List of heliophysics missions

This is a list of missions supporting heliophysics, including solar observatory missions, solar orbiters, and spacecraft studying the solar wind.[1]

Past and current missions

Spacecraft Launch date Operator Orbit Outcome Remarks Carrier rocket
Active Cavity Radiometer Irradiance Monitor Satellite (ACRIMSAT) 20 December 1999 NASA low Earth (Sun-synchronous) Success Contact lost 14 December 2013 Taurus 2110
Aditya-L1 2 September 2023 ISRO Earth-Sun L1 Halo Operational PSLV-XL(C57)
Advanced Composition Explorer (ACE) 25 August 1997 NASA Earth-Sun L1 Lissajous Operational Delta II 7920-8
Aeronomy of Ice in the Mesosphere (AIM) 25 April 2007 NASA low Earth (Sun-synchronous) Success Pegasus-XL
Ariel 1 26 April 1962 SERC/NASA low Earth Success Deorbited 24 May 1976 Thor DM-19 Delta
Balloon Array for Radiation-belt Relativistic Electron Losses (BARREL) January 2013 NASA atmospheric Success total of 63 flights, last launched 30 August 2016 high-altitude balloons
Cluster 4 June 1996 ESA highly elliptical geocentric Failure at launch 4 spacecraft Ariane 5G
Cluster II 16 July 2000 ESA high Earth Success 4 Spacecraft, replaced the original Cluster mission that failed on launch. Soyuz-U/Fregat
Coupled Ion-Neutral Dynamics Investigations (CINDI) 16 April 2008 NASA low Earth Success Deorbited 28 November 2015 Pegasus-XL
CubeSat Radio Interferometry Experiment (CURIE) 9 July 2024 NASA low Earth Operational 2 spacecraft Ariane 6
Deep Space Climate Observatory (DSCOVR) 11 February 2015 NASA/NOAA Earth-Sun L1 Lissajous Operational Falcon 9 v1.1
Double Star 29 December 2003 CNSA/ESA highly elliptical geocentric Operational 2 spacecraft, one was deorbited 14 October 2007 the other remains in orbit Long March 2C
Equator-S 2 December 1997 ISTP/MPE geosynchronous transfer Partial success (terminated early) Contact lost 1 May 1998 Ariane 4 (44P)
Explorer 10 25 March 1961 NASA highly elliptical geocentric Success Deorbited 1 June 1968 Thor DM-19 Delta
Explorer 50 (IMP-8) 26 October 1973 NASA high Earth Success Contact lost 7 October 2006 Delta (1913)
Fast Auroral Snapshot Explorer (FAST) 21 August 1996 NASA low Earth Success Decommissioned 4 May 2009 Pegasus-XL
Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) 16 October 1975 NASA/NOAA geostationary Operational 18 spacecraft launched, 5 still in operation, 1 more planned various
Geotail 24 July 1992 ISAS/NASA high Earth Success Deactivated 28 November 2022. Delta II 6925
Global-scale Observations of the Limb and Disk (GOLD) (aboard SES-14) 26 January 2018 NASA geosynchronous Operational Ariane 5 ECA
Helios 10 December 1974 NASA / DFVLR heliocentric Success 2 spacecraft, last contact 10 Feb 1986 Titan IIIE/Star-37
Hinode (Solar-B) 23 September 2006 JAXA / NASA / PPARC low Earth (Sun-synchronous) Operational M-V
IBEX 19 October 2008 NASA high Earth Operational Pegasus-XL/Star-27
IMAGE 25 March 2000 NASA high Earth Success Contact lost 18 December 2005 Delta II 7326-9.5
Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph (IRIS) 27 June 2013 NASA low Earth (Sun-synchronous) Operational Pegasus-XL
ISEE-1 22 October 1977 NASA high Earth Success Deorbited 26 September 1987 Thor-Delta 2914
ISEE-2 22 October 1977 NASA high Earth Success Deorbited 26 September 1987 Thor-Delta 2914
International Cometary Explorer (ICE) 12 August 1978 NASA Earth-Sun L1 halo to heliocentric Success Contact lost 16 September 2014 Delta 2914
Ionospheric Connection Explorer (ICON) 11 October 2019 SSL/NASA low Earth Success Contact lost November 2022 Pegasus-XL
Magnetospheric Multiscale Mission (MMS) 13 March 2015 NASA highly elliptical geocentric Operational 4 spacecraft Atlas V 421
Orbiting Geophysical Observatory (OGO) 4 September 1964 NASA various geocentric Success (mostly) 6 satellites, last deorbited 29 August 2020 Atlas Agena, Thor Agena
PAMELA detector (located on Resurs-DK No.1) 15 June 2006 PAMELA group low Earth Success Decommissioned 7 February 2016 Soyuz-U
Parker Solar Probe
formerly Solar Probe Plus		 12 August 2018 NASA heliocentric Operational Delta IV Heavy
Polar 24 February 1996 NASA highly elliptical geocentric Success Decommissioned 28 April 2008 Delta II 7925-10
Reuven Ramaty High Energy Solar Spectroscope Imager (RHESSI) 5 February 2002 NASA low Earth Success Decommissioned 16 August 2018 Deorbited 2023 Pegasus-XL
Skylab and the Apollo Telescope Mount 14 May 1973 NASA low Earth Success Deorbited 11 July 1979 Saturn INT-21
Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) 2 December 1995 ESA/NASA Earth-Sun L1 halo Operational Atlas IIAS
Solar Anomalous and Magnetospheric Particle Explorer (SAMPEX) 3 July 1992 NASA/MPE low Earth Success Deorbited 13 November 2012 Scout G-1
Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) 11 February 2010 NASA geosynchronous Operational Atlas V 401
Solar Maximum Mission (SMM) 14 February 1980 NASA low Earth Success Deorbited 2 December 1989 Delta 3910
Solar Orbiter 10 February 2020 ESA/NASA 24°-inclination heliocentric Operational Atlas V 411
Solar Radiation and Climate Experiment (SORCE) 25 January 2003 NASA/LASP low Earth Success Decommissioned 25 February 2020 Pegasus-XL
Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory (STEREO) 25 October 2006 NASA heliocentric Operational 2 spacecraft, 1 still operational Delta II 7925
Space Environment Testbeds (on DSX) 25 June 2019 AFRL medium Earth Success Decommissioned 31 May 2021 Falcon Heavy
Space Technology 5 (ST5) 22 March 2006 NASA low Earth (Sun-synchronous) Success 3 spacecraft, decommissioned 30 June 2006 Pegasus-XL
Spartan 201 (STS-87) 19 November 1997 NASA low Earth Failure during deployment Landed 5 December 1997 Space Shuttle Columbia
Student Nitric Oxide Explorer (SNOE) 26 February 1998 LASP low Earth Success Deorbited 13 December 2003 Pegasus-XL
Swarm 22 November 2013 ESA low Earth Operational 3 spacecraft Rokot / Briz-KM
Thermosphere, Ionosphere, Mesosphere Energetics and Dynamics (TIMED) 7 December 2001 NASA low Earth Operational Delta II 7920-10
Time History of Events and Macroscale Interactions during Substorms (THEMIS) 17 February 2007 NASA various Operational 5 spacecraft Delta II 7925-10C
Transition Region and Coronal Explorer (TRACE) 1 April 1998 NASA low Earth (Sun-synchronous) Success Decommissioned 21 June 2010 Pegasus-XL
TWINS A & B (located on USA-184 and USA-200) 28 June 2006 NASA highly elliptical geocentric (Molniya) Success 2 hosted payloads, decommissioned 2020 Delta IV-M+(4,2), Atlas V 411
Ulysses 6 October 1990 NASA/ESA high-inclination heliocentric Success Decommissioned 30 June 2009 Space Shuttle Discovery
Van Allen Probes
formerly Radiation Belt Storm Probes (RBSP)		 30 August 2012 NASA highly elliptical geocentric Success 2 spacecraft, decommissioned 2019 Atlas V 401
Voyager 5 September 1977 NASA heliocentric to galactocentric Operational 2 spacecraft, both still in operation Titan IIIE Centaur
WIND 1 November 1994 NASA Earth-Sun L1 halo Operational Delta II (7925–10)
Yohkoh (Solar-A) 30 August 1991 ISAS / NASA / PPARC low Earth Success Deorbited 12 September 2005 Mu-3S-II
PROBA-3 5 December 2024 ESA Highly elliptical orbit Success 2 spacecraft PSLV-XL

Proposed missions

Spacecraft Launch date Operator Orbit Outcome Remarks Carrier rocket
SunRISE 2024 NASA supersynchronous geosynchronous Earth orbit Planned 6 CubeSats[2]
PUNCH 27 February 2025 NASA Sun-synchronous orbit Planned 4 microsatellites Falcon 9
TRACERS April 2025 NASA Planned 2 orbiters Falcon 9
EZIE 2025 NASA Planned [3]
SMILE 2025 ESA/CAS Highly elliptical orbit Planned Vega-C
MUSE 2027 NASA Planned [4]
SOLAR-C 2028 JAXA Planned [5]
HelioSwarm 2028 NASA Planned nine spacecraft[4]
Vigil 2031 ESA Earth-Sun L5 and L1 Planned 2 spacecraft
Galileo Solar Space Telescope INPE Proposed

Graphic

NASA Heliophysics Division fleet as of July 2024

See also

References

  1. ^ Heliophysics Research - NASA Archived 2016-08-28 at the Wayback Machine
  2. ^ "SunRISE - NASA Science". science.nasa.gov. Retrieved 31 October 2024.
  3. ^ "NASA's EZIE Mission Set for 2025 Launch – EZIE". blogs.nasa.gov. 10 September 2024. Retrieved 21 October 2024.
  4. ^ a b "New Sun Missions to Help NASA Better Understand Earth-Sun Environment - NASA". NASA. Retrieved 31 October 2024.
  5. ^ Shimizu, Toshifumi (1 March 2024). "SOLAR-C Project Team launched in JAXA". SOLAR-C. Retrieved 3 March 2024.