swap_horiz Kaguya Alternatives

1

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

2

Luna 9

The Luna 9 mission represents a significant achievement in early space exploration. Launched by the Soviet Union in 1966...

Soviet Past Moon Lander

9.2 Excellent

3

Chang'e 6

Chang’e 6 is a Chinese space mission successfully delivering lunar samples from the Moon’s far side in December 2024. Th...

China Past Moon Sample Return

9.2 Excellent

4

Space Shuttle STS-1

The Space Shuttle STS-1 mission marked America’s first crewed launch of the Space Shuttle program. This historic flight...

Nasa Past Shuttle Orbiter

9.1 Excellent

5

Luna 2

The Luna 2 mission, launched by the Soviet Union in 1959, represents a pivotal moment in space exploration. It achieved...

Impact Soviet Past Moon

9.1 Excellent

6

Chang'e 5

The Chang’e 5 spacecraft represents a significant achievement in space exploration. Launched by China in 2020, it succes...

China Past Moon Lander

9.1 Excellent

7

Venera 9

The Venera 9 mission represents a significant achievement in early planetary exploration. Launched by the Soviet Union i...

Soviet Past Lander Venus

9.0 Excellent

8

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

9

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

10

Chandrayaan-3

Chandrayaan-3 is an Indian space mission involving a lander and rover designed for exploration of the Moon’s surface. It...

Rover Past Moon Lander

8.9 Great

11

Luna 10

Luna 10 was a Soviet spacecraft that entered lunar orbit in 1966, becoming the first artificial satellite of the Moon an...

Soviet Past Moon Orbiter

8.5 Great

12

Chandrayaan-1

Chandrayaan-1 was India's first lunar probe, launched in 2008 by ISRO and notable for helping confirm water molecules on...

Mapping Past Moon Orbiter

8.5 Great

13

SLIM

SLIM was Japan's 2023 lunar lander, built by JAXA to demonstrate pinpoint landing and making Japan the fifth country to...

Precision Past Moon Lander

7.7 Good

14

Clementine

Clementine was a 1994 U.S. Defense Department and NASA mission that mapped the Moon multispectrally and tested lightweig...

Nasa Past Moon Orbiter

7.7 Good

15

Chang'e 2

Chang'e 2 was China's 2010 lunar orbiter, later sent beyond the Moon to fly by asteroid 4179 Toutatis and test deep-spac...

China Past Moon Asteroid

7.6 Good

16

Lunar Prospector

Lunar Prospector was a NASA orbiter launched in 1998 that mapped lunar gravity and composition, including evidence for p...

Mapping Nasa Past Moon

7.6 Good

17

LADEE

LADEE was a NASA lunar orbiter launched in 2013 to study the Moon's thin exosphere and dust environment before a planned...

Nasa Past Moon Atmosphere

7.4 Good

18

Chang'e 1

Chang'e 1 was China's first lunar orbiter, launched in 2007 to map the Moon and begin the country's robotic lunar explor...

China Mapping Past Moon

7.3 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

Nozomi

Nozomi was Japan's first Mars probe, launched by ISAS in 1998, but propulsion and electrical problems prevented Mars orb...

Planetary Mars Past Orbiter

3.4 Poor