List of interplanetary voyages

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This is a comprehensive list of interplanetary spaceflights, spaceflight between two or more bodies of the Solar System, listed in chronological order by launch date. It includes only flights that escaped Earth orbit and reached the vicinity of another planet, asteroid, or comet. Flights that were planned but not executed, were destroyed at or shortly after launch, or missed their target entirely are not included. Flights which reached, but failed to return useful scientific data regarding their target, are given a gray background.

The list is divided between flights that stopped at a destination, and those that flew by their target.

The lists below encompass 66 completed flights: 21 to Venus, 27 to Mars, 4 to Jupiter, 11 to minor planets, 1 to Saturn and 2 to Mercury.

Additionally there have been 85 passing interplanetary flights: 19 past Venus, 15 past Mars, 8 past Jupiter, 3 past Saturn, 1 past Neptune, 1 past Uranus, 3 past Mercury, 35 past minor planets.

Completed flights

The following flights were completed by matching velocity with the target object, whether by station-keeping, entering orbit, landing, or impact.

1960s

Spacecraft Destination Date and
launch site		 Reached planet Flight duration Notes Ref
Venera 3 Venus 16 November 1965
Molniya M
Baikonur 31/6		 1 March 1966
impact		 106 days
(3 mo, 14 d)		 Venera 3 was intended to soft-land on Venus. Contact with the spacecraft was lost before arrival, and Venera 3 crashed. [1]
Venera 4 Venus 12 June 1967
Molniya 8K78M
Baikonur 1/5		 18 October 1967
entered atmosphere		 129 days
(4 mo, 7 d)		 Venera 4, a Venus atmosphere probe, continued to transmit to an altitude of 25 km [2]
Venera 5 Venus 5 January 1969
Molniya 8K78M
Baikonur 1/5		 16 May 1969
entered atmosphere		 132 days
(4 mo, 12 d)		 Venera 5 was a Venus atmosphere probe. [3]
Venera 6 Venus 10 January 1969
Molniya 8K78M
Baikonur 1/5		 17 May 1969
entered atmosphere		 128 days
(4 mo, 8 d)		 Venera 6 was a Venus atmosphere probe. [4]

1970s

Spacecraft Destination Launch date Reached planet Flight duration Notes Ref
Venera 7 lander Venus 17 August 1970 15 December 1970
landed		 121 days
(3 mo, 29 d)		 Venera 7 made the first successful landing on another planet, and returned signals from the surface of Venus for 23 minutes. [5]
Mars 2 Orbiter and Lander Mars 19 May 1971 27 November 1971
impact		 193 days
(6 mo, 9 d)		 The Mars 2 lander crashed into Mars on 27 November 1971, in a failed soft landing attempt. It was the first manmade object to reach the surface of Mars. The orbiter continued operating until 22 August 1972. [6][7]
Mars 3 Orbiter and Lander Mars 28 May 1971 2 December 1971
entered orbit/landed		 189 days
(6 mo, 5 d)		 Mars 3 did not attain its intended orbit due to insufficient fuel. The lander reached the surface on 2 December 1971, but contact was lost immediately afterward. The orbiter continued operating until 22 August 1972. [8][9]
Mariner 9 Orbiter Mars 30 May 1971 14 November 1971
entered orbit		 169 days
(5 mo, 16 d)		 Mariner 9 was the first spacecraft to orbit another planet. It remained active until 27 October 1972. [10]
Venera 8 lander Venus 27 March 1972 22 July 1972
landed		 118 days
(3 m, 26 d)		 Venera 8 returned signals from the surface of Venus for 50 minutes. [11]
Mars 5 Orbiter Mars 25 July 1973 12 February 1974
entered orbit		 203 days
(6 mo, 19 d)		 Mars 5 collected images and other data from Mars for 22 days. [12]
Mars 6 Lander Mars 5 August 1973 12 March 1974
impact		 220 days
(7 mo, 8 d)		 Mars 6 crash-landed on Mars and contact with the craft was lost. [13]
Venera 9 orbiter and lander Venus 8 June 1975 20 October 1975 entered orbit
22 October 1975 landed		 135 days
(4 mo, 13 d)		 The Venera 9 lander transmitted the first images from the surface of Venus. [14][15]
Venera 10 orbiter and lander Venus 14 June 1975 23 October 1975 entered orbit
25 October 1975 landed		 132 days
(4 mo, 10 d)		 Venera 10 successfully landed and sent back images from the surface of Venus. [16][17]
Viking 1 Orbiter and Lander Mars 20 August 1975 19 June 1976 entered orbit
20 July 1976 landed		 305 days
(10 mo)		 Viking 1 transmitted the first images from the surface of Mars. The Viking orbiter was active until 17 August 1980, the lander until 13 November 1982. [18][19]
Viking 2 Orbiter and Lander Mars 9 September 1975 7 August 1976 entered orbit
3 September 1976 landed		 334 days
(10 mo, 30 d)		 Viking 2 was the second craft to land on Mars. The Viking orbiter was active until 25 July 1978, the lander until 11 April 1980. [20][21]
Pioneer Venus Orbiter Venus 20 May 1978 4 December 1978
entered orbit		 199 days
(6 mo, 15 d)		 Pioneer Venus made radar and other observations of Venus. The orbiter operated until August 1992. [22]
Pioneer Venus Multiprobe Venus 8 August 1978 9 December 1978
entered atmosphere		 124 days
(4 mo, 2 d)		 The Pioneer Venus multiprobe included a "bus" and four atmospheric probes, one of which survived its impact with Venus and continued to transmit from the surface for over an hour. [23][24][25][26][27]
Venera 12 Lander Venus 14 September 1978 21 December 1978
landed		 99 days
(3 mo, 8 d)		 Venera 12 returned data for 110 minutes. Images were not returned. [28]
Venera 11 Lander Venus 9 September 1978 25 December 1978
landed		 107 days
(3 mo, 16 d)		 Venera 11 returned data for 95 minutes. Images were not returned. [29]

1980s

Spacecraft Destination Launched Reached planet Flight duration Notes Ref
Venera 13 Lander Venus 30 October 1981 1 March 1982
landed		 123 days
(4 months, 2 days)		 Venera 13 survived on the surface of Venus for 127 minutes. [30]
Venera 14 Lander Venus 4 November 1981 5 March 1982
landed		 122 days
(4 months, 2 days)		 Venera 14 survived on the surface of Venus for 57 minutes. [31]
Venera 15 Orbiter Venus 2 June 1983 10 October 1983
entered orbit		 131 days
(4 months, 9 days)		 Venera 15 carried out radar mapping of Venus. [32]
Venera 16 Orbiter Venus 7 June 1983 14 October 1983
entered orbit		 130 days
(4 months, 8 days)		 Venera 16 carried out radar mapping of Venus. [33]
Vega 1 Lander and balloon Venus 15 December 1984 11 June 1985
landed/deployed		 179 days
(5 months, 28 days)		 Some of the Vega 1's instruments deployed prematurely, rendering them useless. [34][35]
Vega 2 Lander and balloon Venus 21 December 1984 15 June 1985
landed/deployed		 177 days
(5 months, 26 days)		 [36][37]
Phobos 2 Orbiter and Lander Mars and Phobos 12 July 1988 29 January 1989 202 days
(6 months, 18 days)		 Phobos 2 achieved Mars orbit, but contact was lost on 27 March 1989 shortly before Phobos approach phase and deployment of Phobos landers [38]
Magellan Orbiter Venus 4 May 1989 10 August 1990
entered orbit		 464 days
(1 yr, 3 mo, 7 d)		 Magellan carried out global radar mapping of Venus. Magellan's mission continued to 12 October 1994, when the craft burned up in Venus' atmosphere. [39]
Galileo orbiter and atmosphere probe Jupiter 18 October 1989 7 December 1995
entered orbit		 2242 days
(6 yr, 1 mo, 20 d)		 Flew by several of Jupiter's moons; impacted into Jupiter 21 September 2003. [40][41]

1990s

Spacecraft Destination Launched Reached planet Flight duration Notes Ref
Mars Observer orbiter Mars 25 September 1992 24 August 1993
entered orbit?		 334 days
(11 months)		 Contact with Mars Observer was lost 21 August 1993, shortly before Mars orbit insertion. May not have attained Mars orbit. [42][43][44][45][46]
Near Earth Asteroid Rendezvous (NEAR) Asteroid 433 Eros 17 February 1996 14 February 2000 entered orbit
12 February 2001 landed		 1459 days
(3 yr, 11 mo, 29 d)		 The orbiter performed an improvised landing on Eros. Its mission ended 28 February 2001. [47]
Mars Global Surveyor orbiter Mars 7 November 1996 11 September 1997
entered orbit		 309 days
(10 months, 5 days)		 Contact lost after 5 November 2006. [48]
Mars Pathfinder lander and Sojourner rover Mars 4 December 1996 4 July 1997
landed		 213 days
(7 months, 1 day)		 Rover deployed 6 July 1997. Mission continued to 27 September 1997. [49][50]
Cassini orbiter
and Huygens Titan lander		 Saturn and Titan 15 October 1997 1 July 2004 entered orbit 2452 days (6 yr, 8 mo, 17 d) Mission ended 15 September 2017. Saturn orbiter, performing repeated by-flights of Saturn's moons; also deployed the Huygens Titan lander, the first probe to land on a satellite of another planet. [51][52]
14 January 2005
Huygens landed on Titan		 2649 days (Huygens) (7 years, 3 months)
Mars Climate Orbiter Mars 11 December 1998 23 September 1999
entered atmosphere		 287 days
(9 months, 13 days)		 Orbit insertion failed due to a navigational error, and Mars Climate Orbiter burned up in the Martian atmosphere. [53]
Mars Polar Lander with Deep Space 2 ground-penetrators "Amundsen" and "Scott" Mars 3 January 1999 3 December 1999
entered atmosphere		 335 days
(11 months, 1 day)		 Contact with Mars Polar Lander was lost just prior to entering the Martian atmosphere. [54][55]

2000s

Spacecraft Destination Launched Reached planet Flight duration Notes Ref
Mars Odyssey orbiter Mars 7 April 2001 24 October 2001
entered orbit		 201 days
(6 months, 18 days)		 Continuing mission. [56]
Hayabusa and MINERVA Asteroid 25143 Itokawa 9 May 2003 12 September 2005 matched velocity with Itokawa
19 and 25 November 2005 landings		 858 days
(2 yr, 4 mo, 4 d)		 The MINERVA hopper was lost on 12 November 2005. Hayabusa's return journey to Earth began in April 2007; the spacecraft returned to Earth 13 June 2010. [57]
Mars Express orbiter and Beagle 2 lander Mars 2 June 2003 25 December 2003
entered orbit		 207 days
(6 months, 24 days)		 Continuing mission. Contact with Beagle 2 was lost after entering Mars' atmosphere on 25 December 2003. [58]
MER-A Spirit rover Mars 10 June 2003 4 January 2004
landed		 209 days
(6 months, 26 days)		 Last contact on 22 March 2010. [59]
MER-B Opportunity rover Mars 7 July 2003 25 January 2004
landed		 203 days
(6 months, 19 days)		 Last contact on 10 June 2018 [60]
Rosetta orbiter and Philae lander Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko 2 March 2004 6 August 2014 (Entered orbit)
12 November 2014 (Philae landed)		 N/A 64 Hours data transmission. Lander reactivated for 85 seconds 13 June 2015. Controlled impact to end mission on 30 September 2016. [61][62]
MESSENGER Mercury 3 August 2004 17 March 2011 entered orbit 2418 days
(6 years, 7 months, 15 days)		 First probe to orbit Mercury. Deorbited on 30 April 2015 [63]
Deep Impact impactor Comet 9P/Tempel 12 January 2005 4 July 2005
impacted Tempel		 174 days
(5 months, 23 days)		 First probe to directly impact a comet. [64]
Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Mars 12 August 2005 10 March 2006
entered orbit		 211 days
(6 months, 27 days)		 Continuing mission. [65][66]
Venus Express Orbiter Venus 9 November 2005 11 April 2006
entered orbit		 154 days
(5 months, 3 days)		 Continuing mission to study the atmosphere of Venus. Last contact 18 January 2015. [67]
Phoenix Lander Mars 4 August 2007 25 May 2008
landed		 296 days
(9 months, 22 days)		 Collected soil samples near Mars' north pole to elucidate the history of water on Mars. Mission concluded 10 November 2008. [68]
Dawn Asteroid 4 Vesta 27 September 2007 16 July 2011
entered orbit		 1388 days
(3 years, 9 months, 19 days)		 Departed Vesta for 1 Ceres 5 September 2012. [69]
1 Ceres 6 March 2015
entered orbit		 2718 days
(7 years, 5 months, 8 days)		 Last contact 31 October 2018. [70]

2010s

Spacecraft Destination Launched Reached planet Flight duration Notes Ref
Akatsuki Venus 20 May 2010 7 December 2015
entered orbit		 N/A Entered orbit five years after failed orbit insertion on 7 December 2010. Continuing mission to study the atmosphere of Venus. [71]
Juno Jupiter 5 August 2011 4 July 2016
entered orbit		 1,795 days (4 y, 10 m, 29 d) First solar-powered Jupiter orbiter, mission to study Jupiter's interior and magnetic environment. [72]
Mars Science Laboratory (Curiosity - Rover) Mars 26 November 2011 6 August 2012
landed		 253 days (8 m, 10 d) 14h 15m 57s 900 kg mobile lander [73]
Mars Orbiter Mission (Mangalyaan) Mars 5 November 2013 Reached Mars orbit on 24 September 2014
MAVEN Mars 18 November 2013 Reached Mars orbit on 22 September 2014
Hayabusa2 with MINERVA-II rovers
and MASCOT lander		 Asteroid 162173 Ryugu 3 December 2014 27 June 2018 matched velocity with Ryugu
21 February 2019 landing
ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO)/
Schiaparelli lander		 Mars 14 March 2016 19 October 2016 Schiaparelli failed to land. TGO is still active to this date.
OSIRIS-REx 101955 Bennu 8 September 2016 3 December 2018 Orbiter and Sample Return.
InSight Mars 5 May 2018 26 November 2018
landed		 Robotic lander
BepiColombo Mercury 20 October 2018 5 December 2025 2604 days (7 yr, 1 mo, 16 d) Dual satellite mission. [74]

2020s

Spacecraft Destination Launched Closest approach Time elapsed Notes Ref
Emirates Mars Mission Mars 19 July 2020 9 February 2021
in orbit		 Orbiter
Tianwen-1 Mars 23 July 2020 10 February 2021
landed		 Robotic orbiter, deployable and remote cameras, lander, rover
Mars 2020 Mars 30 July 2020 18 February 2021
landed		 Robotic rover and helicopter
Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) Dimorphos 24 November 2021 26 November 2022
impacted		 Impactor spacecraft that crashed into the minor-planet moon Dimorphos, deployed flyby cubesat LICIACube 15 days before.
Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (JUICE) Jupiter 14 April 2023 July 2031
(planned)		 Orbiter
Psyche Asteroid 16 Psyche 13 October 2023 August 2029
(planned)		 Orbiter [75]
Hera, Milani and Juventas Didymos 7 October 2024 December 2026
(planned)		 Orbiter [76]
Europa Clipper Jupiter 14 October 2024 11 April 2030
(planned)		 Orbiter [77]
Tianwen-2 469219 Kamoʻoalewa and 311P/PANSTARRS 29 May 2025 June 2027
(planned)		 Asteroid study and sample return.

Passing flights

References

See also

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