swap_horiz Herschel Alternatives

1

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

2

Vostok 1

The Vostok 1 mission represents a pivotal moment in space exploration history. Launched by the Soviet Union in April 196...

Soviet Past Leo Crewed

9.7 Brilliant

3

Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity

The Opportunity rover was a NASA mission designed to study the geology of Mars’ Meridiani Planum region. Launched in 200...

Geology Nasa Mars Rover

9.5 Brilliant

4

Viking 1

The Viking 1 mission involved both an orbiter and a lander deployed to Mars in 1975. It achieved the historic feat of de...

Nasa Mars Past Lander

9.4 Excellent

5

Infrared Astronomical Satellite

The Infrared Astronomical Satellite (IRAS) was a joint space telescope mission developed by the United States, the Nethe...

Telescope Nasa Infrared Past

8.6 Great

6

Envisat

Envisat was a large Earth-observation satellite operated by the European Space Agency (ESA). Launched into polar orbit i...

Environment Radar Past Earth

8.5 Great

7

Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer

The Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer (RXTE) was an artificial satellite launched by NASA on December 30, 1995, to observe ast...

Astronomy Nasa Past Timing

8.3 Great

8

Sentinel-1A

Sentinel-1A is a European Space Agency Earth observation satellite launched in 2014 as part of the Copernicus Programme....

Radar Past Earth Esa

8.3 Great

9

Giotto

Giotto was a European Space Agency spacecraft launched in 1985 to investigate Halley's Comet during its 1986 return to t...

Past Comet Halley Esa

8.2 Great

10

Spektr-RG

Spektr-RG is a Russian-German space-based X-ray observatory launched in 2019 and placed in an orbit around the Sun-Earth...

Astronomy Russia Telescope Active

8.2 Great

11

Cluster II

Cluster II was a European Space Agency mission consisting of four identical spacecraft launched in 2000 to study Earth's...

Past Plasma Magnetosphere Formation

8.1 Great

12

Venus Express

Venus Express was a European Space Agency spacecraft launched in 2005 and placed into orbit around Venus in 2006. As ESA...

Past Atmosphere Venus Orbiter

8.1 Great

13

Infrared Space Observatory

The Infrared Space Observatory (ISO) was a European Space Agency space telescope launched by an Ariane 4 rocket in Novem...

Astronomy Telescope Infrared Past

7.9 Good

14

Akari

Akari, originally known as ASTRO-F, was an infrared astronomy satellite developed by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Age...

Survey Telescope Infrared Past

7.7 Good

15

Spektr-R

Spektr-R was a Russian space radio telescope launched on 18 July 2011 as the centerpiece of the RadioAstron mission. It...

Astronomy Russia Telescope Radio

7.7 Good

16

AstroSat

AstroSat is an Indian space observatory designed to study astronomical sources across ultraviolet and X-ray wavelengths....

Astronomy Telescope Active Multiwavelength

7.4 Good

17

Cheops

Cheops (Characterising Exoplanet Satellite) is a European Space Agency space telescope launched in December 2019, develo...

Survey Telescope Active Exoplanets

7.3 Good

18

SMART-1

SMART-1 was the European Space Agency’s first mission to the Moon and the first European spacecraft to use solar-electri...

Past Moon Orbiter Esa

7.3 Good

19

Hitomi

Hitomi, also designated ASTRO-H, was a Japanese X-ray astronomy satellite launched by JAXA on 17 February 2016. Develope...

Astronomy Telescope Past X Ray

4.7 Poor

20

Schiaparelli EDM

Schiaparelli EDM (Entry, Descent and Landing Demonstrator Module) was a European Space Agency lander flown on the 2016 E...

Mars Past Lander Esa

3.1 Poor