List of Earth flybys

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Earth imaged by MESSENGER during its 2005 flyby

List of Earth flybys is a list of cases where spacecraft incidentally performed Earth flybys, typically for a gravity assist to another body.

SpacecraftOrganizationDateTypeClosest ApproachStatusNotesImageRef
Giotto
(first pass)
ESA logo simple.svg ESA 2 July 1990flyby22,730 kmsuccessfirst Earth flyby, en route to Comet Grigg-Skjellerup [1]
Galileo
(first pass)
NASA logo.svg NASA 8 December 1990flyby960 kmsuccessgravity assist en route to Jupiter; minimum distance 960 km Galileo Preparations - GPN-2000-000672.jpg [2]
Sakigake
(first pass)
Flag of Japan.svg ISAS 8 January 1992flyby88,790 kmsuccesspreviously visited Halley's comet Sakigake.gif [3]
Suisei Flag of Japan.svg ISAS 20 August 1992flybyfailurefailurepreviously visited Halley's comet; hydrazine depleted, further planned comet flybys abandoned Suisei.gif [4]
Galileo
(second pass)
NASA logo.svg NASA 8 December 1992flyby303 kmsuccessgravity assist en route to Jupiter Galileo Preparations - GPN-2000-000672.jpg [5]
Sakigake
(second and third passes)
Flag of Japan.svg ISAS 14 June 1993flyby Sakigake.gif [6]
28 October 1994flybyout of fuel; telemetry contact lost November 1995
NEAR Shoemaker NASA logo.svg NASA 23 January 1998flyby540 kmsuccessgravity assist en route to Eros NEARCraft.jpg [7]
Nozomi
(first pass)
Flag of Japan.svg ISAS 20 December 1998flyby1000 kmpartial successgravity assist on planned mission to Mars; valve malfunction during flyby required extra burn, which later forced alternate trajectory plan [8]
Giotto
(second pass)
ESA logo simple.svg ESA 1 July 1999flybyfailuren/aalready defunct [1]
Cassini NASA logo.svg NASA
ESA logo simple.svg ESA
Agenzia Spaziale Italiana.svg ASI
18 August 1999flyby1171 kmsuccessgravity assist en route to Saturn Cassini assembly.jpg [9]
Stardust
(first pass)
NASA logo.svg NASA 15 January 2001flyby6000 kmsuccessgravity assist en route to comet 81P/Wild Stardust - Concepcao artistica.jpg [10]
Nozomi
(second pass)
Flag of Japan.svg ISAS December, 2002flyby11,000 kmsuccessgravity assist en route to Mars [8]
Nozomi
(third pass)
Flag of Japan.svg ISAS 19 June 2003flyby1000 kmsuccessgravity assist en route to Mars [8]
Hayabusa Flag of Japan.svg ISAS 19 May 2004flyby20,000 kmsuccessen route to Itokawa Hayabusa(Muses-C) sampling.jpg [11]
Rosetta
(first pass)
ESA logo simple.svg ESA 4 March 2005flyby1950 kmsuccessgravity assist en route to asteroid and comet encounters Rosetta.jpg [12]
MESSENGER NASA logo.svg NASA 2 August 2005flyby2348 kmsuccessen route to Venus and Mercury Messenger.jpg [13]
Stardust
(second pass)
NASA logo.svg NASA 15 January 2006flybysuccessdrop-off of sample return capsule Stardust - Concepcao artistica.jpg [10]
Rosetta
(second pass)
ESA logo simple.svg ESA 13 November 2007flybysuccessgravity assist en route to asteroid and comet encounters
Deep Impact (redesignated EPOXI ) (first pass) NASA logo.svg NASA 31 December 2007 [14] flyby15,567successpreviously visited Comet 9P/Tempel; gravity assist en route to encounter with Comet 103P/Hartley Deep Impact.jpg [15]
Deep Impact (redesignated EPOXI ) (second pass) NASA logo.svg NASA December 2008 [14] [16] flyby43,450 kmsuccessgravity assist Deep Impact.jpg [15]
Stardust
(third pass)
NASA logo.svg NASA 14 January 2009flyby9200 kmsuccess [17] mission extension to Comet 9P/Tempel; minimum distance 9200 km Stardust - Concepcao artistica.jpg [10]
Rosetta
(third pass)
ESA logo simple.svg ESA 13 November 2009flybysuccessgravity assist en route to asteroid and comet encounters
Deep Impact (redesignated EPOXI ) (third pass) NASA logo.svg NASA June 2009 [14] distant flybysuccess Deep Impact.jpg [15]
Deep Impact (redesignated EPOXI ) (fourth pass) NASA logo.svg NASA December 2009 [14] [16] distant flybysuccess Deep Impact.jpg [15]
Deep Impact (redesignated EPOXI ) (fifth pass) NASA logo.svg NASA June 2010 [14] flyby36,900 kmsuccess Deep Impact.jpg [15]
Juno NASA logo.svg NASA 9 October 2013flyby559 kmsuccessgravity assist en route to Jupiter Juno in front of Jupiter.jpg 2011-040A
Hayabusa2 Jaxa logo.svg JAXA 3 December 2015flybysuccessgravity assist en route to Asteroid 162173 Ryugu 2014-076A
PROCYON Flag of Japan.svg University of Tokyo
Jaxa logo.svg JAXA
3 December 2015 [18] flybysuccesswas en route to Asteroid 2000 DP107 but mission abandoned [19] 2014-076D
Shin'en 2 Flag of Japan.svg Kyutech 4 December 2015 [20] flybysuccess 2014-076B
OSIRIS-REx NASA logo.svg NASA 22 September 2017 [21] flyby17,237 kmsuccessGravity assist en route to Asteroid 101955 Bennu OSIRIS-REx spacecraft model.png 2016-055A
BepiColombo ESA logo simple.svg ESA
Jaxa logo.svg JAXA
10 April 2020flyby12,700 kmsuccessGravity assist en route to Venus and Mercury BEPICLMBO
Solar Orbiter ESA logo simple.svg ESA 26 November 2021flyby455 kmsuccessGravity assist en route to inclined heliocentric orbit 2020-010A
Lucy NASA logo.svg NASA 16 October 2022flyby360 kmsuccessmain-belt asteroid flyby en route to Jupiter Trojans Lucy-PatroclusMenoetius-art.png 2021-093A
OSIRIS-APEX NASA logo.svg NASA 24 September 2023flyby779 kmsuccessGravity assist en route to Asteroid 99942 Apophis (OSIRIS-REx mission extension) OSIRIS-REx spacecraft model.png 2016-055A

See also

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