List of artificial objects in heliocentric orbit

Below is a current list of artificial objects currently in heliocentric orbit. This list does not include objects that are escaping from the Solar System, upper stages from robotic missions (only the S-IVB upper stages from Apollo missions with astronauts are listed), or objects in the Sun–Earth Lagrange points.

United States

The United States has placed in heliocentric orbit:

• Pioneer 4 – Moon (1959)
• Ranger 3 – Moon (1961)
• Ranger 5 – Moon (1963)
• Mariner 2 – Venus (1962)
• Mariner 3 – Intended for Mars, communication lost when launch shroud failed to separate (1964)
• Mariner 4 – Mars (1964)
• Mariner 5 – Venus (1967)
• Pioneer 5, Pioneer 6, Pioneer 7, Pioneer 8, and Pioneer 9 – Sun (1966-1969)
• S-IVB upper stage for Apollo 8 (1968)
• S-IVB for Apollo 9 (1969)
• S-IVB and LM Snoopy (ascent stage) for Apollo 10 (1969)
• S-IVB upper stage for Apollo 11 (1969)
• Mariner 6 & Mariner 7 – Mars (1969)
• S-IVB for Apollo 12 (1969) – temporarily recaptured in Earth orbit 2002, escaped again 2003
• ICE – Comets Giocabinni-Zinner & Halley (1974-1987)
• Mariner 10 – Venus and Mercury (1974-1975)
• Mars Observer (1992) – Intended for Mars, failed prior to orbital insertion (1993)
• CONTOUR – Intended to flyby several comets, failed after launch (2002), seen as three separate fragments
• Deep Impact – Comet Tempel 1
• Genesis – Solar wind sample mission
• Stardust – Comet Wild 2
• Spitzer Space Telescope (active)
• Kepler Mission (active)
• STEREO-A and STEREO-B (active)

On Apollos 8 and 10–17, each S-IVB upper stage jettisoned four sections of a truncated conical adapter that supported the Apollo service module and (except for Apollo 8) enclosed the Lunar Module. These panels are in heliocentric orbit, including those from Apollos 13–17 whose S-IVBs impacted the moon, as the S-IVBs jettisoned them before maneuvering themselves into lunar impact trajectories. The panels continued on lunar flyby trajectories into heliocentric orbit.

The adapter panels on Apollo 9 were jettisoned in earth orbit before the S-IVB burned into an earth escape trajectory. They eventually decayed.

U.S.S.R./Russian Federation

The Soviet Union or the Russian Federation has placed in heliocentric orbit:

• Luna 1 – Intended to crash on Moon (1959)
• Venera 1 – Intended for Venus, communication lost en route (1961)
• Mars 1 – Intended for Mars, communication lost en route (1962)
• Zond 2 – Intended for Mars, communication lost en route (1964)
• Zond 3 – Moon (far side) and interplanetary space (1965)
• Venera 2 – Venus (1966)
• Mars 4 – Intended to orbit Mars, but retrorocket failed, mission partial success (1974)
• Mars 6 coast stage – Mars (1974)
• Mars 7 coast stage – Mars (1974)
• Mars 7 lander – Intended to land on Mars, but missed planet (1974)
• Venera 11 cruise stage – Venus (1978)
• Venera 12 cruise stage – Venus (1978)
• Venera 13 cruise stage – Venus (1982)
• Venera 14 cruise stage – Venus (1982)
• Vega 1 – Venus & Halley's Comet (1984-1986)
• Vega 2 – Venus & Halley's Comet (1984-1986)
• Phobos 1 – Intended for Mars and moon Phobos, communication lost en route (1988)

European Space Agency (ESA)

The European Space Agency has placed in heliocentric orbit:

• Helios 1 (joint U.S./Germany) – Sun (1975)
• Helios 2 (joint U.S./Germany) – Sun (1976)
• Giotto mission – Halley's Comet (1986)
• Ulysses (joint U.S./ESA) – Jupiter & Sun's north & south poles (1990)
• Herschel Space Observatory
• Planck Observatory

Japan

Japan has placed in heliocentric orbit:

• Sakigake – Halley's Comet (1985-1999)
• Suisei – Halley's Comet (1985-1991)
• Nozomi – Intended for Mars, but retrorocket failed (1998-2003)
• MINERVA mini-lander – Intended for asteroid Itokawa but missed (2005)
• IKAROS – Venus flyby (active)^[1]
• DCAM1 & DCAM2 – Ejected from IKAROS (2010)
• SHIN-EN – failed mission to Venus
• SHIN-EN 2 – Amateur radio, material demonstration (possibly active)^[2]
• ARTSAT2:DESPATCH – Deep space artwork (2014)

China

China has placed in heliocentric orbit:

• Chang'e 2 – asteroid 4179 Toutatis flyby

References