Timeline of Solar System exploration

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into List of planetary probes. (Discuss)

A timeline of Solar System exploration listed by date of spacecraft launch.

Missions in italics are unfinished, i.e. have not yet been designated as successes or failures.

1 1950s
2 1960s
3 1970s
4 1980s
5 1990s
6 2000s
7 Planned or scheduled
8 See also
9 External links

[edit] 1950s

1957

Sputnik 1 First Earth Orbiter

- Sputnik 1 - 4 October 1957 - 1st Earth Orbiter
- Sputnik 2 - 3 November 1957 - Earth Orbiter
- Vanguard TV3 - 6 December 1957 - Attempted Earth Orbiter (Launch Failure)
1958
- Explorer 1 - 1 February 1958 - Earth Orbiter
- Vanguard 1 - 17 March 1958 - Earth Orbiter
- Pioneer 0 - 17 August 1958 - Attempted Lunar Orbit (Launch Failure)
- Luna 1958A - 23 September 1958 - Attempted Lunar Impact? (Launch Failure)
- Pioneer 1 - 11 October 1958 - Attempted Lunar Orbit (Launch Failure)
- Luna 1958B - 12 October 1958 - Attempted Lunar Impact? (Launch Failure)
- Pioneer 2 - 8 November 1958 - Attempted Lunar Orbit (Launch Failure)
- Luna 1958C - 4 December 1958 - Attempted Lunar Impact? (Launch Failure)
- Pioneer 3 - 6 December 1958 - Attempted Lunar Flyby (Launch Failure)
1959
- Luna 1 - 2 January 1959 - Lunar Flyby (Attempted Lunar Impact?) 1st Lunar Flyby
- Pioneer 4 - 3 March 1959 - Lunar Flyby
- Luna 1959A - 16 June 1959 - Attempted Lunar Impact? (Launch Failure)

Luna 2 First lunar impact

- Luna 2 - 12 September 1959 - 1st Lunar Impact
- Luna 3 - 4 October 1959 - Lunar Flyby
- Pioneer P-3 - 26 November 1959 - Attempted Lunar Orbiter (Launch Failure)

[edit] 1960s

1960
- Luna 1960A - 15 April 1960 - Attempted Lunar Flyby (Launch Failure)
- Luna 1960B - 18 April 1960 - Attempted Lunar Flyby (Launch Failure)
- Pioneer P-30 - 25 September 1960 - Attempted Lunar Orbiter (Launch Failure)
- Marsnik 1 (Mars 1960A) - 10 October 1960 - Attempted Mars Flyby (Launch Failure)
- Marsnik 2 (Mars 1960B) - 14 October 1960 - Attempted Mars Flyby (Launch Failure)
- Pioneer P-31 - 15 December 1960 - Attempted Lunar Orbiter (Launch Failure)
1961
- Sputnik 7 - 4 February 1961 - Attempted Venus Impact
- Venera 1 - 12 February 1961 - Venus Flyby (Contact Lost)

Vostok 1 First manned Earth orbiter

- Vostok 1 - 12 April 1961 - 1st Manned Earth Orbiter
- Ranger 1 - 23 August 1961 - Attempted Lunar Test Flight
- Ranger 2 - 18 November 1961 - Attempted Lunar Test Flight
1962
- Ranger 3 - 26 January 1962 - Attempted Lunar Impact
- Ranger 4 - 23 April 1962 - Lunar Impact
- Mariner 1 - 22 July 1962 - Attempted Venus Flyby (Launch Failure)
- Sputnik 19 - 25 August 1962 - Attempted Venus Flyby

Mariner 2 First Venus flyby

- Mariner 2 - 27 August 1962 - 1st Venus Flyby
- Sputnik 20 - 1 September 1962 - Attempted Venus Flyby
- Sputnik 21 - 12 September 1962 - Attempted Venus Flyby
- Ranger 5 - 18 October 1962 - Attempted Lunar Impact
- Sputnik 22 - 24 October 1962 - Attempted Mars Flyby
- Mars 1 - 1 November 1962 - Mars Flyby (Contact Lost)
- Sputnik 24 - 4 November 1962 - Attempted Mars Lander
1963
- Sputnik 25 - 4 January 1963 - Attempted Lunar Lander
- Luna 1963B - 2 February 1963 - Attempted Lunar Lander (Launch Failure)
- Luna 4 - 2 April 1963 - Attempted Lunar Lander
- Cosmos 21 - 11 November 1963 - Attempted Venera Test Flight?
1964
- Ranger 6 - 30 January 1964 - Lunar Impact (Cameras Failed)
- Venera 1964A - 19 February 1964 - Attempted Venus Flyby (Launch Failure)
- Venera 1964B - 1 March 1964 - Attempted Venus Flyby (Launch Failure)
- Luna 1964A - 21 March 1964 - Attempted Lunar Lander (Launch Failure)
- Cosmos 27 - 27 March 1964 - Attempted Venus Flyby
- Zond 1 - 2 April 1964 - Venus Flyby (Contact Lost)
- Luna 1964B - 20 April 1964 - Attempted Lunar Lander (Launch Failure)
- Zond 1964A - 4 June 1964 - Attempted Lunar Flyby (Launch Failure)
- Ranger 7 - 28 July 1964 - Lunar Impact

Mariner 4 First Mars flyby

- Mariner 3 - 5 November 1964 - Attempted Mars Flyby
- Mariner 4 - 28 November 1964 - 1st Mars Flyby
- Zond 2 - 30 November 1964 - Mars Flyby (Contact Lost)
1965
- Ranger 8 - 17 February 1965 - Lunar Impact
- Cosmos 60 - 12 March 1965 - Attempted Lunar Lander
- Ranger 9 - 21 March 1965 - Lunar Impact
- Luna 1965A - 10 April 1965 - Attempted Lunar Lander? (Launch Failure)
- Luna 5 - 9 May 1965 - Lunar Impact (Attempted Soft Landing)
- Luna 6 - 8 June 1965 - Attempted Lunar Lander
- Zond 3 - 18 July 1965 - Lunar Flyby
- Luna 7 - 4 October 1965 - Lunar Impact (Attempted Soft Landing)
- Venera 2 - 12 November 1965 - Venus Flyby (Contact Lost)

Luna 9 First lunar lander

- Venera 3 - 16 November 1965 - Venus Lander (Contact Lost) 1st Venus Impact
- Cosmos 96 - 23 November 1965 - Attempted Venus Lander?
- Venera 1965A - 23 November 1965 - Attempted Venus Flyby (Launch Failure)
- Luna 8 - 3 December 1965 - Lunar Impact (Attempted Soft Landing?)
1966
- Luna 9 - 31 January 1966 - 1st Lunar Lander
- Cosmos 111 - 1 March 1966 - Attempted Lunar Orbiter?

Luna 10 First lunar orbiter

- Luna 10 - 31 March 1966 - 1st Lunar Orbiter
- Luna 1966A - 30 April 1966 - Attempted Lunar Orbiter? (Launch Failure)
- Surveyor 1 - 30 May 1966 - Lunar Lander
- Explorer 33 - 1 July 1966 - Attempted Lunar Orbiter
- Lunar Orbiter 1 - 10 August 1966 - Lunar Orbiter
- Luna 11 - 24 August 1966 - Lunar Orbiter
- Surveyor 2 - 20 September 1966 - Attempted Lunar Lander
- Luna 12 - 22 October 1966 - Lunar Orbiter
- Lunar Orbiter 2 - 6 November 1966 - Lunar Orbiter
- Luna 13 - 21 December 1966 - Lunar Lander
1967
- Lunar Orbiter 3 - 4 February 1967 - Lunar Orbiter
- Surveyor 3 - 17 April 1967 - Lunar Lander
- Lunar Orbiter 4 - 8 May 1967 - Lunar Orbiter
- Venera 4 - 12 June 1967 - 1st Venus Atmospheric Probe
- Mariner 5 - 14 June 1967 - Venus Flyby
- Cosmos 167 - 17 June 1967 - Attempted Venus Probe
- Surveyor 4 - 14 July 1967 - Attempted Lunar Lander
- Explorer 35 (IMP-E) - 19 July 1967 - Lunar Orbiter
- Lunar Orbiter 5 - 1 August 1967 - Lunar Orbiter
- Surveyor 5 - 8 September 1967 - Lunar Lander

Zond 5 First lunar flyby and return to Earth

- Zond 1967A - 28 September 1967 - Attempted Lunar Test Flight (Launch Failure)
- Surveyor 6 - 7 November 1967 - Lunar Lander
- Zond 1967B - 22 November 1967 - Attempted Lunar Test Flight (Launch Failure)
1968
- Surveyor 7 - 7 January 1968 - Lunar Lander
- Luna 1968A - 7 February 1968 - Attempted Lunar Orbiter (Launch Failure)
- Zond 4 - 2 March 1968 - Test Flight
- Luna 14 - 7 April 1968 - Lunar Orbiter
- Zond 1968A - 23 April 1968 - Attempted Lunar Test Flight? (Launch Failure)
- Zond 5 - 15 September 1968 - 1st Lunar Flyby and Return to Earth
- Zond 6 - 10 November 1968 - Lunar Flyby and Return to Earth

Apollo 8 First manned lunar orbiter

- Apollo 8 - 21 December 1968 - 1st Manned Lunar Orbiter
1969
- Venera 5 - 5 January 1969 - Venus Probe
- Venera 6 - 10 January 1969 - Venus Probe
- Zond 1969A - 20 January 1969 - Attempted Lunar Flyby and Return (Launch Failure)
- Luna 1969A - 19 February 1969 - Attempted Lunar Rover? (Launch Failure)
- Zond L1S-1 - 21 February 1969 - Attempted Lunar Orbiter (Launch Failure)
- Mariner 6 - 25 February 1969 - Mars Flyby
- Mariner 7 - 27 March 1969 - Mars Flyby
- Mars 1969A - 27 March 1969 - Attempted Mars Orbiter (Launch Failure)
- Mars 1969B - 2 April 1969 - Attempted Mars Orbiter (Launch Failure)
- Luna 1969B - 15 April 1969 - Attempted Lunar Sample Return? (Launch Failure)
- Apollo 10 - 18 May 1969 - Manned Lunar Orbiter
- Luna 1969C - 14 June 1969 - Attempted Lunar Sample Return? (Launch Failure)
- Zond L1S-2 - 3 July 1969 - Attempted Lunar Orbiter (Launch Failure)
- Luna 15 - 13 July 1969 - Lunar Orbiter (Attempted Lunar Lander?)

Apollo 11 First manned lunar landing

- Apollo 11 - 16 July 1969 - 1st Manned Lunar Landing
- Zond 7 - 7 August 1969 - Lunar Flyby and Return to Earth
- Cosmos 300 - 23 September 1969 - Attempted Lunar Sample Return?
- Cosmos 305 - 22 October 1969 - Attempted Lunar Sample Return?
- Apollo 12 - 14 November 1969 - Manned Lunar Landing

[edit] 1970s

1970
- Luna 1970A - 6 February 1970 - Attempted Lunar Sample Return? (Launch Failure)
- Luna 1970B - 19 February 1970 - Attempted Lunar Orbiter? (Launch Failure)
- Apollo 13 - 11 April 1970 - 1st Manned Lunar Flyby and Return to Earth (Manned Lunar Mission, Landing Aborted)

Venera 7 First Venus lander

- Venera 7 - 17 August 1970 - 1st Venus Lander
- Cosmos 359 - 22 August 1970 - Attempted Venus Probe
- Luna 16 - 12 September 1970 - 1st Unmanned Lunar Sample Return
- Zond 8 - 20 October 1970 - Lunar Flyby and Return to Earth
- Luna 17/Lunokhod 1 - 10 November 1970 - 1st Lunar Rover
1971
- Apollo 14 - 31 January 1971 - Manned Lunar Landing
- Mariner 8 - 8 May 1971 - Attempted Mars Orbiter (Launch Failure)
- Cosmos 419 - 10 May 1971 - Attempted Mars Orbiter/Lander
- Mariner 9 - 30 May 1971 - 1st Mars Orbiter
- Mars 2 - 19 May 1971 - Attempted Lander/1st Mars Impact
- Mars 3 - 28 May 1971 - Mars Orbiter/1st Mars Lander and 1st Mars Atmospheric Probe
- Apollo 15 - 26 July 1971 - Manned Lunar Landing
- Luna 18 - 2 September 1971 - Attempted Lunar Sample Return
- Luna 19 - 28 September 1971 - Lunar Orbiter
1972
- Luna 20 - 14 February 1972 - Lunar Sample Return
- Pioneer 10 - 3 March 1972 - 1st Jupiter Flyby and 1st to leave solar system
- Venera 8 - 27 March 1972 - Venus Probe
- Cosmos 482 - 31 March 1972 - Attempted Venus Probe
- Apollo 16 - 16 April 1972 - Manned Lunar Landing
- Soyuz L3 - 23 November 1972 - Attempted Lunar Orbiter (Launch Failure)
- Apollo 17 - 7 December 1972 - Last Manned Lunar Landing
1973
- Luna 21/Lunokhod 2 - 8 January 1973 - Lunar Rover
- Pioneer 11 - 5 April 1973 - Jupiter/1st Saturn Flyby
- Skylab - 14 May 1973 - Manned Earth Orbiter
- Explorer 49 (RAE-B) - 10 June 1973 - Lunar Orbiter/Radio Astronomy
- Mars 4 - 21 July 1973 - Mars Flyby (Attempted Mars Orbiter)
- Mars 5 - 25 July 1973 - Mars Orbiter
- Mars 6 - 5 August 1973 - Mars Lander (Contact Lost)
- Mars 7 - 9 August 1973 - Mars Flyby (Attempted Mars Lander)
- Mariner 10 - 4 November 1973 - Venus Flyby/1st Mercury Flyby
1974
- Luna 22 - 2 June 1974 - Lunar Orbiter
- Luna 23 - 28 October 1974 - Attempted Lunar Sample Return
1975
- Venera 9 - 8 June 1975 - 1st Venus Orbiter and Lander
- Venera 10 - 14 June 1975 - Venus Orbiter and Lander
- Viking 1 - 20 August 1975 - Mars Orbiter and Lander
- Viking 2 - 9 September 1975 - Mars Orbiter and Lander
- Luna 1975A - 16 October 1975 - Attempted Lunar Sample Return?
1976
- Helios 2 - 15 January 1976 - Closest Solar Approach
- Luna 24 - 9 August 1976 - Lunar Sample Return
1977
- Voyager 2 - 20 August 1977 - Jupiter/Saturn/1st Uranus/1st Neptune Flyby
- Voyager 1 - 5 September 1977 - Jupiter/Saturn Flyby
1978
- Pioneer Venus 1 - 20 May 1978 - Venus Orbiter
- Pioneer Venus 2 - 8 August 1978 - Venus Probes
- International Cometary Explorer - 12 August 1978 - Comet Giacobini-Zinner and Comet Halley Flybys - 1st Comet flyby
- Venera 11 - 9 September 1978 - Venus Orbiter and Lander
- Venera 12 - 14 September 1978 - Venus Orbiter and Lander

[edit] 1980s

1981
- Venera 13 - 30 October 1981 - Venus Orbiter and Lander
- Venera 14 - 4 November 1981 - Venus Orbiter and Lander
1983
- Venera 15 - 2 June 1983 - Venus Orbiter
- Venera 16 - 7 June 1983 - Venus Orbiter
1984
- Vega 1 - 15 December 1984 - Venus Lander and Balloon/Comet Halley Flyby
- Vega 2 - 21 December 1984 - Venus Lander and Balloon/Comet Halley Flyby
1985
- Sakigake - 7 January 1985 - Comet Halley Flyby
- Giotto - 2 July 1985 - Comet Halley Flyby
- Suisei (Planet-A) - 18 August 1985 - Comet Halley Flyby
1988
- Phobos 1 - 7 July 1988 - Attempted Mars Orbiter/Phobos Landers
- Phobos 2 - 12 July 1988 - Mars Orbiter/Attempted Phobos Landers
1989
- Magellan - 4 May 1989 - Venus Orbiter
- Galileo - 18 October 1989 - 1st Asteroid Flyby, 1st Asteroid moon discovery, 1st Jupiter Orbiter and 1st Jupiter Atmospheric Probe

[edit] 1990s

1990
- Hiten - 24 January 1990 - Lunar Flyby and Orbiter
- Hubble Space Telescope - 25 April 1990 - Earth Orbiting Observatory
- Ulysses - 6 October 1990 - Jupiter Flyby and Solar Polar Orbiter
1992
- Mars Observer - 25 September 1992 - Attempted Mars Orbiter (Contact Lost)
1994
- Clementine - 25 January 1994 - Lunar Orbiter/Attempted Asteroid Flyby
1995
- SOHO - 2 December 1995 - Solar Observatory
1996
- NEAR - 17 February 1996 -1st Near-Earth asteroid Flyby, 1st Asteroid Orbit and 1st Asteroid Landing - Eros Orbiter
- Mars Global Surveyor - 7 November 1996 - Mars Orbiter
- Mars 96 - 16 November 1996 - Attempted Mars Orbiter/Landers
- Mars Pathfinder - 4 December 1996 - Mars Lander and 1st Mars Rover
1997
- Cassini-Huygens - 15 October 1997 - Saturn Orbiter and Titan Probe and Lander, 1st Saturn Orbiter, 1st Titan Lander
- AsiaSat 3/HGS-1 - 24 December 1997 - Lunar Flyby
1998
- Lunar Prospector - 7 January 1998 - Lunar Orbiter
- Nozomi (Planet-B) - 3 July 1998 - Attempted Mars Orbiter (failed to enter Mars orbit)
- Deep Space 1 (DS1) - 24 October 1998 - Asteroid and Comet Flyby
- Mars Climate Orbiter - 11 December 1998 - Attempted Mars Orbiter
1999
- Mars Polar Lander - 3 January 1999 - Attempted Mars Lander
- Deep Space 2 (DS2) - 3 January 1999 - Attempted Mars Penetrators
- Stardust - 7 February 1999 - 1st Comet Coma Sample Return

[edit] 2000s

2001
- 2001 Mars Odyssey - 7 April 2001 - Mars Orbiter
- Genesis - 8 August 2001 - 1st Solar Wind Sample Return
2002
- CONTOUR - 3 July 2002 - Attempted Fly-by of three Comet Nuclei
2003
- Hayabusa (Muses-C) - 9 May 2003 - Asteroid Lander and Sample Return (expected return June 2010)
- Mars Exploration Rovers - 10 June/7 July 2003 - Two Mars Rovers
- Mars Express - 1 June 2003 - Mars Orbiter/Attempted Lander
- SMART 1 - 27 September 2003 - Lunar Orbiter
2004
- Rosetta - 2 March 2004 - Comet Orbiter and Lander (expected arrival 2014)
- MESSENGER - 3 August 2004 - Mercury Orbiter (expected arrival 18 March 2011)
2005
- Deep Impact - 12 January 2005 - 1st Comet Impact
- Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter - 12 August 2005 - Mars Orbiter
- Venus Express - 9 November 2005 - Venus Polar Orbiter
2006
- New Horizons - 19 January 2006 - Pluto/Charon and Kuiper Belt Flyby (expected arrival 14 July 2015)
- Hinode - 22 September 2006 - Solar Orbiter
- STEREO - 26 October 2006 - Two spacecraft, Solar Orbiters
2007
- Phoenix - 4 August 2007 - Mars Polar Lander
- Kaguya - 14 September 2007 - Lunar Orbiters
- Dawn - 27 September 2007 - Asteroid Ceres and Vesta Orbiter
- Chang'e 1 - 24 October 2007 - Lunar Orbiter

[edit] Planned or scheduled

2008
- Chandrayaan 1 - Late 2008 [1] - Lunar Orbiter
- Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter - November 2008 - Lunar Polar Orbiter and Lunar Impactor
- Solar Dynamics Observatory - December 2008 - Continuous Solar Monitoring
2009
- Kepler - February 2009 - Extrasolar Terrestrial Planet Detection Mission
- PICARD - 2009 - Solar Orbiter
- Mars Science Laboratory - September 2009 - Mars Rover
- Phobos-Grunt - October 2009 - Phobos Sample Return, Mars Orbiter
- Yinghuo-1 - October 2009 - Mars Orbiter
- Luna-Glob - 2009 - Russian lunar orbiter, impactors, lander
2010
- PLANET-C - May 2010 - JAXA Venus Orbiter
2011
- Juno - August 2011 - Jupiter Orbiter
- GRAIL - 2011 - Two spacecraft, Lunar Orbiters
2012
- LEO - 2012 - Lunar Orbiter
- unknown - 2012 - Chinese lunar rover
2013
- BepiColombo - August 2013 - ESA and ISAS Mercury Orbiters
- Mars Scout - 2013 - scouting mission
- ExoMars - 2013 - ESA Mars Rover
2015
- Solar Orbiter - May 2015 - ESA Polar Solar Orbiter
- Solar Probe - 2015 - Solar Orbiter
2016
- Venera-D - 2016 - Russian Venus Orbiter
2017
- unknown - 2017 - Chinese robotic lunar sample return mission
2019
- U.S. moonwalk - using Orion

Luna 16 First unmanned lunar sample return	Lunokhod 1 First lunar rover	Mars 2 First Mars impact	Mars 3 First Mars lander First Mars atmospheric probe
Pioneer 10 First Jupiter flyby First object to leave solar system	Pioneer 11 First Saturn flyby	Mariner 10 First Mercury flyby	Venera 9 First Venus orbiter
Helios 2 Closest solar approach	Voyager 2 First Uranus flyby First Neptune flyby	International Cometary Explorer First comet flyby	Galileo First asteroid flyby First asteroid moon discovery First Jupiter orbiter First Jupiter atmospheric probe
NEAR Shoemaker First near-Earth asteroid flyby First asteroid orbiter First asteroid landing	Mars Pathfinder First successful Mars rover	Cassini–Huygens First Saturn orbiter	Huygens probe First Titan lander
Genesis First solar wind sample return	Deep Impact First comet impact

[edit] See also

v • d • e

Spaceflight lists and timelines

General spaceflight

All spaceflights (records) · Space exploration (milestones 1957–1969) · Rocket and missile technology ·

Human spaceflight

General	Crewed spacecraft · Spaceflights (by program · Soviet/Russian) · Mercury · Gemini · Apollo

Mir	Expeditions · Visiting spacecraft and crews · Spacewalks

ISS	Expeditions · Spaceflights (manned · unmanned) · Visitors · Spacewalks

Shuttle	Missions (timeline) · Crews

People	By name · By nationality (timeline) · Astronauts (by name · by selection · Apollo)

EVA	Spacewalks and moonwalks · Cumulative spacewalk records