Best Orbiter
The Mariner 9 mission involved a NASA-operated spacecraft that orbited Mars from 1971 to 1973. It is significant as the initial artificial satellite to successfully enter orbit around another planet. Mariner 9’s primary task was detailed mapping of the Martian surface, providing invaluable data for...
The Cassini spacecraft was a joint NASA/ESA/ASI mission that orbited Saturn from 2004 to 2017. It provided unprecedented data about the planet’s rings, atmosphere, and dozens of moons. Cassini's observations significantly advanced our understanding of the solar system, particularly regarding planeta...
The Space Shuttle Discovery represents a pivotal era in American space exploration. This NASA orbiter undertook 39 missions between 1984 and 2011, most notably deploying the Hubble Space Telescope. It served as a vital component of the Space Shuttle program, facilitating scientific research and sate...
The Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM), also known as Mangalyaan, is a space probe launched by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) in November 2013. The spacecraft successfully entered Mars orbit in September 2014, making India the first nation to successfully reach Martian orbit on its first atte...
The Viking 1 mission involved both an orbiter and a lander deployed to Mars in 1975. It achieved the historic feat of delivering the initial extended scientific data from the Martian surface. The lander, Viking 1B, successfully touched down in Valles Marineris while the orbiter provided valuable rec...
Mangalyaan, formally the Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM), is a space probe launched by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) in November 2013. It successfully entered Mars orbit in September 2014, making India the first Asian nation to reach Martian orbit and the first country globally to do so o...
2001 Mars Odyssey is a robotic spacecraft orbiting Mars, launched by NASA in April 2001. It holds the record for the longest-surviving continually active spacecraft in orbit around another planet. The orbiter's instruments have mapped mineral distribution across the Martian surface and detected sign...
The SELENE mission, formerly known as Kaguya, is a Japanese space exploration project operated by JAXA. It deployed an orbiter to map the Moon in unprecedented detail. The mission’s high-resolution imagery and video data significantly advanced our understanding of lunar geology and surface features....
The Space Shuttle STS-1 mission marked America’s first crewed launch of the Space Shuttle program. This historic flight in April 1981 utilized Columbia, testing critical systems and demonstrating the orbiter's capabilities. Astronauts John Young and Robert Crippen piloted the shuttle through an orbi...
Kaguya, officially named SELENE (Selenological and Engineering Explorer), was a Japanese lunar orbiter launched by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) on September 14, 2007. The spacecraft carried 14 scientific instruments to study the Moon's surface, gravity field, and electromagnetic env...
The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) is a NASA spacecraft currently orbiting the Moon. Launched in 2009, it provides detailed mapping of the lunar surface using high-resolution cameras and spectrometers. This data supports scientific research into the Moon’s formation, composition, and history. LR...
The Tianwen-1 mission represents China’s ambitious exploration of Mars. This active space project launched in July 2020 involves an orbiter, lander, and Zhurong rover. It is notable as the second nation to successfully deploy a robotic rover on the Martian surface. The mission provides valuable data...
The Venera 9 mission represents a significant achievement in early planetary exploration. Launched by the Soviet Union in 1975, it combined an orbiter and lander designed to study Venus. The spacecraft successfully transmitted the first-ever photographs from another planet’s surface, providing valua...
SELENE, formally designated as Kaguya, was a Japanese lunar exploration mission operated by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). Launched in September 2007, it was the largest lunar mission since the Apollo program, consisting of a main orbiter and two smaller relay and VLBI satellites. Th...
The NEAR Shoemaker mission, a NASA project, studied the near-Earth asteroid 433 Eros. Launched in 1998, it successfully orbited Eros for nearly three years, gathering detailed data about its composition and structure. This spacecraft achieved a historic first by landing on Eros’s surface in 2001, pr...
The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter is a NASA spacecraft orbiting Mars since 2006. It provides high-resolution imaging of the Martian surface using its HiRI instrument, revealing details as small as 30 centimeters. The orbiter also acts as a communications relay for data from surface rovers. Scientists...
GRAIL Flow is the second of NASA's twin Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory spacecraft, launched alongside its counterpart, GRAIL Ebb, in 2011. The mission's primary objective was to map the Moon's gravitational field with unprecedented detail to understand its internal structure and thermal ev...
GRAIL Ebb is one of NASA's twin Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory spacecraft, launched in 2011 to conduct a comprehensive mapping of the Moon's gravitational field. Working in unison with its twin, Flow, Ebb transmitted microwave signals to measure the precise distance between the two orbiter...
The Viking 2 spacecraft was a NASA mission launched in 1976 to explore Mars. It landed near Utopia Planitia and functioned as both a lander and an orbiter. Its primary goal involved transmitting images of the Martian surface and conducting experiments designed to search for evidence of microbial lif...
The Lunar Orbiter 1 mission involved a NASA spacecraft launched in 1966. It achieved the distinction of being the first American vehicle to successfully enter lunar orbit. The orbiter conducted extensive photographic mapping of the Moon’s surface, specifically targeting areas considered for potentia...
The Magellan mission utilized radar technology to study Venus. Launched by NASA in 1989, it provided the first comprehensive, nearly global radar image of the planet’s surface. This data revealed extensive volcanic features and tectonic activity, significantly advancing our understanding of Venus's...
Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) was an unmanned NASA spacecraft designed to map and study the surface and atmosphere of Mars. Launched in 1996 and inserted into Martian orbit in 1997, the orbiter utilized a technique called aerobraking to gradually achieve its final circular mapping orbit. It was equippe...
Solar Orbiter is a spacecraft developed by the European Space Agency with NASA participation to study the Sun and the inner heliosphere. Launched in 2020, it combines remote-sensing instruments with sensors that measure particles, fields, and plasma around the spacecraft. Repeated gravity assists an...
Lunar Orbiter 2 was an uncrewed NASA spacecraft launched in 1966 as part of a program to photograph the Moon before the Apollo landings. It returned hundreds of photographs, with emphasis on potential landing areas near the lunar equator, while also gathering tracking data relevant to the Moon's gra...
Hope, formally the Emirates Mars Mission, is a United Arab Emirates spacecraft launched in July 2020 to study the Martian atmosphere. It entered orbit around Mars in February 2021, making the UAE the first Arab country to place a spacecraft in Martian orbit. The orbiter observes weather and atmosphe...
Chandrayaan-1 was India's first lunar mission, launched by the Indian Space Research Organisation in 2008 aboard a Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle. The spacecraft entered lunar orbit and carried instruments supplied by India and several international partners to map the Moon's surface, mineral compos...
Luna 10 was a Soviet robotic spacecraft launched in 1966 as part of the Luna program. It achieved a historic milestone by becoming the first artificial satellite to successfully orbit the Moon. During its active mission, the spacecraft gathered and transmitted scientific data on the Moon's magnetic...
Mars Express is a planetary exploration mission developed by the European Space Agency (ESA), launched in 2003 to study the Martian environment. The mission's primary component is an orbiter that remains operational, utilizing instruments like the High Resolution Stereo Camera to map the planet's su...
Kaguya, officially designated as SELENE (Selenological and Engineering Explorer), was a lunar orbiter mission developed by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). Launched in 2007, the spacecraft was tasked with collecting detailed scientific data about the Moon's origin and evolution. It car...
Lunar Orbiter 3 was a NASA spacecraft launched on February 5, 1967, as part of the five-mission Lunar Orbiter program designed to photograph and map the Moon's surface. The spacecraft orbited the Moon and captured detailed images of potential Apollo program landing sites, contributing to the selecti...
