Timeline of artificial satellites and space probes

This timeline of artificial satellites and space probes includes uncrewed spacecraft including technology demonstrators, observatories, lunar probes, and interplanetary probes. First satellites from each country are included. Not included are most Earth science satellites, commercial satellites or crewed missions.

Timeline

1950s

Artificial satellites and space probes in the 1950s
Year Date Origin Name Launch vehicle Status Description Mass
1957 October 4  Soviet Union Sputnik 1 Sputnik-PS Success The first human-made object to orbit Earth. 83.6 kg (183.9 lb)
November 3  Soviet Union Sputnik 2 Sputnik-PS Success The first satellite to carry a living animal, a dog named Laika. 508 kg (1,118 lb)
December 6  US Vanguard 1A Vanguard TV-3 Failure The first stage engine was improperly started, causing the vehicle to fall back to the launch pad immediately after launch and explode.[1] 1.36 kg (2.99 lb)
1958 February 1  US Explorer 1 Juno I Success The first American satellite in space.[1] 13.91 kg (30.66 lb)
February 5  US Vanguard 1B Vanguard TV-3BU Failure Control failure caused vehicle breakup at T+57 seconds as vehicle exceeded an angle of attack of 45° due to a control system malfunction.[1] 1.36 kg (2.99 lb)
March 5  US Explorer 2 Juno I Failure Failed to orbit. Fourth stage did not ignite.[1] 14.52 kg (31.94 lb)
March 17  US Vanguard 1C Vanguard TV-4 Success Vanguard 1. Expected to de-orbit in ~2240AD, this and its upper launch stage are the oldest human-made objects in space. Also the first use of solar cells to power a satellite.[1] 1.47 kg (3.25 lb)
March 26  US Explorer 3 Juno I Success Added to data received by Explorer 1.[1] 14.1 kg (31.0 lb)
April 29  US Vanguard 2A Vanguard TV-5 Failure Second stage shutdown sequence not completed, preventing proper 3rd stage separation and firing. Did not reach orbit.[1] 9.98 kg (21.96 lb)
May 15  Soviet Union Sputnik 3 Sputnik Success Contained 12 instruments for a wide range of upper atmosphere tests. 1,327 kg (2,926 lb)
May 28  US Vanguard 2B Vanguard SLV-1 Failure The first production model of the series. Nominal flight until a guidance error was encountered on second stage burnout. Did not reach orbit.[1] 9.98 kg (21.96 lb)
June 26  US Vanguard 2C Vanguard SLV-2 Failure Premature second stage cutoff prevented third stage operation. Did not reach orbit.[1] 9.98 kg (21.96 lb)
July 26  US Explorer 4 Juno I Success Expanded data set of previous Explorer missions and collected data from Argus high-altitude nuclear explosions.[1] 11.7 kg (25.8 lb)
August 17  US Pioneer 0 Thor-Able 1 Failure Failed to orbit. First stage engine failure caused explosion at T+77 seconds. 38 kg (84 lb)
August 24  US Explorer 5 Juno I Failure On-board instruments damaged on first stage separation. Failed to orbit.[1] 11.7 kg (25.8 lb)
September 26  US Vanguard 2D Vanguard SLV-3 Failure Second stage under-performed, lacking only ~76 m/s (~250 fps) required to achieve orbit.[1] 10.6 kg (23.3 lb)
October 11  US Pioneer 1 Thor-Able 1 Partial success First spacecraft launched by NASA. Studied Earth's magnetic fields. Third stage provided insufficient thrust to reach the Moon, leaving it sub-orbital.[2] 38 kg (84 lb)
October 22  US Beacon 1 Jupiter-C Failure A thin plastic sphere (12-feet in diameter) intended to study atmosphere density.[2] Payload dropped due to rotational vibrations.[1] 4.2 kg (9.2 lb)
November 8  US Pioneer 2 Thor-Able 1 Failure Briefly provided further data on Earth's magnetic field. Third stage provided insufficient thrust to reach the vicinity of the Moon.[2] 38 kg (83 lb)
December 6  US Pioneer 3 Juno II Partial success Did not reach the Moon as intended, but discovered a second radiation belt around Earth.[2] 5.9 kg (13.0 lb)
1959 January 2  Soviet Union Luna 1 Luna Partial success The first spacecraft to reach the vicinity of the Moon, and the first spacecraft to be placed in heliocentric orbit. 361 kg (794.2 lb)
February 17  US Vanguard 2E Vanguard SLV-4 Success Vanguard 2. Measured cloud cover. First attempted photo of Earth from a satellite; precession motion resulted in difficulty interpreting data (see first images of Earth from space).[2] 10.8 kg (23.7 lb)
March 3  US Pioneer 4 Juno II Success Passed within 60,030 km (37,300 mi) of the Moon into a heliocentric orbit, returning excellent radiation data.[2] 6.1 kg (13.4 lb)
April 13  US Vanguard 3A Vanguard SLV-5 Failure Failed to orbit. Second stage hydraulics failure led to loss of control, damaged at launch. Two spheres included as payload.[2] 10.3 kg (22.7 lb)
June 22  US Vanguard 3B Vanguard SLV-6 Failure Failed to orbit. Second stage exploded due to stuck helium vent valve. Intended to measure weather effects related to solar-Earth heating processes.[2] 10.3 kg (22.7 lb)
July 16  US Explorer S-1 Juno II Failure Did not achieve orbit. Guidance system power malfunction. Destroyed by range safety officer at T+5.5s.[2] 41.5 kg (91.3 lb)
August 7  US Explorer 6 Thor-Able 3 Success Included instruments to study particles and meteorology.[2] 64.4 kg (141.7 lb)
August 14  US Beacon 2 Juno II Failure Premature cutoff of first stage caused upper stage malfunction.[2] 4.5 kg (9.9 lb)
September 12  Soviet Union Luna 2 Luna Success The first spacecraft to reach the surface of the Moon, and the first human-made object to land on another celestial body. 390.2 kg (858.4 lb)
September 18  US Vanguard 3 Vanguard TV-4BU Success Incorporated Allegany Ballistics Laboratory X248 A2 as third stage.[1] Solar-powered sphere measured radiation belts and micrometeorite impacts.[2] 22.7 kg (50.0 lb)
October 4  Soviet Union Luna 3 Luna Success The first mission to photograph the far side of the Moon. 278.5 kg (614 lb)
October 13  US Explorer 7 Juno II Success Provided data on energetic particles, radiation, and magnetic storms. Also recorded the first micrometeorite penetration of a sensor.[2] 41.5 kg (69.4 lb)
November 26  US Pioneer P-3 Atlas-Able 20 Failure Lunar orbiter probe; payload shroud failed at T+45 seconds, resulting in disintegration of upper stages and payload.[2] 168.7 kg (371.1 lb)

1960s

Artificial satellites and space probes in the 1960s
Year Launch date Origin Name Launch vehicle Target Status Description
1960 March 11  US Pioneer 5 Thor-Able Sun Success Solar monitor. Measured magnetic field phenomena, solar flare particles, and ionization in the interplanetary region[3]
May 15  Soviet Union Korabl-Sputnik 1 Vostok-L Earth Success First test flight of the Soviet Vostok programme, and the first Vostok spacecraft
April 1  US TIROS-1 Thor-Able Earth Success TIROS-1 (or TIROS-A) was the first successful low-Earth orbital weather satellite, and the first of a series of Television Infrared Observation Satellites.
August 19  Soviet Union Korabl-Sputnik 2 Vostok-L Earth Success First spaceflight to send animals into orbit and return them safely back to Earth
November 3  US Explorer 8 Juno II Earth Partial success Battery power failed early, And data had to be processed by hand. In spite of this, new information about the ionosphere has been discovered
1961 February 12  Soviet Union Venera 1 Molniya 8K78 Venus Partial success First interplanetary flight, contact lost en route, before it performed the first flyby at another planet.
April 27  US Explorer 11 Juno II Earth Partial success Was the first space-borne gamma-ray telescope. Limited Battery Power caused the data collection to only be in the ascension stage.
August 16  US Explorer 12 (EPE-A) Thor-Delta A Earth Partial success The spacecraft functioned well until 6 December 1961, when it ceased transmitting data apparently as a result of failures in the power system.
August 23  US Ranger 1 Atlas-Agena Moon Failure Rocket malfunction caused the spacecraft to get stranded in low Earth orbit.[4]
November 18  US Ranger 2 Atlas-Agena Moon Failure Booster rocket malfunction caused spacecraft to be trapped in low Earth orbit.[5]
1962 January 26  US Ranger 3 Atlas-Agena Moon Failure NASA's first attempt to land a spacecraft on the Moon. A series of malfunctions caused spacecraft to hurtle past the Moon.[6]
April 23  US Ranger 4 Atlas-Agena Moon Partial failure Was the first U.S. spacecraft to reach another celestial body. Failure in the onboard computer prevented it from carrying out its scientific objectives. First spacecraft to impact the far side of the Moon.[7][8]
April 26  UK Ariel 1 Thor-Delta Earth Success First British satellite in space (on American rocket)
July 10  US Telstar 1 Thor-Delta Earth Success Communication satellite
July 22  US Mariner 1 Atlas-Agena Venus Failure Software related guidance system failure, range safety officer ordered destroyed after 294.5 seconds after launch.
August 27  US Mariner 2 Atlas-Agena Venus Success First spacecraft to visit another planet
September 29  Canada Alouette 1 Thor-Agena Earth Success First Canadian satellite (on American rocket), first satellite not constructed by the US or USSR
October 2  US Explorer 14 (EPE-B) Thor-Delta A Earth Success NASA spacecraft instrumented to measure cosmic-ray particles, trapped particles, solar wind protons, and magnetospheric and interplanetary magnetic fields.
October 18  US Ranger 5 Atlas-Agena Moon Failure Malfunction in the spacecraft's batteries caused them to drain after 8 hours, leaving it inoperable.[9]
1963 First pair - October 17  US Vela 1A and Vela 1B Atlas-Agena Earth Success Series of satellites to monitor compliance to the 1963 Partial Test Ban Treaty
1964 February 2  US Ranger 6 Atlas-Agena Moon Success Lunar impactor. Successful impact but power failure resulted in no pictures.
March 27  UK Ariel 2 Scout X-3 Earth Success First Radio Astronomy Satellite (on American rocket)
July 31  US Ranger 7 Atlas-Agena Moon Success Lunar impactor. Returned pictures until impact.
November 28  US Mariner 4 Atlas-Agena Mars Success First deep space photographs of another planet and first flyby of Mars
December 15  Italy San Marco 1 Scout X-4 Earth Success First Italian satellite (on American rocket)
1965 February 2  US Ranger 8 Atlas-Agena Moon Success Lunar impactor. Returned pictures until impact.
February 20  US Ranger 9 Atlas-Agena Moon Success Lunar impactor. Live TV broadcast until impact.
April 6  US Intelsat I Delta D Earth Success First commercial communications satellite in orbit. Was operated off and on until 1990.
November 26  France Asterix Diamant A Earth Success First French satellite. First orbital launch outside U.S. and Soviet Union.
November 29  Canada Alouette 2 Thor-Agena Earth Success Research satellite designed to explore Earth's ionosphere
December 16  US Pioneer 6 Delta E Sun Success A series of solar-orbiting, spin-stabilized, solar-cell and battery-powered satellites designed to obtain measurements on a continuing basis of interplanetary phenomena from widely separated points in space.[10]
1966 January 31  Soviet Union Luna 9 Molniya M Moon Success First spacecraft to achieve a soft landing on the Moon, or any planetary body other than Earth, and to transmit photographic data to Earth from the surface of another planetary body.
February 17  France Diapason Diamant A Earth Success Earth measurement by doppler radio measure
June 2  US Surveyor 1 Atlas-Centaur Moon Success First US soft landing; Surveyor program performed various tests in support of forthcoming crewed landings.[11]
July 1  US Explorer 33 Delta E1 Earth Partial success Was intended to orbit the Moon but instead orbited the Earth. Explored solar winds, interplanetary plasma, and solar X-rays.
August 10  US Lunar Orbiter 1 Atlas SLV-3 Agena-D Moon Success First US spacecraft to orbit the Moon. Designed to photograph smooth areas of the lunar surface for selecting landing sites.
August 17  US Pioneer 7 Delta E1 Sun Success A series of solar-orbiting, spin-stabilized, solar-cell and battery-powered satellites designed to obtain measurements on a continuing basis of interplanetary phenomena from widely separated points in space.[10]
September 20  US Surveyor 2 Atlas LV-3C Centaur-D Moon Failure Lunar Lander. A failure in one of its three thrusters caused it to lose control and crash into the Moon.[12]
November 6  US Lunar Orbiter 2 Atlas SLV-3 Agena-D Moon Success Designed to photograph smooth areas of the lunar surface to identify landing sites.
1967 January 11  US Intelsat II F-2 Delta E Earth Success Operated for 2 years as a communications satellite. Was deactivated in 1969.
February 8  France Diadème 1 Diamant A Earth Success Orbit slightly too low, considered a partial failure by the booster team. Earth measurement by doppler radio and laser ranging from the ground.
February 15  France Diadème 2 Diamant A Earth Success Earth measurement by doppler radio and laser ranging from the ground.
April 17  US Surveyor 3 Atlas LV-3C Centaur-D Moon Success Second successful lunar surface lander. Conducted experiments to see how the lunar surface would fare against the weight of an Apollo lunar module.[13]
May 5  UK Ariel 3 Scout A Earth Success First entirely British built satellite
July 14  US Surveyor 4 Atlas LV-3C Centaur-D Moon Failure Despite a perfect flight to the Moon, communications was lost 2.5 minutes prior to landing. NASA concluded the spacecraft may have exploded.[14]
September 8  US Surveyor 5 Atlas SLV-3 Agena-D Moon Success Lunar lander. First spacecraft to do a soil analysis of any world. Returned more than 20,000 photos.[15]
November 7  US Surveyor 6 Atlas SLV-3 Agena-D Moon Success Lunar lander. First spacecraft to be launched from the surface of the Moon. It lifted itself to a height of about 3 meters.[16]
November 29  Australia WRESAT Sparta Earth Success First Australian satellite (on American rocket) launched from Woomera, Australia. Third nation to launch a satellite from its own soil.
December 13  US Pioneer 8 Delta E1 Sun Success A series of solar-orbiting, spin-stabilized, solar-cell and battery-powered satellites designed to obtain measurements on a continuing basis of interplanetary phenomena from widely separated points in space.[10]
1968 January 7  US Surveyor 7 Atlas SLV-3 Agena-D Moon Success Lunar lander. Only spacecraft in the series to land in the lunar highland region and had the most extensive set of instruments.[17]
November 8  US Pioneer 9 Delta E1 Sun Success A series of solar-orbiting, spin-stabilized, solar-cell and battery-powered satellites designed to obtain measurements on a continuing basis of interplanetary phenomena from widely separated points in space.[10]
1969 January 30  Canada ISIS 1 Delta E1 Earth Success International Satellites for Ionospheric Studies (ISIS)
February 25  US Mariner 6 Atlas SLV-3D Agena-D1A Mars Success Mars probe attempting to study the surface and atmosphere of Mars during close flybys to establish a basis for further investigations.[18]
March 27  US Mariner 7 Atlas SLV-3D Agena-D1A Mars Success Mars probe attempting to study the surface and atmosphere of Mars during close flybys to establish a basis for further investigations.[19]
November 8  West Germany Azur / (GRS A) (German Research Satellite) Scout B S169C Earth Success The scientific mission was to: scan the energy spectra of inner zone protons and electrons; measure the fluxes of electrons of energy greater than 40 keV that are parallel, anti-parallel, and perpendicular to the magnetic lines of force over the auroral zone, and measure associated optical emission; and record solar protons on alert.[20]

1970s

Artificial satellites and space probes in the 1970s
Year Origin Name Target Status Description
1970  Japan Ohsumi Earth Success First Japanese satellite. Japan became the fourth nation after the USSR, USA and France to successfully put an artificial satellite into orbit on its own.
 West Germany DIAL Earth Success Second German satellite. Launch by a French Diamant B from Kourou
 Soviet Union Venera 7 Venus Success First successful landing of a spacecraft on another planet
 Soviet Union Luna 16 Moon Success Lander is the first automated return of samples from the Moon
 Soviet Union Zond 8 Moon Success Flyby
 Soviet Union Luna 17/Lunokhod 1 Moon Success Lander/rover is the first automated surface exploration of the Moon
 France PEOLE Earth Success First French communication satellite.
 UK Orba (satellite) Earth Failure Second stage of rocket shutdown 13 seconds early
 US Uhuru Earth Success First dedicated X-ray astronomy satellite
 China Dong Fang Hong I Earth Success First Chinese satellite
1971  Soviet Union Luna 18 Moon Failure Lander
 Soviet Union Luna 19 Moon Success Orbiter
 US Mariner 8 Mars Failure Orbiter. Lost due to launch failure.
 France Tournesol Earth Success First French satellite with active attitude control. Hydrogen measurement.
 France Polaire Earth Failure Second stage explosion
 Soviet Union Cosmos 419 Mars Failure Probe
 Soviet Union Mars 2 Mars Failure Orbiter and lander, created the first human artifact on Mars
 Soviet Union Mars 3 Mars Success Orbiter and lander, first successful landing on Mars
 US Mariner 9 Mars Success Orbiter, first pictures of Mars' moons (Phobos and Deimos) taken
 Canada ISIS 2 Earth Success
 Japan Shinsei Earth Partial success First Japanese science satellite
 UK Prospero X-3 Earth Success Satellite, first satellite launched by Britain using a British rocket
 UK Ariel 4 Earth Success
1972  Soviet Union Venera 8 Venus Success Lander
 Soviet Union Luna 20 Moon Success Lander
 US/ UK Copernicus – Orbiting Astronomical Observatory-3 Earth Success
 US Pioneer 10 Jupiter Success First spacecraft to encounter Jupiter
 US Explorer 49 Sun Success Solar probe
1973  US Mariner 10 Venus/Mercury Success It passed by and photographed Mercury, also was the first dual planet probe
 US Pioneer 11 Jupiter/Saturn Success First spacecraft to encounter Saturn
 France Castor Pollux Earth Failure Reached orbit but the fairing failed to deploy, failing the launch
 Soviet Union Luna 21/Lunokhod 2 Moon Success Lander/rover
 Soviet Union Mars 4 Mars Failure Orbiter
 Soviet Union Mars 5 Mars Success Orbiter
 Soviet Union Mars 6 Mars Failure Orbiter and lander
 Soviet Union Mars 7 Mars Failure Orbiter and lander
1974  West Germany Helios 1 Sun Success Solar probe
 Soviet Union Luna 22 Moon Success Orbiter
 Soviet Union Luna 23 Moon Failure Probe
 UK Ariel 5 Earth Success X-ray satellite
1975  Soviet Union Venera 9 Venus Success Returns the first pictures of the surface of Venus
 Soviet Union Venera 10 Venus Success Orbiter and lander
 France Starlette Earth Success Laser reflector for Earth-based measurement
 France Castor Pollux Earth Success Castor tested a new accelerometer, Pollux tested hydrazine based thrusters
 France Aura Earth Success Far-ultraviolet measurement of the Sun. Last launch of the Diamant rocket.
 US Viking 1 Mars Success Orbiter and lander; lands on Mars 1976
 US Viking 2 Mars Success Orbiter and lander; lands on Mars 1976
 India Aryabhata Earth Success Launched by USSR, the first Indian satellite
1976  West Germany Helios 2 Sun Success Solar probe
 Soviet Union Luna 24 Moon Success Lander
 Canada/ US/ Europe Communications Technology Satellite Earth Success Prototype for testing direct broadcast satellite television on the Ku band
 Netherlands/ US Astronomische Nederlandse Satelliet (ANS) Earth Success Discovered X-ray bursts, first Dutch satellite (with US contributions)[21]
 US Orbiting Solar Observatory Sun Success X-ray satellite shows that X-ray bursts have blackbody spectra
 Indonesia Palapa A1 Earth Success Launched by US, The First Indonesian GEO Satellite for domestic Communication
1977  US HEAO-1 Earth Success X-ray satellite
 US Voyager 1 Voyager 2 Jupiter Success Sent back images of Jupiter and its system
 Soviet Union Kosmos 954 Earth Success Reconnaissance satellites
1978  US Pioneer Venus 1 Venus Success Orbiter
 US Pioneer Venus 2 Venus Success Atmospheric probe
 Soviet Union Venera 11 Venus Success Flyby and lander
 Soviet Union Venera 12 Venus Success Flyby and lander
 US/ UK/ Europe International Ultraviolet Explorer Earth Success
 US HEAO-2 Earth Success First X-ray photographs of astronomical objects
 Czechoslovakia Magion 1 Earth Success First satellite for Czechoslovakia
1979  India Satellite Launch Vehicle Failure India's first rocket launched
 Japan Hakucho Earth Success X-ray satellite
 UK Ariel 6 Earth Success Cosmic-ray and X-ray satellite
 India RTP Earth Failure Launched by ISRO. (Purpose was to monitor flight performance of SLV)
 India Bhaskara-1 Earth Success Launched by ISRO (First Indian low orbit Earth Observation Satellite)

1980s

Artificial satellites and space probes in the 1980s
Year Origin Name Target Status Description
1980  US Solar Maximum Mission Sun Failure Solar Maximum Mission solar probe succeeded after being repaired in Earth orbit
1981  India Bhaskara-2 Earth Success Bhaskara-2 satellite; launched on Russian Kosmos-3M rocket for ISRO
 Soviet Union Venera 13 Venus Success Venera 13 launched, it returned the first colour pictures of the surface of Venus
 Soviet Union Venera 14 Venus Success Venera 14 flyby and lander
 Bulgaria Bulgaria 1300 Earth Success Bulgaria 1300, polar research mission, was Bulgaria's first artificial satellite; launched by the Soviet Union
1983  Soviet Union Venera 15 Venus Success Venera 15 orbiter
 Soviet Union Venera 16 Venus Success Venera 16 orbiter
 Europe EXOSAT Earth Success Launch of the EXOSAT X-ray satellite
 Japan Tenma Earth Success Launch of the Tenma X-ray satellite (ASTRO-B)
 US /  Netherlands /  UK IRAS Earth Success Launch of the IRAS satellite
1984  Soviet Union Vega 1 Venus/Halley's Comet Success Vega 1 flyby, atmospheric probe and lander
 Soviet Union Vega 2 Venus/Halley's Comet Success Vega 2 flyby, atmospheric probe and lander
1985  Japan Sakigake Halley's Comet Success Sakigake flyby, Japan's first interplanetary spacecraft
 Japan Suisei Halley's Comet Success Suisei flyby
 Mexico Morelos I Earth Success Morelos I, the first Mexican satellite
1986  Europe Giotto Halley's Comet Success Giotto flyby
 US Voyager 2 Uranus Success Voyager 2 sent back images of Uranus and its system
1987  Japan Ginga Earth Success Launch of the Ginga X-ray satellite (ASTRO-C)
1988  Soviet Union Phobos 1 Mars Failure Phobos 1 orbiter and lander
 Soviet Union Phobos 2 Mars Failure Phobos 2 flyby and lander
 Israel Ofeq 1 Earth Success Ofeq 1 first Israeli satellite, first satellite to be launched in retrograde orbit
1989  US Magellan Venus Success Magellan orbiter launched which mapped 99 percent of the surface of Venus (300 m resolution)
 US /  West Germany Galileo Venus/Earth/Moon/Gaspra/Ida/Jupiter Success Galileo flyby, orbiter and atmospheric probe
 US Voyager 2 Neptune Success Voyager 2 sent back images of Neptune and its system
 Europe Hipparcos Earth Success Launch of the Hipparcos satellite
 US COBE Earth Success Launch of the COBE satellite
 Soviet Union Granat Earth Success Launch of the Granat gamma-ray and X-ray satellite

1990s

Artificial satellites and space probes in the 1990s
Year Origin Name Target Status Description
1990  US/ Europe Ulysses Sun Success Ulysses solar flyby
 Japan Hiten Moon Success Hiten probe, this was the first non-United States or USSR probe to reach the Moon
 US/ Europe Hubble Space Telescope Earth Success Launch of the Hubble Space Telescope
🇵🇰

Pakistan

Badr-1 Earth Success Launch of

Badr-1 Pakistan 1st communication satellite

 Germany ROSAT Earth Success Launch of the ROSAT X-ray satellite to conduct the first imaging X-ray sky survey
1991  Japan Yohkoh Sun Success Yohkoh solar probe
 US Compton Gamma-Ray Observatory Earth Success Launch of the Compton Gamma-Ray Observatory satellite
1992  US Mars Observer Mars Failure Mars Observer orbiter
1993  Japan ASCA Earth Success Launch of the ASCA (ASTRO-D) X-ray satellite
 Brazil INPE Earth Success Launch of the SCD-1, the oldest earth observation equipment still in operation.
1994  US Clementine Moon Success Clementine orbiter mapped the surface of the Moon (resolution 125–150 m) and allowed the first accurate relief map of the Moon to be generated
 Turkey Türksat 1B Earth Success Türksat 1B, First Turkish communications satellite
1995  Mexico Unamsat 1 Earth Failure Unamsat 1, First UNAM built orbiter
 Ukraine Sich-1 Earth Success Sich-1 launched, first Ukrainian-built satellite
 Europe ISO Earth Success Launch of the Infrared Space Observatory
 Europe/ US SOHO Sun Success SOHO solar probe
1996  US NEAR Shoemaker 433 Eros Success NEAR Shoemaker asteroid flybys/orbiter/lander
 Turkey Türksat 1C Earth Success Türksat 1C, Second Turkish communications satellite
 US Mars Global Surveyor Mars Success Mars Global Surveyor orbiter
 US Mars Pathfinder Mars Success Mars Pathfinder, the first automated surface exploration of another planet
 Russia Mars 96 Mars Failure Mars 96 orbiter and lander
 Argentina SAC-B Earth Failure Sac-B Orbiter
1997  US/ Europe Cassini-Huygens Saturn and Titan Success Cassini-Huygens arrived in orbit on July 1, 2004, landed on Titan January 14, 2005
 Argentina Nahuel 1A Earth Success Nahuel 1A First Argentine satellite - geostationary communications satellites
1998  North Korea Kwangmyongsong-1 Earth Un­known Claimed launch of Kwangmyongsong-1 by North Korea though no independent source was able to verify its existence
 US Lunar Prospector Moon Success Lunar Prospector orbiter
 Japan Nozomi Mars Failure Nozomi (Planet B) orbiter, the first Japanese spacecraft to reach another planet
 US Mars Climate Orbiter Mars Failure Mars Climate Orbiter
 Argentina /  US SAC-A Earth Success Sac-A Orbiter
1999  US Mars Polar Lander Mars Failure Mars Polar Lander
 US Deep Space 2 Mars Failure Deep Space 2 (DS2) penetrators
 US Chandra Earth Success Launch of the Chandra X-ray Observatory
 Europe XMM-Newton Earth Success Launch of the X-Ray Multi-Mirror Mission, XMM-Newton

2000s

Artificial satellites and space probes in 2000's
Year Origin Name Target Status Description
2000  UK SNAP-1 Earth Success SNAP-1 robotic camera enabling images to be sent to other spacecraft orbiting the Earth
 Argentina SAC-C Earth Success SAC-C Orbiter
2001  Turkey Türksat 2A Earth Success Türksat 2A, third Turkish communications satellite
 US Genesis Sun Partial success Genesis solar wind sample crash-landed on return
 US WMAP Earth Success Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP) performs cosmological observations.
 US Mars Odyssey Mars Success Mars Odyssey
 Europe PROBA-1 Earth Success PROBA-1 Small satellite to observe the Earth (first Belgian Satellite)
2003  Canada MOST Earth Success MOST the smallest space telescope in orbit.
 Turkey BİLSAT Earth Success BİLSAT, Turkey's first earth observation satellite
2002  US CONTOUR Comet Encke Failure CONTOUR launched, but lost during early trajectory insertion.
 Europe/ Russia/ US INTEGRAL Earth Success Launch of the INTEGRAL gamma-ray satellite.
2003  Europe SMART-1 Moon Success SMART-1 orbiter
 Europe Mars Express & Beagle 2 Mars Partial success Mars Express orbiter (successfully reached orbit) and failed Beagle 2 lander
 US Mars Exploration Rover Mars Success Mars Exploration Rovers successful launches, Spirit successfully landed, Opportunity successfully landed
 UK UK-DMC Earth Success UK-DMC orbiter, part of the Disaster Monitoring Constellation
 Japan Hayabusa 25143 Itokawa Success Hayabusa, first sample return from asteroid, returned in 2010
2004  Europe Rosetta Comet 67P Success Rosetta space probe launched (arrived on comet 67P on November 12, 2014)
 US MESSENGER Mercury Success MESSENGER orbiter launched (in Mercury orbit)
 US Swift Earth Success Launch of the Swift Gamma ray burst observatory.
2005  US Deep Impact Comet Tempel 1 Success Deep Impact
 Japan Suzaku Earth Partial success Launch of the Suzaku X-ray observatory (ASTRO-EII)
 US MRO Mars Success Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter
 Iran Sinah-1 Earth Success Sinah-1 launched, first Iranian-built satellite
 Europe Venus Express Venus Success Venus Express
2006  US New Horizons Pluto Success New Horizons launched. On July 14, 2015, New Horizons flew within 7,750 miles (12,472 km) of Pluto.
 Japan Akari Earth Success Launch of the Akari infrared observatory (ASTRO-F)
 France/ Europe COROT Earth Success COROT telescope to search for extrasolar planets
2007  US Phoenix Mars Success Phoenix launched and successfully landed in 2008
 Japan SELENE Moon Success SELENE orbiter and lander
 US Dawn Vesta/Ceres Success Dawn solar powered ion engined probe to 4 Vesta and 1 Ceres.
 China Chang'e-I Moon Success Chang'e-I lunar orbiter
 Nigeria NigComSat-1 Earth Partial success NigComSat-1 launched by China, failed after 1 year
2008  Turkey Türksat 3A Earth Success Türksat 3A, fourth Turkish communications satellite
 US IBEX Earth Success The Interstellar Boundary Explorer (IBEX)'s mission is to study the nature of interactions between solar wind and interstellar medium at the edge of Solar System.
2009  Europe Planck L2 Success Planck
 Europe Herschel L2 Success Herschel Space Observatory
 Iran Omid Earth Success Omid launched by Iranian made launcher Safir. First Iranian-launched satellite
 US Kepler Earth Success Kepler launched
 Europe PROBA-2 Earth Success PROBA-2 Small satellite to observe the Sun
 India RISAT-2 Earth Success RISAT-2 developed by Israel Aerospace Industries, launched by ISRO, India
 India Chandrayaan-1 Moon Success Chandrayaan-1 developed and launched by ISRO, India. First discovery of Lunar Water.
 UK UK-DMC 2 Earth Success UK-DMC 2 orbiter, successor to UK-DMC part of the Disaster Monitoring Constellation

2010s

Artificial satellites and space probes in the 2010s
Year Origin Name Target Status Description
2010  Japan Akatsuki Venus Partial success Akatsuki orbiter, first Japanese spacecraft to orbit another planet (2015)
2010  Japan IKAROS Venus Success IKAROS, first solar-sail spacecraft
 China Chang'e-2 Moon Success Chang'e-2 lunar orbiter/impacter
2011  Turkey RASAT Earth Success

Turkey's after BİLSAT, second earth observation satellite. RASAT, design and production made in Turkey is the first observation satellite.

 Russia Spektr-R Earth Success Launch of the Spektr-R radio telescope
 US Juno Jupiter Success Juno
 Russia Fobos-Grunt Mars Failure Fobos-Grunt lander and sample return
 Nigeria NigComSat-1 Earth Success NigComSat-1 replacement launched by China
 Taiwan /  Singapore ST-2 Earth Success ST-2 replacement launched by Taiwan and Singapore
 Argentina /  US SAC-D Earth Success SAC-D Orbiter
2012  Iran Navid Earth Success Navid Earth-watching satellite
 US MSL Mars Success Mars Science Laboratory with Curiosity rover—orbit and landed
 North Korea Kwangmyŏngsŏng-3 Earth Success Kwangmyŏngsŏng-3 Unit 2, first successful North Korean orbital rocket launch
 Poland PW-Sat Earth Success PW-Sat, first Polish satellite
2013  South Korea STSAT-2C Earth Success STSAT-2C, first successful South Korean orbital rocket launch
 Canada NEOSSat Earth Success NEOSSat, monitoring near-Earth objects
 Canada Sapphire Earth Success Sapphire, military space surveillance
 Ecuador NEE 01 Pegaso Earth Success NEE-01 Pegaso, Ecuador's first satellite
 Estonia ESTCube-1 Earth Success ESTCube-1, Estonia's first satellite
 Europe PROBA-V Earth Success PROBA-V, small satellite to monitor the vegetation of the Earth
 UK STRaND-1 Earth Success STRaND-1, first smartphone-operated satellite to be launched and dubbed the world's first "phonesat"
 Japan Hisaki Earth Success Hisaki planetary atmosphere observatory
 Canada CASSIOPE Earth Success CASSIOPE, ionosphere research and communication satellite
 India MOM Mars Success MOM is India's first interplanetary mission to Mars. First Asian nation to reach Mars.
 US MAVEN Mars Success MAVEN orbiter
 Poland Lem Earth Success Lem, First Polish scientific satellite
2014  Lithuania LitSat1/LituanicaSAT-1 Earth Success LitSat-1 and LituanicaSAT-1, first Lithuanian satellites
 Turkey TÜRKSAT 4A Earth Success TÜRKSAT 4A, Turkey's fifth communication satellite.
 Europe Rosetta / Philae Comet 67P Partial success Rosetta and Philae, Third comet landing at unintended site in suboptimal orientation due to failure of surface anchoring system
 Poland Heweliusz Earth Success Heweliusz, Second Polish scientific satellite
 Japan Hayabusa2 162173 Ryugu Success Hayabusa2, second Japanese asteroid sample return spacecraft
 Japan PROCYON 2000 DP107 Partial failure PROCYON deep space probe
2015  US DSCOVR Earth-Sun L1 Success DSCOVR, Earth and space weather
 India Astrosat Earth Success Astrosat, Space observatory
 Turkey TÜRKSAT 4B Earth Success TÜRKSAT 4B, Turkey's sixth communication satellite.
2016  European Union /  Russia ExoMars / Schiaparelli Mars Partial success ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter, Trace Gas Orbiter in orbit; Schiaparelli lander crashed
 Canada M3MSat Earth Success M3MSat, maritime monitoring and communication satellite
 US OSIRIS-REx Earth En route OSIRIS-REx, first American asteroid sample return spacecraft
2017  Brazil SGDC-1 Earth Success SGDC-1, communication satellite
2018  US Tesla Roadster Heliocentric orbit Success Elon Musk's Tesla Roadster, dummy payload for the February 2018 Falcon Heavy test flight and is now an artificial satellite of the Sun
 China Queqiao Moon Success First relay satellite for far side of the Moon.
 US  France  Germany InSight Mars Success InSight, Mars lander for planetary information
 European Union/ Japan BepiColombo Mercury En route BepiColombo, two orbiters to study the magnetic field, magnetosphere, and both interior and surface structure of Mercury. Final mission of the Horizon 2000+ programme
 US Parker Solar Probe Sun En route Parker Solar Probe, first spacecraft to visit the outer corona of the Sun
 China Chang'e 4 Moon Success Chang'e 4, first spacecraft to soft-land on the lunar far side.
2019  Egypt NARSSCube-2 Earth Success NARSSCube-2, Egypt's first domestically built satellite
 Israel Beresheet Moon Failure Beresheet, first private space probe and moon lander, crashed
 Russia /  Germany Spektr-RG Earth-Sun L2 Success Launch of the Spektr-RG X-ray observatory
 India Chandrayaan-2 Moon Partial success Chandrayaan-2, orbiter achieved orbit, but lander and rover module hit into the Moon's surface and crashed.
 Ethiopia ETRSS-1 Earth Success ETRSS-1, first Ethiopian satellite; launched on China's Long March 4B rocket.[22]

2020s

Artificial satellites and space probes in the 2020s
Year Origin Name Target Status Description
2020  Turkey TÜRKSAT 5A Earth Success TÜRKSAT 5A, Turkey's seventh communication satellite launched with SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket.
 European Union SolO Sun En route Solar Orbiter is an ESA's Sun-observing satellite.[23][24][25]
 US Mars 2020 Mars Operational Perseverance, JPL's Mars rover. It was launched on July 30 with Atlas V rocket, and landed on February 18, 2021, together with the small Ingenuity helicopter that was deployed on April 4, 2021.
 UAE Hope Mars Success Hope satellite is the United Arab Emirates Space Agency's uncrewed space research project on Mars. It was launched with Japanese H-IIA rocket on 19 July and reached Mars on 9 February 2021.
 China Tianwen-1 Mars Success Mission containing an orbiter, deployable and remote cameras, lander and Zhurong rover. This is China's 2nd uncrewed space research project on Mars. It was launched with Long March 5 rocket on 23 July and the orbiter, lander and rover entered Mars orbit on 10 February 2021. The rover and lander landed on 14 May with rover deployment on 22 April 2021 and dropped a remote selfie camera on Mars on 1 June 2021 and while a deployable camera made a flyby around 10 February 2021 and another deployable camera was released into Mars orbit on 31 December 2021.
 China Chang'e 5 Moon Success Orbiter, Returner, Ascent Stage, Lander configuration mission, China's first automated return of samples from the Moon. orbiter visited L1 and made a lunar flyby.
2021  US Lucy two main belt asteroids as well as six Jupiter trojans En route NASA probe that will complete a 12-year journey to nine different asteroids, visiting two main belt asteroids as well as six Jupiter trojans,[26][27] asteroids which share Jupiter's orbit around the Sun, orbiting either ahead of or behind the planet. All target encounters will be fly-by encounters.[28] It was launched on October 16, 2021, on the 401 variant of Atlas V and has yet to study a trojan asteroid.
 Brazil Amazônia-1 Earth Success Amazônia-1 is the first Earth observation satellite developed by Brazil, helped by Argentina's INVAP, who provided the main computer, attitude controls and sensors, and the training of Brazilian engineers,[8] and launched at 04:54:00 UTC (10:24:00 IST) on 28 February 2021.
 US DART a Binary 65803 Didymos asteroid system Success Double Asteroid Redirection Test, NASA's first mission to test planetary defense. Its uses involves test this technique by kinetically impacting the spacecraft to produce a small change in its orbital period. It was launched on November 24 with Falcon 9 rocket. Accompanying the mission is LICIACube cubesat, a flyby mission that recorded the impact and its aftermaths.
 Italy LICIACube a Binary 65803 Didymos asteroid system Success LICIACube, Light Italian Cubesat for Imaging of Asteroids, is the first Agenzia Spaziale Italiana's interplanetary mission. Ideated, designed, integrated and operated entirely in Italy, it has been the witness of the first real-scale planetary defense test performed by Double Asteroid Redirection Test. LICIACube is the smallest human-made object that successfully performed a flyby of a Small Solar System body. It has been deployed two weeks before DART's impact.
 US IXPE Earth Success Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer, NASA's new X-ray observatory. It was launched on December 8 with Falcon 9 rocket.
 Turkey TÜRKSAT 5B Earth Success TÜRKSAT 5B, Turkey's eighth communication satellite launched with SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket.
 US /  European Union /  Canada James Webb Space Telescope Earth-Sun L2 point Success James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), NASA, ESA and CSA's joint project for a space telescope. It was launched on December 25 with Ariane 5 ECA rocket to Earth-Moon L2 point.
2022  US CAPSTONE Near-rectilinear halo orbit (NRHO) of Moon Operational CAPSTONE, Lunar orbiting CubeSat that will test and verify the calculated orbital stability planned for the Gateway space station. It was launched with Rocket Lab Electron rocket.
 US Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 None None

In May, NASA reports that the Voyager 1 spacecraft, the farthest human-made object, is sending data that does not reflect what is happening on board with the antenna apparently remaining in its prescribed orientation to Earth.[29][30] In June, it was reported that NASA is preparing to power down the two Voyager spacecraft in the hope of using the remaining power to extend their operation to about 2030.[31]

 US /  South Korea Danuri (KLPO) Moon Operational South Korea's first lunar orbiter launched by SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket. Danuri will serve to create topographic map of the lunar surface to pinpoint future landing sites.
 US Artemis 1 Orion MPCV CM-002 Moon Success Uncrewed test of the Orion spacecraft in lunar flyby and DRO orbit.
CuSP Heliocentric Operational Study particles and magnetic fields.
LunIR Moon Success Collect its surface thermography.
NEA Scout Moon/Asteroid Failure Solar sail that will flyby a near-Earth asteroid.
Team Miles Helliocentric Operational Demonstrate low-thrust plasma propulsion in deep space.
BioSentinel Heliocentric Operational Contains yeast cards that will be rehydrated in space, designed to detect, measure, and compare the effects of deep space radiation.
LunaH-Map Moon Failure Search for evidence of lunar water ice inside permanently shadowed craters using its neutron detector.
Lunar IceCube Moon En route Its infrared spectrometer will detect water and organic compounds in the lunar surface and exosphere.
 Italy ArgoMoon High Earth Orbit with Lunar Flybys Operational Image the ICPS and perform deep space Nanotechnology experiments.
 Japan OMOTENASHI Moon Failure Inflatable module attempting to land semi-hard at lunar surface.
EQUULEUS Moon/Earth Moon-L2 Success Image the Earth's plasmasphere, impact craters on the Moon's far side and L2 experiments.
Hakuto-R Mission 1 Moon Failure Lunar landing technology demonstration at Atlas Crater.
 US Lunar Flashlight Moon Failure Lunar Flashlight, Lunar orbiting CubeSat that will explore, locate, and estimate size and composition of water ice deposits on the Moon for future exploitation by robots or humans. It was launched with Hakuto-R mission Mission 1.
2023  European Union Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (JUICE) Jupiter and Ganymede En route Mission to study Jupiter's three icy moons Callisto, Europa and Ganymede, eventually orbiting Ganymede as the first spacecraft to orbit a satellite of another planet.
 European Union Euclid Earth-Sun L2 point Operational It is ESA's project for a space telescope to study dark matter. It was launched on July 1 with Falcon 9 Block 5 rocket to Earth-Moon L2 point.
 India Chandrayaan-3 Moon Success It is India's second attempt to land on the Moon and its south pole. Successfully launched on 14 July 2023 on a LVM3 launch vehicle. Successfully landed on 23 August 2023.
 Russia Luna-25 Moon Failure It was a lander, launched on 10 August 2023 on Soyuz 2.1b rocket. Crashed on the Moon surface on 19 August 2023.[32]
 India Aditya-L1 Earth-Sun L1 point Operational It is ISRO's first Sun dedicated scientific mission. It will perform observations of the Solar corona. Successfully launched on 2 September 2023 on a PSLV-XL rocket.
 Japan /  US XRISM Earth Operational X-Ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission, X-ray space telescope developed by JAXA in partnership with NASA. Successfully launched on 6 September 2023 on a H-IIA launch vehicle.
 Japan SLIM Moon Success Lunar lander developed by JAXA carrying two lunar rovers. Successfully launched on 6 September 2023 on a H-IIA launch vehicle. Successfully landed on 19 January 2024.
 US Psyche 16 Psyche En route Asteroid orbiter developed by NASA. Successfully launched on 13 October 2023 on a Falcon Heavy launch vehicle.
2024  India XPoSat Earth Operational ISRO's mission to study X-ray polarisation. Successfully launched on 1 January 2024 on a PSLV-DL launch vehicle.
 USA Peregrine Mission One Moon Failure Lunar lander developed by Astrobotic Technology and selected as part of NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services. Successfully launched on 8 January 2024 on a Vulcan Centaur launch vehicle but landing abandoned due to excessive propellant leak.
 China /  European Union Einstein Probe Earth Operational X-ray space telescope developed jointly by CAS and ESA. Successfully launched on 9 January 2024 on a Long March 2C launch vehicle.
 USA IM-1 Moon Success Cryogenic-propelled lunar lander developed by Intuitive Machines and selected as part of NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services. Successfully launched on 15 February 2024 on a Falcon 9 launch vehicle and landed on its side on 22 February 2024. Accompanied by a university Cubesat lander called EagleCam to send third-party images of landing sequence back to Earth.
 China DRO A/B Moon Success Yuanzheng 1S upper stage failed to deliver spacecrafts into correct orbit. The satellites were intended to test Distant retrograde orbit.[33] Tracking data appears to show China is attempting to salvage spacecraft and they appear to have succeeded in reaching their desired orbit.[34][35]
 China Queqiao-2 Moon Success Queqiao-2 relay satellite for far side of the Moon with Tiandu-1 and 2 to test future lunar satellite constellation technologies.
 China Chang'e 6 Moon Success Orbiter, Returner, Ascent Stage, Lander, Rover configuration mission, China's first automated return of samples from the far side of the Moon. orbiter visited L2.
 Pakistan ICUBE-Q Moon Operational Piggybacking as the first Pakistani lunar mission along with Chang'e 6.
 China /  France Space Variable Objects Monitor Earth Operational X-ray space telescope developed jointly by CNES and CNSA. Successfully launched on 22 June 2024 on a Long March 2C launch vehicle.
 EU Hera 65803 Didymos En route European component of AIDA, a NASA-ESA asteroid deflection test cooperation, aimed at studying the effects of the NEO's impact created by NASA's DART mission using 65803 Didymos's moon (Dimorphos) as a target. Successfully launched on 7 October 2024 on a Falcon 9 launch vehicle.
 USA Europa Clipper Jupiter and Europa En route NASA launched the Europa Clipper on 14 October 2024 on a Falcon Heavy launch vehicle, which will study the Jovian moon Europa while in orbit around Jupiter.
 EU PROBA-3 Earth Operational solar Coronagraph and Occulter dual satellites developed by ESA. Successfully launched on 5 December 2024 on a Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle.

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