swap_horiz BepiColombo Alternatives

1

Hayabusa2

The Hayabusa2 mission, developed by JAXA, successfully collected and returned samples from the asteroid Ryugu. This acti...

Active Asteroid Jaxa Sample Return

9.3 Excellent

2

Tianwen-1

The Tianwen-1 mission represents China’s ambitious exploration of Mars. This active space project launched in July 2020...

China Active Mars Lander

9.0 Excellent

3

Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter

The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) is a NASA spacecraft currently orbiting the Moon. Launched in 2009, it provides d...

Mapping Active Nasa Moon

9.0 Excellent

4

Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter

The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter is a NASA spacecraft orbiting Mars since 2006. It provides high-resolution imaging of th...

Imaging Active Nasa Mars

8.8 Great

5

Solar Orbiter

Solar Orbiter is an ESA-NASA solar probe launched in 2020, notable for close solar passes and the first detailed views o...

Solar Active Nasa Orbiter

8.6 Great

6

Sentinel-2A

Sentinel-2A is an ESA Copernicus optical satellite launched in 2015, using a 13-band multispectral imager to monitor lan...

Imaging Active Earth Esa

8.6 Great

7

SELENE

The SELENE mission, formerly known as Kaguya, is a Japanese space exploration project operated by JAXA. It deployed an o...

Mapping Lunar Orbiter Jaxa

8.5 Great

8

Mars Express

Mars Express is an ESA orbiter launched in 2003 and ESA's first Mars mission, mapping the planet and probing subsurface...

Active Planetary Mars Orbiter

8.4 Great

9

Kaguya

Kaguya, also called SELENE, was Japan's 2007 lunar orbiter that mapped the Moon in detail with subsatellites and high-de...

Past Moon Orbiter Jaxa

8.4 Great

10

MAVEN

MAVEN is a NASA Mars orbiter launched in 2013 to study the upper atmosphere and how solar wind stripped gases from the p...

Active Nasa Mars Atmosphere

8.2 Great

11

Sentinel-3A

Sentinel-3A is an ESA Copernicus satellite launched in 2016 to monitor oceans, land, ice, and atmosphere for climate and...

Ocean Active Earth Esa

8.1 Great

12

Venus Express

Venus Express was an ESA orbiter launched in 2005, the first European spacecraft to orbit Venus and study its atmosphere...

Past Atmosphere Venus Orbiter

8.1 Great

13

2001 Mars Odyssey

2001 Mars Odyssey is a NASA orbiter launched in 2001 that mapped Martian hydrogen, found evidence for water ice, and rel...

Mapping Active Nasa Mars

8.1 Great

14

Sentinel-5P

Sentinel-5P is an ESA Copernicus atmosphere satellite launched in 2017, notable for the Tropomi instrument that maps tra...

Active Atmosphere Earth Esa

8.0 Great

15

Hope Probe

Hope Probe is a UAE Mars orbiter launched in 2020, the first Arab interplanetary mission, studying the planet's atmosphe...

Active Mars Uae Atmosphere

7.8 Good

16

Akatsuki

Akatsuki was a JAXA Venus climate orbiter launched in 2010, reaching Venus orbit in 2015 after a failed first insertion...

Climate Active Venus Orbiter

7.7 Good

17

ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter

ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter is a 2016 ESA-Roscosmos Mars orbiter that studies trace gases such as methane and relays surfa...

Active Mars Orbiter Esa

7.7 Good

18

Cheops

Cheops is an ESA space telescope launched in 2019 with Swiss leadership, built to measure the sizes of known exoplanets...

Survey Telescope Active Exoplanets

7.3 Good

19

Arase

Arase is JAXA's 2016 ERG satellite, notable for measuring particles, plasma waves, and fields inside Earth's Van Allen r...

Active Plasma Earth Jaxa

7.3 Good

20

EarthCARE

EarthCARE is an ESA-JAXA Earth Explorer satellite launched in 2024 to measure clouds, aerosols, and radiation with four...

Active Earth Esa Jaxa

7.2 Good