List of planetary flybys


A planetary flyby is the act of sending a space probe past a planet or a dwarf planet close enough to record scientific data. This is a subset of the overall concept of a flyby in spaceflight.
The first flyby of another planet with a functioning spacecraft took place on December 14, 1962, when Mariner 2 zoomed by the planet Venus.
Planetary flybys are commonly used as gravity assist maneuvers to "slingshot" a space probe toward its primary target without expending fuel, but in some cases, flybys are the primary objectives of a mission in of themselves.
A relatively recent example of a flyby spacecraft is New Horizons, which performed flyby maneuvers of Jupiter, Pluto and its moons in the 21st century. The flyby of Jupiter, used as a gravity assist, allowed the craft to reach Pluto at high velocity without the complications of slowing down, after which it proceeded further into the Kuiper Belt on an escape trajectory out of the Solar System.

List of planetary flybys

Flyby dateLaunch dateOperatorSpacecraftDetailsMission result
19 May 196112 February 1961Venera 1First Venus flyby Failure
14 December 196227 August 1962Mariner 2First successful non-lunar planetary encounter and first successful Venus flybySuccess
19 June 19631 November 1962Mars 1First Mars flyby Failure
19 July 19642 April 1964Zond 1Venus flyby Failure
15 July 196528 November 1964Mariner 4First successful Mars flybySuccess
6 August 196530 November 1964Zond 2Mars flyby Failure
27 February 196612 November 1965Venera 2Venus flyby Failure
19 October 196714 June 1967Mariner 5Venus flybySuccess
31 July 196925 February 1969Mariner 6Mars flybySuccess
5 August 196927 March 1969Mariner 7Mars flybySuccess
3 December 19733 March 1972Pioneer 10First Jupiter flybySuccess
5 February 19744 November 1973Mariner 10Venus flybySuccess
10 February 197421 July 1973Mars 4Mars flyby Failure
9 March 19749 August 1973Mars 7Mars flyby Failure
12 March 19745 August 1973Mars 6Mars flyby Failure
29 March 19744 November 1973Mariner 10First Mercury flybySuccess
21 September 19744 November 1973Mariner 10Mercury flybySuccess
3 December 19745 April 1973Pioneer 11Jupiter flybySuccess
16 March 19754 November 1973Mariner 10Mercury flybySuccess
19 December 197814 September 1978Venera 12Venus flyby and landerSuccess
25 December 19789 September 1978Venera 11Venus flyby and landerSuccess
5 March 19795 September 1977Voyager 1Jupiter flybySuccess
9 July 197920 August 1977Voyager 2Jupiter flybySuccess
1 September 19795 April 1973Pioneer 11First Saturn flybySuccess
12 November 19805 September 1977Voyager 1Saturn flybySuccess
25 August 198120 August 1977Voyager 2Saturn flybySuccess
1 March 198230 October 1981Venera 13Venus flyby and landerSuccess
5 March 19824 November 1981Venera 14Venus flyby and landerSuccess
11 June 198515 December 1984Vega 1Venus flyby, lander, and first balloonSuccess
15 June 198521 December 1984Vega 2Venus flyby, lander, and balloonSuccess
24 January 198620 August 1977Voyager 2First and only Uranus flybySuccess
25 August 198920 August 1977Voyager 2First and only Neptune flybySuccess
10 February 199013 October 1989GalileoVenus flyby, first of three gravity assists to JupiterSuccess
2 July 19902 July 1985GiottoFirst Earth flyby, gravity assist for extended mission to 26P/Grigg–SkjellerupSuccess
8 October 199013 October 1989GalileoEarth flyby, second of three gravity assists to JupiterSuccess
8 January 19927 January 1985SakigakeEarth flybySuccess
8 February 19926 October 1990UlyssesJupiter flyby, inclination change gravity assist for solar missionSuccess
8 December 199213 October 1989GalileoEarth flyby, last of three gravity assists to JupiterSuccess
24 August 199325 September 1992Mars ObserverMars flyby Failure
23 January 199817 February 1996NEAR ShoemakerEarth flyby, gravity assist to 433 ErosSuccess
26 April 199815 October 1997Cassini–HuygensVenus flyby, first of four gravity assists to SaturnSuccess
24 June 199915 October 1997Cassini–HuygensVenus flyby, second of four gravity assists to SaturnSuccess
18 August 199915 October 1997Cassini–HuygensEarth flyby, third of four gravity assists to SaturnSuccess
30 December 200015 October 1997Cassini–HuygensJupiter flyby, last of four gravity assists to SaturnSuccess
15 January 200127 February 1999StardustEarth flyby, gravity assist to 81P/WildSuccess
21 April 20024 July 1998NozomiEarth flyby, first of two gravity assists to MarsSuccess
19 June 20034 July 1998NozomiEarth flyby, last of two gravity assists to MarsSuccess
14 December 20034 July 1998NozomiMars flyby Failure
19 May 20049 May 2003HayabusaEarth flyby, gravity assist to 25143 ItokawaSuccess
4 March 20052 March 2004RosettaEarth flyby, first of four gravity assists to 67P/Churyumov–GerasimenkoSuccess
2 August 20053 August 2004MESSENGEREarth flyby, first gravity assist to MercurySuccess
15 January 200627 February 1999StardustEarth flyby and sample return capsule reentrySuccess
24 October 20063 August 2004MESSENGERVenus flyby, second gravity assist to MercurySuccess
25 February 20072 March 2004RosettaMars flyby, second of four gravity assists to 67P/Churyumov–GerasimenkoSuccess
28 February 200719 January 2006New HorizonsJupiter flyby, gravity assist to Pluto/Charon systemSuccess
5 June 20073 August 2004MESSENGERVenus flyby, third gravity assist to Mercury. Also characterized the planet's atmosphere.Success
13 November 20072 March 2004RosettaEarth flyby, third of four gravity assists to 67P/Churyumov–GerasimenkoSuccess
31 December 200712 January 2005Deep Impact Earth flybySuccess
14 January 20083 August 2004MESSENGERMercury flyby, fourth gravity assist before orbital insertion and primary missionSuccess
6 October 20083 August 2004MESSENGERMercury flyby, fifth gravity assist before orbital insertion and primary missionSuccess
29 December 200812 January 2005Deep Impact Earth flybySuccess
14 January 200927 February 1999StardustEarth flyby, gravity assist to 9P/TempelSuccess
18 February 200927 September 2007DawnMars flyby, gravity assist to 4 VestaSuccess
29 June 200912 January 2005Deep Impact Earth flyby Success
29 September 20093 August 2004MESSENGERMercury flyby, sixth and final gravity assist before orbital insertion and primary missionSuccess
13 November 20092 March 2004RosettaEarth flyby, last of four gravity assists to 67P/Churyumov–GerasimenkoSuccess
28 December 200912 January 2005Deep Impact Earth flyby Success
27 June 201012 January 2005Deep Impact Earth flybySuccess
6 December 201020 May 2010AkatsukiVenus flyby Failure
8 December 201020 May 2010IKAROSVenus flyby, probe was a technological demonstrator that launched with AkatsukiSuccess
9 October 20135 August 2011JunoEarth flyby, gravity assist to JupiterSuccess
14 July 201519 January 2006New HorizonsFirst and only Pluto/Charon flybySuccess
3 December 20153 December 2014Hayabusa2Earth flyby, gravity assist to 162173 RyuguSuccess
22 September 20178 September 2016OSIRIS-RExEarth flyby, gravity assist to 101955 BennuSuccess
3 October 201812 August 2018Parker Solar ProbeVenus flybySuccess
26 November 20185 May 2018Mars Cube OneMars flybySuccess

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