pioneer
Venus
Multiprobe

NASA

9 December
1978

orbiter

success

atmospheric and
magnetic studies

bus

deployed four
atmospheric
probes, then burnt
probe
up in Venusian
success
transporter
atmosphere,
continuing to
transmit to 110 km
altitude

large
probe

atmospheric
success
probe

north
probe

atmospheric
success
probe

day probe

survived impact and

continued to
atmospheric
success transmit from
probe
surface for over an
hour

night
probe

atmospheric
success
probe

Venera 12

SAS

flight
platform

descent
craft

Venera 11
flight

21 December
flyby
1978

minimum distance
34,000 km;
deployed lander
success
and then acted as
communications
relay

21 December
lander
1978

soft landing;
transmissions
partial
returned for 110
success
minutes; failure of
some instruments
identical to Venera
12

SAS
25 December flyby

success minimum distance

platform

1978

descent
craft

34,000 km;
deployed lander
and then acted as
communications
relay

25 December
lander
1978

soft landing;
transmissions
partial
returned for 95
success
minutes; failure of
some instruments

19821994
Spacecraft
Venera 13

Organization Date

Type

Status Notes

SAS

bus

1 March 1982 flyby

deployed lander
and then acted as
success
communications
relay

descent
craft

1 March 1982 lander

success

Venera 14

survived on surface
for 127 minutes
identical to Venera
13

SAS

bus

5 March 1982 flyby

deployed lander
and then acted as
success
communications
relay

descent
craft

5 March 1982 lander

success

survived on surface
for 57 minutes

Venera 15

SAS

19831984

orbiter

success radar mapping

Venera 16

SAS

19831984

orbiter

radar mapping;
success identical to Venera
15

Vega 1

SAS

11 June 1985

flyby

success

lander

failure instruments

went on to fly by
Halley's comet

Image

deployed
prematurely
floated at an
altitude of about
atmospheric
success 54 km and
balloon
transmitted for
around 46 hours

Vega 2

Galileo

Magellan

went on to fly by
Halley's comet

flyby

success

lander

transmitted from
success surface for 56
minutes

SAS

15 June 1985

NASA

10 February
1990

flyby

gravity assist en
route to Jupiter;
success
minimum distance
16,000 km

NASA

10 August
1990
12 October
1994

orbiter

success

floated at an
altitude of about
atmospheric
success 54 km and
balloon
transmitted for
around 46 hours

global radar
mapping

1998present
Spacecraft

Cassini

Organization Date
NASA/
ESA/
ASI

Type

Status

Notes

flyby

success

gravity assist en
route to Saturn

26 April 1998
24 June 1999

Venus
Express

ESA

11 April 2006
mission
atmospheric studies;
extended until
planetary imaging;
orbiter success
at least
magnetic
December
observations
[82]
2014

MESSENGER

NASA

24 October
2006

gravity assist only;

success minimum distance
2990 km

flyby

Image

minimum distance
success 300 km; en route to
Mercury

6 June 2007
Akatsuki
(PLANET-C)

JAXA

7 December
2010

IKAROS

JAXA

8 December
[85]
2010

flyby

[86]

Shin'en
(UNITEC-1)

UNISEC

December
2010?

flyby

[88]

Akatsuki
(PLANET-C)

JAXA

Dec 2016 or
Jan 2017

orbiter failure

failed to attain Venus

orbit.

solar sail technology

development /
success
interplanetary space
exploration
failure

contact lost shortly

[89]
after launch

orbiter

en
route

planned second
attempt at orbit
insertion when craft
next approaches
Venus

Type

Status

Notes

Future
Spacecraft

Organization Date

Venus InSitu Explorer

NASA

2013

in-situ
planned
explorer

Venus
Surface
Explorer

NASA

2020

in-situ
planned
explorer

Venera-D

RKA

2024

orbiter planned

Image

Earth flybys
Main article: List of Earth flybys
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.
See also: Timeline of Earth science satellites
Lunar probes
See List of lunar probes
Mars probes

10

Main articles: Exploration of Mars and List of missions to Mars

1960s
Spacecraft

Organization Date

Type

Status

Notes

flyby

failure

failed to reach Earth

orbit

Mars 1960A

USSR

10 October
1960

Mars 1960B

USSR

14 October
1960

flyby

failure

failed to reach Earth

orbit

Mars 1962A

USSR

24 October
1962

flyby

failure

exploded in or en
route to Earth orbit

Mars 1962B

USSR

11 November
lander
1962 (launch)

failure

broke up during
transfer to Mars
trajectory

failure

contact lost en route;

flew within
approximately
193,000 km of Mars

Mars 1

USSR

19 June 1963 flyby

Mariner 3

NASA

5 November
1964

flyby

failure

protective shield
failed to eject,
preventing craft from
attaining correct
trajectory

Zond 2

USSR

6 August 1965 flyby

failure

contact lost en route;

flew within 1,500 km
of Mars

Mariner 4

NASA

15 July 1965

flyby

success

first close-up images

of Mars

Mariner 6

NASA

31 July 1969

flyby

success

Mariner 7

NASA

5 August 1969 flyby

success

Mars 1969A

USSR

27 March
1969

orbiter failure

launch failure

Mars 1969B

USSR

2 April 1969

orbiter failure

launch failure

Type

Notes

Image

1970s and 1980s

Spacecraft

Organization Date

11

Status

Image

Mariner 8

NASA

9 May 1971

Mariner 9

NASA

14 November
first spacecraft to
orbiter success
1971
orbit another planet

Mars 2

USSR

November
1971
August 1972

USSR

lander
crashed; first
and
27 November
manmade object to
short failure
1971
reach surface of
range
Mars
rover

USSR

December
1971
August 1972

attained a different
partial orbit than intended
orbiter
success due to insufficient
fuel

USSR

2 December
1971

lander
and
contact lost 110 sec
short failure
after soft landing
range
rover

Cosmos 419

USSR

10 May 1971

orbiter failure

failed to escape
Earth orbit

Mars 4

USSR

10 February
1974

orbiter failure

orbit insertion failed,

became flyby

Mars 5

USSR

February 1974 orbiter success

Mars 6

USSR

12 March
1974

flyby

USSR

12 March
1974

contact lost 148 sec

after parachute
deployment
lander failure
(returned 224
seconds of
atmospheric data)

USSR

9 March 1974 flyby

USSR

9 March 1974 lander failure missed Mars

NASA

June 1976
August 1980

NASA

20 July 1976
first images from
lander success
13 November
surface

Mars 2
Lander

Mars 3

Mars 3
Lander

Mars 6
Lander

Mars 7
Mars 7
Lander
Viking 1
Orbiter
Viking 1
Lander

orbiter failure launch vehicle failure

first Russian
orbiter success spacecraft to orbit
another planet

success

success

orbiter success

12

1982
Viking 2
Orbiter

NASA

August 1976
orbiter success
July 1978

Viking 2
Lander

NASA

3 September
1976
lander success
11 April 1980

Phobos 1

USSR

7 July 1988
(launch)

orbiter failure

29 January
1989
27 March
1989

Mars orbit acquired,

but contact lost
shortly before
partial
orbiter
Phobos approach
success
phase and
deployment of
Phobos landers

Phobos 2

USSR

contact lost en route

to Mars

1990s
Spacecraft
Mars Observer

Organization Date
NASA

Type

25
September
orbiter
1992
(launch)

Status Notes
contact lost shortly
failure before Mars orbit
insertion

orbiter
lander
Mars 96

RKA

16
November
1996
(launch)

lander
penetrator failure

failed to escape
Earth orbit

penetrator

Mars
Pathfinder

Sojourner

NASA

4 July 1997

27
lander
September
1997

success

NASA

6 July 1997

27
rover
September
1997

success first Mars rover

13

Image

Mars Global
Surveyor

NASA

12
September
1997
orbiter
2 November
2006

Mars Climate
Orbiter

NASA

23
September orbiter
1999

Mars Polar
Lander

NASA

3 December
lander
1999

Deep Space
2
"Amundsen"

NASA

Deep Space
2 "Scott"

NASA

success

Mars orbit insertion

failure failed due to
navigation error

contact lost just

prior to entering
3 December
penetrator failure Martian
1999
atmosphere
3 December
penetrator
1999

2000 present
Spacecraft

Organization Date

Type

Status

Notes
studying climate
and geology;
communications
relay for Spirit and
Opportunity rovers

2001 Mars
Odyssey

NASA

24 October
2001

Nozomi

ISAS

14 December
orbiter failure
2003

failed to attain Mars

orbit, became flyby

ESA

25 December
orbiter success
2003

surface imaging and

mapping; first
European probe in
Martian orbit

25 December
lander failure
2003

contact never
established after
attempted landing

4 January
2004 22
rover
March 2010

became stuck in
May 2009; then
operating as a static
science station until
contact lost in
March 2010

Mars Express

Beagle 2

MER-A "Spirit"

NASA

orbiter success

14

success

Image

MER-B
"Opportunity"

NASA

25 January
2004

rover

Mars
Reconnaissance
Orbiter

NASA

10 March
2006

orbiter success

ESA

25 February
flyby
2007

Rosetta

success

success

Phoenix

NASA

25 May 2008

lander success
10 November
2008

Dawn

NASA

17 February
flyby
2009

CNSA

8 November
2011
orbiter failure
(launch)

NASA

6 August
2012

rover

Yinghuo-1

MSL Curiosity

success

surface imaging and

surveying
gravity assist en
route to asteroid
and comet
encounters
collection of soil
samples near the
northern pole to
search for water
and investigate
Mars' geological
history and
biological potential
gravity assist en
route to Vesta and
Ceres
failed to escape
Earth orbit;
launched with
Fobos-Grunt
Phobos lander

investigation of past
in
and present
operation habitability, climate
and geology

Mars Orbiter
Mission

ISRO

24
September
2014

technology
development; will
in
study atmosphere
orbiter
operation & conduct
mineralogical
mapping.

MAVEN

NASA

22
September
2014

orbiter

in
will study Martian
operation atmosphere

Future
Spacecraft

Organization Date

Type

15

Status

Notes

Image

InSight

NASA

2016

lander

ExoMars
Trace Gas
Orbiter

ESA/
RKA

2016

orbiter,
planned
lander

ExoMars
rover

ESA/
RKA

2018

rover

2024?

orbiter,
lander,
rover, under
and
study
sample
return

Mars
Sample
Return
Mission

NASA/
ESA

planned

planned

Phobos probes
Spacecraft

Organization Date

Type

Status

Notes

Phobos 1

USSR

7 July 1988
(launch)

flyby

failure

contact lost en route

to Mars

DAS

USSR

2 September
1988

fixed
lander

failure

never deployed

Phobos 2

USSR

27 March
1989 (contact flyby
lost)

failure

attained Mars orbit;

contact lost prior to
deployment of
lander

DAS

USSR

27 March
1989

fixed
lander

failure

never deployed

"Frog"

USSR

27 March
1989

mobile
failure
lander

never deployed

RKA

8 November sample
failure
2011 (launch) return

FobosGrunt

Image

failed to escape
Earth orbit; launched
with Yinghuo-1 Mars
orbiter

Ceres probes
Spacecraft
Dawn

Organization Date
NASA

2015

Type

Status

Notes

orbiter

en
route

previously visited
Vesta

16

Image

Asteroid probes
Target

Spacecraft Organization Date

951 Gaspra Galileo

243 Ida

Galileo

1620
Clementine
Geographos

253
Mathilde

433 Eros

9969 Braille

NEAR
Shoemaker

NEAR
Shoemaker

Deep Space
1

NASA

NASA

BMDO/
NASA

NASA

NASA

NASA

29
October
1991

Type

Status Notes

flyby

en route to
Jupiter;
success minimum
distance
1900 km

28 August
flyby
1993

en route to
Jupiter;
minimum
distance
success
2400 km;
discovery of the
first asteroid
satellite Dactyl

1994

flyby

flyby cancelled
due to
failure
equipment
malfunction

27 June
1997

flyby

flew within
1200 km of 253
success Mathilde en
route to 433
Eros

January
1999

became flyby
due to software
and
communications
orbiter failure problems (later
attempt at orbit
insertion
succeeded; see
below)

29 July
1999

flyby

17

no close-up
images due to
partial camera pointing
success error; went on
to visit comet
19P/Borrelly

Image

NASA/
ESA/
ASI

23 January distant
en route to
success
2000
flyby
Saturn

433 Eros

NEAR
Shoemaker

NASA

February
2000
February
2001

5535
Annefrank

Stardust

NASA

November distant
went on to visit
success
2, 2002
flyby
comet 81P/Wild

2685
Masursky

Cassini

Hayabusa

132524 APL

New
Horizons

2867 teins Rosetta

21 Lutetia

Rosetta

landed on
sample
Itokawa in 2005
success
return
and returned to
Earth in 2010

ISAS

200507

ISAS

12
November hopper failure missed target
2005

NASA

June 2006

ESA

5
September flyby
2008

en route to
comet
success
67P/ChuryumovGerasimenko

ESA

11 July
2010

en route to
comet
success
67P/ChuryumovGerasimenko

25143
Itokawa
MINERVA

improvised
orbiter,
landing by
became success
orbiter at end of
lander
mission

distant
en route to
success
flyby
Pluto

flyby

4 Vesta

Dawn

NASA

16 July
2011 5
now en route to
orbiter success
September
Ceres
2012

4179
Toutatis

Chang'e 2

CNSA

13
December flyby
2012

success

Jupiter probes
Main article: Exploration of Jupiter
Spacecraft Organization Date
Pioneer 10

NASA

3 December
1973

Type

Status

Notes

flyby

success

first probe to cross

the asteroid belt;

18

Image

first Jupiter probe;

first man-made
object on an
interstellar
trajectory; now in
the outer regions
of the Solar System
but no longer
contactable
Pioneer 11

NASA

4 December
1974

flyby

success

went on to visit
Saturn

Voyager 1

NASA

5 March 1979 flyby

success

went on to visit
Saturn

Voyager 2

NASA

9 July 1979

flyby

went on to visit
success Saturn, Uranus and
Neptune

flyby

gravity assist en
route to inclined
success heliocentric orbit
for solar polar
observations

NASA/
DLR

7 December
1995
21
September
2003

orbiter

also flew by
various of Jupiter's
moons;
intentionally flown
into Jupiter at end
success
of mission; first
spacecraft to orbit
Jupiter; first
spacecraft to flyby
an asteroid

NASA/
DLR

7 December
1995

first probe to enter

atmospheric
success Jupiter's
probe
atmosphere

Cassini

NASA/
ESA/
ASI

December
2000

flyby

Ulysses
(second
pass)

ESA/
NASA

200304

distant flyby success

Ulysses
(first pass)

Galileo
Orbiter

Galileo
Probe

ESA/
NASA

February
1992

success

19

gravity assist en
route to Saturn

New
Horizons

NASA

28 February
2007

Juno

NASA

5 August
orbiter
2011 (launch)

en
route

2022 (launch) orbiter

planned to
eventually enter
orbit around
Ganymede to
planned
become the first
probe to orbit a
natural satellite of
another planet

2020s

under
study

JUICE

ESA

Europa
Clipper

NASA

flyby

success

orbiter

gravity assist en
route to Pluto

planned to orbit
Jupiter and fly by
Europa multiple
times

Saturn probes
Main article: Exploration of Saturn
Spacecraft Organization Date

Type

Status

Notes

Pioneer 11

NASA

1 September
1979

flyby

success

previously visited
Jupiter

Voyager 1

NASA

12 November
flyby
1980

success

previously visited
Jupiter

5 August 1981 flyby

previously visited
Jupiter, went on to
success
visit Uranus and
Neptune

Voyager 2

Cassini

NASA

NASA/
ESA/
ASI

1 July 2004

Image

also performed
flybys of a number of
Saturn's moons, and
deployed the
orbiter success
Huygens Titan
lander; first
spacecraft to orbit
Saturn

Titan probes
Spacecraft

Organization Date

Type

20

Status Notes

Image

deployed by Cassini;
atmospheric
first probe to land on
success
probe, lander
a satellite of another
planet

Huygens

ESA

14 January
2005

Titan Saturn
System
Mission

ESA/
NASA

orbiter,
under
October 2029 montgolfire,
study
lander

Uranus probes
Main article: Exploration of Uranus
Spacecraft Organization Date
Voyager 2

NASA

24 January
1986

Type

Status

Notes

flyby

previously visited
Jupiter and Saturn;
success
went on to visit
Neptune

Type

Status

flyby

previously visited
success Jupiter, Saturn and
Uranus

Image

Ref
[167]

Neptune probes
Main article: Exploration of Neptune
Spacecraft Organization Date
Voyager 2

NASA

25 August
1989

Notes

Image

Ref
[167]

Pluto probes
Spacecraft

Organization Date

New
Horizons

NASA

2015

Type

Status

Notes

flyby

flybys of other Kuiper

Belt objects may
en route
follow (targets yet to
be decided)

Image Ref
[162]

Comet probes
Target

Spacecraft

21P/Giacobini- ICE (formerly

Zinner
ISEE3)

Organizatio
Date
n
NASA

Type

11
Septembe flyby
r 1985

21

Status Notes
previously
succes solar monitor
s
ISEE3; went
on to observe

Image

Halley's
Comet

1P/Halley

Vega 1

SAS

6 March
1986

flyby

minimum
distance
succes
8,890 km;
s
previously
visited Venus

1P/Halley

Suisei

ISAS

8 March
1986

flyby

succes
151,000 km
s
minimum
distance
succes
8,890 km;
s
previously
visited Venus

1P/Halley

Vega 2

SAS

9 March
1986

flyby

1P/Halley

Sakigake

ISAS

March
1986

partial minimum
distant
succes distance 6.99
flyby
s
million km

1P/Halley

1P/Halley

Giotto

ICE (formerly
ISEE3)

minimum
distance
596 km; went
succes
on to visit
s
comet
26P/GriggSkjellerup

ESA

14 March
flyby
1986

NASA

minimum
distance 32
distant
million km;
28 March
succes
obserpreviously
1986
s
vations
visited comet
21P/Giacobini
-Zinner
flyby

previously
succes visited
s
Halley's
Comet

26P/GriggSkjellerup

Giotto

ESA

10 July
1992

45P/
Honda-MrkosPajdusakova

Sakigake

ISAS

1996

flyby

21P/GiacobiniSakigake
Zinner

ISAS

1998

flyby

contact lost;
failure previously
visited
Halley's
failure Comet

55P/TempelTuttle

ISAS

1998

flyby

failure

Suisei

22

abandoned
due to lack of

21P/GiacobiniSuisei
Zinner

ISAS

1998

19P/Borrelly

Deep Space
1

NASA

22
Septembe flyby
r 2001

previously
succes visited
s
asteroid 9969
Braille

2P/Encke

CONTOUR

NASA

2003

contact lost
failure shortly after
launch

Stardust

NASA

sample
returned
flyby,
2 January
succes January 2006;
sample
2004
s
also visited
return
asteroid 5535
Annefrank

Deep Impact

NASA

July 2005 flyby

Impactor

NASA

4 July
2005

impacto succes
r
s

73P/
Schwassmann- CONTOUR
Wachmann

NASA

2006

flyby

contact lost
failure shortly after
launch

6P/d'Arrest

NASA

2008

flyby

contact lost
failure shortly after
launch

81P/Wild

flyby

fuel;
previously
failure visited
Halley's
Comet

flyby

9P/Tempel

CONTOUR

succes
s

103P/Hartley

Deep Impact
(redesignate
d EPOXI)

NASA

4
November flyby
2010

mission
extension
succes (target
s
changed from
comet
Boethin)

9P/Tempel

Stardust
(redesignate
d NExT)

NASA

14
February flyby
2011

succes mission
s
extension

67P/Churyumov
Rosetta
Gerasimenko

ESA

201415

23

flybys of
asteroids
en
orbiter
2867 teins
route
and 21
Lutetia also

scheduled
Philae

ESA

2014

lander

en
route

Probes leaving the Solar System

See also: List of artificial objects escaping from the Solar System
Spacecraft Organization Notes

Image

NASA

Left Jupiter in December 1973. Mission ended

March 1997. Last contact January 23, 2003. Craft
now presumed dead; no further contact attempts
planned.

NASA

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.

NASA

Left Saturn in November 1980. Still in regular

contact and transmitting scientific data (as of
September 2012). Contact hoped to be maintained
until at least 2020.

Voyager 2

NASA

Left Neptune in August 1989. Still in regular

contact and transmitting scientific data (as of
September 2012). Contact hoped to be maintained
until at least 2020.

New
Horizons

NASA

Currently en route to outer Solar System. Expected

to reach Pluto in July 2015.

Pioneer 10

Pioneer 11

Voyager 1

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

WMAP

NASA

Location

30 June 2001
(launch) to
Sun-Earth
October
L2 point
2010
[185]
(end)

24

Status

Notes

success

cosmic
background
radiation
observations;
sent to
graveyard
orbit after 9
years of

Image

use.

Spitzer
Space
Telescope

Chang'e 2

Kepler

Herschel
Space
Observatory

Planck

IKAROS

Shin'en
(UNITEC-1)

Gaia

[185]

NASA

25 August
2003
(launch)
still active
(as of
December
2010)

CNSA

25 August
2011(arrive) Sun-Earth
to 15 April L2 point
2012(end)

NASA

6 March
2009
(launch)

ESA

Lissajous
study of
orbit
formation
14 May 2009
around Sun- operational and evolution
(launch)
Earth L2
of galaxies
point
and stars

ESA

Lissajous
cosmic
orbit
14 May 2009
microwave
around Sun- operational
(launch)
background
Earth L2
observations
point

Earthtrailing
success
heliocentric
orbit

success

infrared
astronomy

Left the point

on 15 April
2012, then
flew by
asteroid 4179
[188]
Toutatis.

Earthsearch for
trailing
operational extrasolar
heliocentric
planets
orbit

solar sail
technology
development
operational /
JAXA
interplanetary
Earth-Venus
space
20 May 2010 transfer
exploration
(launch)
heliocentric
orbit
technology
development;
failure
contact lost
UNISEC
shortly after
[89]
launch
ESA

19
December
2013

Lissajous
orbit
en route
around Sun-

25

astrometry
mission to
measure the

(launch)

Earth L2
point

position and
motion of 1
billion stars

LISA
Pathfinder

ESA

2014
[194]
(launch)

Halo orbit
around Sunplanned
Earth L1
point

James
Webb
Space
Telescope

NASA
ESA
CSA

2018
(launch)

Sun-Earth
L2 point

Euclid

ESA

2019
(launch)

planned

Halo orbit
around Sunplanned
Earth L2
point

test mission
for proposed
LISA
gravitational
wave
observatory
infrared
astronomy
measure the
rate of
expansion of
the Universe
through time
to better
understand
dark energy
and dark
matter

Cancelled probes and missions

Target

Spacecraft

Mercury

BepiColombo
Mercury Surface
Element

Organizati Dat
Type
on
e

Status

Notes

cancelle
d

ESA

lander

originally
orbiter,
scheduled for
cancelle
penetrato
2004,
d
rs
cancelled
2007

Moon

LUNAR-A

JAXA

Mars

Mars Surveyor
2001 Lander

NASA

Mars

Beagle 2:
Evolution

Mars

NetLander

200
lander
1

cancelle
d

200
lander
4

cancelle
d

lander

cancelle
d

CNES/
ESA

26

Image

Mars

Mars
Telecommunicati
ons Orbiter

NASA

201
orbiter
0

Phobos

Aladdin

NASA

sample
return

not
selecte
d

Europa

Europa Orbiter

NASA

orbiter

cancelle
d

Europa

Jupiter Icy Moons

Orbiter

NASA

orbiter

cancelle
d

Ganymede

Jupiter Icy Moons

Orbiter

NASA

orbiter

cancelle
d

Callisto

Jupiter Icy Moons

Orbiter

NASA

orbiter

cancelle
d

Pluto

Pluto Fast Flyby

NASA

201
flyby
0

cancelle Now known as

d
New Horizons

Pluto

Pluto Kuiper
Express

NASA

201
flyby
2

cancelle Now known as

d
New Horizons

4660 Nereus

Hayabusa

ISAS

sample
return

cancelle
d

cancelle rerouted to
d
25143 Itokawa

3840 Mimistrob
Rosetta
ell

ESA

200
flyby
6

cancelle
rerouted
d

4979 Otawara

Rosetta

ESA

200
flyby
6

cancelle
rerouted
d

4660 Nereus

Near Earth
Asteroid
Prospector

46P/Wirtanen

Rosetta

sample
return

SpaceDev

ESA

201
orbiter
1

27

cancelle
d
rerouted to
cancelle 67P/Churyum
d
ovGerasimenko