Timeline of artificial satellites and space probes
From Wikipedia the free encyclopedia
This timeline of artificial satellites and space probes includes uncrewed spacecraft including technology demonstrators, observatories, lunar probes, and interplanetary probes. First satellites from each country are included. Not included are most Earth science satellites, commercial satellites or crewed missions.
Timeline
[edit] |
1950s
[edit]| Year | Date | Origin | Name | Launch vehicle | Status | Description | Mass |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1957 | October 4 |  Soviet Union | Sputnik 1 | Sputnik-PS | Success | The first human-made object to orbit Earth. | 83.6 kg (183.9 lb) |
| November 3 | Soviet Union | Sputnik 2 | Sputnik-PS | Success | The first satellite to carry a living animal, a dog named Laika. | 508 kg (1,118 lb) | |
| December 6 |  US | Vanguard 1A | Vanguard TV-3 | Failure | The first stage engine was improperly started, causing the vehicle to fall back to the launch pad immediately after launch and explode.[1] | 1.36 kg (2.99 lb) | |
| 1958 | February 1 | US | Explorer 1 | Juno I | Success | The first American satellite in space.[1] | 13.91 kg (30.66 lb) |
| February 5 | US | Vanguard 1B | Vanguard TV-3BU | Failure | Control failure caused vehicle breakup at T+57 seconds as vehicle exceeded an angle of attack of 45° due to a control system malfunction.[1] | 1.36 kg (2.99 lb) | |
| March 5 | US | Explorer 2 | Juno I | Failure | Failed to orbit. Fourth stage did not ignite.[1] | 14.52 kg (31.94 lb) | |
| March 17 | US | Vanguard 1C | Vanguard TV-4 | Success | Vanguard 1. Expected to de-orbit in ~2240AD, this and its upper launch stage are the oldest human-made objects in space. Also the first use of solar cells to power a satellite.[1] | 1.47 kg (3.25 lb) | |
| March 26 | US | Explorer 3 | Juno I | Success | Added to data received by Explorer 1.[1] | 14.1 kg (31.0 lb) | |
| April 29 | US | Vanguard 2A | Vanguard TV-5 | Failure | Second stage shutdown sequence not completed, preventing proper 3rd stage separation and firing. Did not reach orbit.[1] | 9.98 kg (21.96 lb) | |
| May 15 | Soviet Union | Sputnik 3 | Sputnik | Success | Contained 12 instruments for a wide range of upper atmosphere tests. | 1,327 kg (2,926 lb) | |
| May 28 | US | Vanguard 2B | Vanguard SLV-1 | Failure | The first production model of the series. Nominal flight until a guidance error was encountered on second stage burnout. Did not reach orbit.[1] | 9.98 kg (21.96 lb) | |
| June 26 | US | Vanguard 2C | Vanguard SLV-2 | Failure | Premature second stage cutoff prevented third stage operation. Did not reach orbit.[1] | 9.98 kg (21.96 lb) | |
| July 26 | US | Explorer 4 | Juno I | Success | Expanded data set of previous Explorer missions and collected data from Argus high-altitude nuclear explosions.[1] | 11.7 kg (25.8 lb) | |
| August 17 | US | Pioneer 0 | Thor-Able 1 | Failure | Failed to orbit. First stage engine failure caused explosion at T+77 seconds. | 38 kg (84 lb) | |
| August 24 | US | Explorer 5 | Juno I | Failure | On-board instruments damaged on first stage separation. Failed to orbit.[1] | 11.7 kg (25.8 lb) | |
| September 26 | US | Vanguard 2D | Vanguard SLV-3 | Failure | Second stage under-performed, lacking only ~76 m/s (~250 fps) required to achieve orbit.[1] | 10.6 kg (23.3 lb) | |
| October 11 | US | Pioneer 1 | Thor-Able 1 | Partial success | First spacecraft launched by NASA. Studied Earth's magnetic fields. Third stage provided insufficient thrust to reach the Moon, leaving it sub-orbital.[2] | 38 kg (84 lb) | |
| October 22 | US | Beacon 1 | Jupiter-C | Failure | A thin plastic sphere (12-feet in diameter) intended to study atmosphere density.[2] Payload dropped due to rotational vibrations.[1] | 4.2 kg (9.2 lb) | |
| November 8 | US | Pioneer 2 | Thor-Able 1 | Failure | Briefly provided further data on Earth's magnetic field. Third stage provided insufficient thrust to reach the vicinity of the Moon.[2] | 38 kg (83 lb) | |
| December 6 | US | Pioneer 3 | Juno II | Partial success | Did not reach the Moon as intended, but discovered a second radiation belt around Earth.[2] | 5.9 kg (13.0 lb) | |
| 1959 | January 2 | Soviet Union | Luna 1 | Luna | Partial success | The first spacecraft to reach the vicinity of the Moon, and the first spacecraft to be placed in heliocentric orbit. | 361 kg (794.2 lb) |
| January 21 | US | Discoverer Zero | Thor-Agena A | Failure | Accessory rockets ignited on pad during fueling. Part of Corona satellite development program. Upper stage consisted entirely of dummy components. | 618 kg (1362.5 lb) | |
| February 17 | US | Vanguard 2E | Vanguard SLV-4 | Success | Vanguard 2. Measured cloud cover. First attempted photo of Earth from a satellite; precession motion resulted in difficulty interpreting data (see first images of Earth from space).[2] | 10.8 kg (23.7 lb) | |
| February 28 | US | Discoverer 1 | Thor-Agena A | Success | Reached orbit with an apogee of 605 miles and a perigee of 99 miles.[3] First spacecraft placed in polar orbit. Part of Corona satellite development program. | 618 kg (1362.5 lb) | |
| March 3 | US | Pioneer 4 | Juno II | Success | Passed within 60,030 km (37,300 mi) of the Moon into a heliocentric orbit, returning excellent radiation data.[2] | 6.1 kg (13.4 lb) | |
| April 13 | US | Vanguard 3A | Vanguard SLV-5 | Failure | Failed to orbit. Second stage hydraulics failure led to loss of control, damaged at launch. Two spheres included as payload.[2] | 10.3 kg (22.7 lb) | |
| April 13 | US | Discoverer 2 | Thor-Agena A | Success | Successful orbit, first satellite to be stabilized in orbit in all 3 axes. Recovery capsule ejected early, landed near Spitzbergen and was not recovered. Part of Corona satellite development program. | 784 kg (1728 lb) | |
| June 3 | US | Discoverer 3 | Thor-Agena A | Failure | Failed to reach orbit. Agena stage failed to produce thrust. Part of Corona satellite development program. Cover story was a biomedical study of 4 live mice onboard. | 843 kg (1858 lb) | |
| June 22 | US | Vanguard 3B | Vanguard SLV-6 | Failure | Failed to orbit. Second stage exploded due to stuck helium vent valve. Intended to measure weather effects related to solar-Earth heating processes.[2] | 10.3 kg (22.7 lb) | |
| June 25 | US | Discoverer 4 | Thor-Agena A | Failure | Failed to reach orbit. Agena stage failed to produce thrust. Part of Corona satellite development program. First satellite to contain full Corona optics. Also known as Corona 9001. | 870 kg (1920 lb) | |
| July 16 | US | Explorer S-1 | Juno II | Failure | Did not achieve orbit. Guidance system power malfunction. Destroyed by range safety officer at T+5.5s.[2] | 41.5 kg (91.3 lb) | |
| August 7 | US | Explorer 6 | Thor-Able 3 | Success | Included instruments to study particles and meteorology.[2] | 64.4 kg (141.7 lb) | |
| August 13 | US | Discoverer 5 | Thor-Agena A | Partial success | Successfully reached 193 kilometers (120 mi) x 353 kilometers (219 mi) polar orbit. Camera failed after first orbit. Recovery capsule boosted into higher orbit and was not recovered. Also known as Corona 9002 | 870 kg (1920 lb) | |
| August 14 | US | Beacon 2 | Juno II | Failure | Premature cutoff of first stage caused upper stage malfunction.[2] | 4.5 kg (9.9 lb) | |
| August 19 | US | Discoverer 6 | Thor-Agena A | Partial success | Successfully reached 212 kilometers (132 mi) x 848 kilometers (527 mi) polar orbit. Camera failed after second orbit. Recovery capsule was not recovered. Also known as Corona 9003 | 870 kg (1920 lb) | |
| September 12 | Soviet Union | Luna 2 | Luna | Success | The first spacecraft to reach the surface of the Moon, and the first human-made object to land on another celestial body. | 390.2 kg (858.4 lb) | |
| September 18 | US | Vanguard 3 | Vanguard TV-4BU | Success | Incorporated Allegany Ballistics Laboratory X248 A2 as third stage.[1] Solar-powered sphere measured radiation belts and micrometeorite impacts.[2] | 22.7 kg (50.0 lb) | |
| October 4 | Soviet Union | Luna 3 | Luna | Success | The first mission to photograph the far side of the Moon. | 278.5 kg (614 lb) | |
| October 13 | US | Explorer 7 | Juno II | Success | Provided data on energetic particles, radiation, and magnetic storms. Also recorded the first micrometeorite penetration of a sensor.[2] | 41.5 kg (69.4 lb) | |
| November 7 | US | Discoverer 7 | Thor-Agena A | Partial success | Successfully reached 159 kilometers (99 mi) x 847 kilometers (526 mi) polar orbit. Recovery capsule failed to separate. Also known as Corona 9004 | 920 kg (2030 lb) | |
| November 20 | US | Discoverer 8 | Thor-Agena A | Partial success | Successfully reached 187 kilometers (116 mi) x 1,679 kilometers (1,043 mi) polar orbit. Film broken during operation. Recovery capsule correctly separated and re-entered. Parachute failed to open and capsule was not recovered. Also known as Corona 9005. | 835 kg (1841 lb) | |
| November 26 | US | Pioneer P-3 | Atlas-Able 20 | Failure | Lunar orbiter probe; payload shroud failed at T+45 seconds, resulting in disintegration of upper stages and payload.[2] | 168.7 kg (371.1 lb) |
1960s
[edit]| Year | Launch date | Origin | Name | Launch vehicle | Target | Status | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960 | March 11 | US | Pioneer 5 | Thor-Able | Sun | Success | Solar monitor. Measured magnetic field phenomena, solar flare particles, and ionization in the interplanetary region[4] |
| May 15 | Soviet Union | Korabl-Sputnik 1 | Vostok-L | Earth | Success | First test flight of the Soviet Vostok programme, and the first Vostok spacecraft | |
| April 1 | US | TIROS-1 | Thor-Able | Earth | Success | TIROS-1 (or TIROS-A) was the first successful low-Earth orbital weather satellite, and the first of a series of Television Infrared Observation Satellites. | |
| August 19 | Soviet Union | Korabl-Sputnik 2 | Vostok-L | Earth | Success | First spaceflight to send animals into orbit and return them safely back to Earth | |
| November 3 | US | Explorer 8 | Juno II | Earth | Partial success | Battery power failed early, And data had to be processed by hand. In spite of this, new information about the ionosphere has been discovered | |
| 1961 | February 12 | Soviet Union | Venera 1 | Molniya 8K78 | Venus | Partial success | First interplanetary flight, contact lost en route, before it performed the first flyby at another planet. |
| April 27 | US | Explorer 11 | Juno II | Earth | Partial success | Was the first space-borne gamma-ray telescope. Limited Battery Power caused the data collection to only be in the ascension stage. | |
| August 16 | US | Explorer 12 (EPE-A) | Thor-Delta A | Earth | Partial success | The spacecraft functioned well until 6 December 1961, when it ceased transmitting data apparently as a result of failures in the power system. | |
| August 23 | US | Ranger 1 | Atlas-Agena | Moon | Failure | Rocket malfunction caused the spacecraft to get stranded in low Earth orbit.[5] | |
| November 18 | US | Ranger 2 | Atlas-Agena | Moon | Failure | Booster rocket malfunction caused spacecraft to be trapped in low Earth orbit.[6] | |
| 1962 | January 26 | US | Ranger 3 | Atlas-Agena | Moon | Failure | NASA's first attempt to land a spacecraft on the Moon. A series of malfunctions caused spacecraft to hurtle past the Moon.[7] |
| April 23 | US | Ranger 4 | Atlas-Agena | Moon | Partial failure | Was the first U.S. spacecraft to reach another celestial body. Failure in the onboard computer prevented it from carrying out its scientific objectives. First spacecraft to impact the far side of the Moon.[8][9] | |
| April 26 |  UK | Ariel 1 | Thor-Delta | Earth | Success | First British satellite in space (on American rocket) | |
| July 10 | US | Telstar 1 | Thor-Delta | Earth | Success | Communication satellite | |
| July 22 | US | Mariner 1 | Atlas-Agena | Venus | Failure | Software related guidance system failure, range safety officer ordered destroyed after 294.5 seconds after launch. | |
| August 27 | US | Mariner 2 | Atlas-Agena | Venus | Success | First spacecraft to visit another planet | |
| September 29 |  Canada | Alouette 1 | Thor-Agena | Earth | Success | First Canadian satellite (on American rocket), first satellite not constructed by the US or USSR | |
| October 2 | US | Explorer 14 (EPE-B) | Thor-Delta A | Earth | Success | NASA spacecraft instrumented to measure cosmic-ray particles, trapped particles, solar wind protons, and magnetospheric and interplanetary magnetic fields. | |
| October 18 | US | Ranger 5 | Atlas-Agena | Moon | Failure | Malfunction in the spacecraft's batteries caused them to drain after 8 hours, leaving it inoperable.[10] | |
| 1963 | February 14 | US | Syncom 1 | Delta B | Earth | Failure | Failed to reach desired orbit - went silent seconds after apogee kick motor ignited. |
| July 26 | US | Syncom 2 | Delta B | Earth | Success | First successful television broadcast through a geosynchronous satellite. | |
| First pair - October 17 | US | Vela 1A and Vela 1B | Atlas-Agena | Earth | Success | Series of satellites to monitor compliance to the 1963 Partial Test Ban Treaty | |
| 1964 | February 2 | US | Ranger 6 | Atlas-Agena | Moon | Success | Lunar impactor. Successful impact but power failure resulted in no pictures. |
| March 27 | UK | Ariel 2 | Scout X-3 | Earth | Success | First Radio Astronomy Satellite (on American rocket) | |
| July 31 | US | Ranger 7 | Atlas-Agena | Moon | Success | Lunar impactor. Returned pictures until impact. | |
| November 28 | US | Mariner 4 | Atlas-Agena | Mars | Success | First deep space photographs of another planet and first flyby of Mars | |
| December 15 |  Italy | San Marco 1 | Scout X-4 | Earth | Success | First Italian satellite (on American rocket) | |
| 1965 | February 2 | US | Ranger 8 | Atlas-Agena | Moon | Success | Lunar impactor. Returned pictures until impact. |
| February 20 | US | Ranger 9 | Atlas-Agena | Moon | Success | Lunar impactor. Live TV broadcast until impact. | |
| April 6 | US | Intelsat I | Delta D | Earth | Success | First commercial communications satellite in orbit. Was operated off and on until 1990. | |
| November 26 |  France | Asterix | Diamant A | Earth | Success | First French satellite. First orbital launch outside U.S. and Soviet Union. | |
| November 29 |  Canada | Alouette 2 | Thor-Agena | Earth | Success | Research satellite designed to explore Earth's ionosphere | |
| December 16 | US | Pioneer 6 | Delta E | Sun | Success | A series of solar-orbiting, spin-stabilized, solar-cell and battery-powered satellites designed to obtain measurements on a continuing basis of interplanetary phenomena from widely separated points in space.[11] | |
| 1966 | January 31 | Soviet Union | Luna 9 | Molniya M | Moon | Success | First spacecraft to achieve a soft landing on the Moon, or any planetary body other than Earth, and to transmit photographic data to Earth from the surface of another planetary body. |
| February 17 | France | Diapason | Diamant A | Earth | Success | Earth measurement by doppler radio measure | |
| June 2 | US | Surveyor 1 | Atlas-Centaur | Moon | Success | First US soft landing; Surveyor program performed various tests in support of forthcoming crewed landings.[12] | |
| July 1 | US | Explorer 33 | Delta E1 | Earth | Partial success | Was intended to orbit the Moon but instead orbited the Earth. Explored solar winds, interplanetary plasma, and solar X-rays. | |
| August 10 | US | Lunar Orbiter 1 | Atlas SLV-3 Agena-D | Moon | Success | First US spacecraft to orbit the Moon. Designed to photograph smooth areas of the lunar surface for selecting landing sites. | |
| August 17 | US | Pioneer 7 | Delta E1 | Sun | Success | A series of solar-orbiting, spin-stabilized, solar-cell and battery-powered satellites designed to obtain measurements on a continuing basis of interplanetary phenomena from widely separated points in space.[11] | |
| September 20 | US | Surveyor 2 | Atlas LV-3C Centaur-D | Moon | Failure | Lunar Lander. A failure in one of its three thrusters caused it to lose control and crash into the Moon.[13] | |
| November 6 | US | Lunar Orbiter 2 | Atlas SLV-3 Agena-D | Moon | Success | Designed to photograph smooth areas of the lunar surface to identify landing sites. | |
| 1967 | January 11 | US | Intelsat II F-2 | Delta E | Earth | Success | Operated for 2 years as a communications satellite. Was deactivated in 1969. |
| February 8 | France | Diadème 1 | Diamant A | Earth | Success | Orbit slightly too low, considered a partial failure by the booster team. Earth measurement by doppler radio and laser ranging from the ground. | |
| February 15 | France | Diadème 2 | Diamant A | Earth | Success | Earth measurement by doppler radio and laser ranging from the ground. | |
| April 17 | US | Surveyor 3 | Atlas LV-3C Centaur-D | Moon | Success | Second successful lunar surface lander. Conducted experiments to see how the lunar surface would fare against the weight of an Apollo lunar module.[14] | |
| May 5 | UK | Ariel 3 | Scout A | Earth | Success | First entirely British built satellite | |
| July 14 | US | Surveyor 4 | Atlas LV-3C Centaur-D | Moon | Failure | Despite a perfect flight to the Moon, communications was lost 2.5 minutes prior to landing. NASA concluded the spacecraft may have exploded.[15] | |
| September 8 | US | Surveyor 5 | Atlas SLV-3 Agena-D | Moon | Success | Lunar lander. First spacecraft to do a soil analysis of any world. Returned more than 20,000 photos.[16] | |
| November 7 | US | Surveyor 6 | Atlas SLV-3 Agena-D | Moon | Success | Lunar lander. First spacecraft to be launched from the surface of the Moon. It lifted itself to a height of about 3 meters.[17] | |
| November 29 |  Australia | WRESAT | Sparta | Earth | Success | First Australian satellite (on American rocket) launched from Woomera, Australia. Third nation to launch a satellite from its own soil. | |
| December 13 | US | Pioneer 8 | Delta E1 | Sun | Success | A series of solar-orbiting, spin-stabilized, solar-cell and battery-powered satellites designed to obtain measurements on a continuing basis of interplanetary phenomena from widely separated points in space.[11] | |
| 1968 | January 7 | US | Surveyor 7 | Atlas SLV-3 Agena-D | Moon | Success | Lunar lander. Only spacecraft in the series to land in the lunar highland region and had the most extensive set of instruments.[18] |
| November 8 | US | Pioneer 9 | Delta E1 | Sun | Success | A series of solar-orbiting, spin-stabilized, solar-cell and battery-powered satellites designed to obtain measurements on a continuing basis of interplanetary phenomena from widely separated points in space.[11] | |
| 1969 | January 30 | Canada | ISIS 1 | Delta E1 | Earth | Success | International Satellites for Ionospheric Studies (ISIS) |
| February 25 | US | Mariner 6 | Atlas SLV-3D Agena-D1A | Mars | Success | Mars probe attempting to study the surface and atmosphere of Mars during close flybys to establish a basis for further investigations.[19] | |
| March 27 | US | Mariner 7 | Atlas SLV-3D Agena-D1A | Mars | Success | Mars probe attempting to study the surface and atmosphere of Mars during close flybys to establish a basis for further investigations.[20] | |
| November 8 |  West Germany | Azur / (GRS A) (German Research Satellite) | Scout B S169C | Earth | Success | The scientific mission was to: scan the energy spectra of inner zone protons and electrons; measure the fluxes of electrons of energy greater than 40 keV that are parallel, anti-parallel, and perpendicular to the magnetic lines of force over the auroral zone, and measure associated optical emission; and record solar protons on alert.[21] |
1970s
[edit]| Year | Origin | Name | Target | Status | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 |  Japan | Ohsumi | Earth | Success | First Japanese satellite. Japan became the fourth nation after the USSR, USA and France to successfully put an artificial satellite into orbit on its own. |
| West Germany | DIAL | Earth | Success | Second German satellite. Launch by a French Diamant B from Kourou | |
| Soviet Union | Venera 7 | Venus | Success | First successful landing of a spacecraft on another planet | |
| Soviet Union | Luna 16 | Moon | Success | Lander is the first automated return of samples from the Moon | |
| Soviet Union | Zond 8 | Moon | Success | Flyby | |
| Soviet Union | Luna 17/Lunokhod 1 | Moon | Success | Lander/rover is the first automated surface exploration of the Moon | |
| France | PEOLE | Earth | Success | First French communication satellite. | |
| UK | Orba (satellite) | Earth | Failure | Second stage of rocket shutdown 13 seconds early | |
| US | Uhuru | Earth | Success | First dedicated X-ray astronomy satellite | |
 China | Dong Fang Hong I | Earth | Success | First Chinese satellite | |
| 1971 | Soviet Union | Luna 18 | Moon | Failure | Lander |
| Soviet Union | Luna 19 | Moon | Success | Orbiter | |
| US | Mariner 8 | Mars | Failure | Orbiter. Lost due to launch failure. | |
| France | Tournesol | Earth | Success | First French satellite with active attitude control. Hydrogen measurement. | |
| France | Polaire | Earth | Failure | Second stage explosion | |
| Soviet Union | Cosmos 419 | Mars | Failure | Probe | |
| Soviet Union | Mars 2 | Mars | Failure | Orbiter and lander, created the first human artifact on Mars | |
| Soviet Union | Mars 3 | Mars | Success | Orbiter and lander, first successful landing on Mars | |
| US | Mariner 9 | Mars | Success | Orbiter, first pictures of Mars' moons (Phobos and Deimos) taken | |
| Canada | ISIS 2 | Earth | Success | ||
| Japan | Shinsei | Earth | Partial success | First Japanese science satellite | |
| UK | Prospero X-3 | Earth | Success | Satellite, first satellite launched by Britain using a British rocket | |
| UK | Ariel 4 | Earth | Success | ||
| 1972 | Soviet Union | Venera 8 | Venus | Success | Lander |
| Soviet Union | Luna 20 | Moon | Success | Lander | |
| US/ UK | Copernicus – Orbiting Astronomical Observatory-3 | Earth | Success | ||
| US | Pioneer 10 | Jupiter | Success | First spacecraft to encounter Jupiter | |
| US | Explorer 49 | Sun | Success | Solar probe | |
| 1973 | US | Mariner 10 | Venus/Mercury | Success | It passed by and photographed Mercury, also was the first dual planet probe |
| US | Pioneer 11 | Jupiter/Saturn | Success | First spacecraft to encounter Saturn | |
| France | Castor Pollux | Earth | Failure | Reached orbit but the fairing failed to deploy, failing the launch | |
| Soviet Union | Luna 21/Lunokhod 2 | Moon | Success | Lander/rover | |
| Soviet Union | Mars 4 | Mars | Failure | Orbiter | |
| Soviet Union | Mars 5 | Mars | Success | Orbiter | |
| Soviet Union | Mars 6 | Mars | Failure | Orbiter and lander | |
| Soviet Union | Mars 7 | Mars | Failure | Orbiter and lander | |
| 1974 | West Germany | Helios 1 | Sun | Success | Solar probe |
| Soviet Union | Luna 22 | Moon | Success | Orbiter | |
| Soviet Union | Luna 23 | Moon | Failure | Probe | |
| UK | Ariel 5 | Earth | Success | X-ray satellite | |
| 1975 | Soviet Union | Venera 9 | Venus | Success | Returns the first pictures of the surface of Venus |
| Soviet Union | Venera 10 | Venus | Success | Orbiter and lander | |
| France | Starlette | Earth | Success | Laser reflector for Earth-based measurement | |
| France | Castor Pollux | Earth | Success | Castor tested a new accelerometer, Pollux tested hydrazine based thrusters | |
| France | Aura | Earth | Success | Far-ultraviolet measurement of the Sun. Last launch of the Diamant rocket. | |
| US | Viking 1 | Mars | Success | Orbiter and lander; lands on Mars 1976 | |
| US | Viking 2 | Mars | Success | Orbiter and lander; lands on Mars 1976 | |
 India | Aryabhata | Earth | Success | Launched by USSR, the first Indian satellite | |
| 1976 | West Germany | Helios 2 | Sun | Success | Solar probe |
| Soviet Union | Luna 24 | Moon | Success | Lander | |
Canada/ US/ Europe | Communications Technology Satellite | Earth | Success | Prototype for testing direct broadcast satellite television on the Ku band | |
 Netherlands/ US | Astronomische Nederlandse Satelliet (ANS) | Earth | Success | Discovered X-ray bursts, first Dutch satellite (with US contributions)[22] | |
| US | Orbiting Solar Observatory | Sun | Success | X-ray satellite shows that X-ray bursts have blackbody spectra | |
 Indonesia | Palapa A1 | Earth | Success | Launched by US, The First Indonesian GEO Satellite for domestic Communication | |
| 1977 | US | HEAO-1 | Earth | Success | X-ray satellite |
| US | Voyager 1 Voyager 2 | Jupiter | Success | Sent back images of Jupiter and its system | |
| Soviet Union | Kosmos 954 | Earth | Success | Reconnaissance satellites | |
| 1978 | US | Pioneer Venus 1 | Venus | Success | Orbiter |
| US | Pioneer Venus 2 | Venus | Success | Atmospheric probe | |
| Soviet Union | Venera 11 | Venus | Success | Flyby and lander | |
| Soviet Union | Venera 12 | Venus | Success | Flyby and lander | |
| US/ UK/ Europe | International Ultraviolet Explorer | Earth | Success | ||
| US | HEAO-2 | Earth | Success | First X-ray photographs of astronomical objects | |
 Czechoslovakia | Magion 1 | Earth | Success | First satellite for Czechoslovakia | |
| 1979 | India | Satellite Launch Vehicle | Failure | India's first rocket launched | |
| Japan | Hakucho | Earth | Success | X-ray satellite | |
| UK | Ariel 6 | Earth | Success | Cosmic-ray and X-ray satellite | |
| India | RTP | Earth | Failure | Launched by ISRO. (Purpose was to monitor flight performance of SLV) | |
| India | Bhaskara-1 | Earth | Success | Launched by ISRO (First Indian low orbit Earth Observation Satellite) |
1980s
[edit]| Year | Origin | Name | Target | Status | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | US | Solar Maximum Mission | Sun | Failure | Solar Maximum Mission solar probe succeeded after being repaired in Earth orbit |
| 1981 | India | Bhaskara-2 | Earth | Success | Bhaskara-2 satellite; launched on Russian Kosmos-3M rocket for ISRO |
| Soviet Union | Venera 13 | Venus | Success | Venera 13 launched, it returned the first colour pictures of the surface of Venus | |
| Soviet Union | Venera 14 | Venus | Success | Venera 14 flyby and lander | |
 Bulgaria | Bulgaria 1300 | Earth | Success | Bulgaria 1300, polar research mission, was Bulgaria's first artificial satellite; launched by the Soviet Union | |
| 1983 | Soviet Union | Venera 15 | Venus | Success | Venera 15 orbiter |
| Soviet Union | Venera 16 | Venus | Success | Venera 16 orbiter | |
| Europe | EXOSAT | Earth | Success | Launch of the EXOSAT X-ray satellite | |
| Japan | Tenma | Earth | Success | Launch of the Tenma X-ray satellite (ASTRO-B) | |
| US / Netherlands / UK | IRAS | Earth | Success | Launch of the IRAS satellite | |
| 1984 | Soviet Union | Vega 1 | Venus/Halley's Comet | Success | Vega 1 flyby, atmospheric probe and lander |
| Soviet Union | Vega 2 | Venus/Halley's Comet | Success | Vega 2 flyby, atmospheric probe and lander | |
| 1985 | Japan | Sakigake | Halley's Comet | Success | Sakigake flyby, Japan's first interplanetary spacecraft |
| Japan | Suisei | Halley's Comet | Success | Suisei flyby | |
 Mexico | Morelos I | Earth | Success | Morelos I, the first Mexican satellite | |
| 1986 | Europe | Giotto | Halley's Comet | Success | Giotto flyby |
| US | Voyager 2 | Uranus | Success | Voyager 2 sent back images of Uranus and its system | |
| 1987 | Japan | Ginga | Earth | Success | Launch of the Ginga X-ray satellite (ASTRO-C) |
| 1988 | Soviet Union | Phobos 1 | Mars | Failure | Phobos 1 orbiter and lander |
| Soviet Union | Phobos 2 | Mars | Failure | Phobos 2 flyby and lander | |
 Israel | Ofeq 1 | Earth | Success | Ofeq 1 first Israeli satellite, first satellite to be launched in retrograde orbit | |
| 1989 | US | Magellan | Venus | Success | Magellan orbiter launched which mapped 99 percent of the surface of Venus (300 m resolution) |
| US / West Germany | Galileo | Venus/Earth/Moon/Gaspra/Ida/Jupiter | Success | Galileo flyby, orbiter and atmospheric probe | |
| US | Voyager 2 | Neptune | Success | Voyager 2 sent back images of Neptune and its system | |
| Europe | Hipparcos | Earth | Success | Launch of the Hipparcos satellite | |
| US | COBE | Earth | Success | Launch of the COBE satellite | |
| Soviet Union | Granat | Earth | Success | Launch of the Granat gamma-ray and X-ray satellite |
1990s
[edit]| Year | Origin | Name | Target | Status | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | US/ Europe | Ulysses | Sun | Success | Ulysses solar flyby |
| Japan | Hiten | Moon | Success | Hiten probe, this was the first non-United States or USSR probe to reach the Moon | |
| US/ Europe | Hubble Space Telescope | Earth | Success | Launch of the Hubble Space Telescope | |
 Pakistan | Badr-1 | Earth | Success | Launch of Badr-1 Pakistan 1st communication satellite | |
| Germany | ROSAT | Earth | Success | Launch of the ROSAT X-ray satellite to conduct the first imaging X-ray sky survey | |
| 1991 | Japan | Yohkoh | Sun | Success | Yohkoh solar probe |
| US | Compton Gamma-Ray Observatory | Earth | Success | Launch of the Compton Gamma-Ray Observatory satellite | |
| 1992 | US | Mars Observer | Mars | Failure | Mars Observer orbiter |
| 1993 | Japan | ASCA | Earth | Success | Launch of the ASCA (ASTRO-D) X-ray satellite |
 Brazil | INPE | Earth | Success | Launch of the SCD-1, the oldest earth observation equipment still in operation. | |
| 1994 | US | Clementine | Moon | Success | Clementine orbiter mapped the surface of the Moon (resolution 125–150 m) and allowed the first accurate relief map of the Moon to be generated |
 Turkey | Türksat 1B | Earth | Success | Türksat 1B, First Turkish communications satellite | |
| 1995 | Mexico | Unamsat 1 | Earth | Failure | Unamsat 1, First UNAM built orbiter |
 Ukraine | Sich-1 | Earth | Success | Sich-1 launched, first Ukrainian-built satellite | |
| Europe | ISO | Earth | Success | Launch of the Infrared Space Observatory | |
| Europe/ US | SOHO | Sun | Success | SOHO solar probe | |
| 1996 | US | NEAR Shoemaker | 433 Eros | Success | NEAR Shoemaker asteroid flybys/orbiter/lander |
| Turkey | Türksat 1C | Earth | Success | Türksat 1C, Second Turkish communications satellite | |
| US | Mars Global Surveyor | Mars | Success | Mars Global Surveyor orbiter | |
| US | Mars Pathfinder | Mars | Success | Mars Pathfinder, the first automated surface exploration of another planet | |
 Russia | Mars 96 | Mars | Failure | Mars 96 orbiter and lander | |
 Argentina | SAC-B | Earth | Failure | Sac-B Orbiter | |
| 1997 | US/ Europe | Cassini-Huygens | Saturn and Titan | Success | Cassini-Huygens arrived in orbit on July 1, 2004, landed on Titan January 14, 2005 |
| Argentina | Nahuel 1A | Earth | Success | Nahuel 1A First Argentine satellite - geostationary communications satellites | |
| 1998 |  North Korea | Kwangmyŏngsŏng-1 | Earth | Unknown | Claimed launch of Kwangmyŏngsŏng-1 by North Korea though no independent source was able to verify its existence |
| US | Lunar Prospector | Moon | Success | Lunar Prospector orbiter | |
| Japan | Nozomi | Mars | Failure | Nozomi (Planet B) orbiter, the first Japanese spacecraft to reach another planet | |
| US | Mars Climate Orbiter | Mars | Failure | Mars Climate Orbiter | |
| Argentina / US | SAC-A | Earth | Success | Sac-A Orbiter | |
| 1999 | US | Mars Polar Lander | Mars | Failure | Mars Polar Lander |
| US | Deep Space 2 | Mars | Failure | Deep Space 2 (DS2) penetrators | |
| US | Chandra | Earth | Success | Launch of the Chandra X-ray Observatory | |
| Europe | XMM-Newton | Earth | Success | Launch of the X-Ray Multi-Mirror Mission, XMM-Newton |
2000s
[edit]| Year | Origin | Name | Target | Status | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | UK | SNAP-1 | Earth | Success | SNAP-1 robotic camera enabling images to be sent to other spacecraft orbiting the Earth |
| Argentina | SAC-C | Earth | Success | SAC-C Orbiter | |
| 2001 | Turkey | Türksat 2A | Earth | Success | Türksat 2A, third Turkish communications satellite |
| US | Genesis | Sun | Partial success | Genesis solar wind sample crash-landed on return | |
| US | WMAP | Earth | Success | Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP) performs cosmological observations. | |
| US | Mars Odyssey | Mars | Success | Mars Odyssey | |
| Europe | PROBA-1 | Earth | Success | PROBA-1 Small satellite to observe the Earth (first Belgian Satellite) | |
| 2003 | Canada | MOST | Earth | Success | MOST the smallest space telescope in orbit. |
| Turkey | BİLSAT | Earth | Success | BİLSAT, Turkey's first earth observation satellite | |
| 2002 | US | CONTOUR | Comet Encke | Failure | CONTOUR launched, but lost during early trajectory insertion. |
| Europe/ Russia/ US | INTEGRAL | Earth | Success | Launch of the INTEGRAL gamma-ray satellite. | |
| 2003 | Europe | SMART-1 | Moon | Success | SMART-1 orbiter |
| Europe | Mars Express & Beagle 2 | Mars | Partial success | Mars Express orbiter (successfully reached orbit) and failed Beagle 2 lander | |
| US | Mars Exploration Rover | Mars | Success | Mars Exploration Rovers successful launches, Spirit successfully landed, Opportunity successfully landed | |
| UK | UK-DMC | Earth | Success | UK-DMC orbiter, part of the Disaster Monitoring Constellation | |
| Japan | Hayabusa | 25143 Itokawa | Success | Hayabusa, first sample return from asteroid, returned in 2010 | |
| 2004 | Europe | Rosetta | Comet 67P | Success | Rosetta space probe launched (arrived on comet 67P on November 12, 2014) |
| US | MESSENGER | Mercury | Success | MESSENGER orbiter launched (in Mercury orbit) | |
| US | Swift | Earth | Success | Launch of the Swift Gamma ray burst observatory. | |
| 2005 | US | Deep Impact | Comet Tempel 1 | Success | Deep Impact |
| Japan | Suzaku | Earth | Partial success | Launch of the Suzaku X-ray observatory (ASTRO-EII) | |
| US | MRO | Mars | Success | Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter | |
 Iran | Sinah-1 | Earth | Success | Sinah-1 launched, first Iranian-built satellite | |
| Europe | Venus Express | Venus | Success | Venus Express | |
| 2006 | US | New Horizons | Pluto | Success | New Horizons launched. On July 14, 2015, New Horizons flew within 7,750 miles (12,472 km) of Pluto. |
| Japan | Akari | Earth | Success | Launch of the Akari infrared observatory (ASTRO-F) | |
| France/ Europe | COROT | Earth | Success | COROT telescope to search for extrasolar planets | |
| 2007 | US | Phoenix | Mars | Success | Phoenix launched and successfully landed in 2008 |
| Japan | SELENE | Moon | Success | SELENE orbiter and lander | |
| US | Dawn | Vesta/Ceres | Success | Dawn solar powered ion engined probe to 4 Vesta and 1 Ceres. | |
| China | Chang'e-I | Moon | Success | Chang'e-I lunar orbiter | |
 Nigeria | NigComSat-1 | Earth | Partial success | NigComSat-1 launched by China, failed after 1 year | |
| 2008 | Turkey | Türksat 3A | Earth | Success | Türksat 3A, fourth Turkish communications satellite |
| US | IBEX | Earth | Success | The Interstellar Boundary Explorer (IBEX)'s mission is to study the nature of interactions between solar wind and interstellar medium at the edge of Solar System. | |
| 2009 | North Korea | Kwangmyŏngsŏng-2 | Earth | Failure | Kwangmyŏngsŏng-2 failed to orbit, possibly due to the rocket's third stage not separating properly. |
| Europe | Planck | L2 | Success | Planck | |
| Europe | Herschel | L2 | Success | Herschel Space Observatory | |
| Iran | Omid | Earth | Success | Omid launched by Iranian made launcher Safir. First Iranian-launched satellite | |
| US | Kepler | Earth | Success | Kepler launched | |
| Europe | PROBA-2 | Earth | Success | PROBA-2 Small satellite to observe the Sun | |
| India | RISAT-2 | Earth | Success | RISAT-2 developed by Israel Aerospace Industries, launched by ISRO, India | |
| India | Chandrayaan-1 | Moon | Success | Chandrayaan-1 developed and launched by ISRO, India. First discovery of Lunar Water. | |
| UK | UK-DMC 2 | Earth | Success | UK-DMC 2 orbiter, successor to UK-DMC part of the Disaster Monitoring Constellation |
2010s
[edit]| Year | Origin | Name | Target | Status | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Japan | Akatsuki | Venus | Partial success | Akatsuki orbiter, first Japanese spacecraft to orbit another planet (2015) |
| 2010 | Japan | IKAROS | Venus | Success | IKAROS, first solar-sail spacecraft |
| China | Chang'e-2 | Moon | Success | Chang'e-2 lunar orbiter/impacter | |
| 2011 | Turkey | RASAT | Earth | Success | Turkey's after BİLSAT, second earth observation satellite. RASAT, design and production made in Turkey is the first observation satellite. |
| Russia | Spektr-R | Earth | Success | Launch of the Spektr-R radio telescope | |
| US | Juno | Jupiter | Success | Juno | |
| Russia | Fobos-Grunt | Mars | Failure | Fobos-Grunt lander and sample return | |
| Nigeria | NigComSat-1 | Earth | Success | NigComSat-1 replacement launched by China | |
 Taiwan /  Singapore | ST-2 | Earth | Success | ST-2 replacement launched by Taiwan and Singapore | |
| Argentina / US | SAC-D | Earth | Success | SAC-D Orbiter | |
| 2012 | Iran | Navid | Earth | Success | Navid Earth-watching satellite |
| US | MSL | Mars | Success | Mars Science Laboratory with Curiosity rover—orbit and landed | |
| North Korea | Kwangmyŏngsŏng-3 | Earth | Success | Kwangmyŏngsŏng-3 Unit 2, first successful North Korean orbital rocket launch after the first unit exploded shortly after launch. | |
 Poland | PW-Sat | Earth | Success | PW-Sat, first Polish satellite | |
| 2013 |  South Korea | STSAT-2C | Earth | Success | STSAT-2C, first successful South Korean orbital rocket launch |
| Canada | NEOSSat | Earth | Success | NEOSSat, monitoring near-Earth objects | |
| Canada | Sapphire | Earth | Success | Sapphire, military space surveillance | |
 Ecuador | NEE 01 Pegaso | Earth | Success | NEE-01 Pegaso, Ecuador's first satellite | |
 Estonia | ESTCube-1 | Earth | Success | ESTCube-1, Estonia's first satellite | |
| Europe | PROBA-V | Earth | Success | PROBA-V, small satellite to monitor the vegetation of the Earth | |
| UK | STRaND-1 | Earth | Success | STRaND-1, first smartphone-operated satellite to be launched and dubbed the world's first "phonesat" | |
| Japan | Hisaki | Earth | Success | Hisaki planetary atmosphere observatory | |
| Canada | CASSIOPE | Earth | Success | CASSIOPE, ionosphere research and communication satellite | |
| India | MOM | Mars | Success | MOM is India's first interplanetary mission to Mars. First Asian nation to reach Mars. | |
| US | MAVEN | Mars | Success | MAVEN orbiter | |
| Poland | Lem | Earth | Success | Lem, First Polish scientific satellite | |
| 2014 |  Lithuania | LitSat1/LituanicaSAT-1 | Earth | Success | LitSat-1 and LituanicaSAT-1, first Lithuanian satellites |
| Turkey | TÜRKSAT 4A | Earth | Success | TÜRKSAT 4A, Turkey's fifth communication satellite. | |
| Europe | Rosetta / Philae | Comet 67P | Partial success | Rosetta and Philae, Third comet landing at unintended site in suboptimal orientation due to failure of surface anchoring system | |
| Poland | Heweliusz | Earth | Success | Heweliusz, Second Polish scientific satellite | |
| Japan | Hayabusa2 | 162173 Ryugu | Success | Hayabusa2, second Japanese asteroid sample return spacecraft | |
| Japan | PROCYON | 2000 DP107 | Partial failure | PROCYON deep space probe | |
| 2015 | US | DSCOVR | Earth-Sun L1 | Success | DSCOVR, Earth and space weather |
| India | Astrosat | Earth | Success | Astrosat, Space observatory | |
| Turkey | TÜRKSAT 4B | Earth | Success | TÜRKSAT 4B, Turkey's sixth communication satellite. | |
| 2016 | European Union / Russia | ExoMars / Schiaparelli | Mars | Partial success | ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter, Trace Gas Orbiter in orbit; Schiaparelli lander crashed |
| Canada | M3MSat | Earth | Success | M3MSat, maritime monitoring and communication satellite | |
| US | OSIRIS-REx | Earth | En route | OSIRIS-REx, first American asteroid sample return spacecraft | |
| 2017 | Brazil | SGDC-1 | Earth | Success | SGDC-1, communication satellite |
| 2018 | US | Tesla Roadster | Heliocentric orbit | Success | Elon Musk's Tesla Roadster, dummy payload for the February 2018 Falcon Heavy test flight and is now an artificial satellite of the Sun |
| China | Queqiao | Moon | Success | First relay satellite for far side of the Moon. | |
| US France Germany | InSight | Mars | Success | InSight, Mars lander for planetary information | |
| European Union/ Japan | BepiColombo | Mercury | En route | BepiColombo, two orbiters to study the magnetic field, magnetosphere, and both interior and surface structure of Mercury. Final mission of the Horizon 2000+ programme | |
| US | Parker Solar Probe | Sun | En route | Parker Solar Probe, first spacecraft to visit the outer corona of the Sun | |
| China | Chang'e 4 | Moon | Success | Chang'e 4, first spacecraft to soft-land on the lunar far side. | |
| 2019 |  Egypt | NARSSCube-2 | Earth | Success | NARSSCube-2, Egypt's first domestically built satellite |
| Israel | Beresheet | Moon | Failure | Beresheet, first private space probe and moon lander, crashed | |
| Russia / Germany | Spektr-RG | Earth-Sun L2 | Success | Launch of the Spektr-RG X-ray observatory | |
| India | Chandrayaan-2 | Moon | Partial success | Chandrayaan-2, orbiter achieved orbit, but lander and rover module hit into the Moon's surface and crashed. | |
 Ethiopia | ETRSS-1 | Earth | Success | ETRSS-1, first Ethiopian satellite; launched on China's Long March 4B rocket.[23] |
2020s
[edit]| Year | Origin | Name | Target | Status | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Turkey | TÜRKSAT 5A | Earth | Success | TÜRKSAT 5A, Turkey's seventh communication satellite launched with SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket. |
| European Union | SolO | Sun | En route | Solar Orbiter is an ESA's Sun-observing satellite.[24][25][26] | |
| US | Mars 2020 | Mars | Operational | Perseverance, JPL's Mars rover. It was launched on July 30 with Atlas V rocket, and landed on February 18, 2021, together with the small Ingenuity helicopter that was deployed on April 4, 2021. | |
 UAE | Hope | Mars | Success | Hope satellite is the United Arab Emirates Space Agency's uncrewed space research project on Mars. It was launched with Japanese H-IIA rocket on 19 July and reached Mars on 9 February 2021. | |
| China | Tianwen-1 | Mars | Success | Mission containing an orbiter, deployable and remote cameras, lander and Zhurong rover. This is China's 2nd uncrewed space research project on Mars. It was launched with Long March 5 rocket on 23 July and the orbiter, lander and rover entered Mars orbit on 10 February 2021. The rover and lander landed on 14 May with rover deployment on 22 April 2021 and dropped a remote selfie camera on Mars on 1 June 2021 and while a deployable camera made a flyby around 10 February 2021 and another deployable camera was released into Mars orbit on 31 December 2021. | |
| China | Chang'e 5 | Moon | Success | Orbiter, Returner, Ascent Stage, Lander configuration mission, China's first automated return of samples from the Moon. orbiter visited L1 and made a lunar flyby. | |
| 2021 | US | Lucy | two main belt asteroids as well as six Jupiter trojans | En route | NASA probe that will complete a 12-year journey to nine different asteroids, visiting two main belt asteroids as well as six Jupiter trojans,[27][28] asteroids which share Jupiter's orbit around the Sun, orbiting either ahead of or behind the planet. All target encounters will be fly-by encounters.[29] It was launched on October 16, 2021, on the 401 variant of Atlas V and has yet to study a trojan asteroid. |
| Brazil | Amazônia-1 | Earth | Success | Amazônia-1 is the first Earth observation satellite developed by Brazil, helped by Argentina's INVAP, who provided the main computer, attitude controls and sensors, and the training of Brazilian engineers,[8] and launched at 04:54:00 UTC (10:24:00 IST) on 28 February 2021. | |
| US | DART | a Binary 65803 Didymos asteroid system | Success | Double Asteroid Redirection Test, NASA's first mission to test planetary defense. Its uses involves test this technique by kinetically impacting the spacecraft to produce a small change in its orbital period. It was launched on November 24 with Falcon 9 rocket. Accompanying the mission is LICIACube cubesat, a flyby mission that recorded the impact and its aftermaths. | |
| Italy | LICIACube | a Binary 65803 Didymos asteroid system | Success | LICIACube, Light Italian Cubesat for Imaging of Asteroids, is the first Agenzia Spaziale Italiana's interplanetary mission. Ideated, designed, integrated and operated entirely in Italy, it has been the witness of the first real-scale planetary defense test performed by Double Asteroid Redirection Test. LICIACube is the smallest human-made object that successfully performed a flyby of a Small Solar System body. It has been deployed two weeks before DART's impact. | |
| US | IXPE | Earth | Success | Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer, NASA's new X-ray observatory. It was launched on December 8 with Falcon 9 rocket. | |
| Turkey | TÜRKSAT 5B | Earth | Success | TÜRKSAT 5B, Turkey's eighth communication satellite launched with SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket. | |
| US / European Union / Canada | James Webb Space Telescope | Earth-Sun L2 point | Success | James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), NASA, ESA and CSA's joint project for a space telescope. It was launched on December 25 with Ariane 5 ECA rocket to Earth-Moon L2 point. | |
| 2022 | US | CAPSTONE | Near-rectilinear halo orbit (NRHO) of Moon | Operational | CAPSTONE, Lunar orbiting CubeSat that will test and verify the calculated orbital stability planned for the Gateway space station. It was launched with Rocket Lab Electron rocket. |
| US | Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 | None | None | In May, NASA reports that the Voyager 1 spacecraft, the farthest human-made object, is sending data that does not reflect what is happening on board with the antenna apparently remaining in its prescribed orientation to Earth.[30][31] In June, it was reported that NASA is preparing to power down the two Voyager spacecraft in the hope of using the remaining power to extend their operation to about 2030.[32] | |
| US / South Korea | Danuri (KLPO) | Moon | Operational | South Korea's first lunar orbiter launched by SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket. Danuri will serve to create topographic map of the lunar surface to pinpoint future landing sites. | |
| US | Artemis 1 Orion MPCV CM-002 | Moon | Success | Uncrewed test of the Orion spacecraft in lunar flyby and DRO orbit. | |
| CuSP | Heliocentric | Failure | Study particles and magnetic fields. | ||
| LunIR | Moon | Partial failure | Collect its surface thermography. | ||
| NEA Scout | Moon/Asteroid | Failure | Solar sail that will flyby a near-Earth asteroid. | ||
| Team Miles | Helliocentric | Failure | Demonstrate low-thrust plasma propulsion in deep space. | ||
| BioSentinel | Heliocentric | Success | Contains yeast cards that will be rehydrated in space, designed to detect, measure, and compare the effects of deep space radiation. | ||
| LunaH-Map | Moon | Failure | Search for evidence of lunar water ice inside permanently shadowed craters using its neutron detector. | ||
| Lunar IceCube | Moon | Failure | Its infrared spectrometer will detect water and organic compounds in the lunar surface and exosphere. | ||
| Italy | ArgoMoon | High Earth Orbit with Lunar Flybys | Operational | Image the ICPS and perform deep space Nanotechnology experiments. | |
| Japan | OMOTENASHI | Moon | Failure | Inflatable module attempting to land semi-hard at lunar surface. | |
| EQUULEUS | Moon/Earth Moon-L2 | Success | Image the Earth's plasmasphere, impact craters on the Moon's far side and L2 experiments. | ||
| Hakuto-R Mission 1 | Moon | Failure | Lunar landing technology demonstration at Atlas Crater. | ||
| US | Lunar Flashlight | Moon | Failure | Lunar Flashlight, Lunar orbiting CubeSat that will explore, locate, and estimate size and composition of water ice deposits on the Moon for future exploitation by robots or humans. It was launched with Hakuto-R mission Mission 1. | |
| 2023 | European Union | Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (JUICE) | Jupiter and Ganymede | En route | Mission to study Jupiter's three icy moons Callisto, Europa and Ganymede, eventually orbiting Ganymede as the first spacecraft to orbit a satellite of another planet. |
| European Union | Euclid | Earth-Sun L2 point | Operational | It is ESA's project for a space telescope to study dark matter. It was launched on July 1 with Falcon 9 Block 5 rocket to Earth-Moon L2 point. | |
| India | Chandrayaan-3 | Moon | Success | It is India's second attempt to land on the Moon and its south pole. Successfully launched on 14 July 2023 on a LVM3 launch vehicle. Successfully landed on 23 August 2023. | |
| Russia | Luna-25 | Moon | Failure | It was a lander, launched on 10 August 2023 on Soyuz 2.1b rocket. Crashed on the Moon surface on 19 August 2023.[33] | |
| India | Aditya-L1 | Earth-Sun L1 point | Operational | It is ISRO's first Sun dedicated scientific mission. It will perform observations of the Solar corona. Successfully launched on 2 September 2023 on a PSLV-XL rocket. | |
| Japan / US | XRISM | Earth | Operational | X-Ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission, X-ray space telescope developed by JAXA in partnership with NASA. Successfully launched on 6 September 2023 on a H-IIA launch vehicle. | |
| Japan | SLIM | Moon | Success | Lunar lander developed by JAXA carrying two lunar rovers. Successfully launched on 6 September 2023 on a H-IIA launch vehicle. Successfully landed on 19 January 2024. | |
| US | Psyche | 16 Psyche | En route | Asteroid orbiter developed by NASA. Successfully launched on 13 October 2023 on a Falcon Heavy launch vehicle. | |
| 2024 | India | XPoSat | Earth | Operational | ISRO's mission to study X-ray polarisation. Successfully launched on 1 January 2024 on a PSLV-DL launch vehicle. |
| USA | Peregrine Mission One | Moon | Failure | Lunar lander developed by Astrobotic Technology and selected as part of NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services. Successfully launched on 8 January 2024 on a Vulcan Centaur launch vehicle but landing abandoned due to excessive propellant leak. | |
| China / European Union | Einstein Probe | Earth | Operational | X-ray space telescope developed jointly by CAS and ESA. Successfully launched on 9 January 2024 on a Long March 2C launch vehicle. | |
| USA | IM-1 | Moon | Success | Cryogenic-propelled lunar lander developed by Intuitive Machines and selected as part of NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services. Successfully launched on 15 February 2024 on a Falcon 9 launch vehicle and landed on its side on 22 February 2024. Accompanied by a university Cubesat lander called EagleCam to send third-party images of landing sequence back to Earth. | |
| China | DRO A/B | Moon | Success | Yuanzheng 1S upper stage failed to deliver spacecrafts into correct orbit. The satellites were intended to test Distant retrograde orbit.[34] Tracking data appears to show China is attempting to salvage spacecraft and they appear to have succeeded in reaching their desired orbit.[35][36] | |
| China | Queqiao-2 | Moon | Success | Queqiao-2 relay satellite for far side of the Moon with Tiandu-1 and 2 to test future lunar satellite constellation technologies. | |
| China | Chang'e 6 | Moon | Success | Orbiter, Returner, Ascent Stage, Lander, Rover configuration mission, China's first automated return of samples from the far side of the Moon. orbiter visited L2. | |
| Pakistan | ICUBE-Q | Moon | Operational | Piggybacking as the first Pakistani lunar mission along with Chang'e 6. | |
| China / France | Space Variable Objects Monitor | Earth | Operational | X-ray space telescope developed jointly by CNES and CNSA. Successfully launched on 22 June 2024 on a Long March 2C launch vehicle. | |
| EU | Hera | 65803 Didymos | En route | European component of AIDA, a NASA-ESA asteroid deflection test cooperation, aimed at studying the effects of the NEO's impact created by NASA's DART mission using 65803 Didymos's moon (Dimorphos) as a target. Successfully launched on 7 October 2024 on a Falcon 9 launch vehicle. | |
| USA | Europa Clipper | Jupiter and Europa | En route | NASA launched the Europa Clipper on 14 October 2024 on a Falcon Heavy launch vehicle, which will study the Jovian moon Europa while in orbit around Jupiter. | |
| EU | PROBA-3 | Earth | Operational | solar Coronagraph and Occulter dual satellites developed by ESA. Successfully launched on 5 December 2024 on a Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle. | |
| 2025 | USA | Blue Ghost M1 | Moon | Operational | Lunar landing technology demonstration at Mare Crisium. Launched on 15 January 2025 on a Falcon 9 Block 5 launch vehicle with Hakuto-R Mission 2. Landed on 2 March 2025. |
| Japan | Hakuto-R Mission 2 | Moon | Failure | Lunar landing technology demonstration at Mare Frigoris. Launched on 15 January 2025 on a Falcon 9 Block 5 launch vehicle with Blue Ghost M1. Carried a rover named Tenacious to lunar surface. Failed Landing. | |
| USA | IM-2 | Moon | Partial failure | Lunar landing technology demonstration at Mare Frigoris. Launched on 27 February 2025 on a Falcon 9 Block 5 launch vehicle with Lunar Trailblazer and Brokkr-2 and landed on its side on 6 March 2025 and the mission ended sooner without conducting useful science and surface operations. Carried AstroAnt, Yaoki, Micro-Nova and MAPP LV1 rovers to lunar surface. | |
| USA | Lunar Trailblazer | Moon | Failure | Lunar orbiter aimed to aid in the understanding of lunar water and the Moon's water cycle.[37] Launched on 27 February 2025 on a Falcon 9 Block 5 launch vehicle with Brokkr-2, Chimera-1 and IM-2. | |
| USA | Brokkr-2 | 2022 OB5 | Failure | Asteroid flyby of a near-Earth asteroid and determine if the asteroid is metallic.[38] Launched on 27 February 2025 on a Falcon 9 Block 5 launch vehicle with Lunar Trailblazer, Chimera-1 and IM-2. | |
| USA | Chimera-1 | Moon | Failure | Failed lunar flyby Launched on 27 February 2025 on a Falcon 9 Block 5 launch vehicle with Lunar Trailblazer, Brokkr-2 and IM-2. | |
| China | Tianwen-2 | 469219 Kamoʻoalewa and 311P/PANSTARRS | En route | Tianwen-2 asteroid orbiter, lander and sample return. Launched on a Long March 3B launch vehicle on 29 May 2025. |
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