Solar System Exploration

Here you will find links to a large number of past, present and proposed Solar System Missions from a wide variety of Countries.

Quick jump to...

Sun	Mercury	Venus	Moon	Earth	Mars	Asteroids
Jupiter	Saturn	Uranus	Neptune	Pluto	Comets	Others

Sun:

Mission links	Space Agency/Agencies
*Current Missions*
SOHO (NASA site) (ESA site) exploring the mysteries of our life giving star.	Joint NASA / ESA mission
Ulysses (NASA site) (ESA site) - a mission often overlooked!	Joint NASA / ESA mission
TRACE - Transition Region and Coronal Explorer	NASA
RHESSI - Reuven Ramaty High Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager (RHESSI)	NASA
ACE - Advanced Composition Explorer	NASA
SAMPEX - Solar Anomalous and Magnetospheric Particle Explorer	NASA
Stereo - studying the Sun with two spacecraft	NASA
Cluster II - a mission to understand the Solar Wind & the Earth.	ESA
Hinode (Solar B) - Japans successor to their highly successful Yohkoh satellite	JAXA
Interstellar Boundary Explorer - to explore the outer reaches of the Sun's influence. Launched and on the way.	NASA
*Currently being prepared or have funding for:*

*Proposed/ possible future missions*
Sun Probe - the first mission to actually go to the Sun	NASA
*Past Missions*
Yohkoh (Solar A) Japans excellant Solar observer	ISAS (original Japanese Organisation)
Genesis - a mission to collect a sample of the Solar Wind	NASA

Mercury:

Mission links	Space Agency/Agencies
*Current Missions*
Messenger - launched and on the way for it's 7 year journey	NASA
*Currently being prepared or have funding for*
Bepi Colombo - ESA's mission to explore Mercury Launch 2013	ESA/ISAS (Japan)
*Proposed/ possible future missions*
None
*Past Missions*
Mariner 10	NASA

Venus:

Mission links	Space Agency/Agencies
*Current Missions*
Venus Express - Europe's first mission to the planet	ESA
*Currently being prepared or have funding for*

*Proposed/ possible future missions*
Planet C - Japans mission to Venus - launch 2008 arrival 2009	JAXA
*Past Missions*
Mariner 10	NASA
Pioneer Venus	NASA
Vega	Former USSR
Magellan at Venus	NASA

Moon:

Mission links	Space Agency/Agencies
*Current Missions*
Smart -1 - ESA's technology proving mission to the Moon	ESA
Selene Japans mission to take them to our nearest neighbour	JAXA
*Proposed/ possible future missions*
LUNAR-A - Japans mission to fire penetrators into the Lunar crust. Note Developement suspended.	JAXA
*Currently being prepared or have funding for*
*Past Missions*
Clementine - Lunar and Planetary Institute site	NASA/SDIO
Clementine - NASA Goddard Space Flight Center site	NASA/SDIO
Lunar Prospector - NASA Ames Research Centre site	NASA
The Ranger series - NASA JPL site	NASA

Earth:

Mission links	Space Agency/Agencies/Country
*Current missions*
The Landsat Program	NASA
Landsat 7	NASA
QuikScat	NASA
SeaWiFS	NASA
Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission	NASA/JAXA (Japan)
IMAGE - studying the Earth's Magnetic environment	NASA
Earth Observing System including: Terra (including ASTER)	NASA
IMP 8 - studying Earth's magnetotail and magnetosheath	NASA
FAST - Fast Auroral Snapshot Explorer	NASA
SNOE - Student Nitric Oxide Explorer	NASA
AQUA - Studying the Earths Water Cycle	NASA
Double Star - a mission to compliment the ESA Cluster 2 Mission	ESA/CNSA (China)
THEMIS - mission to study Auroral Substorms	NASA
*Currently being prepared or have funding for*

Mars:

Mission links	Space Agency/Agencies
*Current missions*
Mars Exploration Program - overall link to current & upcoming missions	NASA
Mars Global Surveyor - the continuing exploration of 'Barsoom'	NASA
Mars Odyssey 2001 - continuing to provide amazing results despite it reaching the end of it's operational lifetime.	NASA
Mars Express - Europe's first Mars Mission	ESA
Mars Exploration Rovers- Spirit and Opportunity	NASA
MARS RECONNAISSANCE ORBITER	NASA
Mars Phoenix Lander - landed sucessfully and providing images from the Martian Northern Polar region. Check out the JPL site as well!	NASA
*Currently being prepared or have funding for*

Mars Science Laboratory launch 2011	NASA

Asteroids:

Mission links	Space Agency/Agencies
*Current missions*
Hayabusa (Muses-C)- A Japanese mission to an Asteroid (Itokawa)	JAXA
DAWN - the mission to orbit Ceres and Vesta	NASA
*Currently being prepared or have funding for*

Jupiter:

Mission links	Space Agency/Agencies
*Current missions*
None at present
*Proposed or currently being prepared/ have funding for:*
Juno - a new mission to explore the atmosphere and dynamics of the Planet in detail - scheduled for 2011 lift off.	NASA
	NASA

Saturn:

Mission links	Space Agency/Agencies
*Current missions*
The Cassini mission to Saturn & Titan - the long journey to the Ringed wonder can be followed from here	NASA
Huygens - ESA's Titan probe contribution to the above mission	ESA
*Currently being prepared or have funding for*
None

Comets:

Mission links	Space Agency/Agencies
*Current missions*
Project Stardust	NASA
Rosetta - the ESA mission to a comet	ESA
Deep Impact - NASA's mission to Comet 9P/Tempel 1	NASA
EPOXI - the Deep Impact mission extension	NASA
*Currently being prepared or have funding for*
None

Pluto:

Mission links	Space Agency/Agencies
*Current missions*
New Horizons - Pluto / Kuiper Belt Mission - a mission to the outer frontier of our solar system and the one planet in our Solar System not yet visited by a spaceprobe. Launched January 19th 2006 and on the way on its 9 year journey!	NASA
*Currently being prepared or have funding for*

Other:

Mission links	Space Agency/Agencies
*Current missions*
The Voyager Interstellar Mission - the adventure continues....	NASA
*Currently being prepared or have funding for*
None

Possible Future and Proposed Missions
These are missions that have been suggested or proposed or put forward as ideas but have not yet been given the funding to go ahead.

The Sun

Solar Probe - NASA's proposed mission to fly through the Sun's Corona.

Solar Orbiter - ESA's proposed mission to orbit our Sun
Mars

Mars - 2005 and beyond - NASA's possible follow up missions
Mars Network - looking further ahead.
Mars - NASA's Human Spaceflight link

Asteroids

DAWN & the Mission home page- a NASA mission to Vesta and Ceres slated for launch 2006

The Jovian System

Europa Orbiter - the follow on NASA mission to explore this intriguing jovian moon
The Jupiter Icy Moons mission (NASA)

The Search for other Planetary Systems (spaceflight)

The Darwin Mission - ESA's mission to search for terrestrial planets
Kepler - NASA's mission to look for terrestrial planets
The Terrestrial Planet finder (NASA)
Smart 2 ESA's test craft for the Darwin and Lisa missions

Past Planetary Missions

Comets
ESA's Giotto at Comet Halley

Mars
Mariner 9 at Mars
Viking 1 & 2 at Mars
Phobos 2 Russian mission at Mars
Mars Pathfinder and here - lots to sink your teeth into!

Asteroids:
NEAR - the highly successful mission to two asteroids, Mathilde and EROS.
Deep Space 1 - NASA tested new technologies & included the Comet Borrelly flyby.

The Outer Gas Giants
Pioneer 10 & 11 to Jupiter & Saturn

Voyager's 1 & 2 at Jupiter , Saturn , Uranus & Neptune .

The Jupiter Millennium Flyby - Cassini joined with Galileo to explore Jupiter simultaneously.

The Galileo mission to Jupiter - well done Galileo!

Expect further updates & links to be organised soon so do keep coming back!

Webmaster ãPaul L Money 2010