List of Solar System probes explained

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

Colour key:

– Mission or flyby completed successfully (or partially successfully)   Failed mission
– Mission en route or in progress (including mission extensions)

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.

Solar probes

See main article: Heliophysics. 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

SpacecraftOrganizationDateTypeStatusNotesImageRef
Pioneer 5 NASA/
DOD
March–April 1960orbitersuccessmeasured magnetic field phenomena, solar flare particles, and ionization in the interplanetary region
Pioneer 6(A) NASADecember 1965 – still contactable in 2000orbitersuccessnetwork of solar-orbiting "space weather" monitors, observing solar wind, cosmic rays, and magnetic fields
Pioneer 7(B) NASAAugust 1966 – still contactable in 1995orbitersuccess
Pioneer 8(C) NASADecember 1967 – still contactable in 2001orbitersuccess
Pioneer 9(D) NASANovember 1968 – May 1983orbitersuccess
Pioneer-E NASA27 August 1969orbiterfailureintended as part of the Pioneer network; failed to reach orbit

1974–1997

SpacecraftOrganizationDateTypeStatusNotesImageRef
Helios A DFVLR/
NASA
November 1974 – 1982orbitersuccessobservations of solar wind, magnetic and electric fields, cosmic rays and cosmic dust between Earth and Sun
Helios B DFVLR/
NASA
January 1976 – 1985?orbitersuccess
ISEE-3 NASA1978–1982orbitersuccessobserved solar phenomena in conjunction with earth-orbiting ISEE-1 and ISEE-2; later renamed International Cometary Explorer (ICE) and directed to Comet Giacobini-Zinner
Ulysses
(first pass)
ESA/
NASA
1994orbitersuccesssouth polar observations
1995north polar observations
WIND NASANovember 1994 – still active as of October 2024[2] orbitersuccesssolar wind measurements
SOHO ESA/
NASA
May 1996 – extended to December 2025[3] orbitersuccessinvestigation of Sun's core, corona, and solar wind; comet discoveries
ACE NASAAugust 1997 – projected until 2029[4] orbitersuccesssolar wind observations

Since 2000

Mercury probes

See main article: Exploration of Mercury.

SpacecraftOrganizationDateTypeStatusNotesImageRef
Mariner 10 NASA29 March 1974flybysuccessminimum distance 704 km
48,069 km
16 March 1975327 km
MESSENGER NASA14 January 2008flybysuccessminimum distance 200 km
6 October 2008minimum distance 200 km
29 September 2009minimum distance 228 km
18 March 2011 –
30 April 2015
orbitersuccessfirst spacecraft to orbit Mercury; unavoidable impact on the surface at end of mission
BepiColombo
(Mercury Cruise System)
ESA/
JAXA
1 October 2021flybysuccess
23 June 2022
19 June 2023
September 2024
December 2024flybyen route
January 2025
  Mercury
Planetary Orbiter
ESA5 December 2025 (orbital insertion)
14 March 2026 (final MPO orbit)
orbiteren route (attached to Mercury Cruise System)
Mio
(Mercury
Magnetospheric Orbiter)
JAXA5 December 2025 (orbital insertion)orbiteren route (attached to Mercury Cruise System)

Venus probes

See main article: List of missions to Venus and Exploration of Venus.

Early programs encompassing multiple spacecraft include:

1961–1969

1970–1978

1982–1999

Since 2006

Earth flybys

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

See List of lunar probes

Mars probes

See main article: Exploration of Mars and List of missions to Mars.

Major early programs encompassing multiple probes include:

1960–1969

1971–1976

1988–1999

2001–2009

2011–2018

Since 2020

Phobos probes

SpacecraftOrganizationDateTypeStatusNotesImageRef
Phobos 1 USSR7 July 1988 (launch)flybyfailurecontact lost en route to Mars
  DAS USSR2 September 1988fixed landerfailurenever deployed
Phobos 2 USSR27 March 1989 (contact lost)flybyfailureattained Mars orbit; contact lost prior to deployment of lander
  DAS USSR27 March 1989fixed landerfailurenever deployed
  "Frog" USSR27 March 1989mobile landerfailurenever deployed
Fobos-Grunt RKA8 November 2011 (launch)sample returnfailurefailed to escape Earth orbit; launched with Yinghuo-1 Mars orbiter-MMX JAXA2026 (launch)
2027 (arrival)
sample returnplannedreturn sample in 2031[48] [49] [50]
   MMX rover CNES/
DLR
2027roverplanned

Asteroid probes

Jupiter probes

See main article: Exploration of Jupiter.

Ganymede probes

Saturn probes

See main article: Exploration of Saturn.

SpacecraftOrganizationDateTypeStatusNotesImageRef
Pioneer 11 NASA1 September 1979flybysuccesspreviously visited Jupiter
Voyager 1 NASA12 November 1980flybysuccesspreviously visited Jupiter
Voyager 2 NASA5 August 1981flybysuccesspreviously visited Jupiter, went on to visit Uranus and Neptune
Cassini NASA/
ESA/
ASI
1 July 2004 – 15 September 2017orbitersuccessalso performed flybys of a number of Saturn's moons, and deployed the Huygens Titan lander; first spacecraft to orbit Saturn

Titan probes

Uranus probes

See main article: Exploration of Uranus.

SpacecraftOrganizationDateTypeStatusNotesImageRef
Voyager 2 NASA24 January 1986flybysuccesspreviously visited Jupiter and Saturn; went on to visit Neptune-Tianwen-4 CNSA2029 or early 2030sflybyplannedPlanned Jupiter orbiter with attached Uranus probe[76] [77]
Uranus Orbiter and Probe NASA2031Orbiter and Probeunder studyhighest priority Flagship-class mission by the 2023–2032 Planetary Science Decadal Survey[78] -->

Neptune probes

See main article: Exploration of Neptune.

Comet probes

Probes leaving the Solar System

See also: List of artificial objects leaving the Solar System and Interstellar probe.

SpacecraftOrganizationStatusNotesImageRef
Pioneer 10 NASAsuccessLeft Jupiter in December 1973. Mission ended March 1997. Last contact 23 January 2003. Craft now presumed to lack sufficient power for antenna.
Pioneer 11 NASAsuccessLeft 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.
Voyager 1 NASAsuccessLeft Saturn in November 1980. Still in regular contact and transmitting scientific data.
Voyager 2 NASAsuccessLeft Neptune in August 1989. Still in regular contact and transmitting scientific data.
New Horizons NASAsuccessLeft Pluto 14 July 2015; flew by Kuiper belt object on 1 January 2019 when it was 43.4 AU from the Sun.

Other probes to leave Earth orbit

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

External links

Notes and References

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