Best Flyby

Voyager 1 is an active NASA spacecraft launched in 1977. It undertook a flyby mission to Jupiter and Saturn. The probe achieved a historic milestone in 2012 becoming the first human-made object to enter interstellar space. Its data provides valuable insights into the conditions beyond our solar syst...

The Mariner 4 mission, launched by NASA in 1964, represents a pivotal moment in planetary exploration. This flyby spacecraft provided the first high-resolution images of Mars during its 1965 encounter. It transmitted these photographs, revealing surface details and geological features previously uns...

The New Horizons mission is an active NASA space probe studying the outer solar system. Launched in 2006, it achieved a historic flyby of Pluto in 2015 providing unprecedented images and data about the dwarf planet’s surface and atmosphere. Subsequently, New Horizons conducted a close encounter with...

NASA’s Pioneer 10 is a historic space probe launched in 1972. It achieved several significant milestones including being the initial spacecraft to traverse the asteroid belt and perform a flyby of Jupiter in 1973. The mission provided crucial data during its deep-space exploration, contributing valu...

Luna 3 was a Soviet space mission launched in 1959. It achieved a unique flyby trajectory around the Moon, capturing the first images of the far side. This mission provided invaluable data and visual information about this previously unseen lunar hemisphere. Scientists and historians studying early...

NASA’s Pioneer 11 is a historic space mission launched in 1973. It achieved the first-ever close flyby of Jupiter and subsequently became the first spacecraft to visit Saturn. Data collected during these journeys provided crucial insights into the outer solar system's planets and their environments....

The Mariner 2 spacecraft represents a pivotal moment in space exploration. Launched by NASA in 1962, it achieved the first successful flyby of Venus. This mission provided crucial data about the planet’s atmosphere, including confirmation of its extreme surface temperatures and evidence of volcanic...

Mariner 10 was a robotic space probe launched by NASA in November 1973 to conduct planetary flybys of Venus and Mercury. It holds the distinction of being the first spacecraft to utilize a planetary gravity assist, using Venus's gravitational pull to alter its trajectory toward Mercury. Over the cou...

Mariner 7 was a NASA Mars flyby spacecraft launched in 1969, notable for returning close-up images and atmospheric data during its pass over the southern hemisphere.

Luna 1 was a Soviet spacecraft launched on January 2, 1959, as part of the Luna program. Also known as Mechta, it became the first spacecraft to reach the vicinity of the Moon and the first to escape Earth's gravity, entering a heliocentric orbit. During its mission, Luna 1 provided new data on the...

Mariner 6 was a NASA spacecraft launched in February 1969 to perform a flyby of Mars. The mission provided close-up imagery of Mars's equatorial regions and conducted atmospheric measurements. It completed its closest approach in July 1969, days before its twin spacecraft, Mariner 7, passed over the...

Giotto was an ESA spacecraft that flew past Halley's Comet in 1986, returning the first close-range images of a comet nucleus.

Europa Clipper is a NASA mission launched in 2024 to study Jupiter's icy moon Europa through 49 planned flybys after arrival in 2030.

Mars 7 was a Soviet Mars flyby and lander launched in 1973, notable because a malfunction sent its descent probe past Mars instead of landing.