swap_horiz Giotto Alternatives

1

Voyager 2

Voyager 2 is a NASA-built spacecraft deployed in 1977. It’s notable for being the first to explore Uranus and Neptune pr...

Active Nasa Interstellar Outer Planets

10.0 Brilliant

2

Voyager 1

Voyager 1 is an active NASA spacecraft launched in 1977. It undertook a flyby mission to Jupiter and Saturn. The probe a...

Active Nasa Interstellar Outer Planets

9.9 Brilliant

3

Apollo 8

The Apollo 8 mission involved a three-man NASA crew – Frank Borman, James Lovell, and William Anders – undertaking the f...

Lunar Nasa Apollo Past

9.7 Brilliant

4

Pioneer 10

NASA’s Pioneer 10 is a historic space probe launched in 1972. It achieved several significant milestones including being...

Nasa Deep Space Jupiter Past

9.2 Excellent

5

Pioneer 11

NASA’s Pioneer 11 is a historic space mission launched in 1973. It achieved the first-ever close flyby of Jupiter and su...

Nasa Jupiter Saturn Past

9.0 Excellent

6

Luna 3

Luna 3 was a Soviet space mission launched in 1959. It achieved a unique flyby trajectory around the Moon, capturing the...

Imaging Soviet Past Moon

9.0 Excellent

7

Mariner 2

The Mariner 2 spacecraft represents a pivotal moment in space exploration. Launched by NASA in 1962, it achieved the fir...

Nasa Past Venus Firsts

8.9 Great

8

Herschel

The Herschel Space Observatory was a European Space Agency mission launched in 2009. It operated primarily in infrared w...

Astronomy Telescope Infrared Past

8.8 Great

9

Infrared Astronomical Satellite

Infrared Astronomical Satellite was a 1983 American, Dutch, and British mission, notable as the first space telescope to...

Telescope Nasa Infrared Past

8.6 Great

10

Mariner 10

Mariner 10 was a NASA probe launched in 1973, the first mission to visit Mercury and the first to use a planetary gravit...

Nasa Past Mercury Venus

8.6 Great

11

Envisat

Envisat was an ESA Earth-observation satellite launched in 2002, the largest then built for the task and carrying 10 ins...

Environment Radar Past Earth

8.5 Great

12

Luna 1

Luna 1 was a Soviet probe launched in 1959 that became the first spacecraft to escape Earth gravity and fly past the Moo...

Soviet Past Moon Firsts

8.4 Great

13

Sentinel-1A

Sentinel-1A is an ESA Copernicus radar satellite launched in 2014, the first Sentinel spacecraft and a source of day-nig...

Radar Past Earth Esa

8.3 Great

14

Vega 1

Vega 1 was a Soviet mission launched in 1984, combining a Venus lander and balloon with a later flyby of Halley's Comet.

Soviet Past Comet Venus

8.2 Great

15

Vega 2

Vega 2 was a Soviet mission launched in 1984, delivering a Venus lander and balloon before continuing to fly past Halley...

Soviet Past Comet Venus

8.2 Great

16

Cluster II

Cluster II was ESA's four-spacecraft magnetosphere mission launched in 2000, notable for 3D measurements of solar wind i...

Past Plasma Magnetosphere Formation

8.1 Great

17

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

18

Infrared Space Observatory

Infrared Space Observatory was an ESA telescope launched in 1995, notable for infrared spectroscopy and imaging of cool...

Astronomy Telescope Infrared Past

7.9 Good

19

SMART-1

SMART-1 was ESA's first lunar mission, launched in 2003 to test solar-electric propulsion and map the Moon from orbit.

Past Moon Orbiter Esa

7.3 Good

20

Schiaparelli EDM

Schiaparelli EDM was a 2016 ESA-Roscosmos Mars landing demonstrator that crashed, but returned descent telemetry for Exo...

Mars Past Lander Esa

3.1 Poor