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MISSION CHRONOLOGY

Deep Space Mission Timeline

Every launch, flyby and future arrival across the tracked deep-space fleet, from Voyager in 1977 to the arrivals still to come.

A combined chronology of every tracked deep-space mission: launches, planetary flybys and the arrivals still to come. Blue markers are past events; gold markers are upcoming.

1977
20 August 1977
Voyager 2 launched
5 September 1977
Voyager 1 launched
1979
5 March 1979
Voyager 1: Jupiter flyby, revealing active volcanoes on the moon Io
9 July 1979
Voyager 2: Jupiter flyby
1980
12 November 1980
Voyager 1: Saturn flyby and close pass of the moon Titan
1981
26 August 1981
Voyager 2: Saturn flyby
1986
24 January 1986
Voyager 2: Uranus flyby, the first close visit to the planet
1989
25 August 1989
Voyager 2: Neptune flyby, the first close visit to the planet
1990
14 February 1990
Voyager 1: Takes the Pale Blue Dot photo of Earth from about 6 billion km
1995
2 December 1995
SOHO launched
1996
14 February 1996
SOHO: Arrives in orbit around the Sun-Earth L1 point
1998
17 February 1998
Voyager 1: Overtakes Pioneer 10 to become the most distant human-made object
June 1998
SOHO: Contact lost; the spacecraft is recovered over the following months
2001
7 April 2001
Mars Odyssey launched
24 October 2001
Odyssey: Enters orbit around Mars
2002
19 February 2002
Odyssey: First science data from its mapping orbit
May 2002
Odyssey: Reveals large amounts of ice just below the surface
2003
2 June 2003
Mars Express launched
25 August 2003
Spitzer Space Telescope launched
19 December 2003
Mars Express: Releases the Beagle 2 lander
25 December 2003
Mars Express: Enters orbit around Mars; Beagle 2 is lost
2004
January 2004
Mars Express: Confirms water ice at the south pole
16 December 2004
Voyager 1: Crosses the termination shock, where the solar wind slows abruptly
2005
March 2005
Spitzer: First direct detection of light from planets around other stars
12 August 2005
Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter launched
2006
19 January 2006
New Horizons launched
10 March 2006
MRO: Enters orbit around Mars
25 October 2006
STEREO-A launched
November 2006
MRO: Science operations begin after six months of aerobraking
2007
28 February 2007
New Horizons: Jupiter flyby and gravity assist
August 2007
Voyager 2: Crosses the termination shock, where the solar wind slows abruptly
2008
25 May 2008
MRO: Photographs the Phoenix lander descending under its parachute
2009
7 March 2009
Kepler Space Telescope launched
May 2009
Kepler: Science observations begin
15 May 2009
Spitzer: Coolant runs out and the warm mission begins
18 June 2009
Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter launched
23 June 2009
LRO: Enters orbit around the Moon
17 July 2009
LRO: First images of the Apollo landing sites released
9 October 2009
LRO: Observes the LCROSS impact that revealed water in Cabeus crater
2010
20 May 2010
Akatsuki launched
7 December 2010
Akatsuki: First attempt to enter Venus orbit fails after a main engine fault
15 December 2010
Odyssey: Becomes the longest-serving spacecraft ever at Mars
2011
6 February 2011
STEREO-A: The twins reach opposite sides of the Sun, giving the first view of the whole Sun at once
5 August 2011
Juno launched
2012
August 2012
MRO: Photographs Curiosity descending under its parachute
25 August 2012
Voyager 1: Crosses the heliopause into interstellar space
2013
May 2013
Kepler: Second reaction wheel fails, ending the original mission
9 October 2013
Juno: Earth flyby boosts it towards Jupiter
18 November 2013
MAVEN launched
19 December 2013
Gaia launched
2014
2014
Kepler: K2 mission begins, steadied by the pressure of sunlight
January 2014
Gaia: Arrives in orbit around L2
25 July 2014
Gaia: Routine science operations begin
21 September 2014
MAVEN: Enters orbit around Mars
1 October 2014
STEREO-A: Contact with STEREO-B lost
3 December 2014
Hayabusa2 launched
2015
11 February 2015
DSCOVR launched
June 2015
DSCOVR: Reaches its orbit around L1
14 July 2015
New Horizons: Pluto flyby at about 12,500 km
20 July 2015
DSCOVR: First EPIC image of the whole sunlit Earth released
5 November 2015
MAVEN: Shows how the solar wind strips away Mars's atmosphere, faster during solar storms
7 December 2015
Akatsuki: Enters Venus orbit at the second attempt, using its attitude thrusters
2016
14 March 2016
ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter launched
April 2016
Akatsuki: Regular science observations begin
4 July 2016
Juno: Enters orbit around Jupiter
21 August 2016
STEREO-A: STEREO-B briefly heard again
September 2016
Gaia: Data Release 1: positions of 1.1 billion stars
8 September 2016
OSIRIS-APEX launched
19 October 2016
TGO: Enters orbit around Mars; the Schiaparelli lander is lost
2017
January 2017
Akatsuki: Giant bow-shaped wave in Venus's clouds reported
22 February 2017
Spitzer: Reveals the seven Earth-sized planets of TRAPPIST-1
March 2017
TGO: Aerobraking begins, using Mars's upper atmosphere to shrink its orbit
August 2017
Akatsuki: Equatorial jet in Venus's cloud layers reported
2018
6 February 2018
Tesla Roadster (Starman) launched
20 February 2018
TGO: Aerobraking complete
April 2018
TGO: Science observations begin
25 April 2018
Gaia: Data Release 2: nearly 1.7 billion stars
27 June 2018
Hayabusa2: Arrives at asteroid Ryugu
July 2018
Mars Express: MARSIS radar reports a possible body of liquid water under the south polar ice
12 August 2018
Parker Solar Probe launched
17 October 2018
STEREO-A: Recovery attempts for STEREO-B end
20 October 2018
BepiColombo launched
30 October 2018
Kepler: NASA announces Kepler's retirement after its fuel runs out
5 November 2018
Voyager 2: Crosses the heliopause into interstellar space
5 November 2018
Parker: First close pass of the Sun
15 November 2018
Kepler: Final commands sent
3 December 2018
OSIRIS-APEX: Arrives at asteroid Bennu
2019
January 2019
LRO: Photographs China's Chang'e 4 lander on the far side
1 January 2019
New Horizons: Arrokoth flyby, the most distant close-up exploration ever
22 February 2019
Hayabusa2: First touchdown and sample collection
5 April 2019
Hayabusa2: Fires an impactor to make an artificial crater
27 June 2019
DSCOVR: Safe hold after an attitude-control fault; back in service on 2 March 2020
11 July 2019
Hayabusa2: Second touchdown, near the new crater
2020
30 January 2020
Spitzer: Mission ends after more than 16 years
10 February 2020
Solar Orbiter launched
10 April 2020
BepiColombo: Earth flyby
7 October 2020
Starman: First close pass of Mars, about 7.4 million km away
15 October 2020
BepiColombo: First Venus flyby
20 October 2020
OSIRIS-APEX: Touches Bennu's surface and collects a sample
6 December 2020
Hayabusa2: Sample capsule lands in Australia
27 December 2020
SolO: First Venus flyby
2021
February 2021
TGO: First detection of hydrogen chloride in Mars's atmosphere reported
April 2021
New Horizons: Becomes only the fifth spacecraft to reach 50 AU
28 April 2021
Parker: First spacecraft to fly through the Sun's corona
10 May 2021
OSIRIS-APEX: Leaves Bennu for home
7 June 2021
Juno: Ganymede flyby at about 1,000 km
9 August 2021
SolO: Second Venus flyby
10 August 2021
BepiColombo: Second Venus flyby
1 October 2021
BepiColombo: First Mercury flyby
16 October 2021
Lucy launched
27 November 2021
SolO: Earth flyby
25 December 2021
James Webb Space Telescope launched
2022
4 January 2022
JWST: Sunshield fully tensioned
8 January 2022
JWST: Primary mirror fully deployed
24 January 2022
JWST: Arrives in orbit around L2
26 March 2022
SolO: First close pass of the Sun, at 0.32 AU
13 June 2022
Gaia: Data Release 3: nearly 1.8 billion stars
12 July 2022
JWST: First full-colour images and spectra released
4 August 2022
Danuri (KPLO) launched
4 September 2022
SolO: Third Venus flyby
29 September 2022
Juno: Europa flyby at 352 km
16 October 2022
Lucy: First Earth flyby
27 December 2022
Danuri: Enters orbit around the Moon
2023
January 2023
Danuri: Begins its science mission
14 April 2023
JUICE (Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer) launched
June 2023
Danuri: Mission extended to the end of 2025
1 July 2023
Euclid launched
August 2023
STEREO-A: First flyby of Earth since launch
4 August 2023
Voyager 2: Full contact restored after a wrong command tilted its antenna away from Earth
24 September 2023
OSIRIS-APEX: Sample capsule lands in Utah; the spacecraft heads for Apophis as OSIRIS-APEX
13 October 2023
Psyche launched
November 2023
Euclid: First full-colour images released
1 November 2023
Lucy: Dinkinesh flyby, discovering its moon Selam
14 November 2023
Psyche: Laser communications test achieves first light from deep space
30 December 2023
Juno: Close Io flyby at about 1,500 km
2024
3 February 2024
Juno: Second close Io flyby at about 1,500 km
14 February 2024
Euclid: Begins its six-year survey of the sky
25 March 2024
SOHO: 5,000th comet found in its images
April 2024
Akatsuki: Contact lost after an attitude-control problem
May 2024
Euclid: Early release observations published
June 2024
Voyager 1: All four science instruments return data again after a memory fault that began in November 2023
19 August 2024
JUICE: First ever combined Moon and Earth flyby
27 August 2024
Voyager 1: Engineers confirm a switch to a different set of thrusters as fuel lines clog
4 September 2024
BepiColombo: Fourth Mercury flyby
26 September 2024
Voyager 2: Plasma science instrument switched off to save power
7 October 2024
Hera launched
14 October 2024
Europa Clipper launched
November 2024
Voyager 1: Main radio back in use after a month on a backup transmitter last used in 1981
6 November 2024
Parker: Seventh and final Venus flyby sets up its closest orbit
3 December 2024
Psyche: Laser data sent from about 494 million km, a record
12 December 2024
Lucy: Second Earth flyby, about 350 km above the surface
24 December 2024
Parker: Closest pass yet: 6.1 million km from the surface at about 692,000 km/h
2025
8 January 2025
BepiColombo: Sixth and final Mercury flyby, 295 km above the surface
15 January 2025
Gaia: Science observations end
10 February 2025
Danuri: Mission extended again, to the end of 2027
18 February 2025
SolO: Venus flyby tilts its orbit to 17 degrees
19 February 2025
Danuri: Orbit lowered from 100 km to 60 km
25 February 2025
Voyager 1: Cosmic ray instrument switched off to save power
1 March 2025
Europa Clipper: Mars flyby at 884 km
12 March 2025
Hera: Mars flyby, with close views of the moon Deimos
19 March 2025
Euclid: First quick data release: 63 square degrees and 26 million galaxies
20 March 2025
Voyager 1: Main roll thrusters, out of action since 2004, brought back to life
24 March 2025
Voyager 2: Low-energy charged particle instrument switched off to save power
27 March 2025
Gaia: Switched off in a retirement orbit around the Sun
20 April 2025
Lucy: Donaldjohanson flyby at about 960 km
28 May 2025
Tianwen-2 launched
11 June 2025
SolO: First images of the Sun's poles released
19 June 2025
Parker: 24th close pass, the last of the prime mission
15 July 2025
DSCOVR: Safe hold after a spacecraft fault
7 August 2025
New Horizons: Begins a 321-day hibernation, its longest
31 August 2025
JUICE: Venus flyby
2 September 2025
Psyche: Laser communications demonstration ends after its 65th pass
18 September 2025
Akatsuki: JAXA formally ends the mission
23 September 2025
OSIRIS-APEX: Earth flyby at about 3,400 km sets its course for Apophis
24 September 2025
Danuri: Moves into a fuel-free frozen orbit
October 2025
Juno: Second extended mission begins
7 October 2025
MRO: HiRISE takes its 100,000th image
2 December 2025
SOHO: 30 years in space
6 December 2025
MAVEN: Contact lost after passing behind Mars
2026
10 March 2026
MRO: Twenty years in orbit around Mars
17 April 2026
Voyager 1: Low-energy charged particle instrument switched off to save power
1 May 2026
Juno: Close pass of the moon Thebe, about 5,000 km away
15 May 2026
Psyche: Mars flyby at about 4,600 km gives a free speed boost
3 June 2026
MAVEN: NASA declares the mission over
6 June 2026
Tianwen-2: First sighting of Kamo‘oalewa
23 June 2026
New Horizons: Wakes from hibernation in good health
24 June 2026
Euclid: Second quick data release, covering the Milky Way's central bulge
30 June 2026
DSCOVR: NOAA stops using its solar wind data; SOLAR-1 is the main monitor
2 July 2026
Tianwen-2: First close-up images, from about 20 km: science begins
5 July 2026
Hayabusa2: Flies past asteroid Torifune at about 5 km/s
30 August 2026
Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope launched
31 August 2026
Roman: First mid-course correction burn; high-gain antenna deployed
1 September 2026
Roman: Aperture cover deployed and Coronagraph Instrument switched on
3 September 2026
BepiColombo: Transfer module separates, starting the arrival phase
4 September 2026
Parker: 29th close pass, matching its speed and distance records for the seventh time
14 September 2026
Roman: Fuel savings give at least 22 years of potential operations
15 September 2026
Roman: Wide Field Instrument switched on
22 September 2026
Roman: Coronagraph Instrument sees starlight for the first time
28 September 2026
JUICE: Earth flyby, 8,640 km above the Indian Ocean
7 October 2026
Hera: First glimpse of Didymos, from about 236,500 km
15 October 2026
Hera: First braking burn, lasting 93 minutes
19 October 2026
MMX (Martian Moons eXploration) launched
19 October 2026
TGO: Ten years in orbit around Mars
21 October 2026
MMX: Solar arrays deployed; checks of its systems begin
22 October 2026
Roman: Enters its final, science commissioning phase
22 October 2026
Hera: Second braking burn
24 October 2026
Odyssey: Marks 25 years in orbit around Mars
November 2026
Hera: Arrival at the Didymos asteroid pair
12 November 2026
Euclid: First large data release (DR1-Foundation), tentative date
18 November 2026
Voyager 1: Becomes the first spacecraft one light-day from Earth
21 November 2026
BepiColombo: Mercury orbit insertion
9-10 December 2026
BepiColombo: The two orbiters separate
Early December 2026
Roman: Arrival at Sun-Earth L2
2 December 2026
Gaia: Fourth data release (DR4)
3 December 2026
Europa Clipper: Earth flyby
24 December 2026
SolO: Venus flyby tilts its orbit to 24 degrees
2027
Early 2027
Roman: First images released
April 2027
BepiColombo: Start of science operations
April 2027
Tianwen-2: Leaves Kamo‘oalewa for Earth
Mid-2027
Euclid: Full first data release (DR1)
August 2027
MMX: Arrival at Mars
11 August 2027
Lucy: Flyby of Trojan asteroid Eurybates and its moon Queta
14 September 2027
Lucy: Flyby of Trojan asteroid Polymele
November 2027
Tianwen-2: Sample capsule returns to Earth
2028
Early 2028
Danuri: Planned controlled impact on the Moon
18 March 2028
SolO: Venus flyby
18 April 2028
Lucy: Flyby of Trojan asteroid Leucus
11 November 2028
Lucy: Flyby of Trojan asteroid Orus
2029
January 2029
JUICE: Final Earth flyby
13 April 2029
OSIRIS-APEX: Asteroid Apophis passes about 32,000 km above Earth
June 2029
OSIRIS-APEX: Arrival at asteroid Apophis
10 June 2029
SolO: Venus flyby
August 2029
Psyche: Arrival at asteroid Psyche
2030
11 April 2030
Europa Clipper: Jupiter orbit insertion
2 September 2030
SolO: Venus flyby
December 2030
Lucy: Third Earth flyby, towards the trailing Trojan swarm
2031
May 2031
Europa Clipper: First Europa science campaign begins
July 2031
Hayabusa2: Arrival at asteroid 1998 KY26
July 2031
JUICE: Arrival at Jupiter
2033
3 March 2033
Lucy: Flyby of the double Trojan asteroid Patroclus and Menoetius
2034
December 2034
JUICE: Enters orbit around Ganymede