Missions

• SunExtended missionParker Solar ProbeNASA, JHU APLThe spacecraft that "touches" the Sun, closer and faster than anything humans have built.

  Next ≈ Dec 2026 perihelion 30 (estimated from the 88-day orbit)

• SunAt targetSolar OrbiterESA, NASAUses Venus flybys to tilt its orbit and look at the Sun's poles.

  Next 24 Dec 2026 Venus flyby raises the orbit's tilt to 24°

• MercuryArrivingBepiColomboESA, JAXATwo orbiters, one European and one Japanese, about to enter orbit around Mercury.

  Next 21 Nov 2026 Mercury orbit insertion

• MarsCruiseESCAPADENASA, UC Berkeley SSL, Rocket LabTwin small spacecraft that will watch the solar wind strip the Martian atmosphere from two points at once.

  Next 7–9 Nov 2026 Earth flyby and burn towards Mars

• MarsLostMAVENNASA, GSFC, LASPStudied how Mars lost its atmosphere; contact was lost in December 2025 and the mission has ended.
• MarsCruiseMMXJAXA, CNES, DLR, NASA, ESAJapan's mission to land on Phobos and bring the first samples from the Mars system back to Earth.

  Next 2027 arrival at Mars, about a year after launch

• MarsExtended missionPerseveranceNASA, JPLNASA's rover searching for signs of ancient life; it now holds the record for distance driven on another world.

  Next No key dates; work continues on the rim of Jezero crater

• Asteroids & cometsExtended missionHayabusa2#JAXAThe spacecraft that brought back Ryugu samples, now on its way to a tiny, fast-spinning asteroid.

  Next Jul 2031 rendezvous with 1998 KY26

• Asteroids & cometsArrivingHeraESAESA's planetary-defence mission, arriving at the asteroid that NASA's DART knocked off course.

  Next 25 Nov 2026 ESA expects to release the first detailed images of Dimorphos

• Asteroids & cometsCruiseLucyNASA, SwRIThe first mission to Jupiter's Trojan asteroids, fossils from the time the planets formed.

  Next Aug 2027 flyby of Trojan (3548) Eurybates and its moon Queta

• Asteroids & cometsStatus unclearOSIRIS-APEXNASA, University of ArizonaThe spacecraft that returned samples of Bennu, redirected to Apophis for its close pass by Earth in 2029.

  Next 13 Apr 2029 Apophis passes close to Earth; the spacecraft arrives afterwards

• Asteroids & cometsCruisePsycheNASA, JPL, ASUOn its way to an asteroid that may be the exposed metal core of a protoplanet.

  Next Aug 2029 arrival at the asteroid (plan)

• Asteroids & cometsAt targetTianwen-2CNSAChina's first asteroid mission: samples from a small quasi-moon of Earth, then on to a comet.

  Next 2026–2027 site selection and sampling; departure ≈ April 2027

• JupiterCruiseEuropa ClipperNASA, JPLNASA's largest planetary spacecraft, going to find out whether Europa's ocean could support life.

  Next 3 Dec 2026 Earth gravity assist (~3,200 km)

• JupiterCruiseJuiceESAESA's flagship to Jupiter's icy moons, which will become the first spacecraft to orbit another planet's moon.

  Next Jan 2029 final Earth gravity assist

• JupiterStatus unclearJunoNASA, JPL, SwRIJupiter orbiter since 2016; papers keep coming, but NASA has not confirmed whether it still operates.

  Next No confirmed events; mission status unclear

• Kuiper belt & beyondExtended missionNew HorizonsNASA, JHU APL, SwRIFlew past Pluto and Arrokoth; the only working spacecraft in the Kuiper belt.

  Next 2028–2029 — leaves the Kuiper belt; search for a new flyby target continues

• Kuiper belt & beyondExtended missionVoyager 1 & 2NASA, JPLThe most distant human-made objects; Voyager 1 is about to be one light-day from Earth.

  Next 18 Nov 2026 Voyager 1 one light-day from Earth

No mission matches.