Timeline of planetary exploration

Timeline of planetary exploration by date of launch. Already-launched missions in italic have not yet achieved success or failure.

Table of contents

1 1950s
2 1960s
3 1970s
4 1980s
5 1990s
6 2000s
7 Planned/scheduled

1950s

1957\n**Sputnik 1 - 4 October 1957 - 1st Earth Orbiter\n**Sputnik 2 - 3 November 1957 - Earth Orbiter\n**Vanguard TV3 - 6 December 1957 - Attempted Earth Orbiter (Launch Failure)\n*1958\n**Explorer 1 - 1 February 1958 - Earth Orbiter\n**Vanguard 1 - 17 March 1958 - Earth Orbiter\n**Pioneer 0 - 17 August 1958 - Attempted Lunar Orbit (Launch Failure)\n**Luna 1958A - 23 September 1958 - Attempted Lunar Impact? (Launch Failure)\n**Pioneer 1 - 11 October 1958 - Attempted Lunar Orbit (Launch Failure)\n**Luna 1958B - 12 October 1958 - Attempted Lunar Impact? (Launch Failure)\n**Pioneer 2 - 8 November 1958 - Attempted Lunar Orbit (Launch Failure)\n**Luna 1958C - 4 December 1958 - Attempted Lunar Impact? (Launch Failure)\n**Pioneer 3 - 6 December 1958 - Attempted Lunar Flyby (Launch Failure)\n*1959\n**Luna 1 - 2 January 1959 - Lunar Flyby (Attempted Lunar Impact?) 1st Lunar Flyby\n**Pioneer 4 - 3 March 1959\n**Luna 1959A - 16 June 1959 - Attempted Lunar Impact? (Launch Failure)\n**Luna 2 - 12 September 1959 - 1st Lunar Impact\n**Luna 3 - 4 October 1959 - Lunar Flyby\n**Pioneer P-3 - 26 November 1959 - Attempted Lunar Orbiter (Launch Failure)

1960s

1960\n**Luna 1960A - 15 April 1960 - Attempted Lunar Flyby (Launch Failure)\n**Luna 1960B - 18 April 1960 - Attempted Lunar Flyby (Launch Failure)\n**Pioneer P-30 - 25 Sept 1960 - Attempted Lunar Orbiter (Launch Failure)\n**Marsnik 1 (Mars 1960A) - 10 October 1960 - Attempted Mars Flyby (Launch Failure)\n**Marsnik 2 (Mars 1960B) - 14 October 1960 - Attempted Mars Flyby (Launch Failure)\n**Pioneer P-31 - 15 December 1960 - Attempted Lunar Orbiter (Launch Failure)\n*1961\n**Sputnik 7 - 4 February 1961 - Attempted Venus Impact\n**Venera 1 - 12 February 1961 - Venus Flyby (Contact Lost)\n**Ranger 1 - 23 August 1961 - Attempted Lunar Test Flight\n**Ranger 2 - 18 November 1961 - Attempted Lunar Test Flight\n*1962\n**Ranger 3 - 26 January 1962 - Attempted Lunar Impact\n**Ranger 4 - 23 April 1962 - Lunar Impact\n**Mariner 1 - 22 July 1962 - Attempted Venus Flyby (Launch Failure)\n**Sputnik 19 - 25 August 1962 - Attempted Venus Flyby\n**Mariner 2 - 27 August 1962 - 1st Venus Flyby\n**Sputnik 20 - 1 September 1962 - Attempted Venus Flyby\n**Sputnik 21 - 12 September 1962 - Attempted Venus Flyby\n**Ranger 5 - 18 October 1962 - Attempted Lunar Impact\n**Sputnik 22 - 24 October 1962 - Attempted Mars Flyby\n**Mars 1 - 1 November 1962 - Mars Flyby (Contact Lost)\n**Sputnik 24 - 4 November 1962 - Attempted Mars Lander\n*1963\n**Sputnik 25 - 4 January 1963 - Attempted Lunar Lander\n**Luna 1963B - 2 February 1963 - Attempted Lunar Lander (Launch Failure)\n**Luna 4 - 2 April 1963 - Attempted Lunar Lander\n**Cosmos 21 - 11 November 1963 - Attempted Venera Test Flight?\n*1964\n**Ranger 6 - 30 January 1964 - Lunar Impact (Cameras Failed)\n**Venera 1964A - 19 February 1964 - Attempted Venus Flyby (Launch Failure)\n**Venera 1964B - 1 March 1964 - Attempted Venus Flyby (Launch Failure)\n**Luna 1964A - 21 March 1964 - Attempted Lunar Lander (Launch Failure)\n**Cosmos 27 - 27 March 1964 - Attempted Venus Flyby\n**Zond 1 - 2 April 1964 - Venus Flyby (Contact Lost)\n**Luna 1964B - 20 April 1964 - Attempted Lunar Lander (Launch Failure)\n**Zond 1964A - 4 June 1964 - Attempted Lunar Lander (Launch Failure)\n**Ranger 7 - 28 July 1964 - Lunar Impact\n**Mariner 3 - 5 November 1964 - Attempted Mars Flyby\n**Mariner 4 - 28 November 1964 - 1st Mars Flyby\n**Zond 2 - 30 November 1964 - Mars Flyby (Contact Lost)\n*1965\n**Ranger 8 - 17 February 1965 - Lunar Impact\n**Cosmos 60 - 12 March 1965 - Attempted Lunar Lander\n**Ranger 9 - 21 March 1965 - Lunar Impact\n**Luna 1965A - 10 April 1965 - Attempted Lunar Lander? (Launch Failure)\n**Luna 5 - 9 May 1965 - Lunar Impact (Attempted Soft Landing)\n**Luna 6 - 8 June 1965 - Attempted Lunar Lander\n**Zond 3 - 18 July 1965 - Lunar Flyby\n**Luna 7 - 4 October 1965 - Lunar Impact (Attempted Soft Landing)\n**Venera 2 - 12 November 1965 - Venus Flyby (Contact Lost)\n**Venera 3 - 16 November 1965 - Venus Lander (Contact Lost) 1st Venus Impact\n**Cosmos 96 - 23 November 1965 - Attempted Venus Lander?\n**Venera 1965A - 23 November 1965 - Attempted Venus Flyby (Launch Failure)\n**Luna 8 - 3 December 1965 - Lunar Impact (Attempted Soft Landing?)\n*1966\n**Luna 9 - 31 January 1966 - 1st Lunar Lander\n**Cosmos 111 - 1 March 1966 - Attempted Lunar Orbiter?\n**Luna 10 - 31 March 1966 - 1st Lunar Orbiter\n**Luna 1966A - 30 April 1966 - Attempted Lunar Orbiter? (Launch Failure)\n**Surveyor 1 - 30 May 1966 - Lunar Lander\n**Explorer 33 - 1 July 1966 - Attempted Lunar Orbiter\n**Lunar Orbiter 1 - 10 August 1966 - Lunar Orbiter\n**Luna 11 - 24 August 1966 - Lunar Orbiter\n**Surveyor 2 - 20 September 1966 - Attempted Lunar Lander\n**Luna 12 - 22 October 1966 - Lunar Orbiter\n**Lunar Orbiter 2 - 6 November 1966 - Lunar Orbiter\n**Luna 13 - 21 December 1966 - Lunar Lander\n*1967\n**Lunar Orbiter 3 - 4 February 1967 - Lunar Orbiter\n**Surveyor 3 - 17 April 1967 - Lunar Lander\n**Lunar Orbiter 4 - 8 May 1967 - Lunar Orbiter\n**Venera 4 - 12 June 1967 - 1st Venus Atmospheric Probe\n**Mariner 5 - 14 June 1967 - Venus Flyby\n**Cosmos 167 - 17 June 1967 - Attempted Venus Probe\n**Surveyor 4 - 14 July 1967 - Attempted Lunar Lander\n**Explorer 35 (IMP-E) - 19 July 1967 - Lunar Orbiter\n**Lunar Orbiter 5 - 1 August 1967 - Lunar Orbiter\n**Surveyor 5 - 8 September 1967 - Lunar Lander\n**Zond 1967A - 28 September 1967 - Attempted Lunar Test Flight (Launch Failure)\n**Surveyor 6 - 7 November 1967 - Lunar Lander\n**Zond 1967B - 22 November 1967 - Attempted Lunar Test Flight (Launch Failure)\n*1968\n**Surveyor 7 - 7 January 1968 - Lunar Lander\n**Luna 1968A - 7 February 1968 - Attempted Lunar Orbiter (Launch Failure)\n**Zond 4 - 2 March 1968 - Test Flight\n**Luna 14 - 7 April 1968 - Lunar Orbiter\n**Zond 1968A - 23 April 1968 - Attempted Lunar Test Flight? (Launch Failure)\n**Zond 5 - 15 September 1968 - 1st Lunar Flyby and Return to Earth\n**Zond 6 - 10 November 1968 - Lunar Flyby and Return to Earth\n**Apollo 8 - 21 December 1968 - 1st Manned Lunar Orbiter\n*1969\n**Venera 5 - 5 January 1969 - Venus Probe\n**Venera 6 - 10 January 1969 - Venus Probe\n**Zond 1969A - 20 January 1969 - Attempted Lunar Flyby and Return (Launch Failure)\n**Luna 1969A - 19 February 1969 - Attempted Lunar Rover? (Launch Failure)\n**Zond L1S-1 - 21 February 1969 - Attempted Lunar Orbiter (Launch Failure)\n**Mariner 6 - 25 February 1969 - Mars Flyby\n**Mariner 7 - 27 March 1969 - Mars Flyby\n**Mars 1969A - 27 March 1969 - Attempted Mars Orbiter (Launch Failure)\n**Mars 1969B - 2 April 1969 - Attempted Mars Orbiter (Launch Failure)\n**Luna 1969B - 15 April 1969 - Attempted Lunar Sample Return? (Launch Failure)\n**Apollo 10 - 18 May 1969 - Manned Lunar Orbiter\n**Luna 1969C - 14 June 1969 - Attempted Lunar Sample Return? (Launch Failure)\n**Zond L1S-2 - 3 July 1969 - Attempted Lunar Orbiter (Launch Failure)\n**Luna 15 - 13 July 1969 - Lunar Orbiter (Attempted Lunar Lander?)\n**Apollo 11 - 16 July 1969 - 1st Manned Lunar Landing\n**Zond 7 - 7 August 1969 - Lunar Flyby and Return to Earth\n**Cosmos 300 - 23 September 1969 - Attempted Lunar Sample Return?\n**Cosmos 305 - 22 October 1969 - Attempted Lunar Sample Return?\n**Apollo 12 - 14 November 1969 - Manned Lunar Landing

1970s

1970\n**Luna 1970A - 6 February 1970 - Attempted Lunar Sample Return? (Launch Failure)\n**Luna 1970B - 19 February 1970 - Attempted Lunar Orbiter? (Launch Failure)\n**Apollo 13 - 11 April 1970 - Manned Lunar Mission (Landing Aborted)\n**Venera 7 - 17 August 1970 - 1st Venus Lander\n**Cosmos 359 - 22 August 1970 - Attempted Venus Probe\n**Luna 16 - 12 September 1970 - 1st Unmanned Lunar Sample Return\n**Zond 8 - 20 October 1970 - Lunar Flyby and Return to Earth\n**Luna 17/Lunokhod 1 - 10 November 1970 - 1st Lunar Rover\n*1971\n**Apollo 14 - 31 January 1971 - Manned Lunar Landing\n**Mariner 8 - 8 May 1971 - Attempted Mars Flyby (Launch Failure)\n**Cosmos 419 - 10 May 1971 - Attempted Mars Orbiter/Lander\n**Mars 2 - 19 May 1971 - 1st Mars Orbiter/Attempted Lander/1st Mars Impact\n**Mars 3 - 28 May 1971 - Mars Orbiter/1st Mars Lander and 1st Mars Atmospheric Probe\n**Mariner 9 - 30 May 1971 - Mars Orbiter\n**Apollo 15 - 26 July 1971 - Manned Lunar Landing\n**Luna 18 - 2 September 1971 - Attempted Lunar Sample Return\n**Luna 19 - 28 September 1971 - Lunar Orbiter\n*1972\n**Luna 20 - 14 February 1972 - Lunar Sample Return\n**Pioneer 10 - 3 March 1972 - 1st Jupiter Flyby and 1st to leave solar system\n**Venera 8 - 27 March 1972 - Venus Probe\n**Cosmos 482 - 31 March 1972 - Attempted Venus Probe\n**Apollo 16 - 16 April 1972 - Manned Lunar Landing\n**Soyuz L3 - 23 November 1972 - Attempted Lunar Orbiter (Launch Failure)\n**Apollo 17 - 7 December 1972 - Manned Lunar Landing\n*1973\n**Luna 21/Lunokhod 2 - 8 January 1973 - Lunar Rover\n**Pioneer 11 - 5 April 1973 - Jupiter/1st Saturn Flyby\n**Skylab - 14 May 1973 - Manned Earth Orbiter\n**Explorer 49 (RAE-B) - 10 June 1973 - Lunar Orbiter/Radio Astronomy\n**Mars 4 - 21 July 1973 - Mars Flyby (Attempted Mars Orbiter)\n**Mars 5 - 25 July 1973 - Mars Orbiter\n**Mars 6 - 5 August 1973 - Mars Lander (Contact Lost)\n**Mars 7 - 9 August 1973 - Mars Flyby (Attempted Mars Lander)\n**Mariner 10 - 4 November 1973 - Venus Flyby/1st Mercury Flyby\n*1974\n**Luna 22 - 2 June 1974 - Lunar Orbiter\n**Luna 23 - 28 October 1974 - Attempted Lunar Sample Return\n*1975\n**Venera 9 - 8 June 1975 - 1st Venus Orbiter and Lander\n**Venera 10 - 14 June 1975 - Venus Orbiter and Lander\n**Viking 1 - 20 August 1975 - Mars Orbiter and Lander\n**Viking 2 - 9 September 1975 - Mars Orbiter and Lander\n**Luna 1975A - 16 October 1975 - Attempted Lunar Sample Return?\n*1976\n**Helios 2 - 15 January 1976 - Closest Solar Approach\n**Luna 24 - 9 August 1976 - Lunar Sample Return\n*1977\n**Voyager 2 - 20 August 1977 - Jupiter/Saturn/1st Uranus/1st Neptune Flyby\n**Voyager 1 - 5 September 1977 - Jupiter/Saturn Flyby\n*1978\n**Pioneer Venus 1 - 20 May 1978 - Venus Orbiter\n**Pioneer Venus 2 - 8 August 1978 - Venus Probes\n**ISEE-3/ICE - 12 August 1978 - Comet Giacobini-Zinner and Comet Halley Flybys - 1st Comet flyby \n**Venera 11 - 9 September 1978 - Venus Orbiter and Lander\n**Venera 12 - 14 September 1978 - Venus Orbiter and Lander

1980s

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

1990s

1990\n**Hiten - 24 January 1990 - Lunar Flyby and Orbiter\n**Hubble Space Telescope - 25 April 1990 - Earth Orbiting Observatory\n**Ulysses - 06 October 1990 - Jupiter Flyby and Solar Polar Orbiter\n*1992\n**Mars Observer - 25 September 1992 - Attempted Mars Orbiter (Contact Lost)\n*1994\n**Clementine - 25 January 1994 - Lunar Orbiter/Attempted Asteroid Flyby\n*1996\n**NEAR - 17 February 1996 -1st Near-Earth asteroid Flyby, 1st Asteroid Orbit and 1st Asteroid Landing - Eros Orbiter\n**Mars Global Surveyor - 07 November 1996 - Mars Orbiter\n**Mars 96 - 16 November 1996 - Attempted Mars Orbiter/Landers\n**Mars Pathfinder - 04 December 1996 - Mars Lander and 1st Mars Rover\n*1997\n**Cassini-Huygens - 15 October 1997 - Saturn Orbiter and Titan Probe and Lander, 1st Saturn Orbiter\n**AsiaSat 3/HGS-1 - 24 December 1997 - Lunar Flyby\n*1998\n**Lunar Prospector - 7 January 1998 - Lunar Orbiter\n**Nozomi (Planet-B) - 3 July 1998 - Attempted Mars Orbiter (failed to enter Mars orbit)\n**Deep Space 1 (DS1) - 24 October 1998 - Asteroid and Comet Flyby\n**Mars Climate Orbiter - 11 December 1998 - Attempted Mars Orbiter\n*1999\n**Mars Polar Lander - 3 January 1999 - Attempted Mars Lander\n**Deep Space 2 (DS2) - 3 January 1999 - Attempted Mars Penetrators\n**Stardust - 7 February 1999 - Comet Coma Sample Return

2000s

2001\n**2001 Mars Odyssey - 7 April 2001 - Mars Orbiter\n**Genesis - 8 August 2001 - Solar Wind Sample Return\n*2002\n**CONTOUR - 3 July 2002 - Attempted Fly-by of three Comet Nuclei\n*2003\n**Champollion/DS4 - 19 April 2003 - Comet Orbiter and Lander (cancelled)\n**Hayabusa (Muses-C) - 9 May 2003 - Asteroid Lander and Sample Return\n**Mars Exploration Rovers - 10 June/7 July 2003 - Two Mars Rovers\n**Mars Express - 1 June 2003 - Mars Orbiter/Attempted Lander\n**SMART 1 - 27 September 2003 - Lunar Orbiter\n*2004\n**Rosetta - 2 March 2004 - Comet Orbiter and Lander

Planned/scheduled

\n*2004\n**MESSENGER - 2 August 2004 - Mercury Orbiter\n**Deep Impact - 30 December 2004 - Comet Rendezvous and Impact\n**Pluto Kuiper Express - cancelled, now New Horizons\n*2005\n**Lunar-A - 2005 - JAXA - Lunar Orbiter and Penetrators (delayed)\n**Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter - July 2005 - Mars Orbiter\n**Venus Express - November 2005 - Venus polar orbiter\n*2006\n**New Horizons - 9 January 2006 - Pluto/Charon and Kuiper Belt Flyby\n**Dawn - 27 May 2006 - Asteroid Ceres and Vesta Orbiter\n**Kepler - October 2006 - Extrasolar Terrestrial Planet Detection Mission\n**Europa Orbiter - 2006 - Proposed Europa Orbiter\n**NEAP - 2006 - possible Asteroid Nereus Rendezvous\n**Selene - 2005 - Lunar Orbiter\n**Chang'e - December, 2006 - Lunar Orbiter\n*2007\n**Phoenix - Late 2007 - Mobile Scientific Laboratory, Small Scout Missions\n**NetLander - Late 2007 - Mars Netlanders (cancelled)\n**Phobos-Grunt - 2007 - Phobos Sample Return\n*2008\n**Planet-C - 2008 - JAXA Venus Orbiter\n**Solar Dynamics Laboratory - continuous solar monitoring\n**Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter\n*2009\n**Mercury Orbiter - August 2009 - ISAS Mercury Orbiter\n**Mars Science Laboratory - Late 2009 - Rover\n**Mars 2009 - Late 2009 - Possible Communications Satellite, Small Net-Landers\n*2011\n**Mars 2011 - scouting mission\n*2012\n**BepiColombo - Sep 2012 - ESA and ISAS Mercury Orbiters\n*2015\n**Jupiter Icy Moons Orbiter (JIMO) - 2011 - Orbiter to Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto Category:Science timelines

"There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle." - Albert Einstein (1879-1955)

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