List of missions to minor planets

Short description: None

List of missions to minor planets is a listing of spaceflight missions to minor planets, which are category of astronomical body that excludes planets, moons and comets, but orbit the Sun. Most missions to minor planets have been to asteroids or dwarf planets.

Spacecraft visits to minor planets have mostly been flybys, and have ranged from dedicated missions to incidental flybys and targets of opportunity for spacecraft that have already completed their missions. The first spacecraft to visit an asteroid was Pioneer 10, which flew past an unnamed asteroid on 2 August 1972; a distant incidental encounter while the probe was en route to Jupiter. The first dedicated mission was NEAR Shoemaker, which was launched in February 1996, and entered orbit around 433 Eros in February 2000, having first flown past 253 Mathilde. NEAR was also the first spacecraft to land on an asteroid, surviving what was intended to be an impact with Eros at 20:01 on 12 February 2001 at the planned end of its mission. As a result of its unexpected survival, the spacecraft's mission was extended until 1 March to allow data to be collected from the surface.

Many minor planets are in two rings:

* Asteroid belt, between 2-3 AU
* Kuiper belt, between 30 and 60 AU

Spacecraft  | Launch date[1] | Targeted minor planet  | Mission  | Outcome  | Remarks  | Carrier rocket[2]

|
|
|
|
|
|

Pioneer 10 | 2 March 1972  | Unnamed asteroid[3] | Flyby  | N/A  | Distant incidental flyby en route to Jupiter; flyby occurred on 2 August 1972 with closest approach of 8.85 million kilometers (5.5 million miles).  | Atlas SLV-3C Centaur-D Star-37E
307 Nike | N/A  | Distant incidental flyby en route to Jupiter; flyby occurred on 2 December 1972 with closest approach of 8.8 million kilometers (5.4 million miles).  | Atlas SLV-3C Centaur-D Star-37E
Galileo | 18 October 1989 | 951 Gaspra | Successful  | Incidental flyby en route to Jupiter; flyby occurred on 29 October 1991 with closest approach of 1,604 kilometres (997 mi) at 22:37 UTC[4] | Template:Ov
STS-34 / IUS
243 Ida | Successful  | Incidental flyby en route to Jupiter, discovered Dactyl; flyby occurred on 28 August 1993 with closest approach of 2,410 kilometres (1,500 mi) at 16:51:59 UTC[4]
Clementine
(DSPSE) | 25 January 1994  | 1620 Geographos | Flyby  | Spacecraft failure | Attitude control failure; failed to leave geocentric orbit after first phase of mission exploring the Moon. Flyby had been planned for August 1994[5] | Titan II(23)G
NEAR Shoemaker
(Discovery 1) | 17 February 1996 | 253 Mathilde | Successful  | Closest approach 1,212 kilometres (753 mi) at 12:56 UTC on 27 June 1997[6] | Delta II 7925
433 Eros | Orbiter  | Mostly successful | Aborted burn three days before arrival at Eros resulted in failure to enter orbit, instead flew past at 3,827 kilometres (2,378 mi) at 18:41:23 on 23 December 1998. Insertion reattempted successfully on 14 February 2000. Impacted asteroid at 20:01 on 12 February 2001 at end of mission, but survived impact and continued to operate on surface until 1 March.[6]
Cassini–Huygens | 15 October 1997[1] | 2685 Masursky | Flyby  | N/A  | Distant incidental flyby en route to Saturn; closest approach 1.5 million kilometres (0.9 million miles) at 09:58 UTC on 23 January 2000[7] | Titan IV(401)B Centaur-T[8]
Deep Space 1 | 24 October 1998 | 4015 Wilson–Harrington[9] | Flyby  | Spacecraft failure  | Spacecraft was unable to reach the asteroid due to ion engine operation being suspended while a problem with the probe's star tracker was investigated[10] | Delta II 7326
9969 Braille | Partial failure  | Closest approach 28.3 kilometres (17.6 mi) at 04:46 UTC[10] on 29 July 1999. Intended to pass within 14 kilometres (8.7 mi) but this was not achieved due to a computer failure; poor-quality images returned as a result.[11] Flyby added to mission following loss of ability to reach Wilson–Harrington
Stardust
(Discovery 4) | 7 February 1999  | 5535 Annefrank[12] | Successful  | Closest approach of 3,079 kilometres (1,913 mi) at 04:50:20 UTC on 2 November 2002  | Delta II 7426
Hayabusa
(MUSES-C) | 9 May 2003  | 25143 Itokawa | Orbiter/lander
Sample return  | Partial failure  | Reached Itokawa on 12 September 2005, landed briefly on 19 and 25 November but sampler failed to operate, missed return window due to communications outage, finally returned to Earth on 13 June 2010  | M-V
MINERVA | Lander  | Failure  | Deployed from Hayabusa on 12 November 2005; Accidentally released while Hayabusa was moving away from Itokawa; reached escape velocity and drifted off into heliocentric orbit
Rosetta | 2 March 2004  | 2867 Šteins | Flyby  | Successful  | Closest approach 800 kilometres (500 mi) on 5 September 2008  | Ariane 5G+
21 Lutetia | Successful  | Closest approach 3,162 kilometres (1,965 mi) on 10 July 2010
67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko  | Lander  | Successful  | Rendezvous 6 August 2014, orbit on 10 September 2014

Philae(lander) landed on 12 November 2014, Rosetta itself landed on 30 September 2016

Deep Impact
(Discovery 7) | 12 January 2005  | (163249) 2002 GT | Flyby  | Spacecraft failure
(Extended mission) | Extended mission (EPOXI), flyby was expected in 2020, but communication with the spacecraft was lost in August 2013  | Delta II 7925
New Horizons
(New Frontiers 1) | 19 January 2006  | 132524 APL | Flyby  | N/A  | Incidental flyby en route to Pluto, closest approach 101,867 kilometres (63,297 mi) at 04:05 UTC on 13 June 2006  | Atlas V 551
134340 Pluto and its five moons.  | Flyby  | Successful  | Flyby occurred on 14 July 2015
486958 Arrokoth | Successful  | Flyby occurred on 1 January 2019
Dawn
(Discovery 9) | 27 September 2007  | 4 Vesta | Orbiter  | Successful  | Orbited Vesta from 16 July 2011 to 5 September 2012, before departing for Ceres  | Delta II 7925H
1 Ceres | Successful  | Arrived in 2015
Chang'e-2  | 1 October 2010  | 4179 Toutatis | Flyby  | Successful  | Flyby on 13 December 2012, closest approach 3.2 kilometres (2.0 mi)  | Long March 3C
Hayabusa2 | 3 December 2014  | 162173 Ryugu | Orbiter/lander
Sample return  | Successful  | Arrived in 2018, landed in February and July 2019

Sample returned to Earth on 5 December 2020 UTC

| H-IIA 202
HIBOU  | Lander  | Successful  | Deployed from Hayabusa2 on 21 September 2018
OWL  | Successful  | Deployed from Hayabusa2 on 21 September 2018
MINERVA II-2  | Spacecraft failure  | Deployed from Hayabusa2 on 2 October 2019; lander failed prior to deployment, but was deployed anyway to observe the effects of gravity on it as it descended to the surface.
MASCOT | Successful  | Deployed from Hayabusa2 on 3 October 2018; operated for 17 hours
SCI impactor | Impactor  | Successful  | Deployed from Hayabusa2 on 5 April 2019
DCAM-3 | Orbiter  | Successful  | Deployed from Hayabusa2 on 5 April 2019; observed SCI impact
PROCYON | (185851) 2000 DP107 | Flyby  | Spacecraft failure | Flyby had been planned for 2016; cancelled due to ion engine failure in heliocentric orbit[13]
OSIRIS-REx
(New Frontiers 3) | 8 September 2016  | 101955 Bennu | Orbiter
Sample return  | Successful  | Successfully collected sample of Bennu on 20 October 2020 and is expected to return to Earth on 24 September 2023.  | Atlas V 411
99942 Apophis | enroute  | 8 April 2029. Part of extended mission as OSIRIS-APEx.
Lucy
(Discovery 13) | 16 October 2021  | 152830 Dinkinesh | Flyby  | Successful  | Closest approach of 425 km (264 mi) at 16:54 UTC on 1 November 2023.  | Atlas V 401
52246 Donaldjohanson | enroute  | 20 April 2025
3548 Eurybates | enroute  | 12 August 2027
15094 Polymele | enroute  | 15 September 2027
11351 Leucus | enroute  | 18 April 2028
21900 Orus | enroute  | 11 November 2028
617 Patroclus | enroute  | 2 March 2033
DART/LICIACube | 24 November 2021  | Dimorphos | Impactor  | Successful  | Impacted 23:14 UTC 26 September 2022  | Falcon 9
65803 Didymos system  | Flyby  | Successful  | Flyby on 26 September 2022
NEA Scout | 16 November 2022  | 2020 GE  | Flyby  | Spacecraft failure  | Spacecraft was to perform a series of lunar flybys before targeting asteroid in September 2023, but after launch contact was lost and later the mission was declared as a failure.  | SLS Block 1
Psyche
(Discovery 14) | 13 October 2023  | 16 Psyche | Orbiter  | enroute  | August 2029[14] | Falcon Heavy
Odin (Brokkr-2)  | 2024  | undisclosed  | Flyby  | Planned  | Expected to reach its M-type near-Earth target about nine months after launch.[15][16][17][18] | Falcon 9 Block 5
Hera | October 2024  | 65803 Didymos | Orbiter  | Planned  | December 2026[19] | Ariane 6
Tianwen-2 | May 2025[20] | 469219 Kamoʻoalewa | Orbiter/lander
Sample return  | Planned  | 2026[21][22] | Long March 3B
DESTINY+ | 2025[23] | 3200 Phaethon | Flyby  | Planned  | 2029[24] | Epsilon S
MBR Explorer | March 2028[25] | 10253 Westerwald | Flyby  | Planned  | February 2030  |
623 Chimaera | Planned  |
13294 Rockox | Planned  | January 2031
(88055) 2000 VA28 | Planned  | July 2032
(23871) 1998 RC76 | Planned  |
(59980) 1999 SG6 | Planned  | August 2033
269 Justitia | Orbiter/lander  | Planned  | October 2034

## See also

* List of minor planets and comets visited by spacecraft
* List of missions to comets

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 McDowell, Jonathan. "Launch Log". Jonathan's Space Page. http://planet4589.org/space/log/launchlog.txt.
2. ↑ Krebs, Gunter. "Interplanetary Probes". Gunter's Space Page. http://space.skyrocket.de/doc_sat/ip_probe.htm.
3. ↑ "45 Years Ago, Pioneer 10 First to Explore Jupiter". https://www.nasa.gov/feature/45-years-ago-pioneer-10-first-to-explore-jupiter. ""It [pioneer 10] passed within 5.5 million miles of an unnamed 0.5-mile diameter asteroid on Aug. 2""
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Solar System Exploration - Galileo". NASA. http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/missions/profile.cfm?Sort=Target&Target=Asteroids&MCode=Galileo&Display=ReadMore.
5. ↑ "Solar System Exploration - Clementine". NASA. http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/missions/profile.cfm?Sort=Target&Target=Asteroids&MCode=Clementine&Display=ReadMore.
6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 "Solar System Exploration - NEAR Shoemaker". NASA. http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/missions/profile.cfm?Sort=Target&Target=Asteroids&MCode=Clementine&Display=ReadMore.
7. ↑ "Solar System Exploration - Cassini". NASA. http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/missions/profile.cfm?Sort=Target&Target=Asteroids&MCode=Cassini&Display=ReadMore.
8. ↑ Krebs, Gunter. "Cassini". Gunter's Space Page. http://space.skyrocket.de/doc_sdat/cassini.htm.
9. ↑ Wilson–Harrington is catalogued as both a comet and an asteroid
10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 "Solar System Exploration - Deep Space 1". NASA. http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/missions/profile.cfm?Sort=Target&Target=Asteroids&MCode=DS1&Display=ReadMore.
11. ↑ Rayman, Marc D.; Varghese, Philip (2001). "The Deep Space 1 Extended Mission". Acta Astronautica 48 (5-12): 693–705. doi:10.1016/s0094-5765(01)00044-3. Bibcode: 2001AcAau..48..693R. https://trs.jpl.nasa.gov/bitstream/2014/15993/1/00-1834.pdf.
12. ↑ "STARDUST Successfully Images Asteroid Annefrank During Dress Rehearsal". NASA. 4 November 2002. http://stardust.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news94.html.
13. ↑ "Due to ion engine failure, PROCYON will not fly by an asteroid". http://www.planetary.org/blogs/emily-lakdawalla/2015/05081421-procyon-failure.html.
14. ↑ "NASA Continues Psyche Asteroid Mission". JPL. NASA. 28 October 2022. https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/nasa-continues-psyche-asteroid-mission.
15. ↑ "Asteroid mining startup to launch mission in early 2024". https://www.mining.com/asteroid-mining-startup-to-launch-mission-in-early-2024/.
16. ↑ "AstroForge Conducts Hot Fire Test Ahead of Early 2024 Mission". https://payloadspace.com/asteroid-mining-startup-astroforge-conducts-hot-fire-test-ahead-of-early-2024-mission/.
17. ↑ "Astroforge’s Brokkr-2 Spacecraft Aims to Commercialize Space Mining". https://ts2.space/en/astroforges-brokkr-2-spacecraft-aims-to-commercialize-space-mining/.
18. ↑ "This Asteroid Mining Startup Is Ready To Launch The First-Ever Commercial Deep Space Mission". https://www.forbes.com/sites/alexknapp/2023/10/18/this-asteroid-mining-startup-is-ready-to-launch-the-first-ever-commercial-deep-space-mission/?sh=77bb3fd7674a.
19. ↑ "ESA - Hera". https://www.esa.int/Safety_Security/Hera/.
20. ↑ "天问二号已基本完成初样研制，预计2025年5月前后发射". Guancha. 24 April 2023. https://www.guancha.cn/politics/2023_04_24_689801.shtml.
21. ↑ Jones, Andrew (5 August 2020). "China is moving ahead with lunar south pole and near-Earth asteroid missions". SpaceNews. https://spacenews.com/china-is-moving-ahead-with-lunar-south-pole-and-near-earth-asteroid-missions/.
22. ↑ Jones, Andrew (30 June 2021). "China outlines space plans to 2025". SpaceNews. https://spacenews.com/china-outlines-space-plans-to-2025/.
23. ↑ Jones, Andrew (6 November 2023). "Japan's mission to bizarre asteroid Phaethon delayed to 2025". Space.com. https://www.space.com/japan-destiny-mission-asteroid-phaethon-launch-delay.
24. ↑ Sommer, M.; Krüger, H.; Srama, R.; Hirai, T.; Kobayashi, M.; Arai, T.; Sasaki, S.; Kimura, H. et al. (21 September 2020). "Destiny+ Dust Analyzer – Campaign & timeline preparation for interplanetary & interstellar dust observation during the 4-year transfer phase from Earth to Phaethon". Europlanet Science Congress 2020. Copernicus Publications. https://meetingorganizer.copernicus.org/EPSC2020/EPSC2020-342.html. Retrieved 27 September 2020.
25. ↑ Foust, Jeff (3 June 2023). "UAE outlines plans for asteroid mission". SpaceNews. https://spacenews.com/uae-outlines-plans-for-asteroid-mission/.

* v
* t
* e

Spacecraft missions to minor planets and comets

* List of minor planets and comets visited by spacecraft
* List of artificial objects on extra-terrestrial surfaces

Past and
current|

| Flybys|

* Cassini–Huygens
* Chang'e 2
* Clementine†
* CONTOUR†
* Deep Impact
* EPOXI
* Deep Space 1
* Galileo
* Halley Armada
* Giotto
* Sakigake
* Suisei
* Vega 1
* Vega 2
* International Cometary Explorer
* NEAR Shoemaker
* New Horizons
* Pioneer 7
* PROCYON†
* Rosetta
* Stardust/NExT
* Ulysses

|

Orbiters|

* Dawn
* Hayabusa
* Hayabusa2
* NEAR Shoemaker
* OSIRIS-REx
* Rosetta
* Timeline

Landers|

* Hayabusa
* MINERVA†
* Hayabusa2
* HIBOU
* MASCOT
* MINERVA-II 2
* OWL
* NEAR Shoemaker
* Philae

Impactors|

* Deep Impact

Sample return|

* Hayabusa
* Hayabusa2
* OSIRIS-REx
* Stardust

Planned|

* NEA Scout (flyby, 2020-2021)
* Lucy (multiple flybys, 2021)
* DART (impactor and flyby, 2021)
* DESTINY+ (multiple flybys, 2022)
* Psyche (orbiter, 2022)
* Hera (orbiter and landers, 2024)
* Comet Interceptor (flyby, 2028)

Proposed|

* ASTER (orbiter, 2021)
* Athena (flyby of Pallas, 2022)
* Centaurus (multiple flybys, 2026-2029)
* CORSAIR (sample return)
* HAMMER (nuclear impactor concept)
* MANTIS (multiple flybys)
* OKEANOS (multiple flybys and sample return, 2026)
* World Is Not Enough (spacecraft refueling concept)
* ZhengHe (multiple flybys and sample return, 2024)

Cancelled or
not developed|

* AGORA
* AIM
* Asteroid Redirect Mission
* CAESAR
* Castalia
* Clementine 2
* Comet Hopper
* CONDOR
* CRAF
* Don Quijote
* Hayabusa Mk2
* MAOSEP
* Marco Polo
* New Horizons 2
* Vesta

Related|

* Asteroid belt
* Asteroid capture
* Asteroid mining
* Colonization of asteroids
* Ceres
* Colonization
* Pluto
* Exploration
* Small Solar System bodies
* Near-Earth object
* Trans-Neptunian object
* Colonization
* Trojan
* Vesta

* Probes are listed in chronological order of launch. Italics indicate currently active missions. † indicates mission failures.

* v
* t
* e

Space missions by destination

Planets|

* Mercury
* Venus
* Mars
* Outer planets
* Jupiter
* Saturn
* Uranus
* Neptune

Others|

* The Moon
* lunar probes
* Minor planets
* Comets

Orbiters|

* Extraterrestrial orbiters
* Mars orbiters
* Objects in heliocentric orbit

* v
* t
* e

Asteroids

Main|

* Notable asteroids
* Physical characteristics
* dynamic method
* Impact avoidance
* Tracking
* Capture
* Gravitational keyhole
* Earth-crosser
* Close approaches
* Binary
* moon
* contact
* P–L

Distribution|

* Interior to Earth
* vulcanoids
* Mercury-crossers
* Venus-crossers
* Main-belt
* Kirkwood gap
* comets
* Trojans
* Venus trojan
* Earth
* Mars
* Jupiter
* Uranus trojan
* Neptune trojan
* Near-Earth
* Aten
* Amor
* Apollo
* Apohele
* Earth-crossers
* Between Earth and the main belt
* Mars crossers
* Mars trojans
* Outer Solar System, does not include distant minor planets
* Jupiter-crossers
* Jupiter trojan

Classification|

| Orbital|

* Group
* Family
* (list)

|

Spectral|

| Tholen|

* C-group
* B-type
* F-type
* G-type
* C-type
* S-type
* X-group
* M-type
* E-type
* P-type
* small classes
* A-type
* D-type
* J-type
* T-type
* Q-type
* R-type
* V-type

|

SMASS|

* C-group
* B-type
* C-type
* Cg
* Ch
* Cgh
* Cb
* S-group
* A-type
* Q-type
* R-type
* K-type
* L-type
* S-type
* Sa
* Sq
* Sr
* Sk
* Sl
* X-group
* X-type
* Xe
* Xc
* Xk
* small types
* T-type
* D-type
* Ld-type
* O-type
* V-type

Exploration|

* Asteroid Redirect Mission
* Asteroids visited by spacecraft
* Mining
* Ceres
* Colonization
* Near-Earth Object Surveillance Mission

Lists|

* Near-Earth
* Minor planets
* Lost
* Discovering observatories
* Space missions

* See also: Asteroids in fiction
* Asteroids in astrology
* occultation
* Comet
* Minor planet

* Category

0.00

(0 votes)

Original source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List of missions to minor planets. Read more

|

Retrieved from "https://handwiki.org/wiki/index.php?title=Astronomy:List_of_missions_to_minor_planets&oldid=596638"
*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template