List of Solar System probes

For a list of probes organized by functional status and mission completion, see List of probes by operational status.

This is a list of planetary probes, including lunar probes, solar probes, probes to asteroids and comets, and other probes that have left Earth orbit. It includes past, current, and future probes as well as failed missions. It also includes flybys (such as gravity assists) incidental to the main purpose of the mission. Missions still at the concept stage, or which never progressed beyond the concept stage, are not listed unless they are of special interest.

For a list of landers only, see Landings on other planets.

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.

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		NASA/ DOD	March–April 1960	orbiter	success	measured magnetic field phenomena, solar flare particles, and ionization in the interplanetary region	File:Pioneer 5.jpg	[2]
Pioneer 6		NASA	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		NASA	August 1966 – still contactable in 1995	orbiter	success			[4]
Pioneer 8		NASA	December 1967 – still contactable in 2001	orbiter	success			[5]
Pioneer 9		NASA	November 1968 – May 1983	orbiter	success			[6]
Pioneer-E		NASA	27 August, 1969	orbiter	failure	intended as part of the Pioneer 6–9 network; failed to reach orbit		[7]
Helios 1		NASA/ BWF	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		NASA/ BWF	January 1976 – 1985?	orbiter	success			[9]
ISEE-3		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		[10]
Ulysses (first pass)		File:ESA LOGO.svg ESA/ NASA	1994	orbiter	success	south polar observations		[11]
			1995			north polar observations
WIND		NASA	November 1994 — still active (as of July 2007)	orbiter	success	solar wind measurements		[12]
SOHO		File:ESA LOGO.svg ESA/ NASA	May 1996 – still active (as of June 2007)	orbiter	success	investigation of Sun's core, corona, and solar wind	File:SOHO instruments pnggray 300.png	[13]
ACE		NASA	August 1997 – still active (as of February 2007)	orbiter	success	solar wind observations		[14]
Ulysses (second pass)		File:ESA LOGO.svg ESA/ NASA	2000	orbiter	success	south polar observations		[15]
			2001			north polar observations
Genesis		NASA	2001–2004	orbiter/ sample return	partial success	solar wind sample return; crash landed on return to Earth, some samples salvaged		[16]
STEREO A		NASA	December 2006 – planned 2 year mission	orbiter	operational	stereoscopic imaging of coronal mass ejections and other solar phenomena		[17]
STEREO B		NASA	December 2006 – planned 2 year mission	orbiter	operational			[18]
Ulysses (third pass)		File:ESA LOGO.svg ESA/ NASA	2007	orbiter	success	south polar observations		[19]
			2008		yet to arrive	north polar observations
Solar Sentinels		NASA		multi-probe orbiter	planned	six probes watching the sun		[20]
Solar Orbiter		File:ESA LOGO.svg ESA	2015	orbiter	planned	close-range solar observations		[21]
Solar Probe		NASA		orbiter	under study	close-range coronal observations		[22]

Mercury probes

Main article: Exploration of Mercury

Spacecraft		Organization	Date	Type	Status	Notes	Image	Ref
Mariner 10		NASA	March 29, 1974	flyby	success	minimum distance 704 km		[23]
			September 21, 1974			48,069 km
			March 16, 1975			327 km
MESSENGER		NASA	January 15, 2008	flyby	yet to arrive	planned minimum distance 200 km		[24]
			October 6, 2008	flyby
			September 30, 2009	flyby
			March 18, 2011 – March, 2012	orbiter
BepiColombo		File:ESA LOGO.svg ESA/ JAXA	2019				File:Bepicolumbo.jpg	[25]
	Mercury Planetary Orbiter	File:ESA LOGO.svg ESA		orbiter	under construction
	Mercury Magnetospheric Orbiter	JAXA		orbiter	under construction

Venus probes

Main article: Exploration of Venus

Spacecraft		Organization	Date	Type	Status	Notes	Image	Ref
Sputnik 7		(USSR)	February 4, 1961	lander	failure	failed to escape from Earth orbit		[26]
Venera 1		(USSR)	May 19, 1961 – May 20, 1961	flyby	failure	contact lost 7 days after launch; first spacecraft to fly by another planet		[27]
Mariner 1		NASA	July 22, 1962	flyby	failure	guidance failure shortly after launch		[28]
Sputnik 19		(USSR)	August 25, 1962	lander	failure	failed to escape Earth orbit		[29]
Sputnik 20		(USSR)	September 1, 1962	lander	failure	failed to escape Earth orbit		[30]
Sputnik 21		(USSR)	September 12, 1962	flyby	failure	third stage exploded		[31]
Mariner 2		NASA	December 14, 1962	flyby	success	first successful Venus flyby; minimum distance 34,773 km		[32]
Cosmos 21†		(USSR)	November 11, 1963	flyby?	failure	failed to escape Earth orbit		[33]
Venera 1964A†		(USSR)	February 19, 1964	flyby	failure	failed to reach Earth orbit		[34]
Venera 1964B†		(USSR)	March 1, 1964	flyby	failure	failed to reach Earth orbit		[35]
Cosmos 27		(USSR)	March 27, 1964	flyby	failure	failed to escape Earth orbit		[36]
Zond 1		(USSR)	1964	flyby and possible lander	failure	contact lost en route	File:Zond 1.jpg	[37]
Cosmos 96		(USSR)	November 23, 1965	lander	failure	exploded?		[38]
Venera 1965A†		(USSR)	November 26, 1965	flyby	failure	launch vehicle failure?		[39]
Venera 2		(USSR)	February 27, 1966	flyby	failure	ceased to operate en route		[40]
Venera 3		(USSR)	March 1, 1966	lander	failure	contact lost before arrival; first spacecraft to impact on the surface of another planet		[41]
Cosmos 167		(USSR)	June 17, 1967	lander	failure	failed to escape Earth orbit		[42]
Venera 4		(USSR)	October 18, 1967	atmospheric probe	success	continued to transmit to an altitude of 25 km		[43]
Mariner 5		NASA	October 19, 1967	flyby	success	minimum distance 5,000 km		[44]
Venera 5		(USSR)	May 16, 1969	atmospheric probe	success			[45]
Venera 6		(USSR)	May 17, 1969	atmospheric probe	success			[46]
Cosmos 359		(USSR)	August 22, 1970	lander?	failure	failed to escape Earth orbit		[47]
Venera 7		(USSR)	December 15, 1970	lander	success	first successful landing on another planet; signals returned from surface for 23 minutes	File:Venera 7 capsule.jpg	[48]
Cosmos 482		(USSR)	March 31, 1972	lander?	failure	failed to escape Earth orbit		[49]
Venera 8		(USSR)	July 22, 1972	lander	success	signals returned from surface for 50 minutes	File:Venera 8.jpg	[50]
Mariner 10		NASA	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		(USSR)	1975	orbiter	success		File:Venera 9 orbiter.jpg	[52]
			October 22, 1975	lander	success	first images from the surface	File:Venera 9 lander.jpg	[53]
Venera 10		(USSR)	1975	orbiter	success		File:Venera 10 orbiter.jpg	[54]
			October 23, 1975	lander	success			[55]
Pioneer Venus Orbiter		NASA	December 4, 1978 – 1992	orbiter	success			[56]
Pioneer Venus Multiprobe		NASA	December 9, 1978
	bus			probe transporter	success			[57]
	large probe			atmospheric probe	success		File:Largevenusprobe.gif	[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		SAS
	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	File:Venera 11 lander.jpg	[63]
Venera 11		SAS
	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	File:Venera 11 lander.jpg	[65]
Venera 13		SAS
	bus		March 1, 1982	flyby	success		File:Venera 13 orbiter.gif	[66]
	descent craft		March 1, 1982	lander	success	survived on surface for 127 minutes	File:Venera 13 lander.gif	[67]
Venera 14		SAS
	bus		March 5, 1982	flyby	success		File:Venera 13 orbiter.gif	[68]
	descent craft		March 5, 1982	lander	success	survived on surface for 57 minutes	File:Venera 13 lander.gif	[69]
Venera 15		SAS	1983–1984	orbiter	success	radar mapping	File:Venera 15.gif	[70]
Venera 16		SAS	1983–1984	orbiter	success	radar mapping	File:Venera 15.gif	[71]
Vega 1		SAS	June 11, 1985	flyby	success	went on to fly by Halley's comet	File:Vega 1-2.jpg	[72]
				lander	failure	instruments deployed prematurely	File:Vega lander.jpg	[73]
				atmospheric balloon	success		File:Vega balloon gondola.jpg	[74]
Vega 2		SAS	June 15, 1985	flyby	success	went on to fly by Halley's comet	File:Vega 1-2.jpg	[75]
				lander	success		File:Vega lander.jpg	[76]
				atmospheric balloon	success		File:Vega balloon gondola.jpg	[77]
Galileo		NASA	February 10, 1990	flyby	success	gravity assist en route to Jupiter; minimum distance 16,000 km	File:Galileo preparations.jpg	[78]
Magellan		NASA	August 10, 1990 – October 12, 1994	orbiter	success	global radar mapping		[79]
Cassini		NASA/ File:ESA LOGO.svg ESA/ ASI	April 26, 1998	flyby	success	gravity assist en route to Saturn		[80]
			June 24, 1999
Venus Express		File:ESA LOGO.svg ESA	April 11, 2006 – still in operation (as of June 2007)	orbiter	success	atmospheric studies		[81]
MESSENGER		NASA	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		JAXA	2010	orbiter	planned			[83]
Venera-D		RFSA	2013	orbiter	planned			[84]
Venus In-Situ Explorer		NASA	2013	in-situ explorer	planned			[85]
Venus Surface Explorer		NASA	2020	in-situ explorer	planned			[86]

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 manouevres. Earth-orbiting craft are not listed.

Spacecraft		Organization	Date	Type	Status	Notes	Image	Ref
Giotto (first pass)		File:ESA LOGO.svg ESA	July 2, 1990	flyby	success	first Earth flyby, en route to Comet Grigg-Skjellerup	File:Giotto illustration (large).jpg	[87]
Galileo (first pass)		NASA	October 8, 1990	flyby	success	gravity assist en route to Jupiter; minimum distance 960 km	File:Galileo preparations.jpg	[88]
Sakigake (first pass)		ISAS	January 8, 1992	flyby		previously visited Halley's comet		[89]
Suisei		ISAS	August 20, 1992	flyby	failure	previously visited Halley's comet; hydrazine depleted, further planned comet flybys abandoned		[90]
Galileo (second pass)		NASA	December 8, 1992	flyby	success	gravity assist en route to Jupiter; minimum distance 305 km	File:Galileo preparations.jpg	[91]
Sakigake (second and third passes)		ISAS	June 14, 1993	flyby				[92]
			October 28, 1994	flyby		out of fuel; contact lost November 1995
NEAR Shoemaker		NASA	January 23, 1998	flyby	success	gravity assist en route to Eros; closest approach 540 km		[93]
Nozomi (first pass)		ISAS	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)		File:ESA LOGO.svg ESA	July 1, 1999	flyby	n/a	already defunct	File:Giotto illustration (large).jpg	[95]
Cassini		NASA/ File:ESA LOGO.svg ESA/ ASI	August 1999	flyby	success	gravity assist en route to Saturn		[96]
Stardust (first pass)		NASA	January 15, 2001	flyby	success	gravity assist en route to comet 81P/Wild		[97]
Nozomi (second pass)		ISAS	December, 2002	flyby	success	gravity assit en route to Mars		[98]
Nozomi (third pass)		ISAS	June 19, 2003	flyby	success	gravity assit en route to Mars		[99]
Hayabusa		ISAS	May 19, 2004	flyby	success	en route to Itokawa		[100]
Rosetta (first pass)		File:ESA LOGO.svg ESA	4 March 2005	flyby	success	gravity assist en route to asteroid and comet encounters		[101]
MESSENGER		NASA	August 2, 2005	flyby	success	en route to Venus and Mercury		[102]
Stardust (second pass)		NASA	January 15, 2006	flyby	success	drop-off of sample return capsule		[103]
Rosetta (second and third passes)		File:ESA LOGO.svg ESA	13 November 2007	flyby	yet to arrive	gravity assists en route to asteroid and comet encounters
			13 November 2009	flyby	yet to arrive
Stardust (third pass)		NASA	January 14, 2009	flyby	yet to arrive			[104]

Lunar probes

Main article: Exploration of the Moon

The list does not include the manned Apollo missions.

Spacecraft		Organization	Date	Type	Status	Notes	Image	Ref
Pioneer 0		DOD	August 17, 1958	orbiter	failure	first attempted launch beyond Earth orbit; launch vehicle failure; maximum altitude 16 km		[105]
Luna 1958A†		USSR	September 23, 1958	impactor	failure	launch vehicle failure		[106]
Pioneer 1		NASA/ DOD	October 11, 1958	orbiter	failure	second stage premature shutdown; maximum altitude 113,800 km; some data returned	File:Thor-Able I with the Pioneer I spacecraft.jpg	[107]
Luna 1958B†		USSR	October 12, 1958	impactor	failure	launch vehicle failure		[108]
Pioneer 2		NASA/ STL	November 8, 1958	orbiter	failure	third stage failure; maximum altitude 1,550 km; some data returned		[109]
Luna 1958C†		USSR	December 4, 1958	impactor	failure	launch vehicle failure		[110]
Pioneer 3		NASA/ DOD	December 6, 1958	flyby	failure	fuel depletion; maximum altitude 102,360 km; some data returned		[111]
Luna 1		USSR	January 4, 1959	flyby	partial success	first spacecraft in the vicinity of the Moon (flew within 5,995 km, but probably an intended impactor)		[112]
Luna 1959A†		USSR	June 18, 1959	impactor	failure	failed to reach Earth orbit		[113]
Pioneer 4		NASA/ DOD	March 4, 1959	flyby	partial success	achieved distant flyby; first US probe to enter solar orbit		[114]
Luna 2		USSR	September 14, 1959	impactor	success	first impact on Moon		[115]
Pioneer P-1		NASA	September 24, 1959?	orbiter?	failure	designation sometimes given to a failed launch or launchpad explosion during testing; conflicting information between sources
Luna 3		USSR	October 6, 1959	flyby	success	first images from the lunar farside	File:Luna 3 flyby probe.jpg	[116]
Pioneer P-3		NASA	November 26, 1959	orbiter	failure	disintegrated shortly after launch		[117]
Luna 1960A†		USSR	April 15, 1960	flyby	failure	failed to attain correct trajectory		[118]
Luna 1960B†		USSR	April 16, 1960	flyby	failure	launch vehicle failure		[119]
Pioneer P-30		NASA	September 25, 1960	orbiter	failure	second stage failure; failed to reach Earth orbit		[120]
Pioneer P-31		NASA	December 15, 1960	orbiter	failure	first stage failure		[121]
Ranger 3		NASA	January 28, 1962	impactor	failure	missed target		[122]
Ranger 4		NASA	April 26, 1962	impactor	failure	hit the lunar farside; no data returned		[123]
Ranger 5		NASA	October 21, 1962	impactor	failure	power failure, missed target	File:1964 71395L.jpg	[124]
Sputnik 25		USSR	January 5, 1963	lander	failure	failed to escape Earth orbit		[125]
Luna 1963B†		USSR	February 2, 1963	lander?	failure	failed to reach Earth orbit		[126]
Luna 4		USSR	April 5, 1963	lander?	failure	missed target, became Earth satellite	File:USSR Luna lander bus.jpg	[127]
Ranger 6		NASA	2 February, 1964	impactor	partial success	impacted, but no pictures returned due to power failure		[128]
Luna 1964A†		USSR	March 21, 1964	lander	failure	failed to reach Earth orbit		[129]
Luna 1964B†		USSR	April 20, 1964	lander	failure	failed to reach Earth orbit		[130]
Zond 1964A†		USSR	June 4, 1964	flyby	failure	failed to reach Earth orbit		[131]
Ranger 7		NASA	July 31, 1964	impactor	success	returned pictures up until impact		[132]
Ranger 8		NASA	February 20, 1965	impactor	success	returned pictures up until impact		[133]
Cosmos 60		USSR	March 12, 1965	lander	failure	failed to leave Earth orbit		[134]
Ranger 9		NASA	March 24, 1965	impactor	success	TV broadcast of live pictures up until impact		[135]
Luna 1965A†		USSR	April 10, 1965	lander?	failure	failed to reach Earth orbit?		[136]
Luna 5		USSR	May 12, 1965	lander	failure	crashed into Moon		[137]
Luna 6		USSR	June 8, 1965	lander	failure	missed Moon		[138]
Zond 3		USSR	July 20, 1965	flyby	success		File:Zond 3.jpg	[139]
Luna 7		USSR	October 7, 1965	lander	failure	crashed into Moon		[140]
Luna 8		USSR	December 6, 1965	lander	failure	crashed into Moon		[141]
Luna 9		USSR	February 3, 1966 – February 6, 1966	lander	success	first soft landing; first images from the surface	File:Luna 9 landing capsule.jpg	[142]
Cosmos 111		USSR	March 1, 1966	orbiter	failure	failed to escape Earth orbit		[143]
Luna 10		USSR	April 3, 1966 – May 30, 1966	orbiter	success		File:Luna orbiter bus.jpg	[144]
Luna 1966A†		USSR	April 30, 1966	orbiter?	failure	failed to reach Earth orbit		[145]
Surveyor 1		NASA	June 2, 1966	lander	success	first US soft landing; Surveyor program performed various tests in support of forthcoming manned landings		[146]
Explorer 33		NASA	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		[147]
Lunar Orbiter 1		NASA	August 14, 1966 – October 29, 1966	orbiter	success	photographic mapping of lunar surface; intentionally impacted after completion of mission		[148]
Luna 11		USSR	August 28, 1966 – October 1, 1966	orbiter	success		File:Luna orbiter photo bus.jpg	[149]
Surveyor 2		NASA	September 23, 1966	lander	failure	crashed		[150]
Luna 12		USSR	October 25, 1966 – January 19, 1967	orbiter	success		File:Luna orbiter photo bus.jpg	[151]
Lunar Orbiter 2		NASA	November 10, 1966 – October 11, 1967	orbiter	success	photographic mapping of lunar surface; intentionally impacted after completion of mission		[152]
Luna 13		USSR	December 24, 1966	lander	success		File:Luna 13.jpg	[153]
Lunar Orbiter 3		NASA	February 8, 1967 – October 9, 1967	orbiter	success	photographic mapping of lunar surface; intentionally impacted after completion of mission		[154]
Surveyor 3		NASA	April 20, 1967 – May 4, 1967	lander	success			[155]
Lunar Orbiter 4		NASA	May–October 1967	orbiter	success	lunar photographic survey		[156]
Explorer 35		NASA	July 1967 – June 24, 1973	orbiter	success	studies of interplanetary plasma, magnetic fields, energetic particles and solar X rays		[157]
Surveyor 4		NASA	July 17, 1967	lander	failure	crashed into Moon		[158]
Lunar Orbiter 5		NASA	August 5, 1967 – January 31, 1968	orbiter	success	lunar photographic survey; intentionally impacted after completion of mission		[159]
Surveyor 5		NASA	September 11, 1967 – December 17, 1967	lander	success			[160]
Zond 1967A†		USSR	September 28, 1967		failure	lunar capsule test flight; launch failure		[161]
Surveyor 6		NASA	November 10, 1967 – December 14, 1967	lander	success			[162]
Zond 1967B†		USSR	November 22, 1967		failure	lunar capsule test flight; launch failure		[163]
Surveyor 7		NASA	January 10, 1968 – February 21, 1968	lander	success			[164]
Luna 1968A†		USSR	February 7, 1968	orbiter?	failure	failed to reach Earth orbit		[165]
Zond 4		USSR	March 2, 1968 (launch)			lunar programme flight test, directed away from Moon, either intentionally or unintentionally		[166]
Luna 14		USSR	April 10, 1968 – ?	orbiter	success		File:Luna orbiter photo bus.jpg	[167]
Zond 1968A†		USSR	April 23, 1968	flyby?	failure	launch failure		[168]
Zond 5		USSR	September 18, 1968	flyby	success	bioscience experiments		[169]
Zond 6		USSR	November 14, 1968	flyby	success	cosmic-ray, micrometeoroid and bioscience studies		[170]
Zond 1969A†		USSR	January 20, 1969	flyby	failure	launch aborted		[171]
Luna 1969A†		USSR	February 19, 1969	rover	failure	launch vehicle failure		[172]
Zond L1S-1†		USSR	February 21, 1969	orbiter	failure	launch vehicle failure		[173]
Luna 1969B†		USSR	April 15, 1969	sample return?	failure	launch failure		[174]
Luna 1969C†		USSR	June 14, 1969	sample return	failure	launch failure		[175]
Zond L1S-2†		USSR	July 3, 1969	orbiter	failure	launch failure		[176]
Luna 15		USSR	July 21, 1969	sample return	failure	crashed into Moon		[177]
Zond 7		USSR	August 11, 1969	flyby	success	returned to soft landing on Earth		[178]
Cosmos 300		USSR	September 23, 1969	sample return	failure	failed to escape Earth orbit		[179]
Cosmos 305		USSR	October 22, 1969	sample return	failure	failed to escape Earth orbit		[180]
Luna 1970A†		USSR	February 6, 1970	sample return?	failure	launch vehicle failure		[181]
Luna 1970B†		USSR	February 19, 1970	orbiter?	failure	launch vehicle failure		[182]
Luna 16		USSR	September 20, 1970	sample return	success	first robotic sample return	File:Luna-16.jpg	[183]
Zond 8		USSR	October 24, 1970	flyby	success	returned to soft landing on Earth		[184]
Luna 17		USSR	November 17, 1970 – October 4, 1971	lander	success		File:Lunakod landing bus.jpg	[185]
	Lunokhod 1			rover	success	first robotic rover; travelled over 10 km	File:Lunokhod 1.jpg
Luna 18		USSR	September 11, 1971	lander/sample return?	failure	crashed into Moon		[186]
Luna 19		USSR	October 3, 1971 – October 1972	orbiter	success		File:Luna-22.jpg	[187]
Luna 20		USSR	February 21, 1972	sample return	success	second successful robotic sample return	File:Luna-16.jpg	[188]
Soyuz L3†		USSR	November 23, 1972	orbiter	failure	launch failure		[189]
Luna 21		USSR	January 15, 1973 – May 1973?	lander	success		File:Lunakod landing bus.jpg	[190]
	Lunokhod 2			rover	success	second robotic rover; travelled 37 km	File:Lunokhod2.jpg
Explorer 49		NASA	June 15, 1973 – June 1975	orbiter	success	radio astronomy observations; last US lunar mission until 1994		[191]
Mariner 10		NASA	November 1973	flyby	success	en route to Venus and Mercury		[192]
Luna 22		USSR	June 2, 1974 – November 1974	orbiter	success		File:Luna-22.jpg	[193]
Luna 23		USSR	November 6, 1974	sample return	failure	damaged on landing, sample return failed		[194]
Luna 1975A†		USSR	October 16, 1975	sample return	failure	failed to reach Earth orbit		[195]
Luna 24		USSR	August 18, 1976	sample return	success	third and final successful sample return in Luna programme	File:Luna24.jpg	[196]
ICE (formerly ISEE3)		NASA	December 22, 1983	flyby	success	gravity assist en route to comet flybys		[197]
Hiten		ISAS	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		[198]
	Hagoromo	ISAS	March 1990	orbiter	failure	released by Hiten into lunar orbit, but transmitter failed and orbit never confirmed
Clementine		BMDO/ NASA	February–June 1994	orbiter	partial success	lunar and Earth observations and component testing; planned Geographos flyby failed		[199]
AsiaSat 3		AsiaSat	May/June 1998			errant communications satellite, flew within 6,200 kilometers of Moon during orbit correction manoeuvres		[200]
Lunar Prospector		NASA	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)		[201]
Nozomi		ISAS	September 24, 1998	flyby	success	gravity assists on planned mission to Mars		[202]
			December 18, 1998	flyby	success
SMART-1		File:ESA LOGO.svg ESA	November 13, 2004 – September 3, 2006	orbiter	success	technology testbed and lunar geological studies; intentionally impacted at end of mission		[203]
Chang'e 1		CNSA	September 2007	orbiter	On launch pad			[204]
SELENE		JAXA	September 14, 2007	orbiter, two co-satellites	in progress		File:SELENE.jpg	[205]
Chandrayaan I		ISRO	2008	orbiter	planned		File:Chandrayaan1 as updated.jpg	[206]
				impactor
Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter		NASA	2008	orbiter	planned			[207]
	LCROSS	NASA	2008	impactor	planned			[208]

Mars probes

Main article: Exploration of Mars

Spacecraft		Organization	Date	Type	Status	Notes	Image	Ref
Mars 1960A		USSR	October 10, 1960	flyby	failure	failed to reach Earth orbit		[209]
Mars 1960B		USSR	October 14, 1960	flyby	failure	failed to reach Earth orbit		[210]
Mars 1962A		USSR	October 24, 1962	flyby	failure	exploded in or en route to Earth orbit		[211]
Mars 1962B		USSR	November 11, 1962 (launch)	lander	failure	broke up during transfer to Mars trajectory		[212]
Mars 1		USSR	June 19, 1963	flyby	failure	contact lost en route; flew within approximately 193,000 km of Mars	File:Mars-1.jpg	[213]
Mariner 3		NASA	November 5, 1964	flyby	failure	protective shield failed to eject, preventing craft from attaining correct trajectory		[214]
Zond 2		USSR	August 6, 1965	flyby	failure	contact lost en route; flew within 1,500 km of Mars	File:Zond 3.jpg	[215]
Mariner 4		NASA	July 15, 1965	flyby	success	first close-up images of Mars		[216]
Mariner 6		NASA	July 31, 1969	flyby	success		File:Mariner 67.gif	[217]
Mariner 7		NASA	August 5, 1969	flyby	success		File:Mariner 67.gif	[218]
Mars 1969A		USSR	March 27, 1969	orbiter	failure	launch failure	File:Mars 1969.jpg	[219]
Mars 1969B		USSR	April 2, 1969	orbiter	failure	launch failure	File:Mars 1969.jpg	[220]
Mariner 8		NASA	May 9, 1971	orbiter	failure	launch vehicle failure		[221]
Mariner 9		NASA	November 14, 1971	orbiter	success	first spacecraft to orbit another planet		[222]
Mars 2		USSR	November 1971 – August 1972	orbiter	success		File:Mars 3.gif	[223]
	Mars 2 Lander	USSR	November 27, 1971	lander	failure	crashed; first manmade object to reach surface of Mars		[224]
Mars 3		USSR	November 1971 – August 1972	orbiter	partial success	attained a different orbit than intended due to insufficient fuel	File:Mars 3.gif	[225]
	Mars 3 Lander	USSR	December 2, 1971	lander	failure	crash-landed, contact lost		[226]
Cosmos 419		USSR	May 10, 1971	orbiter	failure	failed to escape Earth orbit		[227]
Mars 4		USSR	February 10, 1974	orbiter	failure	orbit insertion failed, became flyby	File:Mars 4.jpg	[228]
Mars 5		USSR	February 1974	orbiter	success			[229]
Mars 6		USSR	March 12, 1974	flyby	success			[230]
	Mars 6 Lander	USSR	March 12, 1974	lander	failure	crash-landed, contact lost
Mars 7		USSR	March 9, 1974	flyby	success			[231]
	Mars 7 Lander	USSR	March 9, 1974	lander	failure	missed Mars
Viking 1 Orbiter		NASA	June 1976 – August 1980	orbiter	success			[232]
	Viking 1 Lander	NASA	July 20, 1976 – November 13, 1982	lander	success	first images from surface		[233]
Viking 2 Orbiter		NASA	August 1976 – July 1978	orbiter	success			[234]
	Viking 2 Lander	NASA	September 3, 1976 – April 11, 1980	lander	success			[235]
Phobos 1		USSR	July 7, 1988 (launch)	orbiter	failure	contact lost en route to Mars	File:Fobos.jpg	[236]
Phobos 2		USSR	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	File:Fobos.jpg	[237]
Mars Observer		NASA	September 25, 1992 (launch)	orbiter	failure	contact lost shortly before Mars orbit insertion	File:Marsobs 1.gif	[238]
Mars 96		RKA	November 16, 1996 (launch)	orbiter	failure	failed to escape Earth orbit	File:Mars 96 Orbiter.jpg	[239]
				lander				[240]
				lander				[241]
				penetrator				[242]
				penetrator				[243]
Mars Pathfinder		NASA	July 4, 1997 – September 27, 1997	lander	success			[244]
	Sojourner	NASA	July 6, 1997 – September 27, 1997	rover	success			[245]
Mars Global Surveyor		NASA	September 12, 1997 – November 2, 2006	orbiter	success			[246]
Mars Climate Orbiter		NASA	September 23, 1999	orbiter	failure	Mars orbit insertion failed due to navigation error		[247]
Mars Polar Lander		NASA	December 3, 1999	lander	failure	contact lost just prior to entering Martian atmosphere		[248]
	Deep Space 2 "Amundsen"	NASA	December 3, 1999	penetrator				[249]
	Deep Space 2 "Scott"	NASA	December 3, 1999	penetrator
2001 Mars Odyssey		NASA	October 24, 2001 – still active (as of June 2007)	orbiter	success			[250]
Nozomi		ISAS	December 14, 2003	orbiter	failure	failed to attain Mars orbit, became flyby	File:Nozomi.gif	[251]
Mars Express		File:ESA LOGO.svg ESA	December 25, 2003 – still active (as of June 2007)	orbiter	success		File:Mars Express X orbit 2a-new22.jpg	[252]
	Beagle 2	UK	December 25, 2003	lander	failure	no contact after landing	File:Beagle2ontheground.jpg	[253]
MER-A "Spirit"		NASA	January 4, 2004 – still active (as of August 2007)	rover	success			[254]
MER-B "Opportunity"		NASA	January 25, 2004 – still active (as of August 2007)	rover	success			[255]
Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter		NASA	March 10, 2006 – still active (as of June 2007)	orbiter	success			[256]
Rosetta		File:ESA LOGO.svg ESA	February 25, 2007	flyby	success	gravity assist en route to asteroid and comet encounters		[257]
Phoenix		NASA	May 2008	lander	launched	will collect soil samples near the northern pole to investigate the history of water on Mars and the possibility of life there	File:Lander small.jpg	[258]
Dawn		NASA	March 2009	flyby	launched	gravity assist en route to Vesta and Ceres		[259]
Mars Science Laboratory		NASA	2010	rover	under construction			[260]
ExoMars		File:ESA LOGO.svg ESA	2013	rover	planned			[261]

Phobos probes

Spacecraft		Organization	Date	Type	Status	Notes	Image	Ref
Phobos 1		USSR	July 7, 1988 (launch)	lander	failure	contact lost en route to Mars	File:Fobos.jpg	[262]
Phobos 2		USSR	March 27, 1989 (contact lost)	lander	failure	attained Mars orbit; contact lost prior to deployment of lander	File:Fobos.jpg	[263]
Phobos-Grunt		RKA	2009	sample return	planned

Jupiter probes

Spacecraft		Organization	Date	Type	Status	Notes	Image	Ref
Pioneer 10		NASA	December 3, 1973	flyby	success			[264]
Pioneer 11		NASA	December 4, 1974	flyby	success	went on to visit Saturn		[265]
Voyager 1		NASA	March 5, 1979	flyby	success	went on to visit Saturn		[266]
Voyager 2		NASA	July 9, 1979	flyby	success	went on to visit Saturn, Uranus and Neptune		[267]
Ulysses (first pass)		File:ESA LOGO.svg ESA/ NASA	February 1992	flyby	success	gravity assist en route to inclined heliocentric orbit for solar polar observations		[268]
Galileo Orbiter		NASA/ DLR	December 7, 1995 – September 21, 2003	orbiter	success	also flew by various of Jupiter's moons; intentionally flown into Jupiter at end of mission	File:Galileo preparations.jpg	[269]
	Galileo Probe	NASA/ DLR	December 7, 1995	atmospheric probe	success			[270]
Cassini		NASA/ File:ESA LOGO.svg ESA/ ASI	December 2000	flyby	success	gravity assist en route to Saturn		[271]
Ulysses (second pass)		File:ESA LOGO.svg ESA/ NASA	2003–04	distant flyby	success			[272]
New Horizons		NASA	February 28, 2007	flyby	success	gravity assist en route to Pluto	File:New horizons Pluto.jpg	[273]
Juno		NASA	2016	orbiter	in development			[274]

Saturn probes

Spacecraft		Organization	Date	Type	Status	Notes	Image	Ref
Pioneer 11		NASA	September 1, 1979	flyby	success	previously visited Jupiter		[275]
Voyager 1		NASA	November 12, 1980	flyby	success	previously visited Jupiter		[276]
Voyager 2		NASA	August 5, 1981	flyby	success	previously visited Jupiter, went on to visit Uranus and Neptune		[277]
Cassini		NASA/ File:ESA LOGO.svg ESA/ ASI	July 1, 2004 – still active (as of August 2007)	orbiter	success	also performed flybys of a number of Saturn's moons, and deployed the Huygens Titan lander		[278]

Titan probes

Spacecraft		Organization	Date	Type	Status	Notes	Image	Ref
Huygens		File:ESA LOGO.svg ESA	January 14, 2005	atmospheric probe, lander	success	deployed by Cassini; first probe to land on a satellite of another planet	File:Huygensprobe.jpg	[279]

Uranus probes

Spacecraft		Organization	Date	Type	Status	Notes	Image	Ref
Voyager 2		NASA	January 24, 1986	flyby	success	previously visited Jupiter and Saturn; went on to visit Neptune		[280]

Neptune probes

Spacecraft		Organization	Date	Type	Status	Notes	Image	Ref
Voyager 2		NASA	August 25, 1989	flyby	success	previously visited Jupiter, Saturn and Uranus		[281]
Neptune Orbiter		NASA	2030	orbiter	under study			[282]

Dwarf planet probes

Ceres probes

Spacecraft		Organization	Date	Type	Status	Notes	Image	Ref
Dawn		NASA	2015	orbiter	yet to arrive	will orbit Vesta first		[283]

Pluto probes

Spacecraft		Organization	Date	Type	Status	Notes	Image	Ref
New Horizons		NASA	2015	flyby	yet to arrive	flybys of other Kuiper Belt objects may follow (targets yet to be decided)	File:New horizons Pluto.jpg	[284]

Asteroid probes

Target	Spacecraft		Organization	Date	Type	Status	Notes	Image	Ref
951 Gaspra	Galileo		NASA	October 29, 1991	flyby	success	en route to Jupiter; minimum distance 1900 km	File:Galileo preparations.jpg	[285]
243 Ida	Galileo		NASA	August 28, 1993	flyby	success	en route to Jupiter; minimum distance 2400 km; discovery of the first asteroid satellite Dactyl	File:Galileo preparations.jpg	[286]
1620 Geographos	Clementine		BMDO/ NASA	1994	flyby	failure	flyby cancelled due to equipment malfunction		[287]
253 Mathilde	NEAR Shoemaker		NASA	June 27, 1997	flyby	success	flew within 1200 km of 253 Mathilde en route to 433 Eros		[288]
433 Eros	NEAR Shoemaker		NASA	January 1999	orbiter	failure	became flyby due to software and communications problems (later attempt at orbit insertion succeeded; see below)		[289]
9969 Braille	Deep Space 1		NASA	July 29, 1999	flyby	partial success	no close-up images due to camera pointing error; went on to visit comet 19P/Borrelly		[290]
2685 Masursky	Cassini		NASA/ File:ESA LOGO.svg ESA/ ASI	January 23, 2000	distant flyby	success	en route to Saturn		[291]
433 Eros	NEAR Shoemaker		NASA	February 2000 – February 2001	orbiter, became lander	success	improvised landing by orbiter at end of mission		[292]
5535 Annefrank	Stardust		NASA	November 2, 2002	distant flyby	success	went on to visit comet 81P/Wild		[293]
25143 Itokawa	Hayabusa		ISAS	2005–07	sample return	arrived	return journey to Earth began in April 2007, scheduled to arrive in 2010; status of sample unclear		[294]
		MINERVA	ISAS	November 12, 2005	hopper	failure	missed target
132524 APL	New Horizons		NASA	June 2006	distant flyby	success	en route to Pluto	File:New horizons Pluto.jpg	[295]
2867 Šteins	Rosetta		File:ESA LOGO.svg ESA	September 2008	flyby	yet to arrive			[296]
21 Lutetia	Rosetta		File:ESA LOGO.svg ESA	July 2010	flyby	yet to arrive	en route to comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko		[297]
4 Vesta	Dawn		NASA	September 2011	orbiter	launched	scheduled to continue to Ceres		[298]

Comet probes

Target	Spacecraft		Organization	Date	Type	Status	Notes	Image	Ref
21P/Giacobini-Zinner	ICE (formerly ISEE3)		NASA	September 11, 1985	flyby	success	previously solar monitor ISEE3; went on to observe Halley's Comet		[299]
1P/Halley	Vega 1		SAS	March 6 1986	flyby	success	minimum distance 8,890 km; previously visited Venus	File:Vega 1-2.jpg	[300]
1P/Halley	Suisei		ISAS	March 8 1986	flyby	success	151,000 km		[301]
1P/Halley	Vega 2		SAS	March 9 1986	flyby	success	minimum distance 8,890 km; previously visited Venus	File:Vega 1-2.jpg	[302]
1P/Halley	Sakigake		ISAS	March 1986	distant flyby	partial success	minimum distance 6.99 million km		[303]
1P/Halley	Giotto		File:ESA LOGO.svg ESA	March 14, 1986	flyby	success	minimum distance 596 km; went on to visit comet 26P/Grigg-Skjellerup	File:Giotto illustration (large).jpg	[304]
1P/Halley	ICE (formerly ISEE3)		NASA	March 28 1986	distant obser- vations	success	minimum distance 32 million km; previously visited comet 21P/Giacobini-Zinner		[305]
26P/Grigg-Skjellerup	Giotto		File:ESA LOGO.svg ESA	July 10, 1992	flyby	success	previously visited Halley's Comet	File:Giotto illustration (large).jpg	[306]
45P/ Honda-Mrkos-Pajdusakova	Sakigake		ISAS	1996	flyby	failure	contact lost; previously visited Halley's Comet		[307]
21P/Giacobini-Zinner	Sakigake		ISAS	1998	flyby	failure
55P/Tempel-Tuttle	Suisei		ISAS	1998	flyby	failure	abandoned due to lack of fuel; previously visited Halley's Comet		[308]
21P/Giacobini-Zinner	Suisei		ISAS	1998	flyby	failure
19P/Borrelly	Deep Space 1		NASA	September 22, 2001	flyby	success	previously visited asteroid 9969 Braille		[309]
2P/Encke	CONTOUR		NASA	2003	flyby	failure	contact lost shortly after launch		[310]
81P/Wild	Stardust		NASA	January 2, 2004	flyby, sample return	success	sample returned January 2006; also visited asteroid 5535 Annefrank		[311]
9P/Tempel	Deep Impact		NASA	July 2005	flyby	success			[312]
		Impactor	NASA	July 4, 2005	impactor	success
73P/ Schwassmann-Wachmann	CONTOUR		NASA	2006	flyby	failure	contact lost shortly after launch		[313]
6P/d'Arrest	CONTOUR		NASA	2008	flyby	failure	contact lost shortly after launch		[314]
85P/Boethin	Deep Impact		NASA	December 5 2008	flyby	yet to arrive	mission extension		[315]
9P/Tempel	Stardust		NASA	February 14 2011	flyby	yet to arrive	mission extension		[316]
67P/Churyumov- Gerasimenko	Rosetta		File:ESA LOGO.svg ESA	2014–15	orbiter	yet to arrive	flybys of asteroids 2867 Šteins and 21 Lutetia also scheduled		[317]
		Philae	File:ESA LOGO.svg ESA	2014	lander	yet to arrive			[318]

Probes leaving the Solar System

Spacecraft	Organization	Notes	Image	Ref
Pioneer 10	NASA	Left Jupiter in December 1973. Mission ended March 1997. Last contact January 23, 2003. Craft now presumed dead; no further contact attempts planned.		[319]
Pioneer 11	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.		[320]
Voyager 1	NASA	Left Saturn in November 1980. Still in regular contact and transmitting scientific data (as of July 2007). Contact hoped to be maintained until at least 2020.		[321]
Voyager 2	NASA	Left Neptune in August 1989. Still in regular contact and transmitting scientific data (as of July 2007). Contact hoped to be maintained until at least 2020.		[322]
New Horizons	NASA	Currently en route to outer Solar System. Expected to reach Pluto in July 2015.	File:New horizons Pluto.jpg	[323]

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		NASA	June 30, 2001 (launch) – still active (as of June 2007)	Sun-Earth L2 point	success	cosmic background radiation observations		[324]
Spitzer Space Telescope		NASA	August 25, 2003 (launch) – still active (as of June 2007)	Earth-trailing heliocentric orbit	success	infrared astronomy	File:Spitzer- Telescopio.jpg	[325]
Herschel Space Observatory		File:ESA LOGO.svg ESA/ NASA	July 2008 (launch)	Sun-Earth L2 point	planned	study of formation and evolution of galaxies and stars		[326]
Planck Surveyor		File:ESA LOGO.svg ESA	July 2008 (launch)	Sun-Earth L2 point	planned	cosmic microwave background observations	File:Planck satellite.jpg	[327]
Kepler		NASA	February 2009 (launch)	Earth-trailing heliocentric orbit	planned	search for extrasolar planets		[328]
LISA Pathfinder		File:ESA LOGO.svg ESA	2009 (launch)	Sun-Earth L1 point	planned	test mission for proposed LISA gravitational wave observatory		[329]

See also

• Unmanned space mission
• Timeline of solar system exploration
• Satellites

References

• Planetary Society: Cassini’s Tour of the Saturn System