List of proposed Solar System probes explained

This is a list of proposed space probes that are planned to focus on the exploration of the Solar System, ordered by date of spacecraft launch. Launched probes are in the List of Solar System probes and the List of active Solar System probes.

Planned or scheduled missions

!Mission name!Launch date!Description!
Hakuto-R Mission 2Private lunar lander and rover[1]
Venus Life FinderPrivate Venus atmospheric probe by Rocket Lab[2]
Blue Ghost M1Lunar lander[3] [4] [5]
Nova-C IM-2Lunar lander[6]
AstroForge's Odin (Brokkr-2)First commercial asteroid fly-by mission, rideshare of the IM-2 mission[7]
Lunar TrailblazerLunar orbiter, a secondary payload on the IM-2 mission[8]
EscaPADESpring 2025Two Mars orbiters[9]
Tianwen-2Asteroid 469219 Kamoʻoalewa sample return, comet 311P/PanSTARRS orbiter[10]
Artemis II4-person lunar flyby[11] [12]
Artemis IIISeptember 20264-person lunar flyby, 2-person lunar landing[13]
Martian Moons eXplorationMartian moon sample return mission[14]
Chang'e 7Lunar south pole lander, rover and flying probe[15]
2026-2028 Lunar lander and rover[16]
Chandrayaan-42027Lunar sample return mission[17]
Luna 26Lunar orbiter[18]
DESTINY+Asteroid 3200 Phaethon flyby[19]
DragonflyTitan rotorcraft lander[20] [21]
Rosalind FranklinMars rover, ExoMars[22] [23]
DESTINY+2028Mission to an asteroid[24]
Luna 27Lunar lander
Tianwen-3Mars sample return mission[25]
MBR ExplorerFlyby mission to seven asteroids[26]
Venus Orbiter MissionVenus orbiter[27]
Tianwen-4Jupiter and Callisto orbiter, Uranus flyby[28] [29]
Comet InterceptorFlyby of an Oort Cloud comet[30] [31] [32]
2029Venus orbiter[33]
Luna 28Lunar sample return mission[34]
EnVision2031Venus orbiter[35]
Mangalyaan-2Mars orbiter and lander[36] [37]
DAVINCI2032Venus orbiter and atmospheric probe[38]

Proposed missions

Mission name! colspan="3"
Preliminary launch date estimateDescription
Estimated launch dateEstimate byEstimate as of
Shensuo (Interstellar Express)Scientia Sinica Informationis2019"Voyager-like" mission to outer planets[39] [40]
Beresheet 2Ramon.Space2022Lunar lander[41]
NASA-ESA Mars Sample ReturnESA2023Mars sample return mission[42]
RamsesESA2024Asteroid orbiter[43]
Tera-hertz Explorer2020sMars orbiter and lander[44] [45]
Venera-DRussian Space Research Institute2023Venus orbiter and lander[46]
Uranus Orbiter and ProbeNET 2031NASA2023Uranus orbiter and probe[47] [48]
Interstellar Probe2036NASA2022"Voyager on steroids"[49]
Enceladus Orbilander2038NASA2023Enceladus orbiter/lander[50]

Suspended missions

The following missions were suspended or cancelled because of political, budgetary, or other reasons. The spacecraft were already assembled at the time of suspension/cancellation, so these missions can be resumed.

!Mission name!Cancellation date!Description!Status and reason!
VIPER2024Lunar rover"NASA stated cost increases, delays to the launch date, and the risks of future cost growth as the reasons to stand down on the mission." NASA announced they would consider "expressions of interest" from industry to use the "VIPER rover system at no cost to the government".
In October 2024, VIPER passed all pre-launch tests.		[51] [52]
Janus2023Dual asteroids probeWas expected to be a secondary payload on the Psyche launch. After the delay, it was assessed that Janus wouldn't be able to reach the required trajectory. Both spacecraft were placed into long-term storage.[53]
Kazachok2022Mars landerOriginally part of the joint ExoMars mission with ESA, planned to deliver Rosalind Franklin rover. Mission was cancelled because of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Spacecraft was returned to Roscosmos; officials stated that they will launch it without the rover, but no date was given.[54]

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Foust . Jeff . Second ispace lunar lander planned for launch in December . . 12 September 2024 . 12 September 2024.
  2. Web site: Foust . Jeff . Rocket Lab plans launch of Venus mission as soon as late 2024 . 31 October 2023 . 31 October 2023 . SpaceNews.com.
  3. Web site: Alamalhoadei . Aria . Firefly's Blue Ghost lander represents a big bet on a future lunar economy . 6 November 2023 . 6 November 2023 . TechCrunch.
  4. Web site: Firefly Completes Integration Readiness Review of its Blue Ghost Lunar Lander . . 26 April 2022 . 1 May 2022 . 1 May 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220501201035/https://firefly.com/firefly-has-completed-the-integration-readiness-review-irr-of-blue-ghost-m1/ . dead .
  5. Web site: Firefly Aerospace Blue Ghost Mission 1 to the Moon Readies for Launch. 2024-11-25. 2024-11-30. Firefly Aerospace.
  6. Web site: David . Leonard . Ice-hunting Lunar Trailblazer and IM-2 nearly ready for January 2025 launch . . 12 September 2024 . 12 September 2024.
  7. Web site: An update on Mission 1 and Mission 2: Same name, new vehicle, new standard for space exploration . astroforge.io . 18 October 2024 . en.
  8. Web site: David . Leonard . Ice-hunting Lunar Trailblazer and IM-2 nearly ready for January 2025 launch . . 12 September 2024 . 12 September 2024.
  9. Web site: Foust . Jeff . NASA planning September launch of Mars smallsat mission on first New Glenn . . 25 April 2024 . 26 April 2024.
  10. Web site: Jones . Andrew . 2022-05-18 . China to launch Tianwen 2 asteroid-sampling mission in 2025 . 2022-07-31 . Space.com . en.
  11. Web site: Tingley . Brett . Astronauts won't walk on the moon until 2026 after NASA delays next 2 Artemis missions . . 9 January 2024 . 9 January 2024.
  12. Web site: 7 March 2023. NASA's Artemis 2 mission set for November 2024. 8 March 2023. Phys.org. Agence France-Presse.
  13. Web site: Artemis III Launch - NASA . 2023-12-01 . en-US.
  14. Web site: MMX - Martian Moons eXploration . MMX - Martian Moons eXploration . 2 June 2024 . en . The current schedule has a launch date in JFY 2026, followed by Martian orbit insertion in JFY 2027 and the spacecraft will return to Earth in JFY 2031..
  15. Web site: Jones. Andrew. China is moving ahead with lunar south pole and near-Earth asteroid missions . . 5 August 2020 . 28 June 2022.
  16. Web site: Japan, India to team up in race to discover water on moon. Shimbun. The Yomiuri. The Japan News. 30 July 2019. 10 March 2021.
  17. Web site: Jones . Andrew . 2024-05-14 . India plans Chandrayaan-4 moon sample return, will involve private sector . 2024-07-10 . SpaceNews . en-US.
  18. Web site: Ученый сообщил об активном ходе работ по импортозамещению комплектующих "Луны-27" . The scientist reported on the active progress of work on import substitution of Luna-27 components . ru . 19 July 2023 . 27 July 2023 . TASS.
  19. Web site: 宇宙科学・探査ミッションの進捗状況について . Space Science and Exploration Mission Progress . 11 . . . 9 October 2024 . 11 October 2024 . ja.
  20. Web site: Dragonfly. 2021-05-14. nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov.
  21. Web site: 2021-05-12. NASA New Frontiers 5: Third Community Announcement. 2021-05-14. NASA Science Mission Directorate. The launch date for Dragonfly, the fourth mission in the New Frontiers Program, has been delayed to June 2027..
  22. Web site: NASA, European Space Agency Unite to Land Europe's Rover on Mars - NASA . 2024-05-17 . en-US.
  23. Web site: Foust . Jeff . 2024-04-10 . ESA awards contract to Thales Alenia Space to restart ExoMars . 2024-04-11 . SpaceNews . en-US.
  24. Web site: 宇宙科学・探査ミッションの進捗状況について . Space Science and Exploration Mission Progress . 11 . . . 9 October 2024 . 11 October 2024 . ja.
  25. Web site: Jones . Andrew . 2024-03-08 . China targets 2030 for Mars sample return mission, potential landing areas revealed . 2024-03-13 . SpaceNews . en-US.
  26. News: May 29, 2023. The United Arab Emirates Is Heading for the Asteroid Belt. Kenneth Chang. The New York Times.
  27. Web site: Union Cabinet Approves India’s Mission to Venus, and Sample Return from the Moon . www.isro.gov.in . 30 October 2024.
  28. CNSA Watcher . CNSAWatcher . 1738469749179171088 . Tianwen-4, launching Sept 2029, will journey to Jupiter using Venus & Earth gravity assists. Targeting Jupiter capture by Dec 2035 & a Uranus flyby in March 2045, the mission includes 2 probes, one exploring Jupiter's system and another flying by Uranus. . 23 December 2023.
  29. Web site: Andrew Jones published . 2022-09-22 . China wants to probe Uranus and Jupiter with 2 spacecraft on one rocket . 2022-09-28 . Space.com . en.
  30. Web site: Ariel moves from blueprint to reality . . 12 November 2020 . 12 November 2020.
  31. Web site: ESA's new mission to intercept a comet. www.esa.int. en-GB. 2020-01-06.
  32. Web site: Comet Interceptor. www.cometinterceptor.space. en-GB. 2020-01-06.
  33. Web site: NASA Selects 2 Missions to Study 'Lost Habitable' World of Venus - NASA . 2023-11-30 . en-US.
  34. Web site: Борисов назвал сроки запуска миссий "Луна-26", "Луна-27" и "Луна-28" . TACC . 2 June 2024 . ru.
  35. Web site: ESA selects revolutionary Venus mission EnVision. www.esa.int. ESA. 10 June 2021. 12 June 2021 .
  36. Web site: India's ambitious 2nd Mars mission to include a rover, helicopter, sky crane and a supersonic parachute. Sharmila . Kuthunur . 17 May 2024. Space.com.
  37. Web site: Unmanned helicopter likely to join India’s second space odyssey to Mars . rfi.
  38. Web site: FY 2025 PRESIDENT'S BUDGET REQUEST SUMMARY. NASA. en . 2024-03-19.
  39. Wu . Weiren . Yu . Dengyun . Huang . Jiangchuan . Zong . Qiugang . Wang . Chi . Yu . Guobin . He . Rongwei . Wang . Qian . Kang . Yan . Meng . Linzhi . Wu . Ke . He . Jiansen . Li . Hui . Exploring the solar system boundary . Scientia Sinica Informationis . 2019-01-09 . 49 . 1 . 1 . 10.1360/N112018-00273 . 86476811 . en . 2095-9486. free .
  40. News: Jones . Andrew . China Considers Voyager-like Mission to Interstellar Space . 29 April 2021 . Planetary.org . The Planetary Society . November 19, 2019.
  41. Ramon.Space and Lulav Space Partner to Navigate Space IL's Next Two Lunar Landings . Ramon.Space . 7 September 2022 . 12 September 2022.
  42. Web site: Earth Return Orbiter – the first round-trip to Mars . ESA . 18 October 2024 . en.
  43. Web site: ESA moves forward with Apophis mission preparations .
  44. Takeshi Kuroda, Yasuko Kasai, Shinichi Nakasuka, Hiroyuki Maezawa, Takayoshi Yamada, Ryohei Takahashi: TEREX-1: A micro-satellite terahertz lander for the exploration of water/oxygen resources on Mars. 43rd COSPAR Scientific Assembly, Abstract B0.5-0006-21 (oral), id.223, January 2021.
  45. Web site: Tera-hertz Explorer, TEREX, Mission. Kasai. Yasuko. 13 June 2018. University of Tsukuba. NICT. https://web.archive.org/web/20181125030853/https://www2.ccs.tsukuba.ac.jp/Astro/assets/doc/uchu-forum-2018-06-13-kasai.pdf. 25 November 2018. 24 June 2019.
  46. Web site: Zak . Anatoly . New promise for the Venera-D project . RussianSpaceWeb . 5 March 2021 . 7 March 2021.
  47. Simon . Amy . Nimmo . Francis . Anderson . Richard C. . Journey to an Ice Giant System: Uranus Orbiter and Probe . Planetary Mission Concept for the 2023–2032 Planetary Science Decadal Survey . 7 June 2021 . 1 May 2022 . NASA.
  48. Web site: Foust . Jeff . 2023-05-03 . Plutonium availability constrains plans for future planetary missions . 2023-05-03 . SpaceNews . en-US.
  49. Stone . Richard . 'Voyager on steroids.' Mission would probe mysterious region beyond our Solar System . Science . 28 July 2022 . 10.1126/science.ade1070 . 15 August 2022 . en.
  50. MacKenzie . Shannon M. . Kirby . Karen W. . Greenauer . Peter J. . Neveu . Marc . Gold . Rob . Davila . Alfonso . Lunine . Jonathan I. . Cable . Morgan . Craft . Kate . Eigenbrode . Jennifer . Glein . Christopher . Hofgartner . Jason . Mckay . Christopher . Phillips-Lander . Charity . Waite . Hunter . Burton . Dana . Seifert . Helmut . Boye . Jeff . Brock . Spencer . Chen . Michelle . Coker . Rob . Colonel . Grace . Criss . Tom . Crowley . Doug . Encealdus Orbilander: A Flagship Mission Concept for Astrobiology . NASA Technical Reports Server . 14 October 2020 . 26 April 2024 . en.
  51. Web site: NASA Ends VIPER Project, Continues Moon Exploration - NASA . 2024-07-17 . en-US.
  52. Web site: VIPER Passes All Its Tests, But Future Still Uncertain . spacepolicyonline . 4 November 2024.
  53. Web site: 2023-07-11 . NASA to Store Janus Spacecraft, Mission to Study Asteroid Systems – Janus . 2023-07-11 . blogs.nasa.gov . en-US.
  54. News: Europe ending cooperation with Russia on life-hunting Mars rover . Space.com.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "List of proposed Solar System probes".

Except where otherwise indicated, Everything.Explained.Today is © Copyright 2009-2025, A B Cryer, All Rights Reserved. Cookie policy.