Missions to Mercury
Mercury has so far been visited by two space probes Mariner 10 and MESSENGER. A third space craft called BepiColombo is on its way and should enter orbit of Mercury in 2025. Missions to Mercury have observed its many many craters, identifying water in some of them, discovered its weak magnetic field and revealed that although Mercury doesn't have an atmosphere, there are some gases which are detectable around its surface.
How to get to Mercury successfully
Mercury is a tricky planet to get to. Although it's only two planets away from Earth so is fairly close in terms of space distances, it's also very close to the Sun. Sending a space craft directly to Mercury is likely to result in it passing by it too quickly and quite possibly getting absorbed by the Sun. To do it properly requires approaching Mercury at an angle and, if the space craft is to go into orbit of it, finding a way of slowing it down enough so that Mercury can capture it. Any space craft operating so close to the Sun also needs to be able to cope with the intense heat out there. A method used for all missions to Mercury so far is called gravity assist, where a space craft travels to another object and uses the gravity of it to alter its velocity and trajectory (speed and direction).
Mariner 10's visit in 1974 was the first mission to attempt the gravity assist method so became the first space craft to visit more than one destination. It launched from Earth in November 1973 and first went to Venus. As it flew past Venus, it took the first close-up images of it and used the planet to re-route itself to Mercury. Mariner 10 flew past Mercury 3 times, each time sending back lots of juicy information about it. The first flyby was in October 1974, the second in February 1975 and third in March 1975.
MESSENGER launched in 2004 and entered an orbit of Mercury in 2011. It stayed in orbit for just over four years, sending back lots of photos and information before it was sent to crash into the surface of the planet in 2015.
BepiColombo is a space probe that was launched in 2018. It made its first flyby of Mercury in October 2021. It will complete a few more similar manoeuvres to get it to the right speed and position so that it can enter its expected orbit of Mercury in 2025 where it is hoped it'll remain for at least a year.
X
Mission Outcomes
ALL OUTCOMES
Active Missions
Ended Successfully
Ended Unsuccessfully
Partially Successful
Planned
Mercury Missions Table
Mission Name
Destination(s)
Launch Date
Status
Mission Details
Link
Janus
July to September 2023
Danuri
The Moon
4th August 2022
Chandrayaan 3
The Moon
January to March 2023
IM-1
The Moon
Dec-22
PRIME-1
The Moon
Dec-22
Planned
Peregrine Mission 1
The Moon
Late 2022
Planned
SLIM
The Moon
2023
Planned
XRISM
Deep Space
2023
Planned
XL-1 Lander
The Moon
Nov-23
Planned
VIPER
The Moon
Nov-24
Planned
Blue Ghost 1
The Moon
Late 2023
Planned
IM-2
The Moon
2023
Planned
IM-3
The Moon
2024
Planned
Hera
Didymos and Dimorphos
From October 2024
Planned
Chang'e 7
The Moon
2024
Planned
Chang'e 6
The Moon
2024
Planned
Lunar Trailblazer
The Moon
2023
Planned
Dragonfly
Titan (Saturn's largest moon)
Jun-27
Planned
DAVINCI
Venus
Jun-29
Planned
EnVision
Venus
2031
Planned
Sputnik 1
Earth
4th October 1957
Ended successfully, January 1958
Sputnik 1 was the first artificial satellite to orbit Earth. It was launched by the former Soviet Union and triggered the start of the space race between them and the USA.
Sputnik 2
Earth
3rd November 1957
Ended successfully
Second successful spacecraft launch into Earth orbit, first mission to carry a living creature into space, a dog called Laika. Laika died after four orbits, the spacecraft itself operated for 7 days until its batteries ran out. It re-entered Earth's atmosphere on 14th April 1958.
Vanguard TV3
Earth
6th December 1957
Failed
Explorer 1
Earth
1st February 1958
Successful
Vanguard 1
Earth
17th March 1958
Successful
Pioneer 0
The Moon
17th August 1958
Failed
First attempt to send a spacecraft beyond Earth orbit and into an orbit of the Moon. The spacecraft exploded shortly after launch.
Luna 2
The Moon
12th September 1959
Successful
Luna 1958A
The Moon
23rd September 1958
Failed
Pioneer 1
The Moon
11th October 1958
Failed
Luna 1958B
The Moon
12th October 1958
Failed
Pioneer 2
The Moon
8th November 1958
Failed
Luna 1958C
The Moon
4th December 1958
Failed
Pioneer 3
The Moon
6th December 1958
Failed
Luna 1
The Moon
2nd January 1959
Partially Successful
Pioneer 4
The Moon
3rd March 1959
Successful
Luna 1959A
The Moon
16th June 1959
Failed
Luna 3
The Moon
4th October 1959
Successful
Pioneer P-3
The Moon
26th November 1959
Failed
Luna 1960A
The Moon
15th April 1960
Failed
Luna 1960B
The Moon
18th April 1960
Failed
Pioneer P-31
The Moon
15th September 1960
Failed
Pioneer P-30
The Moon
25th September 1960
Failed
Marsnik 1
Mars
10th October 1960
Launch failure
Marsnik 2
Mars
14th October 1960
Launch failure
Tyazhely Sputnik
Venus
4th February 1961
Venera 1
Venus
12th February 1961
Failed - contact lost
Ranger 1
The Moon
23rd August 1961
Failed - launch failure
Ranger 2
The Moon
18th November 1961
Failed - launch failure
Ranger 3
The Moon
26th January 1962
Failed - contact lost
Ranger 4
The Moon
23rd April 1962
Failed - contact lost
Mariner 1
Venus
22nd July 1962
Launch failure
hi there!!!
Venera 2MV-1 No.1
Venus
25th August 1962
Failed - launch failure
Mariner 2
Venus
27th August 1962
Ended successfully, January 1963
trump
Venera 2MV-1 No.2
Venus
1st September 1962
Ended successfully
Venera 2MV-2 No.2
Venus
12th September 1962
Ended successfully
Ranger 5
The Moon
18th October 1962
Ended successfully
Mars 2MV-4 No. 1
Mars
24th October 1962
Failed after launch
Mars 1
Mars
1st November 1962
Failed - contact lost
Mars 2MV-3 No. 1
Mars
4th November 1962
Failed after launch
Luna E-6 No.2
The Moon
4th January 1963
Ended successfully
Luna 1963B
The Moon
2nd February 1963
Ended successfully
Luna 4
The Moon
2nd April 1963
Ended successfully
Cosmos 21
Venus
11th November 1963
Ended successfully
Ranger 6
The Moon
30th January 1964
Ended successfully
Venera 1964A
Venus
19th February 1964
Ended successfully
Venera 1964B
Venus
1st March 1964
Ended successfully
Luna 1964A
The Moon
21st March 1964
Ended successfully
Kosmos 27
Venus
27th March 1964
Failed - reached Earth orbit successfully but a design flaw prevented it from being able to start it
Zond 1
Venus
2nd April 1964
Ended successfully
Luna 1964B
The Moon
20th April 1964
Zond 1964A
The Moon
4th June 1964
Ranger 7
The Moon
28th July 1964
Mariner 3
Mars
5th November 1964
Failed after launch
argh!
Mariner 4
Mars
28th November 1964
Ended successfully
why does this not work???
Zond 2
Mars
30th November 1964
Failed - contact lost
Ranger 8
The Moon
17th February 1965
Cosmos 60
The Moon
12-Mar-65
Ranger 9
The Moon
21-Mar-65
Luna 1965A
The Moon
10-Apr-65
Luna 5
The Moon
09-May-65
Luna 6
The Moon
08-Jun-65
Zond 3
The Moon
18-Jul-65
Luna 7
The Moon
04-Oct-65
Venera 2
Venus
12-Nov-65
Failed - contact lost
Venera 3
Venus
16-Nov-65
Failed - contact lost
Cosmos 96
Venus
23-Nov-65
Failed - launch failure
Venera 1965A
Venus
23-Nov-65
Ended successfully
Luna 8
The Moon
03-Dec-65
Ended successfully
Luna 9
The Moon
31-Jan-66
Ended successfully
Cosmos 111
The Moon
01-Mar-66
Ended successfully
Luna 10
The Moon
31-Mar-66
Ended successfully
Luna 1966A
The Moon
30-Apr-66
Ended successfully
Surveyor 1
The Moon
30-May-66
Ended successfully
Explorer 33
The Moon
01-Jul-66
Ended successfully
Lunar Orbiter 1
The Moon
10-Aug-66
Ended successfully
Luna 11
The Moon
24-Aug-66
Ended successfully
Surveyor 2
The Moon
20-Sep-66
Ended successfully
Luna 12
The Moon
22-Oct-66
Ended successfully
Lunar Orbiter 2
The Moon
06-Nov-66
Ended successfully
Luna 13
The Moon
21-Dec-66
Lunar Orbiter 3
The Moon
04-Feb-67
Surveyor 3
The Moon
17-Apr-67
Lunar Orbiter 4
The Moon
08-May-67
Venera 4
Venus
12-Jun-67
Ended successfully
Mariner 5
Venus
14th June 1967
Ended successfully
I think I have this working now. Need to think of some stuff to write here though
Cosmos 167
Venus
17-Jun-67
Ended successfully
Surveyor 4
The Moon
14-Jul-67
Ended successfully
Explorer 35 (IMP-E)
The Moon
19-Jul-67
Ended successfully
Lunar Orbiter 5
The Moon
01-Aug-67
Ended successfully
Surveyor 5
The Moon
08-Sep-67
Ended successfully
Zond 1967A
The Moon
28-Sep-67
Ended successfully
Surveyor 6
The Moon
07-Nov-67
Ended successfully
Zond 1967B
The Moon
22-Nov-67
Ended successfully
Surveyor 7
The Moon
07-Jan-68
Ended successfully
Luna 1968A
The Moon
07-Feb-68
Ended successfully
Zond 4
02-Mar-68
Ended successfully
Luna 14
07-Apr-68
Ended successfully
Zond 1968A
The Moon
23-Apr-68
Zond 5
The Moon
15-Sep-68
Zond 6
The Moon
10-Nov-68
Apollo 8
The Moon
21-Dec-68
Ended successfully
Venera 5
Venus
05-Jan-69
Ended successfully
Venera 6
Venus
10-Jan-69
Ended successfully
Zond 1969A
The Moon
20-Jan-69
Ended successfully
Luna 1969A
The Moon
19-Feb-69
Ended successfully
Zond L1S-1
The Moon
21-Feb-69
Ended successfully
Mariner 6
Mars
25th February 1969
Ended successfully
Mariner 7
Mars
27th March 1969
Ended successfully
Mars 1969A
Mars
27th March 1969
Launch failure
Mars 1969B
Mars
02-Apr-69
Ended successfully
Luna 1969B
The Moon
15-Apr-69
Ended successfully
Apollo 10
The Moon
18-May-69
Ended successfully
Luna 1969C
The Moon
14-Jun-69
Ended successfully
Zond L1S-2
The Moon
03-Jul-69
Ended successfully
Luna 15
The Moon
13-Jul-69
Ended successfully
Apollo 11
The Moon
16-Jul-69
Ended successfully
Zond 7
The Moon
07-Aug-69
Cosmos 300
The Moon
23-Sep-69
Cosmos 305
The Moon
22-Oct-69
Apollo 12
The Moon
14-Nov-69
Ended successfully
Luna 1970A
The Moon
06-Feb-70
Luna 1970B
The Moon
19-Feb-70
Apollo 13
The Moon
11-Apr-70
Partially Successful
Venera 7
Venus
17-Aug-70
Ended successfully
Cosmos 359
Venus
22-Aug-70
Luna 16
The Moon
12-Sep-70
Zond 8
The Moon
20-Oct-70
Luna 17/Lunokhod 1
The Moon
10-Nov-70
Apollo 14
The Moon
31-Jan-71
Ended successfully
Mariner 8
Mars
9th May 1971
Launch failure
Perseverance is an active rover designed to look for signs of life of Mars. Keeping it company is the Mars helicopter which takes off to look for places of interest for Perseverance to visit.
Cosmos 419
Mars
10th May 1971
Kosmos 419
Mars
12th May 1971
Failed after launch
Mars 2
Mars
19th May 1971
Partial success
Mars 3
Mars
28th May 1971
Partial success
Mariner 9
Mars
30th May 1971
Ended successfully, October 1972
Apollo 15
The Moon
26-Jul-71
Ended successfully
Luna 18
The Moon
02-Sep-71
Luna 19
The Moon
28-Sep-71
Luna 20
The Moon
14-Feb-72
Pioneer 10
Jupiter and Outer Solar System
02-Mar-72
Ended successfully January 2003
Venera 8
Venus
27-Mar-72
Ended successfully
Cosmos 482
Venus
31-Mar-72
Apollo 16
The Moon
16-Apr-72
Ended successfully
Soyuz L3
The Moon
23-Nov-72
Apollo 17
The Moon
07-Dec-72
Ended successfully
Luna 21/Lunokhod 2
The Moon
08-Jan-73
Pioneer 11
Jupiter, Saturn and Outer Solar System
05-Apr-73
Ended successfully September 1995
Skylab
Earth
14-May-73
Explorer 49 (RAE-B)
The Moon
10-Jun-73
Mars 4
Mars
21st July 1973
Partial success
Mars 5
Mars
25th July 1973
Ended successfully, February 1974
Mars 6
Mars
5th August 1973
Partial success
Mars 7
Mars
9th August 1973
Partial success
Mariner 10
Venus and Mercury
3rd November 1973
Ended successfully, March 1975
Mariner 10 was the first spacecraft to visit multiple planets in one mission. It launched in 1973 and flew by Venus once and Mercury three times in 1974.
Luna 22
The Moon
02-Jun-74
Luna 23
The Moon
28-Oct-74
Venera 9
Venus
08-Jun-75
Ended successfully
Venera 10
Venus
14-Jun-75
Ended successfully
Viking 1
Mars
20-Aug-75
Ended successfully, November 1982
Viking 2
Mars
09-Sep-75
Ended successfully, April 1980
Luna 1975A
The Moon
16-Oct-75
Luna 24
The Moon
09-Aug-76
Voyager 2
Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and interstellar space
20th August 1977
Active!
Voyager 1
Jupiter, Saturn and interstellar space
5th September 1977
Active!
Pioneer Venus 1
Venus
20th May 1978
Ended successfully, October 1992
Pioneer Venus 2
Venus
8th August 1978
Ended successfully, December 1978
ISEE-3/ICE
The Sun and Comet 21P/Giacobini-Zinner
12th August 1978
Ended successfully, May 1997
Venera 11
Venus
09-Sep-78
Ended successfully
Venera 12
Venus
14-Sep-78
Ended successfully
Venera 13
Venus
30-Oct-81
Ended successfully
Venera 14
Venus
04-Nov-81
Ended successfully
Venera 15
Venus
02-Jun-83
Ended successfully
Venera 16
Venus
07-Aug-83
Ended successfully
Vega 1
Halley's Comet and Venus
15-Dec-84
Vega 2
Halley's Comet and Venus
21-Dec-84
Sakigake
Halley's Comet
07-Jan-85
Giotto
Halley's Comet
02-Jul-85
Suisei (Planet-A)
Halley's Comet
18-Aug-85
Phobos 1
Mars and Phobos
7th July 1988
Failed - contact lost
Phobos 2
Mars and Phobos
12th July 1988
Partial success, ended March 1989
Magellan
Venus
4th May 1989
Ended successfully, October 1994
Galileo
Jupiter
18th October 1989
Ended successfully, September 2003
Hiten
The Moon
24th January 1990
Hubbley Space Telescope
Solar System and Beyond
24th April 1990
Active
Ulysses
The Sun and Jupiter
6th October 1990
Ended successfully, June 2009
Geotail
Earth
24th July 1992
Active
Mars Observer
Mars
25th September 1992
Failed - contact lost
Clementine
The Moon and asteroid 1620 Geographos
25th January 1994
Partial success
Wind
The Sun
1st November 1994
Active
SOHO
The Sun
2nd December 1995
Active
NEAR Shoemaker
Eros (asteroid)
17th February 1996
Ended successfully, February 2001
Mars Global Surveyor
Mars
7th November 1996
Ended successfully, November 2006
Mars 96
Mars
16th November 1996
Failed after launch
Mars Pathfinder
Mars
4th December 1996
Ended successfully, September 1997
ACE
Solar Wind
25th August 1997
Active
Huygens
Titan (moon of Saturn)
15th October 1997
Ended successfully, January 2005
Cassini
Jupiter and Saturn
15th October 1997
Ended successfully, September 2017
AsiaSat 3/HGS-1
The Moon
24th December 1997
Mars Polar Lander
Mars
3rd January 1999
Failed - landing malfunction
Deep Space 2
Mars
3rd January 1999
Failed - landing malfunction
Lunar Prospector
The Moon
7th January 1998
Ended successfully, July 1999
Nozomi (Planet-B)
Mars
3rd July 1998
Failed - solar flares damage
Deep Space 1 (DS1)
9660 Braille (asteroid), Comet Borrelly
24th October 1998
Ended successfully, December 2001
Mars Climate Orbiter
Mars
11th December 1998
Failed - went off course
Deep Space 2 (DS2)
Mars
3rd January 1999
Stardust
Annefrank (asteroid), Comets Wild 2 and Tempel 1
7th February 1999
Ended successfully, March 2011
Mars Odyssey
Mars
7th April 2001
Active
2001 Mars Odyssey
Mars
7th April 2001
Genesis
Solar Wind
8th August 2001
Partial success
CONTOUR
Comets 2P/Encke and 73P/Schwassmann-Wachmann-3
3rd July 2002
Failed - broke up during burn
Hayabusa
Asteroid Itokawa
9th May 2003
Mars Express
Mars
2nd June 2003
Active
Beagle 2
Mars
2nd June 2003
Failed - landing malfunction
Spirit (MER-A)
Mars
10th June 2003
Ended successfully, March 2010
Opportunity (MER-B)
Mars
8th July 2003
Ended successfully, June 2018
Spitzer Space Telescope
Solar System and Beyond
25th August 2003
Active
SMART 1
The Moon
1st September 2003
Rosetta and Philae
Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko
2nd March 2004
Ended successfully, September 2016
MESSENGER
Mercury
3rd August 2004
Ended successfully, April 2015
MESSENGER was the second spacecraft to visit Mercury. Its mission lasted four years during which it mapped the entire surface of the planet.
Deep Impact (EPOXI)
Tempel 1 and Hartley 2 (comets)
12th January 2005
Ended successfully, August 2013
Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter
Mars
12th August 2005
Active
Venus Express
Venus
9th November 2005
Ended successfully, November 2014
New Horizons
Jupiter, Pluto and Kuiper Belt
19th January 2006
Active
New Horizons is the first space craft to visit the Dwarf Planet pluto, reaching it in 2015. It is now on its way to explore other Kuiper Belt objects.
SMART-1
The Moon
27th September 2003
Ended successfully, September 2006
ARTEMIS (THEMIS)
The Moon
17th February 2007
Active
Phoenix
Mars
4th August 2007
Ended successfully, November 2008
Kaguya (SELENE)
The Moon
14th September 2007
Dawn
Vesta and Ceres (Asteroid Belt)
27th September 2007
Ended successfully, November 2018
Chang'e 1
The Moon
24th October 2007
IBEX
Edge of Solar System
19th October 2008
Active
Chandrayaan-1
The Moon
22nd October 2008
Kepler
The Milky Way
7th March 2009
Ended successfully, October 2018
Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter
The Moon
18th June 2009
Active
LCROSS
The Moon
18th June 2009
Ended successfully, October 2009
WISE/NEOWISE
Near Earth Objects
14th December 2009
Active
Akatsuki/Planet-C
Venus
20th May 2010
Chang'e 2
The Moon
1st October 2010
Juno
Jupiter
5th August 2011
Active
GRAIL (Ebb and Flow)
The Moon
10th September 2011
Ended successfully, December 2012
Fobos-Grunt
Mars
8th November 2011
Failed after launch
Yinghuo 1
Mars
8th November 2011
Failed after launch
Curiosity
Mars
26th November 2011
Active
LADEE
The Moon
7th September 2013
Ended successfully, April 2014
Mangalyaan / Mars Orbiter Mission
Mars
5th November 2013
Active
MAVEN
Mars
18th November 2013
Active
Chang'e 3
The Moon
1st December 2013
Gaia
The Milky Way
19th December 2013
Active
Chang'e 5 Test Vehicle
The Moon
23rd October 2014
Hayabusa 2
Asteroid 162173 Ryugu, and Asteroid 1998 KY26
3rd December 2014
PROCYON
3rd December 2014
DSCOVR
Earth
11th February 2015
Active
ExoMars 2016
Mars
14th March 2016
Active
Schiaparelli EDM
Mars
14th March 2016
Failed - landing malfunction
OSIRIS-Rex
Bennu (asteroid)
8th September 2016
Active
InSight
Mars
5th May 2018
Active
Queqiao
The Moon
20th May 2018
Parker Solar Probe
The Sun
12th August 2018
Active
BepiColombo
Mercury
20th October 2018
Active
BepiColombo is a joint mission between Europe and Japan's space agencies and is their first mission to Mercury. It is the third mission overall to visit Mercury. It launched in 2018 and is expected to reach Mercury orbit in 2025.
Chang'e 4
The Moon
7th December 2018
Beresheet
The Moon
22nd February 2019
Chandrayaan 2
The Moon
22nd July 2019
Solar Orbiter
The Sun
9/10 February 2020
Hope / Emirates Mars Mission
Mars
19th July 2020
Active
Tianwen 1
Mars
23rd July 2020
Active
Zhurong
Mars
23rd July 2020
Active
Perseverance and Ingenuity
Mars
30th July 2020
Active
Chang'e 5
The Moon
13th November 2020
Q-PACE
17th January 2021
Lucy
Multiple Trojan Asteroids
16th October 2021
Active
DART
Didymos and Dimorphos
23rd November 2021
Active
James Webb Space Telescope
Solar System and Beyond
25th December 2021
Active
CAPSTONE
The Moon
28th June 2022
Active
LunaH-Map
The Moon
Aug-22
Lunar Ice Cube
The Moon
Aug-22
NEA Scout
The Moon
Aug-22
Lunar InfraRed imaging (LunIR)
The Moon
Aug-22
OMOTENASHI
The Moon
Aug-22
EQUULEUS
The Moon
Aug-22
Danuri
The Moon
4th August 2022
Luna 25
The Moon
Sep-23
Planned
ExoMars
Mars
To be confirmed
Planned
IM-1
The Moon
Dec-22
PRIME-1
The Moon
Dec-22
Planned
Peregrine Mission 1
The Moon
Late 2022
Planned
SLIM
The Moon
2023
Planned
XRISM
Deep Space
2023
Planned
Chandrayaan 3
The Moon
January to March 2023
Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (JUICE)
Jupiter, Ganymede, Callisto, Europa
Apr-23
Planned
Psyche
Psyche (Asteroid)
July to September 2023
Planned
Janus
July to September 2023
IM-2
The Moon
2023
Planned
Lunar Trailblazer
The Moon
2023
Planned
Blue Ghost 1
The Moon
Late 2023
Planned
XL-1 Lander
The Moon
Nov-23
Planned
IM-3
The Moon
2024
Planned
Chang'e 7
The Moon
2024
Planned
Chang'e 6
The Moon
2024
Planned
ESCAPADE
Mars
2024
Planned
Hera
Didymos and Dimorphos
From October 2024
Planned
Mars Orbiter Mission 2
Mars
2024
Planned
Europa Clipper
Jupiter and Europa
10th October 2024
Planned
VIPER
The Moon
Nov-24
Planned
ZhengHe
Mars
2025
Planned
Martian Moon eXploration (MMX)
Mars, Phobos and Deimos
Aug-25
Planned
Dragonfly
Titan (Saturn's largest moon)
Jun-27
Planned
VERITAS
Venus
Dec-27
Planned
DAVINCI
Venus
Jun-29
Planned
EnVision
Venus
2031
Planned
Mercury Missions Table
Mission Name
Destination(s)
Launch Date
Status
Mission Details
Link
EnVision
Venus
2031
Planned
DAVINCI
Venus
Jun-29
Planned
VERITAS
Venus
Dec-27
Planned
Dragonfly
Titan (Saturn's largest moon)
Jun-27
Planned
Martian Moon eXploration (MMX)
Mars, Phobos and Deimos
Aug-25
Planned
ZhengHe
Mars
2025
Planned
VIPER
The Moon
Nov-24
Planned
Europa Clipper
Jupiter and Europa
10th October 2024
Planned
Mars Orbiter Mission 2
Mars
2024
Planned
ESCAPADE
Mars
2024
Planned
Hera
Didymos and Dimorphos
From October 2024
Planned
Chang'e 7
The Moon
2024
Planned
Chang'e 6
The Moon
2024
Planned
IM-3
The Moon
2024
Planned
XL-1 Lander
The Moon
Nov-23
Planned
Blue Ghost 1
The Moon
Late 2023
Planned
Psyche
Psyche (Asteroid)
July to September 2023
Planned
Janus
July to September 2023
IM-2
The Moon
2023
Planned
Lunar Trailblazer
The Moon
2023
Planned
Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (JUICE)
Jupiter, Ganymede, Callisto, Europa
Apr-23
Planned
Chandrayaan 3
The Moon
January to March 2023
SLIM
The Moon
2023
Planned
XRISM
Deep Space
2023
Planned
Peregrine Mission 1
The Moon
Late 2022
Planned
IM-1
The Moon
Dec-22
PRIME-1
The Moon
Dec-22
Planned
Luna 25
The Moon
Sep-23
Planned
ExoMars
Mars
To be confirmed
Planned
Danuri
The Moon
4th August 2022
LunaH-Map
The Moon
Aug-22
Lunar Ice Cube
The Moon
Aug-22
NEA Scout
The Moon
Aug-22
Lunar InfraRed imaging (LunIR)
The Moon
Aug-22
OMOTENASHI
The Moon
Aug-22
EQUULEUS
The Moon
Aug-22
CAPSTONE
The Moon
28th June 2022
Active
James Webb Space Telescope
Solar System and Beyond
25th December 2021
Active
DART
Didymos and Dimorphos
23rd November 2021
Active
Lucy
Multiple Trojan Asteroids
16th October 2021
Active
Q-PACE
17th January 2021
Chang'e 5
The Moon
13th November 2020
Perseverance and Ingenuity
Mars
30th July 2020
Active
Tianwen 1
Mars
23rd July 2020
Active
Zhurong
Mars
23rd July 2020
Active
Hope / Emirates Mars Mission
Mars
19th July 2020
Active
Solar Orbiter
The Sun
9/10 February 2020
Chandrayaan 2
The Moon
22nd July 2019
Beresheet
The Moon
22nd February 2019
Chang'e 4
The Moon
7th December 2018
BepiColombo
Mercury
20th October 2018
Active
BepiColombo is a joint mission between Europe and Japan's space agencies and is their first mission to Mercury. It is the third mission overall to visit Mercury. It launched in 2018 and is expected to reach Mercury orbit in 2025.
Parker Solar Probe
The Sun
12th August 2018
Active
Queqiao
The Moon
20th May 2018
InSight
Mars
5th May 2018
Active
OSIRIS-Rex
Bennu (asteroid)
8th September 2016
Active
ExoMars 2016
Mars
14th March 2016
Active
Schiaparelli EDM
Mars
14th March 2016
Failed - landing malfunction
DSCOVR
Earth
11th February 2015
Active
Hayabusa 2
Asteroid 162173 Ryugu, and Asteroid 1998 KY26
3rd December 2014
PROCYON
3rd December 2014
Chang'e 5 Test Vehicle
The Moon
23rd October 2014
Gaia
The Milky Way
19th December 2013
Active
Chang'e 3
The Moon
1st December 2013
MAVEN
Mars
18th November 2013
Active
Mangalyaan / Mars Orbiter Mission
Mars
5th November 2013
Active
LADEE
The Moon
7th September 2013
Ended successfully, April 2014
Curiosity
Mars
26th November 2011
Active
Fobos-Grunt
Mars
8th November 2011
Failed after launch
Yinghuo 1
Mars
8th November 2011
Failed after launch
GRAIL (Ebb and Flow)
The Moon
10th September 2011
Ended successfully, December 2012
Juno
Jupiter
5th August 2011
Active
Chang'e 2
The Moon
1st October 2010
Akatsuki/Planet-C
Venus
20th May 2010
WISE/NEOWISE
Near Earth Objects
14th December 2009
Active
Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter
The Moon
18th June 2009
Active
LCROSS
The Moon
18th June 2009
Ended successfully, October 2009
Kepler
The Milky Way
7th March 2009
Ended successfully, October 2018
Chandrayaan-1
The Moon
22nd October 2008
IBEX
Edge of Solar System
19th October 2008
Active
Chang'e 1
The Moon
24th October 2007
Dawn
Vesta and Ceres (Asteroid Belt)
27th September 2007
Ended successfully, November 2018
Kaguya (SELENE)
The Moon
14th September 2007
Phoenix
Mars
4th August 2007
Ended successfully, November 2008
ARTEMIS (THEMIS)
The Moon
17th February 2007
Active
SMART-1
The Moon
27th September 2003
Ended successfully, September 2006
New Horizons
Jupiter, Pluto and Kuiper Belt
19th January 2006
Active
New Horizons is the first space craft to visit the Dwarf Planet pluto, reaching it in 2015. It is now on its way to explore other Kuiper Belt objects.
Venus Express
Venus
9th November 2005
Ended successfully, November 2014
Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter
Mars
12th August 2005
Active
Deep Impact (EPOXI)
Tempel 1 and Hartley 2 (comets)
12th January 2005
Ended successfully, August 2013
MESSENGER
Mercury
3rd August 2004
Ended successfully, April 2015
MESSENGER was the second spacecraft to visit Mercury. Its mission lasted four years during which it mapped the entire surface of the planet.
Rosetta and Philae
Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko
2nd March 2004
Ended successfully, September 2016
SMART 1
The Moon
1st September 2003
Spitzer Space Telescope
Solar System and Beyond
25th August 2003
Active
Opportunity (MER-B)
Mars
8th July 2003
Ended successfully, June 2018
Spirit (MER-A)
Mars
10th June 2003
Ended successfully, March 2010
Mars Express
Mars
2nd June 2003
Active
Beagle 2
Mars
2nd June 2003
Failed - landing malfunction
Hayabusa
Asteroid Itokawa
9th May 2003
CONTOUR
Comets 2P/Encke and 73P/Schwassmann-Wachmann-3
3rd July 2002
Failed - broke up during burn
Genesis
Solar Wind
8th August 2001
Partial success
Mars Odyssey
Mars
7th April 2001
Active
2001 Mars Odyssey
Mars
7th April 2001
Stardust
Annefrank (asteroid), Comets Wild 2 and Tempel 1
7th February 1999
Ended successfully, March 2011
Deep Space 2 (DS2)
Mars
3rd January 1999
Mars Climate Orbiter
Mars
11th December 1998
Failed - went off course
Deep Space 1 (DS1)
9660 Braille (asteroid), Comet Borrelly
24th October 1998
Ended successfully, December 2001
Nozomi (Planet-B)
Mars
3rd July 1998
Failed - solar flares damage
Lunar Prospector
The Moon
7th January 1998
Ended successfully, July 1999
Mars Polar Lander
Mars
3rd January 1999
Failed - landing malfunction
Deep Space 2
Mars
3rd January 1999
Failed - landing malfunction
AsiaSat 3/HGS-1
The Moon
24th December 1997
Huygens
Titan (moon of Saturn)
15th October 1997
Ended successfully, January 2005
Cassini
Jupiter and Saturn
15th October 1997
Ended successfully, September 2017
ACE
Solar Wind
25th August 1997
Active
Mars Pathfinder
Mars
4th December 1996
Ended successfully, September 1997
Mars 96
Mars
16th November 1996
Failed after launch
Mars Global Surveyor
Mars
7th November 1996
Ended successfully, November 2006
NEAR Shoemaker
Eros (asteroid)
17th February 1996
Ended successfully, February 2001
SOHO
The Sun
2nd December 1995
Active
Wind
The Sun
1st November 1994
Active
Clementine
The Moon and asteroid 1620 Geographos
25th January 1994
Partial success
Mars Observer
Mars
25th September 1992
Failed - contact lost
Geotail
Earth
24th July 1992
Active
Ulysses
The Sun and Jupiter
6th October 1990
Ended successfully, June 2009
Hubbley Space Telescope
Solar System and Beyond
24th April 1990
Active
Hiten
The Moon
24th January 1990
Galileo
Jupiter
18th October 1989
Ended successfully, September 2003
Magellan
Venus
4th May 1989
Ended successfully, October 1994
Phobos 2
Mars and Phobos
12th July 1988
Partial success, ended March 1989
Phobos 1
Mars and Phobos
7th July 1988
Failed - contact lost
Suisei (Planet-A)
Halley's Comet
18-Aug-85
Giotto
Halley's Comet
02-Jul-85
Sakigake
Halley's Comet
07-Jan-85
Vega 2
Halley's Comet and Venus
21-Dec-84
Vega 1
Halley's Comet and Venus
15-Dec-84
Venera 16
Venus
07-Aug-83
Ended successfully
Venera 15
Venus
02-Jun-83
Ended successfully
Venera 14
Venus
04-Nov-81
Ended successfully
Venera 13
Venus
30-Oct-81
Ended successfully
Venera 12
Venus
14-Sep-78
Ended successfully
Venera 11
Venus
09-Sep-78
Ended successfully
ISEE-3/ICE
The Sun and Comet 21P/Giacobini-Zinner
12th August 1978
Ended successfully, May 1997
Pioneer Venus 2
Venus
8th August 1978
Ended successfully, December 1978
Pioneer Venus 1
Venus
20th May 1978
Ended successfully, October 1992
Voyager 1
Jupiter, Saturn and interstellar space
5th September 1977
Active!
Voyager 2
Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and interstellar space
20th August 1977
Active!
Luna 24
The Moon
09-Aug-76
Luna 1975A
The Moon
16-Oct-75
Viking 2
Mars
09-Sep-75
Ended successfully, April 1980
Viking 1
Mars
20-Aug-75
Ended successfully, November 1982
Venera 10
Venus
14-Jun-75
Ended successfully
Venera 9
Venus
08-Jun-75
Ended successfully
Luna 23
The Moon
28-Oct-74
Luna 22
The Moon
02-Jun-74
Mariner 10
Venus and Mercury
3rd November 1973
Ended successfully, March 1975
Mariner 10 was the first spacecraft to visit multiple planets in one mission. It launched in 1973 and flew by Venus once and Mercury three times in 1974.
Mars 7
Mars
9th August 1973
Partial success
Mars 6
Mars
5th August 1973
Partial success
Mars 5
Mars
25th July 1973
Ended successfully, February 1974
Mars 4
Mars
21st July 1973
Partial success
Explorer 49 (RAE-B)
The Moon
10-Jun-73
Skylab
Earth
14-May-73
Pioneer 11
Jupiter, Saturn and Outer Solar System
05-Apr-73
Ended successfully September 1995
Luna 21/Lunokhod 2
The Moon
08-Jan-73
Apollo 17
The Moon
07-Dec-72
Ended successfully
Soyuz L3
The Moon
23-Nov-72
Apollo 16
The Moon
16-Apr-72
Ended successfully
Cosmos 482
Venus
31-Mar-72
Venera 8
Venus
27-Mar-72
Ended successfully
Pioneer 10
Jupiter and Outer Solar System
02-Mar-72
Ended successfully January 2003
Luna 20
The Moon
14-Feb-72
Luna 19
The Moon
28-Sep-71
Luna 18
The Moon
02-Sep-71
Apollo 15
The Moon
26-Jul-71
Ended successfully
Mariner 9
Mars
30th May 1971
Ended successfully, October 1972
Mars 3
Mars
28th May 1971
Partial success
Mars 2
Mars
19th May 1971
Partial success
Kosmos 419
Mars
12th May 1971
Failed after launch
Cosmos 419
Mars
10th May 1971
Mariner 8
Mars
9th May 1971
Launch failure
Perseverance is an active rover designed to look for signs of life of Mars. Keeping it company is the Mars helicopter which takes off to look for places of interest for Perseverance to visit.
Apollo 14
The Moon
31-Jan-71
Ended successfully
Luna 17/Lunokhod 1
The Moon
10-Nov-70
Zond 8
The Moon
20-Oct-70
Luna 16
The Moon
12-Sep-70
Cosmos 359
Venus
22-Aug-70
Venera 7
Venus
17-Aug-70
Ended successfully
Apollo 13
The Moon
11-Apr-70
Partially Successful
Luna 1970B
The Moon
19-Feb-70
Luna 1970A
The Moon
06-Feb-70
Apollo 12
The Moon
14-Nov-69
Ended successfully
Cosmos 305
The Moon
22-Oct-69
Cosmos 300
The Moon
23-Sep-69
Zond 7
The Moon
07-Aug-69
Apollo 11
The Moon
16-Jul-69
Ended successfully
Luna 15
The Moon
13-Jul-69
Ended successfully
Zond L1S-2
The Moon
03-Jul-69
Ended successfully
Luna 1969C
The Moon
14-Jun-69
Ended successfully
Apollo 10
The Moon
18-May-69
Ended successfully
Luna 1969B
The Moon
15-Apr-69
Ended successfully
Mars 1969B
Mars
02-Apr-69
Ended successfully
Mariner 7
Mars
27th March 1969
Ended successfully
Mars 1969A
Mars
27th March 1969
Launch failure
Mariner 6
Mars
25th February 1969
Ended successfully
Zond L1S-1
The Moon
21-Feb-69
Ended successfully
Luna 1969A
The Moon
19-Feb-69
Ended successfully
Zond 1969A
The Moon
20-Jan-69
Ended successfully
Venera 6
Venus
10-Jan-69
Ended successfully
Venera 5
Venus
05-Jan-69
Ended successfully
Apollo 8
The Moon
21-Dec-68
Ended successfully
Zond 6
The Moon
10-Nov-68
Zond 5
The Moon
15-Sep-68
Zond 1968A
The Moon
23-Apr-68
Luna 14
07-Apr-68
Ended successfully
Zond 4
02-Mar-68
Ended successfully
Luna 1968A
The Moon
07-Feb-68
Ended successfully
Surveyor 7
The Moon
07-Jan-68
Ended successfully
Zond 1967B
The Moon
22-Nov-67
Ended successfully
Surveyor 6
The Moon
07-Nov-67
Ended successfully
Zond 1967A
The Moon
28-Sep-67
Ended successfully
Surveyor 5
The Moon
08-Sep-67
Ended successfully
Lunar Orbiter 5
The Moon
01-Aug-67
Ended successfully
Explorer 35 (IMP-E)
The Moon
19-Jul-67
Ended successfully
Surveyor 4
The Moon
14-Jul-67
Ended successfully
Cosmos 167
Venus
17-Jun-67
Ended successfully
Mariner 5
Venus
14th June 1967
Ended successfully
I think I have this working now. Need to think of some stuff to write here though
Venera 4
Venus
12-Jun-67
Ended successfully
Lunar Orbiter 4
The Moon
08-May-67
Surveyor 3
The Moon
17-Apr-67
Lunar Orbiter 3
The Moon
04-Feb-67
Luna 13
The Moon
21-Dec-66
Lunar Orbiter 2
The Moon
06-Nov-66
Ended successfully
Luna 12
The Moon
22-Oct-66
Ended successfully
Surveyor 2
The Moon
20-Sep-66
Ended successfully
Luna 11
The Moon
24-Aug-66
Ended successfully
Lunar Orbiter 1
The Moon
10-Aug-66
Ended successfully
Explorer 33
The Moon
01-Jul-66
Ended successfully
Surveyor 1
The Moon
30-May-66
Ended successfully
Luna 1966A
The Moon
30-Apr-66
Ended successfully
Luna 10
The Moon
31-Mar-66
Ended successfully
Cosmos 111
The Moon
01-Mar-66
Ended successfully
Luna 9
The Moon
31-Jan-66
Ended successfully
Luna 8
The Moon
03-Dec-65
Ended successfully
Cosmos 96
Venus
23-Nov-65
Failed - launch failure
Venera 1965A
Venus
23-Nov-65
Ended successfully
Venera 3
Venus
16-Nov-65
Failed - contact lost
Venera 2
Venus
12-Nov-65
Failed - contact lost
Luna 7
The Moon
04-Oct-65
Zond 3
The Moon
18-Jul-65
Luna 6
The Moon
08-Jun-65
Luna 5
The Moon
09-May-65
Luna 1965A
The Moon
10-Apr-65
Ranger 9
The Moon
21-Mar-65
Cosmos 60
The Moon
12-Mar-65
Ranger 8
The Moon
17th February 1965
Zond 2
Mars
30th November 1964
Failed - contact lost
Mariner 4
Mars
28th November 1964
Ended successfully
why does this not work???
Mariner 3
Mars
5th November 1964
Failed after launch
argh!
Ranger 7
The Moon
28th July 1964
Zond 1964A
The Moon
4th June 1964
Luna 1964B
The Moon
20th April 1964
Zond 1
Venus
2nd April 1964
Ended successfully
Kosmos 27
Venus
27th March 1964
Failed - reached Earth orbit successfully but a design flaw prevented it from being able to start it
Luna 1964A
The Moon
21st March 1964
Ended successfully
Venera 1964B
Venus
1st March 1964
Ended successfully
Venera 1964A
Venus
19th February 1964
Ended successfully
Ranger 6
The Moon
30th January 1964
Ended successfully
Cosmos 21
Venus
11th November 1963
Ended successfully
Luna 4
The Moon
2nd April 1963
Ended successfully
Luna 1963B
The Moon
2nd February 1963
Ended successfully
Luna E-6 No.2
The Moon
4th January 1963
Ended successfully
Mars 2MV-3 No. 1
Mars
4th November 1962
Failed after launch
Mars 1
Mars
1st November 1962
Failed - contact lost
Mars 2MV-4 No. 1
Mars
24th October 1962
Failed after launch
Ranger 5
The Moon
18th October 1962
Ended successfully
Venera 2MV-2 No.2
Venus
12th September 1962
Ended successfully
Venera 2MV-1 No.2
Venus
1st September 1962
Ended successfully
Mariner 2
Venus
27th August 1962
Ended successfully, January 1963
trump
Venera 2MV-1 No.1
Venus
25th August 1962
Failed - launch failure
Mariner 1
Venus
22nd July 1962
Launch failure
hi there!!!
Ranger 4
The Moon
23rd April 1962
Failed - contact lost
Ranger 3
The Moon
26th January 1962
Failed - contact lost
Ranger 2
The Moon
18th November 1961
Failed - launch failure
Ranger 1
The Moon
23rd August 1961
Failed - launch failure
Venera 1
Venus
12th February 1961
Failed - contact lost
Tyazhely Sputnik
Venus
4th February 1961
Marsnik 2
Mars
14th October 1960
Launch failure
Marsnik 1
Mars
10th October 1960
Launch failure
Pioneer P-30
The Moon
25th September 1960
Failed
Pioneer P-31
The Moon
15th September 1960
Failed
Luna 1960B
The Moon
18th April 1960
Failed
Luna 1960A
The Moon
15th April 1960
Failed
Pioneer P-3
The Moon
26th November 1959
Failed
Luna 3
The Moon
4th October 1959
Successful
Luna 1959A
The Moon
16th June 1959
Failed
Pioneer 4
The Moon
3rd March 1959
Successful
Luna 1
The Moon
2nd January 1959
Partially Successful
Pioneer 3
The Moon
6th December 1958
Failed
Luna 1958C
The Moon
4th December 1958
Failed
Pioneer 2
The Moon
8th November 1958
Failed