Solar System Missions

This page features a regularly updated map of all ongoing and future solar system missions and links to their web sites. Position data are mostly from the NASA Horizons database. Upcoming events and missions are noted at the bottom of the map. For the history of Solar System exploration see this page. The data are available on my space exploration history GitHub repository.

Sun
WIND 1994
SOHO (Solar & Heliospheric Observatory) 1995
ACE (Advanced Composition Explorer) 1997
STEREO A & B (Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory) 2006
SDO (Solar Dynamics Observatory) 2010
DSCOVR (Deep Space Climate Observatory, Space Weather Monitor) 2015
Parker Solar Probe (Solar Probe Plus, Corona Flythrough) 2018
   APL page
Solar Orbiter 2020
CuSP (CubeSat to study Solar Particles) 2022
Aditya-L1 (Solar Coronograph) 2023
SWFO-L1 (Space Weather Follow-On L1) 2025

Mercury
Bepi-Colombo 2018
   ESA Science page

Venus
Akatsuki (Venus Climate Orbiter, Planet-C) 2010
Shukrayaan-1 (Orbiter) 2024
VERITAS (Orbiter) 2028
Venera D (Orbiter/Lander) 2029
DAVINCI+ (Lander/Orbiter) 2028
EnVision (Orbiter) 2032

Moon
ARTEMIS (Acceleration, Reconnection, Turbulence and Electrodynamics of the Moon’s Interaction with the Sun) 2007
   THEMIS
LRO (Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter) 2008
   LROC
Chang'E 3/Yutu (Lander/Rover) 2013
Queqiao (Earth/Moon L2 Orbiter, Data Relay for CE4) 2018
Chang'E 4 (Lunar far side Lander/Rover) 2018
Chandrayaan 2 (Orbiter/Lander/Rover) 2019
Chang'E 5 (Sample Return, Solar observation) 2020
CAPSTONE (Cislunar Autonomous Positioning System Technology Operations and Navigation Experiment, NRHO Orbiter) 2022
Danuri (Korean Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter) 2022
Artemis-1 (Orion-SLS, Unmanned Lunar Flyby Test) 2022
   ESA page
Lunar IceCube - LunaH-Map (Orbiters) - OMOTENASHI (Impactor) - EQUULEUS (Earth/Moon L2) - ArgoMoon (Flyby, All Artemis-1 piggyback missions)
Lunar Flashlight
Chandrayaan 3 (Lander/Rover) 2023
SLIM (Smart Lander for Investigating Moon) 2023
Astrobotic Peregrine (Commercial Lander) 2024
Intuitive Machines NOVA-C IM-1 (Commercial Lander) 2024
Prime-1 (NOVA-C IM-2, Commercial Lander) 2024
   Lunar Trailblazer (Lunar Orbiter) 2024
Gateway PPE & HALO (Lunar Orbital Platform-Gateway, Cislunar Space) 2024
Hakuto-R 2 (Lander/Rover) 2024
Blue Ghost (Commercial Lander) 2024
Artemis-2 (Orion-SLS, Lunar Orbit) 2025
Beresheet 2 (Orbiter & 2 Landers) 2024
PRISM-1A (Commercial Lander, Rover) 2024
VIPER (Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover) 2024
Chang'E 6 (Sample Return) 2024
Artemis-3 (Orion-SLS, Lunar landing?) 2026
Oryol Test (New Generation Piloted Transport Ship, Uncrewed Lunar Flyby Test) 2026
LUPEX (Lunar Polar Explorer, Lander & Rover) 2025
Chang'E 7 (Orbiter/Lander) 2026
Chang'E 8 (Orbiter/Lander) 2026
Heracles (ELLL Lander/Rover/Sample Return) 2026
Artemis 4/IHAB (Internantional Habitat, Gateway Station, Cislunar Space) 2026
Blue Ghost 2 (Commercial Lander) 2026
Artemis 5/Esprit (Gateway communications and connecting module, Gateway Station, Cislunar Space) 2027
Lunar Pathfinder (Orbiter) 2028

Mars
Mars Odyssey (Orbiter) 2001
MEX (Mars Express, Orbiter) 2003
    - HRSC - Mars Express VMC - ESA Science page
MRO (Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter) 2005
   Mars Weather - HiRISE - CTX - CRISM - MARCI - SHARAD - MCS
Curiosity (Mars Science Laboratory MSL, Rover) 2011
   JPL page - Raw images - MSL Science Corner
MAVEN (Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution, Orbiter) 2013
Mars Orbiter Mission (Mangalyaan, Orbiter) 2013
ExoMars TGO (Trace Gas Orbiter, Lander) 2016
Tianwen-1/Zhurong (Mars Global Remote Sensing Orbiter, Lander, Rover) 2020
Al Amal (Emirates Hope Mars Mission, Orbiter) 2020
Perseverance/Ingenuity (2020 Mars Rover/Helicopter, Sample Cacher) 2020
MMX (Martian Moon eXplorer, Sample Return) 2024
ESCAPADE (2 Orbiters) 2026
MOM-2 (Mars Orbiter Mission 2, Orbiter) 2027
ERO (Earth Return Orbiter) 2027
ExoMars Rover (Lander, Rosalind Franklin Rover) 2028
SRL (Sample Retrieval Lander/2 Fetch Helicopters/Ascent Stage) 2028
Tianwen 3 (Sample Return Lander/Orbiter) 2023

Asteroids/Comets
Hayabusa 2 (Asteroid Ryugu Sample Return & 1998 KY26/2001 CC21 Flybys) 2014
   MASCOT (Lander) - PROCYON, Artsat2-Despatch, Shin'en 2 (piggyback missions)
OSIRIS REx (Origins Spectral Interpretation Resource Identification Security-Regolith Explorer, 101955 Bennu) 2016
Lucy (Flybys of Main Belt Asteroid 52246 Donaldjohanson and Jupiter Trojans 3548 Eurybates, 15094 Polymele, 11351 Leucus, 21900 Orus, 617 Patroclus/Menoetius) 2021
Psyche (Asteroid 16 Psyche) 2023
DESTINY+ (Asteroid 3200 Phaethon, Demonstration and Experiment of Space Technology for INterplanetary voYage Phaethon fLyby dUSt science) 2024
Hera (Orbiter/Cubesats, Asteroid Didymos) 2024
Tianwen 2 (Sample Return from 2458604 Kamo`oalewa, Rendezvous with 311P/PANSTARRS) 2025
AKI (Assembled Kinetic Impactor, Impact with 2020 PN1) 2025
NEO Surveyor (Near Earth Object Surveillance Mission, Earth/Sun L1) 2028
Comet Interceptor (Loitering in Earth/Sun L2, Comet Flyby) 2028

MBR Explorer (Main Belt Asteroid Flybys & Orbiter) 2028

Outer Planets
Juno (Jupiter Orbiter) 2011
   SWRI Site - JunoCam
JUICE (JUpiter ICy moon Explorer, Jupiter/Ganymede Orbiter) 2023
Europa Clipper (Europa Multiple Flyby Mission, Jupiter Orbiter, Europa Flybys) 2025
Dragonfly (Titan Drone) 2026
Tianwen 4 (Jupiter Orbiter/Uranus Flyby) 2030

Pluto/Kuiper Belt
New Horizons (Pluto/2014 MU69 & more KBO flybys?) 2006

Experimental Spacecraft

Solar Sailing
IKAROS (Interplanetary Kite-craft Accelerated by Radiation Of the Sun) 2010
LightSail 2 2019
Solar Cruiser 2019

Artemis-1 piggyback demonstrators
BioSentinel (Radiation) - Skyfire (Remote sensing) - Cislunar Explorers (Propulsion, Navigation), CU-E3 (Communication) - Team Miles (Navigation) 2021

Interstellar Space
Voyager 1/2 (Voyager Interstellar Mission) 1977

Past Missions

Apollo 8-17 (Circumlunar Return/Moon Landing) 1968-1972
Beresheet (Private Lunar Lander) 2019
Cassini (Saturn Orbiter) 1997-2017 Images - ESA site
Chandrayaan 1 (Moon Orbiter/Impactor) 2008-2009
Chang'E 1 (Moon Orbiter) 2007-2009
Chang'E 2 (Moon/Sun-Earth L2/4179 Toutatis) 2010-2013
Chang'E 5-T1 Reentry Test (Lunar Flyby/Earth EDL/Earth-Moon L2 Orbiter) 2014-2018
Clementine (Moon Orbiter) 1994 - LPI Site
DART (Double Asteroid Redirection Test, Asteroid Didymos) 2021
Dawn (Ceres & Vesta) 2007-2018
Deep Impact (Comets Tempel 1 flyby/impact, Hartley 2 flyby) 2005-2013 - EPOXI
Deep Space 1 (Comet Borrelly) 1998-2001
Galileo (Jupiter, Asteroids Gaspra/Ida) 1989-2003
Genesis (Solar Wind Sample Return) 2001-2004
Giotto (Comets Halley/Grigg-Skjellerup) 1985-1992 - ESA Science page
GRAIL (Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory, "Ebb" and "Flow") 2011-2012 MIT Site - MoonKAM
Hakuto-R M1/Rashid (Lander/Rover) 2022
Hayabusa 1 (Asteroid Itokawa, Sample Return) 2003-2010
Huygens (Titan Lander) 1995-2005
InSIGHT (INterior exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport, Lander) 2018-2022
ISEE 1/2/3 (International Sun Earth Explorer; Sun/Earth Orbiter, L1/L3 Halo-Orbit) / ICE (International Cometary Explorer, Comet Flybys) 1977-2014
Kaguya (Selene, Moon Orbiter) 2007-2009
Koronas-Foton (Solar Observatory, Polar LEO) 2009-2010
LADEE (Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer, Orbiter) 2013-2014
LCROSS (Moon Impactor) 2009
Longjiang 2 (Lunar Micro-Radioprobe) 2018-2019
Luna 1-24 (Moon Flyby/Orbiter/Lander/Sample Return) 1959-1976
Luna 25 Lander (Lander) 2023
Lunar Orbiter 1-5 (Moon Orbiter) 1966-67 - LOIRP
Lunar Prospector (Moon Orbiter) 1998-1999
Lunokhod 1/Lunokhod 2 (Moon Rovers) 1970-1973
Magellan (Venus Orbiter) 1989-1994
MarCO (Mars Cube One, 2 Cubesats, InSIGHT piggyback, Flyby) 2018-2019
Mariner 2/Mariner 5 (Venus Flyby) 1962/67
Mariner 4/6/7 (Mars Flyby) 1964-1969
Mariner 9 (Mars Orbiter) 1971-1972
Mariner 10 (Venus/Mercury Flybys) 1973-1975
Mars 2/Mars 3/Mars 5/Mars 6 (Mars Orbiter/Lander) 1971-1973
Mars Global Surveyor (Mars Orbiter) 1996-2007
Mars Pathfinder/Sojourner (Mars Lander/Rover) 1996-1997
MER (Mars Exploration Rovers Spirit(†2011) & Opportunity, Rovers) 2003-2018
   Mars Rover images
Messenger (Mercury Orbiter) 2004-2015
Nozomi (Mars, in Solar Orbit) 1998-2003
NEAR Shoemaker (Asteroids Eros/Mathilde) 1996-2001
Phobos 1+2 (Mars/Phobos Orbiter) 1988-1989
Phobos Grunt/Yinghuo 1 2011 (Phobos Sample Return/Mars Orbiter) 2011
Phoenix (Mars Lander) 2007-2008
Pioneer 6-9 (Solar Orbiter) 1965-1997
Pioneer 10/11 (Jupiter/Saturn Flybys) 1972-2003
Pioneer Venus (Venus Orbiter/Descent) 1978-1992
Ranger 7-9 (Moon Impactors) 1964-1965
Rosetta (Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko) 2004-2016 - ESA Science page
Sakigake (Comet Halley) 1985-1995
SMART-1 (Moon Orbiter) 2003-2006
Stardust-NEXT (Comets Wild 2/Tempel 1, Asteroid Annefrank) 1999-2011
Surveyor 1-7 (Moon Lander) 1966-1968
Susei (Comet Halley) 1985-1992
Ulysses (Solar Observatory, Polar Sun Orbit) 1990-2002 - ESA Science page - JPL site
Vega 1+2 (Comet Halley, Venus Lander/Balloon) 1984-1987
Venera 1-16 (Venus Probe/Orbiter/Lander) 1961-1983
Venus Express (Venus Orbiter) 2005-2014
Viking 1+2 (Mars Orbiter/Lander) 1975-1982
Zond 3-8 (Lunar Flyby/Circumlunar Return) 1965-1970

More

Mission Status Updates - What's up in the solar system archive Planetary Society Blog
Old versions of the map
JPL Photojournal Images from all NASA missions
PDS NASA Planetary Data System - Nodes: Imaging - Small Bodies - Rings - Atmospheres - Geosciences - Navigation - Planetary Plasma Interactions
Mars Trek - Vesta Trek - Helio Viewer - NeoWISE
PSA ESA Planetary Science Archive - ESAC ESA Image Archive - Rosetta Images
DARTS JAXA Data ARchives and Transmission System - JAXA Digital Archives
moon.bao.ac.cn Chinese Moon Data Archive
IAU Minor Planet Center Solar System Simulator
HORIZONS Solar System Ephemeris
Basics of Space Flight
Active Interplanetary Probes At Any Given Time
Spaceflight Realtime Simulations
List of Solar System probes - List of Space Telescopes (Wikipedia)
ISECG (International Space Exploration Coordination Group)
RussianSpaceWeb
Earth Observation Portal
Space Agencies
NASA - JPL - APL - LPI - DSN (USA)
ESA - ASI (Italy) - CNES, Missions (France) - DLR (Germany) - INTA (Spain) - SNSB (Sweden) - UKSA (UK)
ESTEC - ESOC - ESAC - ESTRACK
Roscosmos - NPO Lavochkin - IKI (Russia)
JAXA - Projects (Japan)
ISRO - ISDA Science Data Archive (India)
CNSA - Moon Data Archive - CGWIC - CALT (China)
AEB (Brazil) - CSA (Canada) - CSIRO (Australia) - KARI (Korea) - NSAU (Ukraine)
Space Industry
Airbus - Boeing - CASC - ISAC - Lavochkin (ru) - Lockheed Martin - NEC
Solar System Exploration History
NASA History Program Office - Exploring the Unknown
NSSDC Planetary Missions Chronology
Solar System Exploration Missions (NASA)
Zarya.info
Russian Spaceweb
Encyclopedia Astronautica
Weebau Space Encyclopedia

17 comments:

  1. This is just an amazing information!

    ReplyDelete
  2. It is so nice to read such wonderful blog.

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  3. Wonderful info. Thanks so much!

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  4. Shin'en 2, launched along with Hayabusa 2 and PROCYON, is going to make an Earth flyby on 4 December.
    http://kit-okuyama-lab.com/en/

    ReplyDelete
  5. What nation is responsible for the Deep Space Solar Observatory set to launch in 2018? I've tried looking it up on google to learn more about this probe, but the only search results that pop up are for the DSCOVR mission. Could a link to the program's homepage be provided?

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  6. @Suzuki Akiho Naomi: The DSO is a Chinese mission that will presumably launch in 2018 toward the Sun/Earth Lagrange-point L1, the same as DSCOVR and SOHO, to which it is supposedly about equivalent in capability.
    Unfortunately it is very difficult to find further details about it, therefore I don¡t have any link for it. All I can find is a listing in the Chinese launch manifest on the NASASpaceflight forum: http://bit.ly/2jqJhom, and a few mentions here and there, like http://bit.ly/2iPbLaH (in Spanish).
    OTOH the Chinese space program has announced several Heliophysics missions, apart from DSO the Advanced Space-based Solar Observatory (ASO-S) and the Solar Polar Orbit Radio Telescope (SPORT), and it is always a bit guesswork what is just proposed or already approved. It may be time for a reassessment.

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  7. @Olaf Frohn: Thanks for the info! I promise I have one last question and then I'll leave you alone. I've been following your monthly graphics for 3 or 4 years now, and I've always wondered why you show Pioneer's 10 and 11 as active missions. I'm sure you have a reason, of course, I just don't know what that reason could be!

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  8. Indeed I have a reason, even if it is a bit on the romantic side, and it is contained in this tweet: http://bit.ly/2jtv3pR
    They are, and for a very long time will be, our ambassadors.

    ReplyDelete
  9. I lied! I do have another question: why are the Spitzer, Kepler, Gaia and LISA Pathfinder observatories not on your graph, despite not residing in Earth orbit? Conversely, why is SDO on your graph when it is in Earth orbit? Take, for example, the JWST set to launch next year. It will be far removed from the Earth's hill sphere, and will be remotely observing all kinds of solar and extrasolar system objects for many years to come.

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  10. Those missions you mentioned are all astrophysics observatories for objects beyond the solar system, therefore they appear on my other chart about space missions.
    As for SDO, that is the one deviation from the 'beyond Earth orbit' constraint, because it sort of forms a constellation with SOHO and STEREO, and anchors the whole zoo on Earth. Quirky? You bet!

    ReplyDelete
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  14. ESA's Proba-3 mission: 2 satellites will launch late 2020 and form a 150-m long solar coronagraph to study the Sun’s faint corona closer to the solar rim than has ever before been achieved.
    http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Engineering_Technology/Proba_Missions/About_Proba-3

    ReplyDelete
  15. first off all congratulations on this post. This is really Aritcle. I really enjoyed your Solar System Post.

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  16. Thanks for the update 1 Dec 2002.

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