| Countdown page to major space exploration events |
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Important! I do not take any responsibility for any information on this page. Dates are mainly taken from NSSDC and many of them are not ultimate and could change. Some of the missions are only proposed, so it is even possible, that they wont be ever launched.
Today's date is:
| Launch | Events between flight | Important mission events |
End of mission |
Major events within 100 days: no events
Other news:
Voyager 1
Voyager 2
Galileo
Cassini
Stardust
Mars
Climate Orbiter
Mars Polar
Lander
Deep Space 1
Deep Space 2
NEAR
Mars Surveyor 2001
Orbiter
Mars Surveyor 2001
Lander
Nozomi (Planet-B)
Lunar-A
Muses-C
Genesis
Contour
Europa Orbiter
Rosseta
MESSENGER
Deep Impact
NEAP
SMART-1
Selene
Champollion - Deep
Space 4
Mars Surveyor 2003
Orbiter
Mars Surveyor 2003
Lander
Mars Surveyor 2005
Orbiter
Mars Surveyor 2005
Lander
Mars Express
Pluto-Kuiper
Express
ISAS
Mercury Orbiter
ESA Mercury
Orbiter
Voyager
1 - mission to explore outer solar system. Currently the most distant
spacecraft ever made and now heading towards heliopause. Launched on 1977 September 5. (more info, homepage)
| launch | which occurred | 1977 September 5 | |
| Jupiter flyby | which occurred | 1979 March 5 | |
| Saturn flyby | which occurred | 1980 November 30 |
Voyager
2 - mission to explore outer solar system. Now heading towards heliopause.
Launched on 1977 August 20. (more
info, homepage)
| launch | which occurred | 1977 August 20 | |
| Jupiter flyby | which occurred | 1979 August 7 | |
| Saturn flyby | which occurred | 1981 August 26 | |
| Uranus flyby | which occurred | 1986 January 24 | |
| Neptune flyby | which occurred | 1989 August 25 |
Galileo - mission to explore planet Jupiter and its moons. Now operating second
extension mission Galileo Millenium Mission. Launched on 1989 October 18. (more info, homepage)
| launch | which occurred | 1989 October 18 | |
| Jupiter arrival | which occurred | 1995 December 7 | |
| beginning of extended mission | which occurred | 1997 December 16 | |
| Date not yet determined | end of mission | which will occur | 2001 |
Cassini
- mission to explore planet Saturn and itss moon Titan. Launched on 1997 September 15. (more info, homepage)
| launch | which occurred | 1997 September 15 | |
| Earth flyby | which occurred | 1999 August 18 | |
| Jupiter flyby | which will occur | 2000 December 30 | |
| Saturn arrival | which will occur | 2004 July 1 |
NEAR
- mission to observe asteroid Eros. Launchhed on 1996 February 17. (more info, homepage)
| launch | which occurred | 1996 February 17 | |
| first flyby of Eros | which occurred | 1998 December 23 | |
| begin rendezvous with Eros | which occurred | 2000 February 14 |
Stardust
- mission to collect dust from interstellar wind and P/Wild 2 comet tail. Launched
on 1999 February 7. (more
info, homepage)
| launch | which occurred | 1999 February 7 | |
| Earth flyby | which will occur | 2001 January 14 | |
| encounter with comet | which will occur | 2004 January 2 | |
| sample return to Earth | which will occur | 2006 January 15 |
Mars Climate Orbiter - also known as Mars Surveyor
98 Orbiter; will investigate climate environment on Mars. Launched on 1998 December 11. (more info, homepage) (MISSION IS NOT OPERATIONAL
ANYMORE BECAUSE OF SPACECRAFT MALFUNCTION!)
| launch | which occurred | 1998 December 11 | |
| DESTROYED !!! | Mars arrival | which occurred | 1999 September 23 |
Mars Polar Lander- also known as Mars Surveyor 98
Lander; will investigate Martian soil on South pole. Launched on 1999 January 3. (more info, homepage) (MISSION IS NOT OPERATIONAL
ANYMORE BECAUSE OF SPACECRAFT MALFUNCTION!)
| launch | which occurred | 1999 January 3 | |
| DESTROYED !!! | Mars landing | which occured | 1999 December 3 |
Nozomi
(previously known as Planet-B) Japanese mission to planet Mars. Launched on 1998 July 4. (more info)
| launch | which occurred | 1998 July 4 | |
| Date not yet determined | Mars arrival | which will occur | 2003 December |
Deep Space 1 - first mission to introduce
propulsion with ion thruster and much of the future technologies; made a flyby of asteroid
Braille and will possibly flyby two comets (comet Wilson-Harrington and comet Borrelly).
Launched on 1998 October 25. (more info, homepage)
| launch | which occurred | 1998 October 25 | |
| encounter with asteroid | which occurred | 1999 July 29 | |
| Date not yet determined | encounter with first comet | which will occur | 2001 January |
| Date not yet determined | encounter with second comet | which will occur | 2001 September |
Deep
Space 2 - mission aboard Mars Polar Lander; will penetrate Mars surface. (MISSION
IS NOT OPERATIONAL ANYMORE BECAUSE OF SPACECRAFT MALFUNCTION!) (more info, homepage)
Look schedules at Mars Polar Lander.
Lunar-A
- Japanese orbiter and penetrator mission to Moon. (more info, homepage)
| Date not yet determined | launch | which will occur | 2002 |
Mars
Surveyor 2001 Orbiter - will investigate geochemical composition of Martian
surface. (more info,
homepage)
| launch | which will occur | 2001 March 7 |
Mars
Surveyor 2001 Lander - will collect samples for sample return mission in 2005.
(MISSION NOT CERTAIN.) (more info, homepage)
| launch | which will occur | 2001 April 5 |
Muses-C
- Japanese rover and sample return missionn to asteroid 4660 Nereus. (more info, homepage)
| launch | which will occur | 2002 January 7 | |
| asteroid arrival | which will occur | 2003 September 9 | |
| leaving asteroid | which will occur | 2003 November 11 | |
| sample return to Earth | which will occur | 2006 January 28 |
Genesis
- mission to collect samples of solar windd. (more info)
| Date not yet determined | launch | which will occur | 2001 January |
Contour
- mission to visit three comet nuclei. (
| launch | which will occur | 2002 July 4 |
Europa
Orbiter - mission to Jupiter moon Europa. (more info, homepage)
| Date not yet determined | launch | which will occur | November 2003 |
Rosseta
- European mission to observe comet P/Wirttanen and make surface investigations. (more info, homepage)
| launch | which will occur | 2003 January 23 |
MESSENGER
- stands for MErcury Surface, Space Enviroonment, GEochemistry and Ranging mission; this
Discovery-class mission will investigate Mercury for one Earth year. (more info, homepage)
| launch | which will occur | 2004 March 23 |
Deep
Impact - mission to make a crater on comet P/Tempel 1 with a 500 kg copper
projectile and investigate debris and interior of the comet. (more info)
| Date not yet determined | launch | which will occur | 2004 January |
| arrival at the comet | which will occur | 2005 July 4 |
NEAP
- Near Earth Asteroid Prospector; it is thhe first private planetary mission; it plans to
research asteroid 4660 Nereus and attempt landing on it (more info, homepage)
| launch | which will occur | 2001 April 3 |
SMART-1
- first European mission with solar electrric propulsion; will orbit Moon and possibly
flyby a Near-Earth Object (NEO) (more info, homepage)
| Date not yet determined | launch | which will occur | 2001 late |
Selene
- Japanese orbiter and lander mission to moon. (more info, homepage)
| Date not yet determined | launch | which will occur | 2003 |
Champollion
- Deep Space 4 - comet nucleus sample return mission. (more info, homepage)
| CANCELLED ! | launch | which will occur | 2003 April 19 |
Mars
Surveyor 2003 Orbiter - communications. (more info)
Mars
Surveyor 2003 Lander - sample collection mission. (more info)
| Date not yet determined | launch | which will occur | 2003 May / June |
Mars
Express - European orbiter and lander mission to planet Mars (more info, homepage)
| Date not yet determined | launch | which will occur | 2003 June |
Pluto - Kuiper Express - mission to planet Pluto
and possibly a Kuiper disk object. (more info, homepage)
| Date not yet determined | launch | which will occur | 2004 December |
Mars
Surveyor 2005 Orbiter - communications. (more info)
Mars
Surveyor 2005 Lander - sample return mission. (more info)
| Date not yet determined | launch | which will occur | 2005 July / August |
ISAS Mercury Orbiter - Japanese mission to planet
Mercury. (more info)
| Date not yet determined | launch | which will occur | August 2005 |
ESA Mercury Orbiter - European mission to planet
Mercury. (more
info, homepage)
| Date not yet determined | launch | which will occur | 2009 |
Upcoming Planetary Events
and Missions from NSSDC (main source of above information)
Technology Roadmap: proposed missions
and new technology for the next 20 years
Missions at JPL
Mars Web Site
New Millennium Program
The Nine Planets: our solar system
NASA homepage
ESA homepage
ISAS homepage
Dates were taken mainly from NSSDC Upcoming Planetary Events and Missions and some from various homepages of those missions. Please e-mail here any comments or suggestions.
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