Explore Planetary Science through the missions, discoveries, rivalries and collaborations that expanded humanity's reach beyond Earth. This timeline links each milestone to the wider story of science, engineering, politics and exploration, from early experiments to robotic missions, crewed flight and commercial spaceflight. It shows how ambition and innovation reshaped our understanding of the Solar System and the universe.
A New Era of Exploration The arrival of Mariner 2 at Venus on 14 December 1962 represented a watershed moment in the history of space flight. By successfully completing the first-ever planetary flyby, the mission transit...
View itemA New Era of Exploration On 14 November 1971, the Mariner 9 spacecraft achieved a landmark success in the history of planetary science by becoming the first human-made object to enter orbit around another planet. This fe...
View itemA Gateway to the Outer Solar System The arrival of Pioneer 10 at Jupiter on 3 December 1973 represented a watershed moment in the history of space exploration. As the first spacecraft specifically engineered to traverse...
View itemThe First Encounter with Mercury The arrival of Mariner 10 at Mercury on 29 March 1974 represented a watershed moment in the history of planetary exploration. As the first spacecraft to successfully reach the innermost p...
View itemA New Era of Martian Exploration The successful touchdown of Viking 1 on 20 July 1976 represented a watershed moment in the history of planetary science, effectively bridging the gap between remote observation and direct...
View itemA New Perspective on Venus On 20 May 1978, NASA launched the Pioneer Venus Orbiter , initiating a sophisticated programme designed to conduct a long-term, systematic study of our closest planetary neighbour. Unlike earli...
View itemThe Arrival at the Gas Giant On 5 March 1979, Voyager 1 achieved a milestone in space exploration by reaching Jupiter , effectively commencing the first of the mission’s primary outer-planet encounters. This arrival repr...
View itemA New Perspective on the Jovian System The arrival of Voyager 2 at Jupiter in July 1979 represented a pivotal moment in the ongoing exploration of the outer solar system. Following closely in the wake of its predecessor,...
View itemA New Perspective on the Ringed Planet The arrival of Voyager 1 at Saturn in November 1980 represented a pivotal moment in the history of planetary science. As the spacecraft completed its long journey through the outer...
View itemA New Perspective on the Ringed Planet The arrival of Voyager 2 at Saturn in August 1981 represented a pivotal moment in the ongoing programme of comparative planetary exploration. Following the earlier success of its si...
View itemA New Frontier in the Outer Solar System On 24 January 1986, the Voyager 2 spacecraft achieved a historic milestone by completing the first close flyby of Uranus . This encounter represented a pinnacle of planetary explo...
View itemA New Perspective on the Outer Solar System On 25 August 1989, the Voyager 2 spacecraft achieved a historic milestone by completing its flyby of Neptune . This encounter represented the culmination of a long-duration mis...
View itemThe Magellan Mission On 10 August 1990, the Magellan spacecraft commenced its primary mission to map the surface of Venus . Having successfully entered orbit around the planet earlier that year, the probe was tasked with...
View itemA New Era of Jovian Exploration The arrival of the Galileo spacecraft at Jupiter on 7 December 1995 represented a landmark achievement in the history of planetary science. By successfully entering orbit, the probe transi...
View itemA Collaborative Journey to Saturn The launch of the Cassini-Huygens mission on 15 October 1997 represented a major milestone in international space exploration, uniting the resources and expertise of NASA , the European...
View itemA New Frontier in Deep Space The successful touchdown of the NEAR Shoemaker spacecraft onto the surface of the asteroid Eros on 12 February 2001 represented an unprecedented achievement in planetary science. Having spent...
View itemA New Era of Saturnian Exploration On 1 July 2004, the Cassini spacecraft successfully completed its complex insertion manoeuvre, officially entering orbit around Saturn . This achievement represented the culmination of...
View itemA Historic Descent On 14 January 2005, the Huygens probe achieved a monumental milestone in space exploration by successfully landing on Titan , the largest moon of Saturn. Developed by the European Space Agency , the pr...
View itemA New Era for Mercury Exploration On 18 March 2011, the MESSENGER spacecraft successfully achieved orbit around Mercury , a milestone that fundamentally altered our understanding of the solar system’s innermost planet. B...
View itemA New Era for Mercury Exploration On 18 March 2011, the MESSENGER spacecraft successfully achieved orbit around Mercury , a feat that fundamentally transformed our understanding of the innermost planet. Prior to this ach...
View itemA New Perspective on the Asteroid Belt On 16 July 2011, the Dawn spacecraft successfully achieved orbit around Vesta , a milestone that transformed our understanding of the asteroid belt. By settling into a stable path a...
View itemA Milestone in Solar System Exploration On 6 March 2015, the Dawn spacecraft successfully entered orbit around Ceres , achieving a major milestone in the history of space exploration. By securing a stable gravitational c...
View itemA New Perspective on the Gas Giant On 4 July 2016, the Juno spacecraft successfully entered orbit around Jupiter , concluding a journey that had spanned nearly five years of travel through the solar system. This arrival...
View itemA New Perspective on the Gas Giant On 4 July 2016, the Juno spacecraft successfully completed a complex manoeuvre to enter a polar orbit around Jupiter . This achievement represented the culmination of a long journey to...
View itemA New Frontier in Planetary Science The arrival of the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft at the asteroid Bennu in December 2018 represented a pivotal moment for deep-space exploration and our understanding of the early solar system....
View itemA Moment of Contact On 20 October 2020, the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft achieved a major milestone in planetary exploration by successfully executing its Touch-And-Go, or TAG, manoeuvre on the surface of the asteroid Bennu . T...
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