List of proposed Solar System probes

Last updated

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.

Contents

Planned or scheduled missions

Mission nameLaunch dateDescriptionRef(s)
Flag of the United States.svg EscaPADE Spring 2025Two Mars orbiters [1]
Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg Tianwen-2 May 2025Asteroid 469219 Kamoʻoalewa sample return, comet 311P/PanSTARRS orbiter [2]
Flag of the United States.svg Artemis II April 20264-person lunar flyby [3] [4]
Flag of Japan.svg Flag of France.svg Flag of Germany.svg Martian Moons eXploration 2026 Martian moon sample return mission [5]
Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg Chang'e 7 2026Lunar south pole lander, rover and flying probe [6]
Flag of the United States.svg Flag of New Zealand.svg Venus Life Finder NET summer 2026Private Venus atmospheric probe by Rocket Lab and MIT [7]
Flag of India.svg Flag of Japan.svg Lunar Polar Exploration Mission 2026-2028Lunar lander and rover [8]
Flag of India.svg Chandrayaan-4 2027Lunar sample return mission [9]
Flag of the United States.svg Artemis III Mid 20274-person lunar flyby, 2-person lunar landing [3] [10]
Flag of Russia.svg Luna 26 2027Lunar orbiter [11]
Flag of Japan.svg DESTINY+ 2028Asteroid 3200 Phaethon flyby [12]
Flag of the United States.svg Dragonfly July 2028 Titan rotorcraft lander [13] [14]
Flag of Europe.svg Rosalind Franklin 2028Mars rover, ExoMars [15] [16]
Flag of Russia.svg Luna 27 2028Lunar lander [11]
Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg Tianwen-3 2028 Mars sample return mission [17]
Flag of the United Arab Emirates.svg MBR Explorer 2028Flyby mission to seven asteroids [18]
Flag of India.svg Venus Orbiter Mission 2028Venus orbiter [19]
Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg Tianwen-4 September 2029 Jupiter and Callisto orbiter, Uranus flyby [20] [21]
Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg Solar Polar Orbit Observatory 2029 High-inclination solar orbiter, Jupiter flyby [22]
Flag of Europe.svg Flag of Japan.svg Comet Interceptor 2029Flyby of an Oort Cloud comet [23] [24] [25]
Flag of the United States.svg VERITAS 2029Venus orbiter [26]
Flag of Europe.svg EnVision 2031Venus orbiter [27]
Flag of India.svg Mangalyaan-2 2031Mars orbiter and lander [28] [29]
Flag of the United States.svg DAVINCI 2032Venus orbiter and atmospheric probe [30]

Proposed missions

Mission namePreliminary launch date estimateDescriptionRef(s)
Estimated launch dateEstimate byEstimate as of
Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg Shensuo (Interstellar Express)2024[ needs update ]Scientia Sinica Informationis2019"Voyager-like" mission to outer planets [31] [32]
Flag of Israel.svg Beresheet 2 2025Ramon.Space2022Lunar lander [33]
Flag of the United States.svg Flag of Europe.svg NASA-ESA Mars Sample Return 2027[ needs update ] ESA 2023Mars sample return mission [34]
Flag of Europe.svg Ramses 2028ESA2024Asteroid orbiter [35] [36]
Flag of Japan.svg Tera-hertz Explorer 2020s[ citation needed ]Mars orbiter and lander [37] [38]
Flag of Russia.svg Venera-D 2031 Russian Space Research Institute 2023Venus orbiter and lander [39]
Flag of Russia.svg Luna 28 2030 Roscosmos 2024Lunar sample return mission [40]
Flag of the United States.svg Uranus Orbiter and Probe NET 2031 NASA 2023 Uranus orbiter and probe [41] [42]
Flag of the United States.svg Interstellar Probe 2036 NASA 2022"Voyager on steroids" [43]
Flag of the United States.svg Enceladus Orbilander 2038 NASA 2023 Enceladus orbiter/lander [44]

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 nameCancellation dateDescriptionStatus and reasonRef(s)
Flag of the United States.svg VIPER 2024Lunar 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.
[45] [46]
Flag of the United States.svg Janus 2023Dual 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. [47]
Flag of Russia.svg Kazachok 2022Mars 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. [48]

See also

References

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  2. Jones, Andrew (2022-05-18). "China to launch Tianwen 2 asteroid-sampling mission in 2025". Space.com. Retrieved 2022-07-31.
  3. 1 2 Tingley, Brett (9 January 2024). "Astronauts won't walk on the moon until 2026 after NASA delays next 2 Artemis missions". Space.com . Retrieved 9 January 2024.
  4. "NASA's Artemis 2 mission set for November 2024". Phys.org . Agence France-Presse. 7 March 2023. Retrieved 8 March 2023.
  5. "MMX - Martian Moons eXploration". MMX - Martian Moons eXploration. Retrieved 2 June 2024. 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.
  6. Jones, Andrew (5 August 2020). "China is moving ahead with lunar south pole and near-Earth asteroid missions". SpaceNews . Retrieved 28 June 2022.
  7. "Rocket Lab Mission to Venus". Venus Missions. Retrieved February 28, 2025.
  8. Shimbun, The Yomiuri (30 July 2019). "Japan, India to team up in race to discover water on moon". The Japan News. Retrieved 10 March 2021.
  9. Jones, Andrew (2024-05-14). "India plans Chandrayaan-4 moon sample return, will involve private sector". SpaceNews. Retrieved 2024-07-10.
  10. "Artemis III Launch - NASA" . Retrieved 2023-12-01.
  11. 1 2 "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]. TASS (in Russian). 19 July 2023. Retrieved 27 July 2023.
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  22. Jones, Andrew (2025-02-25). "China to send a spacecraft out of the ecliptic to study the Sun's poles". SpaceNews. Retrieved 2025-02-25.
  23. "Ariel moves from blueprint to reality". ESA . 12 November 2020. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
  24. "ESA's new mission to intercept a comet". www.esa.int. Retrieved 2020-01-06.
  25. "Comet Interceptor". www.cometinterceptor.space. Retrieved 2020-01-06.
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  27. "ESA selects revolutionary Venus mission EnVision". www.esa.int. ESA. 10 June 2021. Retrieved 12 June 2021.
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  34. "Earth Return Orbiter – the first round-trip to Mars". ESA. Retrieved 18 October 2024.
  35. "ESA moves forward with Apophis mission preparations". www.esa.int.
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  44. 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 (14 October 2020). "Encealdus Orbilander: A Flagship Mission Concept for Astrobiology". NASA Technical Reports Server. Retrieved 26 April 2024.
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