Wikipedia / List of active Solar System probes
Wikipedia / List of active Solar System probes
This is a list of active space probes which have escaped Earth orbit. It includes lunar space probes, but does not include space probes orbiting at the Sun–Earth Lagrangian points (for these, see List of objects at Lagrangian points). A craft is deemed "active" if it is still able to transmit usable data to Earth (regardless of whether it can receive commands).
The craft are further grouped by mission status – "en-route", "mission in progress" or "mission complete" – based on their primary mission. For example, though Voyager 1 is still contactable en-route to the Oort Cloud and has exited the Solar System, it is listed as "mission complete" because its primary task of studying Jupiter and Saturn has been accomplished. Once a probe has reached its first primary target, it is no longer listed as "en route" regardless of whether further travel is involved.
Missions in progress
Moon
Mission: studying the effect of the solar wind on the Moon. Originally launched as Earth satellites, they were later repurposed and moved to lunar orbit.
Launched: February 17, 2007
Destination: Moon (in lunar orbit)
Arrival: July 2011
Institution: NASA
Mission: Orbiter engaged in lunar mapping intended to identify safe landing sites, locate potential resources on the Moon, characterize the radiation environment, and demonstrate new technology.
Launched: 18 June 2009
Destination: Moon (in lunar orbit)
Arrival: 23 June 2009
Institution: NASA
Mission: Halo orbiter serving as communications satellite for Chang'e 4 lunar far-side mission; conducting joint China-Netherlands low frequency astronomy experiment.
Launched: 21:28 UT on 20 May 2018
Destination: in halo orbit about Earth-Moon L2
Arrival: 14 June 2018
Institution: CNSA
Chang'e 4 lander and rover
Mission: Lander engaging in low-frequency radio spectrometry experiment, neutron and dosimetry experiment, and biological experiment. Rover seeking to characterize lunar far-side environment (including possible lunar mantle material) using visible/near-infrared spectrometer, ground penetrating radar, cameras, and neutral particle analyzer.
Launched: 18:23 UT on 8 December 2018
Destination: Lunar far side
Arrival: 02:26 UT on 3 January 2019
Institution: CNSA
Chandrayaan-2 Orbiter
Mission: engaged in lunar topography and mineralogy, elemental abundance, the lunar exosphere, and signatures of hydroxyl and water.
Launched: 22 July 2019
Destination: Moon (in lunar orbit)
Arrival: 20 August 2019
Institution: ISRO
Mission: Lunar orbiting CubeSat that will test and verify the calculated orbital stability planned for the Gateway space station.
Launched: 28 June 2022
Destination: Moon (in a Near-rectilinear halo orbit (NRHO))
Arrival: 14 November 2022
Institution: NASA
Danuri (Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter)
Mission: Lunar Orbiter by the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) of South Korea. The orbiter, its science payload and ground control infrastructure are technology demonstrators. The orbiter will also be tasked with surveying lunar resources such as water ice, uranium, helium-3, silicon, and aluminium, and produce a topographic map to help select future lunar landing sites.
Launched: 4 August 2022
Destination: Moon (in lunar orbit)
Arrival: 16 December 2022
Mission: lunar orbiter serving as communications satellite for Chang'e 6, Chang'e 7 Chang'e 8 and International Lunar Research Station on lunar far-side mission;
Launched: 20 March 2024
Destination: Moon (in lunar orbit)
Arrival: 24 March 2024
Institution: CNSA
Mission: Testing technologies for a future lunar Satellite constellation.
Launched: 20 March 2024
Destination: Moon (in lunar orbit)
Arrival: 24 March 2024
Institution: Deep Space Exploration Laboratory
Mission: Testing technologies for a future lunar Satellite constellation.
Launched: 20 March 2024
Destination: Moon (in lunar orbit)
Arrival: 24 March 2024
Institution: Deep Space Exploration Laboratory
DRO A/B
Mission: Testing technologies to establish lunar navigation and communications infrastructure to support lunar exploration.
Launched: 13 March 2024
Arrival: ~20 August 2024
Institution: China Academy of Sciences
Mission: First Pakistani lunar mission piggybacking with Chang'e 6.
Launched: 3 May 2024
Destination: Moon (in lunar orbit)
Arrival: 8 May 2024
Institution: SUPARCO
Mercury
Mission: Spacecraft consists of the Mercury Transfer Module (MTM), Mercury Planetary Orbiter (MPO), and the Mercury Magnetospheric Orbiter (MMO or Mio). MTM and MPO are built by ESA while the MMO is mostly built by JAXA. Once the MTM delivers the MPO and MMO to Mercury orbit, the two orbiters will have the following objectives: to study Mercury's form, interior structure, geology, composition, and craters; to study the origin, structure, and dynamics of its magnetic field; to characterize the composition and dynamics of Mercury's vestigial atmosphere; to test Einstein's theory of general relativity; to search for asteroids sunward of Earth; and to generally study the origin and evolution of a planet close to a parent star.
Launched: 01:45:28 UT on 19 October 2018
Destination: Mercury
Arrival: En route (anticipated to enter Mercury polar orbit in November 2026)
Mars
Mission: Mars Odyssey was designed to map the surface of Mars and also acts as a relay for the Curiosity rover. Its name is a tribute to the novel and 1968 film 2001: A Space Odyssey.
Launched: 7 April 2001
Destination: Mars
Arrival: 24 October 2001
Institution: NASA
Mission: Mars orbiter designed to study the planet's atmosphere and geology and search for sub-surface water. In 2017 the mission was extended until at least the end of 2020.
Launched: 2 June 2003
Destination: Mars
Arrival: 25 December 2003
Institution: ESA
Mission: the second NASA satellite orbiting Mars. It is specifically designed to analyze the landforms, stratigraphy, minerals, and ice of the red planet.
Launched: 12 August 2005
Destination: Mars
Arrival: 10 March 2006
Institution: NASA
Mission: searching for evidence of organic material on Mars, monitoring methane levels in the atmosphere, and engaging in exploration of the landing site at Gale Crater.
Launched: 26 November 2011
Destination: Mars
Arrival: 6 August 2012
Institution: NASA
Trace Gas Orbiter (ExoMars 2016)
Mission: study methane and other trace gases in the Martian atmosphere
Launched: 14 March 2016
Destination: Mars
Arrived: 19 October 2016 (Mars orbit insertion), 21 April 2018 (final orbit)
Institution: ESA
Mission: study weather and atmosphere.
Launched: 19 July 2020
Destination: Mars
Arrival: 9 February 2021
Institution: UAESA
Tianwen-1 orbiter
Mission: find evidence for current and past life and produce Martian surface maps. Orbital studies of Martian surface morphology, soil, and atmosphere.
Launched: 23 July 2020
Destination: Mars
Arrival: 10 February 2021
Institution: CNSA
Mission: searching for evidence of organic material on Mars, and engaging in exploration of the landing site at Jezero crater.
Launched: 30 July 2020
Destination: Jezero crater, Mars
Arrival: 18 February 2021
Institution: NASA
Mission: Two orbiters
Launched: 13 November 2025
Destination: Mars
Arrival: 2027
Institution: NASA
Asteroids and comets
Mission: asteroid study and sample-return
Launched: 3 December 2014
Destination: 162173 Ryugu
Arrival: 27 June 2018
Left Ryugu: 12 November 2019
Destination: 98943 Torifune
Expected arrival: June 2026
Institution: JAXA
Mission: asteroid study and sample-return
Launched: 8 September 2016
Destination: 101955 Bennu
Arrival: 3 December 2018
Left Bennu: 10 May 2021
Destination: 99942 Apophis
Expected arrival: April 2029
Institution: NASA
Mission: to fly by 8 Jupiter trojans and one main-belt asteroid
Launched: 16 October 2021
Destination: 152830 Dinkinesh
Arrival: 1 November 2023
Destination: 52246 Donaldjohanson
Arrival: 20 April 2025
Destination: 3548 Eurybates
Expected arrival: 12 August 2027
Institution: NASA
Mission: to orbit a main-belt asteroid
Launched: 13 October 2023
Destination: 16 Psyche
Expected arrival: August 2029
Institution: NASA
Mission: to orbit a binary asteroid and observe the asteroids after the DART impact.
Launched: 7 October 2024
Destination: 65803 Didymos system
Expected arrival: December 2026
Institution: ESA
Mission: asteroid study and sample-return
Launched: 29 May 2025
Destination: 469219 Kamoʻoalewa
Arrival: 7 June 2026
Institution: CNSA
Heliocentric orbit
Mission: observation of solar wind, magnetic fields, and coronal energy flow.
Launched: 12 August 2018
Destination: low solar orbit, perihelion 6.9 million km
Arrival: 19 January 2019
Institution: NASA
Mission: detailed measurements of the inner heliosphere and nascent solar wind, and close observations of the polar regions of the Sun.
Launched: 10 February 2020
Destination: High inclination solar orbit
Arrival: Operational orbit in 2023
Institution: ESA
Outer Solar System
Jupiter
Mission: studying Jupiter from polar orbit. Originally intended to de-orbit into the Jovian atmosphere after 2021, the mission was extended to 2025 and is still operating as of February 2026.
Launched: 5 August 2011
Destination: Jupiter
Arrival: 4 July 2016
Institution: NASA
Juice (Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer)
Mission: 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.
Launched: 14 April 2023
Destination: Jupiter
Arrival: July 2031 (en route)
Destination: Ganymede
Arrival: December 2034 (en route)
Institution: ESA
Mission: mission to study Jupiter and Europa.
Launched: 14 October 2024
Destination: Jupiter
Arrival: 11 April 2030 (en route)
Institution: NASA
Trans-Neptunian
Mission: studying all four giant planets. This mission was one of NASA's most successful, yielding a wealth of new information. As of November 2017 it is some 116 AU from the Sun (17.34 billion kilometers). It left the heliosphere and crossed into interstellar space in December 2018. As with Voyager 1, scientists are now using Voyager 2 to learn what the Solar System is like beyond the heliosphere.
Launched: 20 August 1977
Arrival: 9 July 1979
Institution: NASA
Primary mission completion: August 1989
Current trajectory: entered interstellar space December 2018
Mission: investigating Jupiter and Saturn, and the moons of these planets. Its continuing data feed offered the first direct measurements of the heliosheath and the heliopause. It is currently the furthest man-made object from Earth, as well as the first object to leave the heliosphere and cross into interstellar space. As of November 2017 it has a distance from the Sun of about 140 astronomical units (AU) (21 billion kilometers, or 0.002 light years), and it will not be overtaken by any other current craft. In August 2012, Voyager 1 became the first human-built spacecraft to enter interstellar space. Though declining, the onboard power source should keep some of the probe's instruments running until 2025.
Launched: 5 September 1977
Arrival: January 1979
Institution: NASA
Primary mission completion: November 1980
Current trajectory: entered interstellar space August 2012
Mission: the first spacecraft to study Pluto up close, and ultimately the Kuiper Belt. It was the fastest spacecraft when leaving Earth and will be the fifth probe to leave the Solar System.
Launched: 19 January 2006
Arrival: 14 July 2015
Left Charon: 14 July 2015
Institution: NASA
See also
References