Timeline of Solar System exploration

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.

1950s

*1957
**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 - 12 September 1959 - 1st Lunar Impact
**Luna 3 - 4 October 1959 - Lunar Flyby
**Pioneer P-3 - 26 November 1959 - Attempted Lunar Orbiter (Launch Failure)

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 - 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 - 27 August 1962 - 1st Successful Venus Flyby - 1st Successful Planetary Encounter
**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 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)
**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 - 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 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 - 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
**Apollo 9 - 3 March 1969 - Manned Lunar Lander (LEM) Flight Test
**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 - 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

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 - Manned Lunar Flyby and Return to Earth (Manned Lunar Landing Aborted)
**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

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

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

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 (expected arrival at Vesta 2011)"
**Chang'e 1 - 24 October 2007 - Lunar Orbiter

Planned or scheduled

*2008
**Chandrayaan 1 - October 2008 [http://www.chandrayaan-i.com/chandrayaan1/when1.html] - Lunar Orbiter
*2009
**Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter - March 2009 - Lunar Polar Orbiter and Lunar Impactor
**Kepler - April 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
**Solar Dynamics Observatory - January 2010 - Continuous Solar Monitoring
**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
**MAVEN - November 2013 - Mars Orbiter
**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
*2018
**Mars Sample Return Mission - 2018 - NASA/ESA Mars Sample Return Mission
*2019
**U.S. moonwalk - using Orion

ee also

*Landings on other planets
*List of artificial objects on extra-terrestrial surfaces
*List of Solar System probes (by target)
*New Frontiers Program
*Outer solar system
*Timeline of Earth science satellites

External links

* [http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/ NASA Lunar & Planetary Science]
* [http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/missions/future1.cfm NASA Solar System Strategic Exploration Plans]