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 is deemed "active" if it is still able to transmit usable data to Earth (regardless of whether it can receive commands). The craft are further grouped by mission status – "en-route", "mission in progress" or "mission complete" – based on their primary mission. For example, though Voyager 1 is still contactable en-route to the Oort Cloud and has exited the Solar System, it is listed as "mission complete" because its primary task of studying Jupiter and Saturn has been accomplished. Once a probe has reached its first primary target, it is no longer listed as "en route" regardless of whether further travel is involved.
Missions in progress
Moon ARTEMIS P1/P2 Mission: studying the effect of the solar wind on the Moon. Originally launched as Earth satellites, they were later repurposed and moved to lunar orbit. Launched: February 17, 2007 Destination: Moon (in lunar orbit) Arrival: July 2011 Institution: NASA Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Mission: Orbiter engaged in lunar mapping intended to identify safe landing sites, locate potential resources on the Moon, characterize the radiation environment, and demonstrate new technology. Launched: 18 June 2009 Destination: Moon (in lunar orbit) Arrival: 23 June 2009 Institution: NASA Queqiao Mission: Halo orbiter serving as communications satellite for Chang'e 4 lunar far-side mission; conducting joint China-Netherlands low frequency astronomy experiment. Launched: 21:28 UT on 20 May 2018 Destination: in halo orbit about Earth-Moon L2 Arrival: 14 June 2018 Institution: CNSA Chang'e 4 lander and rover Mission: Lander engaging in low-frequency radio spectrometry experiment, neutron and dosimetry experiment, and biological experiment. Rover seeking to characterize lunar far-side environment (including possible lunar mantle material) using visible/near-infrared spectrometer, ground penetrating radar, cameras, and neutral particle analyzer. Launched: 18:23 UT on 8 December 2018 Destination: Lunar far side Arrival: 02:26 UT on 3 January 2019 Institution: CNSA Chandrayaan-2 Orbiter Mission: engaged in lunar topography and mineralogy, elemental abundance, the lunar exosphere, and signatures of hydroxyl and water. Launched: 22 July 2019 Destination: Moon (in lunar orbit) Arrival: 20 August 2019 Institution: ISRO CAPSTONE Mission: Lunar orbiting CubeSat that will test and verify the calculated orbital stability planned for the Gateway space station. Launched: 28 June 2022 Destination: Moon (in a Near-rectilinear halo orbit (NRHO)) Arrival: 14 November 2022 Institution: NASA Danuri (Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter) Mission: Lunar Orbiter by the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) of South Korea. The orbiter, its science payload and ground control infrastructure are technology demonstrators. The orbiter will also be tasked with surveying lunar resources such as water ice, uranium, helium-3, silicon, and aluminium, and produce a topographic map to help select future lunar landing sites. Launched: 4 August 2022 Destination: Moon (in lunar orbit) Arrival: 16 December 2022 Institution: collaboration between KARI and NASA Queqiao-2 Mission: lunar orbiter serving as communications satellite for Chang'e 6, Chang'e 7 Chang'e 8 and International Lunar Research Station on lunar far-side mission; Launched: 20 March 2024 Destination: Moon (in lunar orbit) Arrival: 24 March 2024 Institution: CNSA Tiandu-1 Mission: Testing technologies for a future lunar Satellite constellation. Launched: 20 March 2024 Destination: Moon (in lunar orbit) Arrival: 24 March 2024 Institution: Deep Space Exploration Laboratory Tiandu-2 Mission: Testing technologies for a future lunar Satellite constellation. Launched: 20 March 2024 Destination: Moon (in lunar orbit) Arrival: 24 March 2024 Institution: Deep Space Exploration Laboratory DRO A/B Mission: Testing technologies to establish lunar navigation and communications infrastructure to support lunar exploration. Launched: 13 March 2024 Destination: Moon (in DRO) Arrival: ~20 August 2024 Institution: China Academy of Sciences ICUBE-Q Mission: First Pakistani lunar mission piggybacking with Chang'e 6. Launched: 3 May 2024 Destination: Moon (in lunar orbit) Arrival: 8 May 2024 Institution: SUPARCO
Mercury BepiColombo Mission: Spacecraft consists of the Mercury Transfer Module (MTM), Mercury Planetary Orbiter (MPO), and the Mercury Magnetospheric Orbiter (MMO or Mio). MTM and MPO are built by ESA while the MMO is mostly built by JAXA. Once the MTM delivers the MPO and MMO to Mercury orbit, the two orbiters will have the following objectives: to study Mercury's form, interior structure, geology, composition, and craters; to study the origin, structure, and dynamics of its magnetic field; to characterize the composition and dynamics of Mercury's vestigial atmosphere; to test Einstein's theory of general relativity; to search for asteroids sunward of Earth; and to generally study the origin and evolution of a planet close to a parent star. Launched: 01:45:28 UT on 19 October 2018 Destination: Mercury Arrival: En route (anticipated to enter Mercury polar orbit in November 2026) Institution: ESA JAXA
Mars
2001 Mars Odyssey Mission: Mars Odyssey was designed to map the surface of Mars and also acts as a relay for the Curiosity rover. Its name is a tribute to the novel and 1968 film 2001: A Space Odyssey. Launched: 7 April 2001 Destination: Mars Arrival: 24 October 2001 Institution: NASA Mars Express Mission: Mars orbiter designed to study the planet's atmosphere and geology and search for sub-surface water. In 2017 the mission was extended until at least the end of 2020. Launched: 2 June 2003 Destination: Mars Arrival: 25 December 2003 Institution: ESA Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Mission: the second NASA satellite orbiting Mars. It is specifically designed to analyze the landforms, stratigraphy, minerals, and ice of the red planet. Launched: 12 August 2005 Destination: Mars Arrival: 10 March 2006 Institution: NASA Curiosity rover Mission: searching for evidence of organic material on Mars, monitoring methane levels in the atmosphere, and engaging in exploration of the landing site at Gale Crater. Launched: 26 November 2011 Destination: Mars Arrival: 6 August 2012 Institution: NASA Trace Gas Orbiter (ExoMars 2016) Mission: study methane and other trace gases in the Martian atmosphere Launched: 14 March 2016 Destination: Mars Arrived: 19 October 2016 (Mars orbit insertion), 21 April 2018 (final orbit) Institution: ESA Emirates Mars Mission Mission: study weather and atmosphere. Launched: 19 July 2020 Destination: Mars Arrival: 9 February 2021 Institution: UAESA Tianwen-1 orbiter Mission: find evidence for current and past life and produce Martian surface maps. Orbital studies of Martian surface morphology, soil, and atmosphere. Launched: 23 July 2020 Destination: Mars Arrival: 10 February 2021 Institution: CNSA Perseverance rover Mission: searching for evidence of organic material on Mars, and engaging in exploration of the landing site at Jezero crater. Launched: 30 July 2020 Destination: Jezero crater, Mars Arrival: 18 February 2021 Institution: NASA ESCAPADE Mission: Two orbiters Launched: 13 November 2025 Destination: Mars Arrival: 2027 Institution: NASA
Asteroids and comets Hayabusa2 Mission: asteroid study and sample-return Launched: 3 December 2014 Destination: 162173 Ryugu Arrival: 27 June 2018 Left Ryugu: 12 November 2019 Destination: 98943 Torifune Expected arrival: June 2026 Institution: JAXA OSIRIS-APEX Mission: asteroid study and sample-return Launched: 8 September 2016 Destination: 101955 Bennu Arrival: 3 December 2018 Left Bennu: 10 May 2021 Destination: 99942 Apophis Expected arrival: April 2029 Institution: NASA Lucy Mission: to fly by 8 Jupiter trojans and one main-belt asteroid Launched: 16 October 2021 Destination: 152830 Dinkinesh Arrival: 1 November 2023 Destination: 52246 Donaldjohanson Arrival: 20 April 2025 Destination: 3548 Eurybates Expected arrival: 12 August 2027 Institution: NASA Psyche Mission: to orbit a main-belt asteroid Launched: 13 October 2023 Destination: 16 Psyche Expected arrival: August 2029 Institution: NASA Hera Mission: to orbit a binary asteroid and observe the asteroids after the DART impact. Launched: 7 October 2024 Destination: 65803 Didymos system Expected arrival: December 2026 Institution: ESA Tianwen-2 Mission: asteroid study and sample-return Launched: 29 May 2025 Destination: 469219 Kamoʻoalewa Arrival: 7 June 2026 Institution: CNSA
Heliocentric orbit Parker Solar Probe Mission: observation of solar wind, magnetic fields, and coronal energy flow. Launched: 12 August 2018 Destination: low solar orbit, perihelion 6.9 million km Arrival: 19 January 2019 Institution: NASA Solar Orbiter Mission: detailed measurements of the inner heliosphere and nascent solar wind, and close observations of the polar regions of the Sun. Launched: 10 February 2020 Destination: High inclination solar orbit Arrival: Operational orbit in 2023 Institution: ESA
Outer Solar System
Jupiter Juno Mission: studying Jupiter from polar orbit. Originally intended to de-orbit into the Jovian atmosphere after 2021, the mission was extended to 2025 and is still operating as of February 2026. Launched: 5 August 2011 Destination: Jupiter Arrival: 4 July 2016 Institution: NASA Juice (Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer) Mission: 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. Launched: 14 April 2023 Destination: Jupiter Arrival: July 2031 (en route) Destination: Ganymede Arrival: December 2034 (en route) Institution: ESA Europa Clipper Mission: mission to study Jupiter and Europa. Launched: 14 October 2024 Destination: Jupiter Arrival: 11 April 2030 (en route) Institution: NASA
Trans-Neptunian Voyager 2 Mission: studying all four giant planets. This mission was one of NASA's most successful, yielding a wealth of new information. As of November 2017 it is some 116 AU from the Sun (17.34 billion kilometers). It left the heliosphere and crossed into interstellar space in December 2018. As with Voyager 1, scientists are now using Voyager 2 to learn what the Solar System is like beyond the heliosphere. Launched: 20 August 1977 Destination: Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune Arrival: 9 July 1979 Institution: NASA Primary mission completion: August 1989 Current trajectory: entered interstellar space December 2018 Voyager 1 Mission: investigating Jupiter and Saturn, and the moons of these planets. Its continuing data feed offered the first direct measurements of the heliosheath and the heliopause. It is currently the furthest man-made object from Earth, as well as the first object to leave the heliosphere and cross into interstellar space. As of November 2017 it has a distance from the Sun of about 140 astronomical units (AU) (21 billion kilometers, or 0.002 light years), and it will not be overtaken by any other current craft. In August 2012, Voyager 1 became the first human-built spacecraft to enter interstellar space. Though declining, the onboard power source should keep some of the probe's instruments running until 2025. Launched: 5 September 1977 Destination: Jupiter and Saturn Arrival: January 1979 Institution: NASA Primary mission completion: November 1980 Current trajectory: entered interstellar space August 2012 New Horizons Mission: the first spacecraft to study Pluto up close, and ultimately the Kuiper Belt. It was the fastest spacecraft when leaving Earth and will be the fifth probe to leave the Solar System. Launched: 19 January 2006 Destination: Pluto and Charon Arrival: 14 July 2015 Left Charon: 14 July 2015 Institution: NASA
See also
Lists of spacecraft
References