The complete database of

Interplanetary Spacecraft

Interplanetary spacecraft are the machines we send on daring missions to explore other planets and moons in our solar system. They come in a few forms: landers, probes, and rovers, each with its own unique role in helping us understand these distant worlds. Let’s venture beyond our planet and embark on missions to study distant worlds and unlock the secrets of the cosmos.

Quick jump to: Landers • Probes • Rovers

Landers

Landers touch down on a planet’s or moon’s surface and stay put, studying their surroundings up close. They gather data about weather, soil, and atmospheric conditions and often send back photos of alien landscapes. Think of landers as setting up camp to get a detailed snapshot of a single spot. Here are some famous landers:

Pioneer Venus Multiprobe

Discover the Pioneer Venus Multiprobe mission, a groundbreaking effort to explore Venus’s atmosphere and surface.

Chang’e 4 Lander & Rover

Explore Chang’e 4, China’s lunar rover exploring the far side of the Moon, conducting scientific experiments and unlocking many mysteries.

Viking 1

Explore the groundbreaking Viking 1 mission, the first spacecraft to successfully land on Mars, conducting scientific experiments.

Viking 2

Explore Viking 2, the pioneering spacecraft that soft-landed on Mars, conducting scientific experiments and providing valuable insights.

Apollo Lunar Module (LM)

Discover the engineering marvel that enabled humanity’s first steps on the Moon – the Apollo Lunar Module and learn about its design.

Chang’e 3 Lunar Lander

Explore the groundbreaking Chang’e 3 Lunar Lander mission, China’s first successful soft landing on the Moon and learn about its objectives.

Lunik 9 Lunar Lander

Discover the historic Luna 9 spacecraft, the first to achieve a soft landing on the Moon. Learn about its design and mission objectives.

Surveyor Lunar Lander

Explore the pioneering Surveyor Lunar Landers, the first spacecraft to achieve soft landings on the Moon, and learn about their design.

Beresheet Lunar Lander

Explore the ambitious Beresheet Lunar Lander mission, a pioneering effort by SpaceIL to land a spacecraft on the Moon.

Lunik 2 Lunar Lander

Lunik 2, also known as Luna 2, was the first human-made object to reach the Moon’s surface in 1959. Learn about its design and objectives.

Probes

Probes are built to explore a planet or moon without necessarily sticking around. They might dive into an atmosphere, like Galileo did at Jupiter, or pass by and gather information before zooming deeper into space. Probes are like scouts, quickly collecting data about an environment before moving on. Embark on interplanetary journeys of discovery with robotic explorers, uncovering the mysteries of distant worlds and paving the way for human exploration beyond Earth.

Pioneer Venus Orbiter

Explore the Pioneer Venus Orbiter, a spacecraft that revolutionized our understanding of Venus’s atmosphere, surface, and ionosphere.

Mariner Probes

Explore the pioneering Mariner probes that revolutionized our understanding of the solar system. Learn about their missions, discoveries, and impact.

Pioneer 10

Discover Pioneer 10, the trailblazing spacecraft that explored Jupiter and ventured beyond the asteroid belt, and learn about its mission.

Pioneer 11

Explore Pioneer 11, the pioneering spacecraft that explored Jupiter and Saturn, expanding our knowledge of the outer solar system.

Advanced Composition Explorer

Explore the Advanced Composition Explorer (ACE), a NASA spacecraft studying solar and cosmic particles to better understand space weather.

Hiten Spacecraft - Spacecraft & Probes Database - Japan

Hiten Lunar Probe Spacecraft

Explore Japan’s first lunar exploration mission with the Hiten Lunar Probe, showcasing the country’s capabilities in space exploration.

OMOTENASHI Spacecraft

Explore the OMOTENASHI spacecraft, a collaborative effort by JAXA and international partners to study space weather and its impact on Earth.

Venera Venus Probes

Discover the pioneering Venera probe series, the first spacecraft to successfully land on Venus and transmit data back to Earth.

Rovers

Rovers are robotic vehicles that land on a surface and then move, roaming across alien terrain to explore different areas. Rovers are equipped with cameras, drills, and science tools to analyze rocks, soil, and sometimes even the planet’s climate. They’re like the robotic geologists of space, helping us understand the history and potential habitability of places like Mars.