List Of Uncrewed Spacecraft By Program
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The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to space exploration.
Space exploration Space exploration is the process of utilizing astronomy and space technology to investigate outer space. While the exploration of space is currently carried out mainly by astronomers with telescopes, its physical exploration is conducted bo ...
– use of
astronomy Astronomy is a natural science that studies celestial objects and the phenomena that occur in the cosmos. It uses mathematics, physics, and chemistry in order to explain their origin and their overall evolution. Objects of interest includ ...
and
space technology Space technology is technology for use in outer space. Space technology includes space vehicles such as spacecraft, satellites, space stations and orbital spaceflight, orbital launch vehicles; :Spacecraft communication, deep-space communication; :S ...
to explore outer space. Physical
exploration Exploration is the process of exploring, an activity which has some Expectation (epistemic), expectation of Discovery (observation), discovery. Organised exploration is largely a human activity, but exploratory activity is common to most organis ...
of space is conducted both by
human spaceflight Human spaceflight (also referred to as manned spaceflight or crewed spaceflight) is spaceflight with a crew or passengers aboard a spacecraft, often with the spacecraft being operated directly by the onboard human crew. Spacecraft can also be ...
s and by
robotic spacecraft Uncrewed spacecraft or robotic spacecraft are spacecraft without people on board. Uncrewed spacecraft may have varying levels of autonomy from human input, such as remote control, or remote guidance. They may also be autonomous, in which t ...
.


Essence of space exploration

Space exploration Space exploration is the process of utilizing astronomy and space technology to investigate outer space. While the exploration of space is currently carried out mainly by astronomers with telescopes, its physical exploration is conducted bo ...
* * * * *


Branches of space exploration

* *
Uncrewed spaceflight Spaceflight (or space flight) is an application of astronautics to fly objects, usually spacecraft, into or through outer space, either human spaceflight, with or uncrewed spaceflight, without humans on board. Most spaceflight is uncrewed and c ...
– Autonomous space travel without human


History of space exploration

* Remote sensing of Earth *
Exploration of the Moon The physical exploration of the Moon began when ''Luna 2'', a space probe launched by the Soviet Union, made a deliberate impact on the surface of the Moon on 14 September, 1959. Prior to that the only available means of lunar exploration had ...
**
Apollo program The Apollo program, also known as Project Apollo, was the United States human spaceflight program led by NASA, which Moon landing, landed the first humans on the Moon in 1969. Apollo followed Project Mercury that put the first Americans in sp ...
**
Moon landing A Moon landing or lunar landing is the arrival of a spacecraft on the surface of the Moon, including both crewed and robotic missions. The first human-made object to touch the Moon was Luna 2 in 1959. In 1969 Apollo 11 was the first cr ...
s **
Robotic exploration of the Moon The physical exploration of the Moon began when ''Luna 2'', a space probe launched by the Soviet Union, made a deliberate impact on the surface of the Moon on 14 September, 1959. Prior to that the only available means of lunar exploration had ...
*
Exploration of Mercury The exploration of Mercury has long had a minor role in the space interests of the world. It is the least explored inner planet.JHU/APL (2006)MESSENGER: MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry, and RangingRetrieved on 2007-01-27 As of ...
* Exploration of Venus *
Exploration of Mars The planet Mars has been explored remotely by spacecraft. Uncrewed spacecraft, Probes sent from Earth, beginning in the late 20th century, have yielded a large increase in knowledge about the Martian system, focused primarily on understanding G ...
**
Mars landing A Mars landing is a landing of a spacecraft on the surface of Mars. Of multiple attempted Mars landings by robotic spacecraft, robotic, uncrewed spacecraft, ten have had successful soft landings. There have also been studies for a possible huma ...
s **
Mars rover A Mars rover is a remote-controlled motor vehicle designed to travel on the surface of Mars. Rovers have several advantages over stationary landers: they examine more territory, they can be directed to interesting features, they can place them ...
s ** Mars Rotorcrafts **
Mars flyby A Mars flyby is a movement of spacecraft passing in the vicinity of the planet Mars, but not entering orbit or landing on it. Page 15-16 in Chapter 3 of David S. F. Portree's ''Humans to Mars: Fifty Years of Mission Planning, 1950 - 2000,'' NASA ...
*
Exploration of Jupiter The exploration of Jupiter has been conducted via close observations by robotic spacecraft, automated spacecraft. It began with the arrival of ''Pioneer 10'' into the Moons of Jupiter, Jovian system in 1973, and, , has continued with eight furth ...
*
Exploration of Saturn The exploration of Saturn has been performed solely by crewless probes. Three missions were flybys, which formed an extended foundation of knowledge about the system. The ''Cassini–Huygens'' spacecraft, launched in 1997, was in orbit from 2004 ...
*
Exploration of Uranus The exploration of Uranus has, to date, been through telescopes and a lone probe by NASA's ''Voyager 2'' spacecraft, which made its closest approach to Uranus on January 24, 1986. ''Voyager 2'' discovered 10 moons, studied the planet's cold atmos ...
*
Exploration of Neptune Neptune has been directly explored by one space probe, ''Voyager 2'', in 1989. , there are no confirmed future missions to visit the Neptunian system, although a tentative Chinese mission has been planned for launch. NASA, ESA, and independent a ...
* History of human spaceflight **
Project Mercury Project Mercury was the first human spaceflight program of the United States, running from 1958 through 1963. An early highlight of the Space Race, its goal was to put a man into Earth orbit and return him safely, ideally before the Soviet Un ...
**
Project Gemini Project Gemini () was the second United States human spaceflight program to fly. Conducted after the first American crewed space program, Project Mercury, while the Apollo program was still in early development, Gemini was conceived in 1961 and ...
**
Apollo program The Apollo program, also known as Project Apollo, was the United States human spaceflight program led by NASA, which Moon landing, landed the first humans on the Moon in 1969. Apollo followed Project Mercury that put the first Americans in sp ...
**
Space Shuttle program The Space Shuttle program was the fourth human spaceflight program carried out by the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), which accomplished routine transportation for Earth-to-orbit crew and cargo from 1981 to 2011. Its ...
** Vostok program **
Voskhod program The Voskhod programme (, , ''Ascent'' or ''Dawn'') was the second Soviet human spaceflight project. Two one-day crewed missions were flown using the Voskhod spacecraft and rocket, one in 1964 and one in 1965, and two dogs flew on a 22-day mission ...
**
Soyuz program The Soyuz programme ( , ; , meaning "Union") is a human spaceflight programme initiated by the Soviet Union in the early 1960s. The Soyuz spacecraft was originally part of a Moon landing project intended to put a Soviet astronaut, cosmonaut ...
**
Shenzhou program Shenzhou may refer to: * Shenzhou, or "Divine Land", one of the Chinese names of China * Shenzhou program, a crewed spaceflight initiative by the People's Republic of China * Shenzhou (spacecraft), spacecraft from China which first carried a Chi ...
*
List of human spaceflights This is a list of all crewed spaceflights throughout history. Beginning in 1961 with the flight of Yuri Gagarin aboard Vostok 1, crewed spaceflight occurs when a human crew flies a spacecraft into outer space. Human spaceflight is distinguishe ...
*
List of Space Shuttle missions The Space Shuttle is a partially reusable low Earth orbital spacecraft system operated by NASA (the National Aeronautics and Space Administration). Its official program name was Space Transportation System (STS), taken from a 1969 plan for a sy ...
*
Spaceflight records Records and firsts in spaceflight are broadly divided into crewed and uncrewed categories. Records involving animal spaceflight have also been noted in earlier experimental flights, typically to establish the feasibility of sending humans to ...
* Emergence of market forces in spaceflight *
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 ...
*
Timeline of astronauts by nationality Since the first human spaceflight by the Soviet Union, citizens of 54 countries have flown in space. For each nationality, the launch date of the first mission is listed. The list is based on the nationality of the person at the time of the launc ...
* Timeline of first orbital launches by country *
Timeline of rocket and missile technology This article gives a concise timeline of rocket and missile technology. 11th century-13th century * 11th century AD - The first documented record of what appears to be gunpowder and the fire arrow, an early form of rocketry, appears in the Ch ...
*
Timeline of space exploration This is a timeline of space exploration which includes notable achievements, first accomplishments and milestones in humanity's exploration of outer space. This timeline generally does not distinguish achievements by a specific country or privat ...
*
Timeline of space travel by nationality Since the first human spaceflight by the Soviet Union, citizens of 54 countries have flown in space. For each nationality, the launch date of the first mission is listed. The list is based on the nationality of the person at the time of the launc ...
*
Timeline of spaceflight This is a timeline of known spaceflights, both crewed and uncrewed, sorted chronologically by launch date. Due to its large size, the timeline has been split into smaller articles, one for each year since 1951. There is a separate list for ...
* Timeline of the Space Race *
Timeline of Solar System exploration This is a timeline of Solar System exploration ordering events in the exploration of the Solar System by date of spacecraft launch. It includes: *All spacecraft that have left Earth orbit for the purposes of Solar System exploration (or were l ...


Space agencies

*
List of government space agencies Government space agencies, established by the governments of countries and regional agencies (groupings of countries) are established as a means for advocating for engaging in activities related to outer space, exploitation of space systems, ...
** Space agencies capable of human spaceflight (as of January 2024) ***
NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the federal government of the United States, US federal government responsible for the United States ...
(USA) ***
CNSA The China National Space Administration (CNSA) is a government agency of the People's Republic of China headquartered in Haidian, Beijing, responsible for civil space administration and international space cooperation. These responsibilities ...
(China) *** RFSA (Russia) ** Space agencies with full launch capability ***
NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the federal government of the United States, US federal government responsible for the United States ...
(USA) *** RFSA (Russia) ***
CNSA The China National Space Administration (CNSA) is a government agency of the People's Republic of China headquartered in Haidian, Beijing, responsible for civil space administration and international space cooperation. These responsibilities ...
(China) *** ESA (Europe) ***
JAXA The is the Japanese national air and space agency. Through the merger of three previously independent organizations, JAXA was formed on 1 October 2003. JAXA is responsible for research, technology development and launch of satellites into o ...
(Japan) ***
ISRO The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO ) is India's national space agency, headquartered in Bengaluru, Karnataka. It serves as the principal research and development arm of the Department of Space (DoS), overseen by the Prime Minister o ...
(India) *** ISA (Israel) *** KARI (South Korea)


Active deep space missions and space stations

*
International Space Station The International Space Station (ISS) is a large space station that was Assembly of the International Space Station, assembled and is maintained in low Earth orbit by a collaboration of five space agencies and their contractors: NASA (United ...
*
Europa Clipper Europa Clipper (previously known as Europa Multiple Flyby Mission) is a space probe developed by NASA to study Europa (moon), Europa, a Galilean moon of Jupiter. It was launched on October 14, 2024. The spacecraft used a gravity assist from Mar ...
(NASA) *
Tiangong space station Tiangong (), officially the ''Tiangong'' space station (), is a permanently crewed space station constructed by China and operated by China Manned Space Agency. Tiangong is a modular design, with modules docked together while in low Earth o ...
(CNSA) * Blue Ghost M1 (
Firefly Aerospace Firefly Aerospace, Inc. is an American private aerospace firm based in Cedar Park, Texas, that develops small- and medium-lift launch vehicles for commercial launches to orbit. The current company was formed when the assets of the former co ...
) *
Chandrayaan-2 Chandrayaan-2 (; from Sanskrit: , "Moon" and , "craft, vehicle") is the second lunar exploration mission developed by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) after Chandrayaan-1. It consists of a lunar orbiter, the ''Vikram'' lunar l ...
(
ISRO The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO ) is India's national space agency, headquartered in Bengaluru, Karnataka. It serves as the principal research and development arm of the Department of Space (DoS), overseen by the Prime Minister o ...
) *
Tianwen-2 ''Tianwen-2'' () is a Chinese asteroid sample return and comet exploration mission that launched on 28 May 2025. China National Space Agency (CNSA) plans for the probe to return samples from asteroid 469219 Kamoʻoalewa in 2027. After the ...
(CNSA) *
Hera In ancient Greek religion, Hera (; ; in Ionic Greek, Ionic and Homeric Greek) is the goddess of marriage, women, and family, and the protector of women during childbirth. In Greek mythology, she is queen of the twelve Olympians and Mount Oly ...
(ESA) * Tiandu-1 and 2 (CNSA) *
Queqiao relay satellite ''Queqiao'' relay satellite (), is the first of the pair of communications relay and radio astronomy satellites for the Chinese Lunar Exploration Program. The China National Space Administration (CNSA) launched the Queqiao relay satellite on 20 M ...
(CNSA) *
Queqiao-2 relay satellite ''Queqiao-2'' relay satellite (), is the second of the communications relay and radio astronomy satellites designed to support the fourth phase the Chinese Lunar Exploration Program, after Queqiao-1 launched in 2018. The China National Space Admin ...
(CNSA) *
ICUBE-Q ICUBE-Q or ICUBE-QAMAR () is a Pakistani lunar remote sensing nanosatellite and is one of the four international payloads of the Chang'e 6 Moon, lunar Sample-return mission, sample-return mission. It is a joint venture between the Institute of Spa ...
(SUPARCO) *
Chang'e 5 Chang'e 5 () was the fifth lunar exploration mission in the Chinese Lunar Exploration Program of CNSA, and China's first lunar sample-return mission. Like its predecessors, the spacecraft is named after the Chinese moon goddess, Chang'e. ...
service module (CNSA) * DRO A/B ( CAS) *
Chang'e 4 Chang'e 4 (; ) is a robotic spacecraft mission in the Chinese Lunar Exploration Program of the CNSA. It made a soft landing on the far side of the Moon, the first spacecraft to do so, on 3 January 2019. A communication relay satellite, , w ...
(CNSA) *
CAPSTONE __NOTOC__ Capstone may refer to: Architecture * Keystone (architecture), also known as a capstone Brands and enterprises * Capstone Investment Advisors, a US investment management firm * Capstone Partners, an investment banking firm * Capstone P ...
(NASA) *
Danuri The Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter (KPLO), officially Danuri, is South Korea's first lunar mission. The orbiter, its science payload and ground control infrastructure are technology demonstrators. The orbiter will also be tasked with surveying ...
( KARI) *
Advanced Composition Explorer Advanced Composition Explorer (ACE or Explorer 71) is a NASA Explorer program satellite and space exploration mission to study matter comprising energetic particles from the solar wind, the interplanetary medium, and other sources. Real-ti ...
– NASA mission to observe
solar wind The solar wind is a stream of charged particles released from the Sun's outermost atmospheric layer, the Stellar corona, corona. This Plasma (physics), plasma mostly consists of electrons, protons and alpha particles with kinetic energy betwee ...
*
Deep Space Climate Observatory Deep Space Climate Observatory (DSCOVR; formerly known as Triana, unofficially known as GoreSat) is a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) space weather, space climate, and Earth observation satellite. It was launched by Spac ...
–
NOAA The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA ) is an American scientific and regulatory agency charged with forecasting weather, monitoring oceanic and atmospheric conditions, charting the seas, conducting deep-sea exploratio ...
observatory for
space weather Space weather is a branch of space physics and aeronomy, or heliophysics, concerned with the varying conditions within the Solar System and its heliosphere. This includes the effects of the solar wind, especially on the Earth's magnetosphere, ion ...
*
Aditya-L1 Aditya-L1 (Sanskrit: 'Sun', L1 ' Lagrange Point 1') is a coronagraphy spacecraft for studying the solar atmosphere, designed and developed by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and various other Indian Space Research Institutes. ...
(ISRO) *
Mars Odyssey ''2001 Mars Odyssey'' is a robotic spacecraft orbiting the planet Mars. The project was developed by NASA, and contracted out to Lockheed Martin, with an expected cost for the entire mission of US$297 million. Its mission is to use spectro ...
(NASA) *
Mars Express ''Mars Express'' is a space exploration mission by the European Space Agency, European Space Agency (ESA) exploring the planet Mars and its moons since 2003, and the first planetary mission attempted by ESA. ''Mars Express'' consisted of two ...
– ESA satellite orbiting Mars *
Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter The ''Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter'' (''MRO'') is a spacecraft designed to search for the existence of water on Mars and provide support for missions to Mars, as part of NASA's Mars Exploration Program. It was launched from Cape Canaveral on Au ...
(NASA) *
Mars Science Laboratory Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) is a robotic spacecraft, robotic space probe mission to Mars launched by NASA on November 26, 2011, which successfully landed ''Curiosity (rover), Curiosity'', a Mars rover, in Gale (crater), Gale Crater on Augus ...
– NASA rover to Mars *
MAVEN MAVEN is a NASA spacecraft orbiting Mars to study the loss of that planet's atmospheric gases to space, providing insight into the history of the planet's climate and water. The name is an acronym for "Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution" w ...
– NASA satellite orbiting Mars *
ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter The ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO or ExoMars Orbiter) is a collaborative project between the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Russian Roscosmos agency that sent an atmospheric research orbiter and the ''Schiaparelli'' demonstration lande ...
(ESA /
Roscosmos The State Corporation for Space Activities "Roscosmos", commonly known simply as Roscosmos (), is a State corporation (Russia), state corporation of the Russian Federation responsible for space science, space flights, List of space agencies, c ...
) – Mars satellite *
Tianwen-1 -1 ( zh , s = 天问一号) (also referred to as TW-1) is an interplanetary mission by the China National Space Administration (CNSA) which sent a robotic spacecraft to Mars, consisting of 6 spacecraft: an orbiter, two deployable cameras, lan ...
(CNSA) *
Mars 2020 Mars 2020 is a NASA mission that includes the rover ''Perseverance (rover), Perseverance'', the now-retired small robotic helicopter ''Ingenuity (helicopter), Ingenuity'', and associated delivery systems, as part of the Mars Exploration Progra ...
Perseverance rover ''Perseverance'' is a car-sized Mars rover designed to explore the Jezero (crater), Jezero crater on Mars as part of NASA's Mars 2020 mission. It was manufactured by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and launched on July 30, 2020, at 11:50 Coordin ...
– NASA rover to Mars *
Akatsuki may refer to: Places * Akatsuki Gakuenmae Station, is a passenger railway station located in the city of Yokkaichi People *, Japanese author in the I Novel genre *, Japanese manga artist *, Japanese light novel author and manga writer Ships * ...
– JAXA satellite orbiting Venus *
BepiColombo BepiColombo is a joint mission of the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) to the planet Mercury. The mission comprises two satellites launched together: the Mercury Planetary Orbiter (MPO) and ''Mio'' ...
(ESA / JAXA) *
STEREO Stereophonic sound, commonly shortened to stereo, is a method of sound reproduction that recreates a multi-directional, 3-dimensional audible perspective. This is usually achieved by using two independent audio channels through a configurat ...
– NASA mission to observe the Sun *
Parker Solar Probe The Parker Solar Probe (PSP; previously Solar Probe, Solar Probe Plus or Solar Probe+) is a NASA space probe launched in 2018 to make observations of the Stellar corona, Sun's outer corona. It used repeated Gravity assist, gravity assists from ...
– NASA probe to Sun *
Solar Orbiter The Solar Orbiter (SolO) is a Sun-observing probe developed by the European Space Agency (ESA) with a National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) contribution. Solar Orbiter, designed to obtain detailed measurements of the inner heli ...
– ESA probe to Sun * Hayabusa2♯ (JAXA) – sample return mission to asteroid Ryugu * OSIRIS-APEX (NASA) – probe to asteroid Apophis * ''
Lucy Lucy is an English language, English feminine given name derived from the Latin masculine given name Lucius with the meaning ''as of light'' (''born at dawn or daylight'', maybe also ''shiny'', or ''of light complexion''). Alternative spellings ar ...
'' – NASA probe to multiple
Jupiter trojan The Jupiter trojans, commonly called trojan asteroids or simply trojans, are a large group of asteroids that share the planet Jupiter's orbit around the Sun. Relative to Jupiter, each Trojan (celestial body), trojan Libration point orbit, librat ...
s * '' Psyche'' (NASA) – probe to asteroid Psyche * '' Juno'' – NASA satellite orbiting Jupiter *
Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer The Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (Juice, formerly JUICE) is an interplanetary spacecraft on its way to orbit and study three icy moons of Jupiter (planet), Jupiter: Ganymede (moon), Ganymede, Callisto (moon), Callisto, and Europa (moon), Europa ...
– ESA probe to Jupiter and its moons * ''
New Horizons ''New Horizons'' is an Interplanetary spaceflight, interplanetary space probe launched as a part of NASA's New Frontiers program. Engineered by the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) and the Southwest Research Institut ...
'' – probe to Pluto * ''
Voyager 1 ''Voyager 1'' is a space probe launched by NASA on September 5, 1977, as part of the Voyager program to study the outer Solar System and the interstellar medium, interstellar space beyond the Sun's heliosphere. It was launched 16 days afte ...
'' and ''
Voyager 2 ''Voyager 2'' is a space probe launched by NASA on August 20, 1977, as a part of the Voyager program. It was launched on a trajectory towards the gas giants (Jupiter and Saturn) and enabled further encounters with the ice giants (Uranus and ...
'' (NASA) – probes to outer Solar System and interstellar space


Future of space exploration

Lunar (the Moon) *
Future lunar missions Missions to the Moon have been numerous and include some of the earliest space missions, conducting exploration of the Moon since 1959. The first partially successful lunar mission was Luna 1 (January 1959), the first probe to leave Earth a ...
*
Colonization of the Moon The colonization of the Moon is a process or concept employed by some proposals for robotic or human exploitation and settlement endeavours on the Moon. Often used as a synonym for its more specific element of settling the Moon (the establishi ...
*
Lunar outpost (NASA) upright=1.6, Concept art from NASA showing astronauts entering a lunar outpost. (2006) The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has proposed several concept moonbases for achieving a permanent presence of humans on the Moon sinc ...
Sun * Sundiver (space mission) Mercury * Colonization of Mercury Venus * Exploration of Venus Mars *
Colonization of Mars 475px, Map of the year each country achieved List of sovereign states by date of formation, independence. Colonization (British English: colonisation) is a process of establishing occupation of or control over foreign territories or peoples f ...
*
Human mission to Mars The idea of sending humans to Mars has been the subject of aerospace engineering and scientific studies since the late 1940s as part of the broader exploration of Mars. Long-term proposals have included sending settlers and terraforming the p ...
* Mars to Stay Outer Solar System * Colonization of the outer Solar System ** Colonization of Titan Beyond the Solar System *
Interstellar travel Interstellar travel is the hypothetical travel of spacecraft between star systems. Due to the vast distances between the Solar System and nearby stars, interstellar travel is not practicable with current propulsion technologies. To travel between ...
** Nuclear rocket **
Fusion rocket A fusion rocket is a theoretical design for a rocket driven by nuclear fusion, fusion propulsion that could provide efficient and sustained Spacecraft propulsion, acceleration in space without the need to carry a large fuel supply. The design requ ...
**
Solar sail Solar sails (also known as lightsails, light sails, and photon sails) are a method of spacecraft propulsion using radiation pressure exerted by sunlight on large surfaces. A number of spaceflight missions to test solar propulsion and navigati ...
** Einstein-Rosen bridge **
Alcubierre drive The Alcubierre drive () is a speculative warp drive idea according to which a spacecraft could achieve apparent faster-than-light travel by contracting space in front of it and expanding space behind it, under the assumption that a configurabl ...
*
Intergalactic travel Intergalactic travel is the hypothetical travel between galaxies. Because the Milky Way and its closest neighbors are separated by millions of light-years, any such venture would also require millions of years based on our current understanding o ...


General space exploration concepts

* * * * ** ** * *


Space exploration scholars


Leaders in space exploration

*
Yuri Gagarin Yuri Alekseyevich Gagarin; Gagarin's first name is sometimes transliterated as ''Yuriy'', ''Youri'', or ''Yury''. (9 March 1934 – 27 March 1968) was a Soviet pilot and cosmonaut who, aboard the first successful Human spaceflight, crewed sp ...
– first man in space *
Neil Armstrong Neil Alden Armstrong (August 5, 1930 – August 25, 2012) was an American astronaut and aerospace engineering, aeronautical engineer who, in 1969, became the Apollo 11#Lunar surface operations, first person to walk on the Moon. He was al ...
and
Buzz Aldrin Buzz Aldrin ( ; born Edwin Eugene Aldrin Jr.; January 20, 1930) is an American former astronaut, engineer and fighter pilot. He made three extravehicular activity, spacewalks as pilot of the 1966 Gemini 12 mission, and was the Lunar Module Eag ...
– first men to walk on the
Moon The Moon is Earth's only natural satellite. It Orbit of the Moon, orbits around Earth at Lunar distance, an average distance of (; about 30 times Earth diameter, Earth's diameter). The Moon rotation, rotates, with a rotation period (lunar ...
*
John Glenn John Herschel Glenn Jr. (July 18, 1921 – December 8, 2016) was an American Marine Corps aviator, astronaut, businessman, and politician. He was the third American in space and the first to orbit the Earth, circling it three times in 1 ...
– oldest man in orbit


See also

*
Outline of space science The following outline is provided as an overview and topical guide to space science: Space science – field that encompasses all of the scientific disciplines that involve space exploration and study natural phenomena and physical bodie ...
* Outline of aerospace *
Timeline of Solar System exploration This is a timeline of Solar System exploration ordering events in the exploration of the Solar System by date of spacecraft launch. It includes: *All spacecraft that have left Earth orbit for the purposes of Solar System exploration (or were l ...
*
Scientific research on the International Space Station The International Space Station is a platform for scientific research that requires one or more of the unusual conditions present in low Earth orbit (for example microgravity, ( cosmic) -radiation and extreme temperatures). The primary fields ...


Lists

*List of spacecraft **
List of crewed spacecraft This is a list of all crewed spacecraft types that have flown into space, including sub-orbital flights above 80 km, space stations that have been visited by at least one crew member, and spacecraft currently planned to operate with crews ...
**
List of Solar System probes This is a list of space probes that have left Earth orbit (or were launched with that intention but failed), organized by their planned destination. It includes planetary probes, solar probes, and probes to asteroids and comets. Flybys (such as ...
*** List of active Solar System probes *** List of lunar probes ***
List of Mars landers The following table is a list of successful and unsuccessful Mars landers. As of 2022, 21 lander missions and 8 sub-landers (Rovers and Penetrators) attempted to land on Mars. Of 21 landers, the ''Curiosity'' rover and ''Perseverance'' rover are ...
***
List of Mars orbiters The following table is a list of Mars orbiters, consisting of space probes which were launched from Earth and are currently orbiting Mars. As of August 2023, there have been 18 spacecraft missions operating in Mars' orbit, 7 of which are currentl ...
**
List of space telescopes This list of space telescopes (astronomy, astronomical space observatory, space observatories) is grouped by major frequency ranges: gamma ray, x-ray, ultraviolet, visible light, visible, infrared, microwave and radio. Telescopes that work in mult ...
***
List of proposed space observatories This list contains proposals for space telescopes, space-based (situated in space) astronomical observatories. It is a list of past and present space observatory plans, concepts, and proposals. For observatories in orbit, see list of space teles ...
** List of cargo spacecraft **
List of Falcon 9 first-stage boosters A Falcon 9 first-stage booster is a reusable rocket booster (rocketry), booster used on the Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy orbital launch vehicles manufactured by SpaceX. The manufacture of first-stage booster constitutes about 60% of the launch pric ...
** List of heaviest spacecraft **
List of spacecraft called Sputnik Sputnik (Спутник, Russian for "satellite"NOTE: The Russian word "sputnik" can have many meanings: "satellite", "travelling companion", "fellow traveller", etc. However, in astronomy, it means only "satellite".) is a name for multiple spa ...
** List of spacecraft powered by non-rechargeable batteries ** List of spacecraft with electric propulsion **
List of spaceplanes A spaceplane incorporates aspects of both aeroplanes and spacecraft. Most concepts were only capable of sub-orbital spaceflight. , - , ASSET , , USA , , Rocket launch , , Experimental , , 1963 , , Prototype , , , , Uncrewed reentry te ...
**
List of upper stages This is a list of upper stages used on rockets. Upper stages bold denotes active configurations''italics'' denotes configurations in development See also * Multistage rocket * Apogee kick motor * Space tug * Lists of rockets * List of orbital ...
**
List of spacecraft deployed from the International Space Station This is a list of spacecraft deployed from the International Space Station. The International Space Station deploys spacecraft using the JEM Small Satellite Orbital Deployer (J-SSOD), the Nanoracks CubeSat Deployer The Nanoracks CubeSat Depl ...
*
Assembly of the International Space Station The process of assembling the International Space Station (ISS) has been under way since the 1990s. ''Zarya (ISS module), Zarya'', the first ISS module, was launched by a Proton (rocket), Proton rocket on 20 November 1998. The STS-88 Space Shuttl ...
* Space Shuttle crews *
List of Apollo astronauts As part of the Apollo program by NASA, 24 astronauts flew nine missions to the Moon between December 1968 and December 1972. During six successful two-man landing missions, twelve men walked on the lunar surface, six of whom drove Lunar Roving ...
*
List of Apollo missions The Apollo program was a United States human spaceflight program carried out from 1961 to 1972 by the NASA, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), which landed the first List of Apollo astronauts, astronauts on the Moon. The progra ...
*
List of Artemis missions The Artemis program is a human spaceflight program by the United States. The Artemis program is intended to reestablish a human presence on the Moon for the first time since Apollo 17 in 1972; mid-term objectives include establishing an inter ...
*
List of artificial objects on extra-terrestrial surfaces This is a partial list of artificial objects left on extraterrestrial surfaces. Artificial objects on Venus Artificial objects on the Moon Artificial objects on Mars Artificial objects on other extraterrestrial bodies Estimated ...
* List of astronauts by name *
List of astronauts by selection This is a list of astronauts by year of selection: people selected to train for a List of human spaceflight programs, human spaceflight program to command, pilot, or serve as a crew member of a spacecraft. Until recently, astronauts were sponso ...
* List of communication satellite companies *
List of communications satellite firsts Milestones in the history of communications satellites. See also *Timeline of first artificial satellites by country As of , over eighty countries have operated artificial satellites. Suborbital only In addition, some countries have o ...
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List of Constellation missions A list is a set of discrete items of information collected and set forth in some format for utility, entertainment, or other purposes. A list may be memorialized in any number of ways, including existing only in the mind of the list-maker, but ...
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List of Cosmos satellites This is a list of Kosmos (satellite), Kosmos satellites. Due to its size, the list has been split into groups of 250 satellites: * List of Kosmos satellites (1–250) * List of Kosmos satellites (251–500) * List of Kosmos satellites (501–750) ...
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List of crewed spacecraft This is a list of all crewed spacecraft types that have flown into space, including sub-orbital flights above 80 km, space stations that have been visited by at least one crew member, and spacecraft currently planned to operate with crews ...
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List of cumulative spacewalk records This is a list of cumulative spacewalk records for the 30 astronauts who have the most extra-vehicular activity (EVA) time. The record is currently held by Anatoly Solovyev of the Russian Federal Space Agency, with 82:22 hours from 16 EVAs, fo ...
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List of Earth observation satellites Earth observation satellites are Earth-orbiting spacecraft with sensors used to collect imagery and measurements of the surface of the earth. These satellites are used to monitor short-term weather, long-term climate change, natural disasters ...
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List of human spaceflight programs A list is a set of discrete items of information collected and set forth in some format for utility, entertainment, or other purposes. A list may be memorialized in any number of ways, including existing only in the mind of the list-maker, but ...
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List of human spaceflights This is a list of all crewed spaceflights throughout history. Beginning in 1961 with the flight of Yuri Gagarin aboard Vostok 1, crewed spaceflight occurs when a human crew flies a spacecraft into outer space. Human spaceflight is distinguishe ...
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List of human spaceflights to the International Space Station This is a chronological list of spaceflights to the International Space Station (ISS), including long-term ISS crew, short term visitors, replacement/rescue missions and mixed human/cargo missions. Uncrewed visiting spacecraft are excluded (see Unc ...
* List of interplanetary voyages * List of ISS spacewalks *
List of International Space Station expeditions This is a chronological list of expeditions to the International Space Station (ISS). An expedition to the ISS refers to the crew that is occupying the space station and using it for Space research, research and testing. Expeditions can last up ...
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List of International Space Station visitors This is a list of all of the visitors to the International Space Station (ISS), including long-term crew, short-term visitors, and space tourists, in alphabetical order. ISS crew names are in bold. The suffix ''(twice, three times, ...)'' refers ...
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List of landings on extraterrestrial bodies This is a list of all spacecraft landings on other planets and bodies in the Solar System, including soft landings and both intended and unintended hard impacts. The list includes orbiters that were intentionally crashed, but not orbiters which ...
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List of launch vehicles There are several different types of rockets. The following articles contain lists of rockets by type: * List of missiles * List of orbital launch systems * List of sounding rockets * List of military rockets * List of rocket stages * List of ca ...
* List of Mir expeditions * List of Mir spacewalks *
List of NASA missions This is a list of NASA missions, both crewed and robotic, since the establishment of NASA in 1957. There are over 80 currently active science missions. X-Plane program Since 1945, NACA (NASA's predecessor) and, since January 26, 1958, NASA ...
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List of objects at Lagrangian points This is a list of known objects which occupy, have occupied, or are planned to occupy any of the five Lagrange points of two-body systems in space. Sun–Earth Lagrange points Sun–Earth L1 is the Lagrange point located approximately 1.5 mi ...
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List of private spaceflight companies Private spaceflight companies include non-governmental or privately-owned entities focused on developing and/or offering equipment and services geared towards spaceflight, both robotic and human. This list includes both inactive and active entitie ...
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List of probes by operational status This is a list of active space probes which have escaped Earth orbit. It includes lunar space probes, but does not include space probes orbiting at the Sun–Earth Lagrangian points (for these, see List of objects at Lagrangian points). A craft ...
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List of rockets There are several different types of rockets. The following articles contain lists of rockets by type: * List of missiles * List of orbital launch systems * List of sounding rockets * List of military rockets * List of rocket stages * List of ca ...
* Lists of rocket launches ** List of Ariane launches ** List of Atlas launches ** List of Black Brant launches **
List of Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy launches As of , rockets from the Falcon 9 family have been launched times, with full mission successes, two mission failures during launch, one mission failure before launch, and one partial failure. Designed and operated by SpaceX, the Falcon 9 fa ...
** List of Long March launches ** List of Proton launches **
List of R-7 launches This is a list of launches conducted by the R-7 Semyorka ICBM, and its derivatives. All listed launches are orbital satellite launches unless otherwise noted. Due to the size of the list, it has been split into several smaller articles: * List ...
** List of Scout launches ** List of Space Launch System launches ** List of Thor and Delta launches ** List of Titan launches **
List of V-2 test launches The list of V-2 test launches identifies World War II launches of the A4 rocket (renamed V-2 in 1944). Test launches were made at Peenemünde Test Stand VII, Blizna V-2 missile launch site and Tuchola Forest using experimental and production ...
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List of Zenit launches This is a list of launches made by the Zenit rocket. All launches were conducted from either Site 45 of the Baikonur Cosmodrome or from Sea Launch's Ocean Odyssey LP ''Odyssey'' is a self-propelled semi-submersible mobile spacecraft launch p ...
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List of Russian human spaceflight missions This is a list of the human spaceflight missions conducted by Roscosmos (previously and alternatively known as the Russian Space Agency, the Russian Aviation and Space Agency, and the Russian Federal Space Agency) since 1992. All Russian human s ...
* List of satellites in geosynchronous orbit *
List of Solar System probes This is a list of space probes that have left Earth orbit (or were launched with that intention but failed), organized by their planned destination. It includes planetary probes, solar probes, and probes to asteroids and comets. Flybys (such as ...
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List of Soviet human spaceflight missions This is a list of the human spaceflight missions conducted by the Soviet space program. These missions belong to the Vostok programme, Vostok, Voskhod programme, Voskhod, and Soyuz programme, Soyuz space programs. The first patch from the Sovie ...
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List of space agencies Government space agencies, established by the governments of countries and regional agencies (groupings of countries) are established as a means for advocating for engaging in activities related to outer space, exploitation of space systems, ...
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List of Space Shuttle missions The Space Shuttle is a partially reusable low Earth orbital spacecraft system operated by NASA (the National Aeronautics and Space Administration). Its official program name was Space Transportation System (STS), taken from a 1969 plan for a sy ...
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List of space travelers by name This is a list of space travellers by first flight. The table is listed in chronological order from the date of first flight. The table adheres to a common definition of a space traveller; the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale criter ...
* List of space travelers by nationality * List of spacecraft and crews that visited Mir * List of spacecraft manufacturers *
List of spaceflight records Records and firsts in spaceflight are broadly divided into crewed and uncrewed categories. Records involving animal spaceflight have also been noted in earlier experimental flights, typically to establish the feasibility of sending humans to ...
* List of spaceports *
List of spacewalks and moonwalks Lists of spacewalks and moonwalks include: By date * List of spacewalks and moonwalks 1965–1999 * List of spacewalks 2000–2014 * List of spacewalks 2015–2024 * List of spacewalks since 2025 By space station * List of Salyut spacewalks * ...
* List of the largest fixed satellite operators * List of uncrewed spacecraft by program *
Uncrewed spaceflights to the International Space Station Uncrewed spaceflights to the International Space Station (ISS) are made primarily to deliver cargo, however several Russian modules have also docked to the outpost following uncrewed launches. Resupply missions typically use the Russian Progress s ...
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Lists of astronomical objects This is a list of lists, grouped by type of astronomical object. Solar System * List of Solar System objects * List of gravitationally rounded objects of the Solar System * List of Solar System objects most distant from the Sun * List of ...
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Lists of telescopes This is a list of lists of telescopes. *List of astronomical interferometers at visible and infrared wavelengths *List of astronomical observatories *List of highest astronomical observatories *List of large optical telescopes *List of largest i ...
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List of government space agencies Government space agencies, established by the governments of countries and regional agencies (groupings of countries) are established as a means for advocating for engaging in activities related to outer space, exploitation of space systems, ...
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Lists of astronauts List of astronauts or space travellers, may refer to: By name * List of astronauts by name By nationality * List of space travelers by nationality * Timeline of space travel by nationality * American astronauts ** List of Apollo astronauts ** ...
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Lists of space scientists This is a list of lists of space scientists. * List of cosmologists * List of aerospace engineers * Astronomer Royal * List of women astronomers * List of astronomers * List of French astronomers * List of minor planet discoverers * List of Russi ...


References


External links


Space related news

NASA's website on human space travel



Unofficial Shuttle Launch Manifest




accessed 02/10/2019

accessed 02/10/2019
26 Types of Spacecraft
accessed 02/10/2019 {{DEFAULTSORT:Space Exploration
Space exploration Space exploration is the process of utilizing astronomy and space technology to investigate outer space. While the exploration of space is currently carried out mainly by astronomers with telescopes, its physical exploration is conducted bo ...
Space exploration Space exploration is the process of utilizing astronomy and space technology to investigate outer space. While the exploration of space is currently carried out mainly by astronomers with telescopes, its physical exploration is conducted bo ...
Space exploration Space exploration is the process of utilizing astronomy and space technology to investigate outer space. While the exploration of space is currently carried out mainly by astronomers with telescopes, its physical exploration is conducted bo ...
Space exploration *Outline
Space exploration Space exploration is the process of utilizing astronomy and space technology to investigate outer space. While the exploration of space is currently carried out mainly by astronomers with telescopes, its physical exploration is conducted bo ...