Compressed AU geometry
The simulator uses square-root compressed heliocentric distance so inner and outer planet missions fit one teaching frame.
Planetary spacecraft atlas
Every launched spacecraft campaign that changed how planets and the Sun are studied.
A dedicated mission index for solar probes, planetary flybys, orbiters, landers, probes, rovers, gravity-assist tours, and active cruise missions, with lightweight transfer simulation and expedition notes.
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Mission Groups
Browse by target world
Each section links to detail pages and keeps spacecraft grouped by the world or system it was built to study.
Sun and solar probes
1 spacecraft records with launch, transfer, expedition notes, status, and detail pages.
Mercury missions
3 spacecraft records with launch, transfer, expedition notes, status, and detail pages.
Venus missions
13 spacecraft records with launch, transfer, expedition notes, status, and detail pages.
Mars missions
25 spacecraft records with launch, transfer, expedition notes, status, and detail pages.
Jupiter system missions
7 spacecraft records with launch, transfer, expedition notes, status, and detail pages.
Saturn system missions
3 spacecraft records with launch, transfer, expedition notes, status, and detail pages.
Uranus encounters
1 spacecraft records with launch, transfer, expedition notes, status, and detail pages.
Neptune encounters
1 spacecraft records with launch, transfer, expedition notes, status, and detail pages.
Pluto and Kuiper Belt missions
1 spacecraft records with launch, transfer, expedition notes, status, and detail pages.
Dwarf-planet missions
1 spacecraft records with launch, transfer, expedition notes, status, and detail pages.
Europa missions
1 spacecraft records with launch, transfer, expedition notes, status, and detail pages.
Spacecraft catalog
Launched planetary missions
Records include successful missions, partial successes, and important failed attempts when the spacecraft was launched for planetary study.
| Spacecraft | Target | Agency | Launch | Type | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Parker Solar Probe | Sun | NASA / APL | August 12, 2018 | Solar corona probe | Solar-orbit mission after baseline close solar passes |
| Mariner 2 | Venus | NASA / JPL | August 27, 1962 | Flyby | Successful Venus flyby |
| Mars 1 | Mars | Soviet space program | November 1, 1962 | Flyby attempt | Contact lost before Mars encounter |
| Mariner 4 | Mars | NASA / JPL | November 28, 1964 | Flyby | Successful Mars flyby |
| Mariner 5 | Venus | NASA / JPL | June 14, 1967 | Flyby | Successful Venus flyby |
| Venera 4 | Venus | Soviet space program | June 12, 1967 | Atmospheric probe | Returned in-situ atmospheric data |
| Mariner 6 and 7 | Mars | NASA / JPL | February 24 and March 27, 1969 | Twin flybys | Successful Mars flybys |
| Venera 7 | Venus | Soviet space program | August 17, 1970 | Lander | First successful soft landing on another planet |
| Mariner 9 | Mars | NASA / JPL | May 30, 1971 | Orbiter | First spacecraft to orbit another planet |
| Mars 2 and Mars 3 | Mars | Soviet space program | May 19 and May 28, 1971 | Orbiters and landers | Orbiters operated; Mars 3 achieved brief surface transmission |
| Pioneer 10 | Jupiter | NASA / Ames | March 2, 1972 | Flyby | Successful first Jupiter flyby |
| Mariner 10 | Venus and Mercury | NASA / JPL | November 3, 1973 | Gravity-assist flybys | Successful Venus assist and three Mercury flybys |
| Pioneer 11 | Jupiter and Saturn | NASA / Ames | April 5, 1973 | Flybys | Successful Jupiter and first Saturn flyby |
| Viking 1 and 2 | Mars | NASA / JPL | August 20 and September 9, 1975 | Orbiters and landers | Successful long-lived Mars orbiter and lander campaign |
| Venera 9 and 10 | Venus | Soviet space program | June 8 and June 14, 1975 | Orbiters and landers | Successful Venus orbiters and surface imaging |
| Pioneer Venus Orbiter | Venus | NASA / Ames | May 20, 1978 | Orbiter | Successful long-duration Venus orbiter |
| Pioneer Venus Multiprobe | Venus | NASA / Ames | August 8, 1978 | Atmospheric probes | Successful multiple atmospheric entries |
| Voyager 1 and 2 | Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune | NASA / JPL | August 20 and September 5, 1977 | Gravity-assist flyby tour | Successful outer-planet tour; interstellar extension ongoing |
| Venera 13 and 14 | Venus | Soviet space program | October and November 1981 | Landers | Successful color surface imaging and geochemistry |
| Vega 1 and 2 | Venus | Soviet space program with international partners | December 15 and December 21, 1984 | Venus landers and balloons | Successful Venus balloon and lander operations |
| Phobos 2 | Mars and Phobos | Soviet space program | July 12, 1988 | Orbiter and Phobos encounter | Partial success; contact lost before lander deployment |
| Magellan | Venus | NASA / JPL | May 4, 1989 | Radar orbiter | Successful global radar mapping mission |
| Galileo | Jupiter | NASA / JPL | October 18, 1989 | Orbiter and atmospheric probe | Successful Jupiter orbiter and probe mission |
| Mars Observer | Mars | NASA / JPL | September 25, 1992 | Orbiter | Lost before Mars orbit insertion |
| Mars Global Surveyor | Mars | NASA / JPL | November 7, 1996 | Orbiter | Successful Mars global mapping mission |
| Mars Pathfinder and Sojourner | Mars | NASA / JPL | December 4, 1996 | Lander and rover | Successful technology and surface-science mission |
| Cassini-Huygens | Saturn and Titan | NASA / ESA / ASI | October 15, 1997 | Orbiter and Titan lander | Successful Saturn system mission |
| Nozomi | Mars | ISAS / Japan | July 4, 1998 | Orbiter attempt | Failed to enter Mars orbit |
| 2001 Mars Odyssey | Mars | NASA / JPL | April 7, 2001 | Orbiter | Long-lived Mars orbiter and relay |
| Mars Express and Beagle 2 | Mars | ESA / UK partners | June 2, 2003 | Orbiter and lander | Orbiter successful; Beagle 2 did not communicate |
| Spirit and Opportunity | Mars | NASA / JPL | June 10 and July 7, 2003 | Twin rovers | Successful long-duration Mars surface missions |
| MESSENGER | Mercury | NASA / APL | August 3, 2004 | Orbiter | Successful Mercury orbiter |
| Venus Express | Venus | ESA | November 9, 2005 | Orbiter | Successful Venus atmosphere and plasma mission |
| Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter | Mars | NASA / JPL | August 12, 2005 | Orbiter | High-resolution Mars orbiter and relay |
| Phoenix | Mars | NASA / JPL | August 4, 2007 | Polar lander | Successful Mars polar lander |
| Akatsuki | Venus | JAXA | May 20, 2010 | Orbiter | Successful Venus climate orbiter after delayed insertion |
| Juno | Jupiter | NASA / JPL | August 5, 2011 | Polar orbiter | Operating extended Jupiter mission |
| Curiosity | Mars | NASA / JPL | November 26, 2011 | Rover | Operating Mars rover |
| MAVEN | Mars | NASA / Goddard | November 18, 2013 | Atmosphere orbiter | Operating Mars atmosphere and relay mission |
| Mars Orbiter Mission | Mars | ISRO | November 5, 2013 | Orbiter | Successful Mars technology and science orbiter |
| ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter | Mars | ESA / Roscosmos | March 14, 2016 | Orbiter and entry demonstrator | Orbiter operating; Schiaparelli lander failed |
| InSight | Mars | NASA / JPL | May 5, 2018 | Geophysical lander | Completed Mars interior mission |
| BepiColombo | Mercury | ESA / JAXA | October 20, 2018 | Dual Mercury orbiters | Cruise and Mercury flyby phase |
| Hope Mars Mission | Mars | UAE Space Agency / MBRSC | July 19, 2020 | Orbiter | Operating Mars atmosphere mission |
| Tianwen-1 and Zhurong | Mars | CNSA | July 23, 2020 | Orbiter, lander, and rover | Orbiter successful; Zhurong surface mission completed or inactive |
| Perseverance and Ingenuity | Mars | NASA / JPL | July 30, 2020 | Rover and helicopter | Perseverance operating; Ingenuity completed flight demonstration |
| JUICE | Jupiter icy moons | ESA | April 14, 2023 | Jupiter system orbiter | Cruise phase |
| Europa Clipper | Europa and Jupiter | NASA / JPL | October 14, 2024 | Multiple Europa flybys from Jupiter orbit | Cruise phase |
| ESCAPADE Blue and Gold | Mars | NASA / UC Berkeley | November 2025 | Twin orbiters | Post-launch cruise and mission operations |
| New Horizons | Pluto system | NASA / APL | January 19, 2006 | Flyby | Extended Kuiper Belt mission |
| Dawn | Vesta and Ceres | NASA / JPL | September 27, 2007 | Ion-propulsion orbiter | Completed asteroid-belt mission |
Target group
Sun and solar probes
1 launched spacecraft records.
Target group
Mercury missions
3 launched spacecraft records.
Target group
Venus missions
13 launched spacecraft records.
Venus
Mariner 2
Flyby - August 27, 1962. Successful Venus flyby
Venus
Mariner 5
Flyby - June 14, 1967. Successful Venus flyby
Venus
Venera 4
Atmospheric probe - June 12, 1967. Returned in-situ atmospheric data
Venus
Venera 7
Lander - August 17, 1970. First successful soft landing on another planet
Venus and Mercury
Mariner 10
Gravity-assist flybys - November 3, 1973. Successful Venus assist and three Mercury flybys
Venus
Venera 9 and 10
Orbiters and landers - June 8 and June 14, 1975. Successful Venus orbiters and surface imaging
Venus
Pioneer Venus Orbiter
Orbiter - May 20, 1978. Successful long-duration Venus orbiter
Venus
Pioneer Venus Multiprobe
Atmospheric probes - August 8, 1978. Successful multiple atmospheric entries
Venus
Venera 13 and 14
Landers - October and November 1981. Successful color surface imaging and geochemistry
Venus
Vega 1 and 2
Venus landers and balloons - December 15 and December 21, 1984. Successful Venus balloon and lander operations
Venus
Magellan
Radar orbiter - May 4, 1989. Successful global radar mapping mission
Venus
Venus Express
Orbiter - November 9, 2005. Successful Venus atmosphere and plasma mission
Venus
Akatsuki
Orbiter - May 20, 2010. Successful Venus climate orbiter after delayed insertion
Target group
Mars missions
25 launched spacecraft records.
Mars
Mars 1
Flyby attempt - November 1, 1962. Contact lost before Mars encounter
Mars
Mariner 4
Flyby - November 28, 1964. Successful Mars flyby
Mars
Mariner 6 and 7
Twin flybys - February 24 and March 27, 1969. Successful Mars flybys
Mars
Mariner 9
Orbiter - May 30, 1971. First spacecraft to orbit another planet
Mars
Mars 2 and Mars 3
Orbiters and landers - May 19 and May 28, 1971. Orbiters operated; Mars 3 achieved brief surface transmission
Mars
Viking 1 and 2
Orbiters and landers - August 20 and September 9, 1975. Successful long-lived Mars orbiter and lander campaign
Mars and Phobos
Phobos 2
Orbiter and Phobos encounter - July 12, 1988. Partial success; contact lost before lander deployment
Mars
Mars Observer
Orbiter - September 25, 1992. Lost before Mars orbit insertion
Mars
Mars Global Surveyor
Orbiter - November 7, 1996. Successful Mars global mapping mission
Mars
Mars Pathfinder and Sojourner
Lander and rover - December 4, 1996. Successful technology and surface-science mission
Mars
Nozomi
Orbiter attempt - July 4, 1998. Failed to enter Mars orbit
Mars
2001 Mars Odyssey
Orbiter - April 7, 2001. Long-lived Mars orbiter and relay
Mars
Mars Express and Beagle 2
Orbiter and lander - June 2, 2003. Orbiter successful; Beagle 2 did not communicate
Mars
Spirit and Opportunity
Twin rovers - June 10 and July 7, 2003. Successful long-duration Mars surface missions
Mars
Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter
Orbiter - August 12, 2005. High-resolution Mars orbiter and relay
Mars
Phoenix
Polar lander - August 4, 2007. Successful Mars polar lander
Mars
Curiosity
Rover - November 26, 2011. Operating Mars rover
Mars
MAVEN
Atmosphere orbiter - November 18, 2013. Operating Mars atmosphere and relay mission
Mars
Mars Orbiter Mission
Orbiter - November 5, 2013. Successful Mars technology and science orbiter
Mars
ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter
Orbiter and entry demonstrator - March 14, 2016. Orbiter operating; Schiaparelli lander failed
Mars
InSight
Geophysical lander - May 5, 2018. Completed Mars interior mission
Mars
Hope Mars Mission
Orbiter - July 19, 2020. Operating Mars atmosphere mission
Mars
Tianwen-1 and Zhurong
Orbiter, lander, and rover - July 23, 2020. Orbiter successful; Zhurong surface mission completed or inactive
Mars
Perseverance and Ingenuity
Rover and helicopter - July 30, 2020. Perseverance operating; Ingenuity completed flight demonstration
Mars
ESCAPADE Blue and Gold
Twin orbiters - November 2025. Post-launch cruise and mission operations
Target group
Jupiter system missions
7 launched spacecraft records.
Jupiter
Pioneer 10
Flyby - March 2, 1972. Successful first Jupiter flyby
Jupiter and Saturn
Pioneer 11
Flybys - April 5, 1973. Successful Jupiter and first Saturn flyby
Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune
Voyager 1 and 2
Gravity-assist flyby tour - August 20 and September 5, 1977. Successful outer-planet tour; interstellar extension ongoing
Jupiter
Galileo
Orbiter and atmospheric probe - October 18, 1989. Successful Jupiter orbiter and probe mission
Jupiter
Juno
Polar orbiter - August 5, 2011. Operating extended Jupiter mission
Jupiter icy moons
JUICE
Jupiter system orbiter - April 14, 2023. Cruise phase
Europa and Jupiter
Europa Clipper
Multiple Europa flybys from Jupiter orbit - October 14, 2024. Cruise phase
Target group
Saturn system missions
3 launched spacecraft records.
Jupiter and Saturn
Pioneer 11
Flybys - April 5, 1973. Successful Jupiter and first Saturn flyby
Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune
Voyager 1 and 2
Gravity-assist flyby tour - August 20 and September 5, 1977. Successful outer-planet tour; interstellar extension ongoing
Saturn and Titan
Cassini-Huygens
Orbiter and Titan lander - October 15, 1997. Successful Saturn system mission
Target group
Uranus encounters
1 launched spacecraft records.
Target group
Neptune encounters
1 launched spacecraft records.
Target group
Pluto and Kuiper Belt missions
1 launched spacecraft records.
Target group
Dwarf-planet missions
1 launched spacecraft records.
Target group
Europa missions
1 launched spacecraft records.
Simulation Notes
What the transfer animation means
Target orbit reference
Each mission draws Earth orbit, the main target orbit, and a transfer arc. It is a mission-class visualization, not a full n-body reconstruction.
Expedition logic
The detail pages separate launch vehicle, transfer path, arrival mode, science payload, and outcome so the mission can be reviewed as an engineering system.
Mathematical model
Mission trajectory and spacecraft model
Mission visuals combine catalog dates, distance vectors, speed estimates, and schematic spacecraft geometry. They are not CAD-certified vehicle meshes unless a source model is explicitly loaded.
Vector propagation
\[\mathbf{r}(t)=\mathbf{r}_0+\mathbf{v}(t-t_0)\]
For live-distance spacecraft pages, current position is propagated from epoch vector and velocity when high-precision ephemerides are not bundled.
Transfer curve
\[\mathbf{r}_{\mathrm{curve}}(u)=\operatorname{Bezier}\!\left(\mathbf{r}_{\mathrm{launch}},\mathbf{r}_{\mathrm{mid}},\mathbf{r}_{\mathrm{target}}\right)\]
Mission path arcs are schematic transfer curves anchored at meaningful endpoints, not claims of exact reconstructed trajectories.
Dimensional hierarchy
\[T_{\mathrm{world}}=T_{\mathrm{parent}}RS\]
Spacecraft parts are placed with transformation matrices. This proves the generated geometry is internally consistent even when simplified.
Verification standard: the rendered object must be reproducible from stated equations, catalog parameters, or explicit geometric transforms. Visual reference images may inform presentation only; they are not the source of orbital positions, field vectors, accretion-disk gradients, timing, or engineering layout.
Limitations: browser scenes may use bounded scale, compressed distances, simplified two-body dynamics, schematic transfer curves, or educational approximations where full numerical ephemerides, CFD, finite-element models, or general-relativistic ray tracing are outside the page scope. Those simplifications are part of the model contract, not hidden image-based construction.