| Date Time (UTC) |
Mission/Event | Description | Launch Vehicle | Agency |
| Dec-12-2011 09:38 |
Cassini | Dione flyby (199 km) -- D-3: The primary goal of this RSS flyby is to determine the internal structure of Dione. Is it differentiated and is it in full isostatic compensation? Optical remote sensing observations of Dione and Enceladus to monitor and search for activity on these bodies will also occur. | NASA | |
| Dec-13-2011 20:07 |
Cassini | Titan flyby (3763 km) -- T-79: This is another important CAPS flyby. For parts of this encounter, the spacecraft pointing is optimized for CAPS by keeping the expected plasma flow direction well within the instrument's nearly-hemispheric field of view. This assures that plasma parameters such as ion density and flow speed can be accurately determined. This upstream encounter, near a local time of noon in Saturn's magnetosphere will help characterize the plasma which interacts with Titan, before that plasma is perturbed. CAPS will measure the ion and electron temperatures, densities and the ion composition and flow field in the vicinity of Titan, to characterize and understand its interaction with the magnetosphere of Saturn. This allows scientists to observe any seasonal or other long-term variability in the characteristics of this interaction, and study the processes by which Titan's atmosphere and ionosphere are lost to the magnetosphere. | NASA | |
| Jan-02-2012 | Cassini | Titan flyby (29,415 km). | NASA | |
| End-Jan-2012 | LARES / ALMASat-1 / Cubesats | Inaugural launch and maiden flight of ESA's new small launcher Vega, from Europe's Spaceport (CSG), French Guiana. Payload: LARES from Italy's ASI space agency; a laser relativity satellite for the study of the Earth gravitational field and general relativity measurements. Plus at least six small CubeSats and ALMASat-1 from European universities. | Vega | ESA / Various |
| Jan-30-2012 | Cassini | Titan flyby (31,131 km). | NASA | |
| Feb-09-2012 | Cassini | Titan flyby (3,803 km). | NASA | |
| Mar-14-2012 | NuSTAR | NuSTAR will be the first focusing hard X-ray telescope in orbit. Its design eliminates high detector backgrounds, allows true imaging, and permits the use of compact high performance detectors. | Pegasus XL | NASA |
| Mar-27-2012 | Cassini | Enceladus flyby (74 km). | NASA | |
| Apr-14-2012 | Cassini | Enceladus flyby (74 km). | NASA | |
| Apr-2012 | PROBA-V | PROBA-V (Project for On-Board Autonomy - Vegetation) will carry a vegetation multispectral sensor to monitor vegetation cover. | TBD | ESA |
| May-02-2012 | Cassini | Enceladus flyby (74 km). | NASA | |
| May-21-2012 | Cassini | Titan flyby (955 km). | NASA | |
| Jun-06-2012 | Cassini | Titan flyby (959 km). | NASA | |
| Jul-24-2012 | Cassini | Titan flyby (1,012 km). | NASA | |
| Jul-2012 | Dawn | Vesta departure. | NASA | |
| Jul-2012 | Swarm | Swarm is a constellation of three magnetometry satellites that will provide the best ever survey of the geomagnetic field and its temporal evolution.
Status update
Oct-2011 The three satellites are in the IABG test facility in Munich, completing final delivery tests. The first satellite completed thermal vacuum and vibration tests and is ready for the magnetic characterisation, mass properties and stack tests. The second satellite completed its suite of environmental tests, including magnetic characterisation in the magnetic chamber, and is ready for the stack test with the launcher adaptor (acoustic, fit check and shock). The Electrical Field Instrument FM2 acceptance testing has been completed, demonstrating the correct implementation of the interfaces, and it is being shipped to Friedrichshafen for mounting on the second satellite. The third satellite is being prepared for the mechanical tests. Ground segment preparation activities are proceeding according to plan. Khrunichev's recovery actions on the Rockot launcher are expected to be complete by November. ESA Bulletin 148 |
Rockot | ESA |
| Aug-06-2012 | Mars Science Laboratory | Mars landing at Gale Crater. | NASA | |
| Sep-06-2012 (NET) | RBSP | The Radiation Belt Storm Probes (RBSP) mission will determine how varying inputs of solar energy form or change populations of relativistic electrons and ions in the Earth's radiation belts. | Atlas V | NASA |
| Nov-13-2012 | Cassini | Titan flyby (973 km). | NASA | |
| Nov-29-2012 | Cassini | Titan flyby (1,014 km). | NASA | |
| Dec-01-2012 | IRIS | The Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph (IRIS) mission will use a solar telescope and spectrograph to explore the solar chromospheres. This is a crucial region for understanding energy transport into the solar wind and an archetype for stellar atmospheres. Recent discoveries have shown the chromosphere is significantly more dynamic and structured than previously thought. The unique instrument capabilities, coupled with state of the art 3-D modeling, will explore this dynamic region in detail. The mission will greatly extend the scientific output of existing heliophysics spacecraft that follow the effects of energy release processes from the sun to Earth. | Pegasus XL | NASA |
| 2012 | Lightsail-1 | LightSail-1 -- the first of The Planetary Society's three spacecraft -- will demonstrate that sunlight alone can propel a spacecraft in Earth orbit.
Testing Sail Deployment Mar-06-2011 The first full scale deployment of the Planetary Society's LightSail-1 solar sail was conducted on March 4, 2011 at Stellar Exploration in San Luis Obispo, California. Read more. |
TBD (Secondary Payload) | The Planetary Society |
| 2012 | ASTROSAT | ASTROSAT will be a multi-wavelength astronomy mission in a 650-km, near-equatorial orbit. | PSLV | ISRO |
| TBD | OCO-2 | The Orbiting Carbon Observatory Replacement (OCO-2) is a NASA Earth System Science Pathfinder Project (ESSP) mission designed to make precise, time-dependent global measurements of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) from an Earth orbiting satellite. On February 24, 2009, OCO failed to reach orbit. | Taurus XL 3110 | NASA |
| Jun-2013 | Gaia | Gaia is a global space astrometry mission. Its goal is to make the largest, most precise map of our Galaxy by surveying an unprecedented number of stars - more than a thousand million.
Status update
Oct-2011 All flight mirrors have been integrated on the Payload Module, and the two telescopes are being aligned to match the two 35 m focal lengths with a difference of less than 3 mm, while still keeping the wavefront errors minimal. Once in orbit, a focusing mechanism will be used for both telescopes to compensate for variation due to thermal effects, lack of gravity and settling after launch. On the Focal Plane Assembly Flight Model, all 106 flight CCDs, their front-end electronics and the power distribution and command electronics have been integrated. The two prisms that generate the spectra centred in the blue and red optical bands have been mounted and aligned on the structure facing the focal plane. The Radial Velocity Spectrometer optics are aligned and optical tests are ongoing in preparation for the environmental test campaign. The Basic Angle Monitor system (which will measure the variation of the two telescopes' lines of sight) has been aligned and the environmental test campaign has started. The mechanical qualification tests will take place at Intespace before the end of the year. The PFM#1 configuration that will be tested foresees the Service Module Flight Model, the Payload Module dummy inside the Thermal Tent Flight Model and the Deployable Sun Shield Flight Model. The latter was delivered in September to Astrium SAS by Sener after two deployment tests under ambient conditions. The third System Validation Test, in which ESOC controls the spacecraft, is planned to start by the end of November. It will validate additional flight operation procedures on the spacecraft Avionics Model. ESA Bulletin 148 |
Soyuz-STB/Fregat | ESA |
| Jul-2013 | Jason-3 | The Jason-3 operational oceanographic mission involves a quadripartite collaboration between the two meteorological organisations EUMETSAT and NOAA, acting as the leaders of the programme, and CNES and NASA. Covering all ice-free ocean surfaces, Jason-3 will ensure the continuity of high precision ocean topography measurements beyond TOPEX/Poseidon, Jason-1 and Jason-2, which are now operational in orbit. Moreover, Jason-3 will offer the same measurement accuracy as Jason-2, including near coastal zones as well as lakes and rivers. | TBD | CNES / NASA |
| Sep-2013 | Spektr-RG | "Spektr-Rentgen-Gamma" (Spectrum-X-Gamma) will help scientists to discover 100 thousands of various galaxies and help solve the mystery of the dark matter. | Zenit-3SLBF/Fregat-SB | Roscosmos |
| Late-2013 (NET) | ESMO | The European Student Moon Orbiter (ESMO) is planned to be the first European student mission to the Moon. | TBD (Secondary Payload) | ESA |
| Nov-18-2013 | MAVEN | The Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution Mission (MAVEN) will explore the planet's upper atmosphere, ionosphere and interactions with the sun and solar wind. | Atlas V 401 | NASA |
| Nov-2013 | LADEE | The Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE) will study the tenuous atmosphere of the Moon. | Minotaur-IV+ | NASA |
| End-2013 | ADM-Aeolus | The Atmospheric Dynamics Mission (ADM-Aeolus) will provide global observations of three-dimensional wind fields.
Status update
Oct-2011 The first laser transmitter Flight Model integration is close to completion. Excellent performance has been achieved in ambient conditions and the long-term vacuum test will be completed in 2011. The transmitting and receiving optics unit is being refurbished with four new optical assemblies, to secure its resilience to laser-induced damage and contamination. Integration of the in situ cleaning subsystem Flight Model will begin imminently, with most equipment undergoing final acceptance testing. The Oxygen Safety Board has confirmed the design and declared materials to be safe for high-pressure oxygen operations. The satellite and instrument contractors have agreed to a combined test sequence to optimise the total assembly, integration and test duration, and a consolidated schedule has been established. ESA Bulletin 148 |
Vega, Rockot or Dnepr | ESA |
| 2013 | SPRINT-A | SPRINT-A is a telescope in a 480 kilometers high Earth orbit to observe Venus, Mars and Jupiter. | Epsilon | JAXA |
| 2013 (NET) | ASTRO-G (VSOP-2) | The mission will focus on observations in the millimeter wave-band that enables the imaging of objects directly with the best resolution. This will allow studies of fields where extreme space physical conditions are encountered, including the elucidation of "the scale of the accretion disk and jet generation and acceleration region surrounding the active galactic nuclei black holes." | H-IIA | JAXA |
| 2013 | Chang'e 3 | Lunar soft lander. | Long March 3B | CNSA |
| Feb-14-2014 | GPM Core | Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) will measure global precipitation, a key climate factor. Its science objectives are: to improve ongoing efforts to predict climate by providing near-global measurement of precipitation, its distribution, and physical processes; to improve the accuracy of weather and precipitation forecasts through more accurate measurement of rain rates and latent heating; and to provide more frequent and complete sampling of the Earth's precipitation. | H-IIA | NASA / JAXA |
| Feb-2014 | ASTRO-H | Science payloads consists of Hard X-ray Telescope, Soft X-ray Telscope (spectrometer and imager), and a Soft Gamma-ray detector. | H-IIA | JAXA |
| Apr-2014 (NET) | LISA Pathfinder | LISA Pathfinder (also known as SMART-2, for 'Small Missions for Advanced Research in Technology') aims to test several technologies critical for the subsequent joint ESA/NASA Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) mission. The LISA mission is one proposed for ESA's Cosmic Vision Program.
Status update
Oct-2011 Environmental tests of the LISA Pathfinder FM in launch configuration continued in IABG, Ottobrunn. The propulsion module Flight Model was mated with the Science Module (SCM) Structural Model, and submitted to Vega compatibility shock testing, to simulate the shock at separation of the launcher fairing. The results are being analysed. The SCM FM was integrated with all the LISA Technology Package (LTP) Flight Model units for the electromagnetic compatibility test in September. After this the SCM was prepared for the On-Station Thermal Vacuum test. Only the Flight Models of the micro-propulsion thrusters and the LTP Core Assembly (LCA) are missing in these tests. The LCA is replaced by a thermo-optical simulator capable of performing an interferometry measurement during the thermal vacuum test, which would not be possible with the LCA Flight Model. Functional verification of the spacecraft is continuing in parallel. ESA Bulletin 148 |
Vega or Rockot | ESA / NASA |
| May-2014 | Rosetta | Rosetta arrival at Comet 67 P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko.
Flyby of asteroid (21) Lutetia Jul-14-2010 Report for Period 5 July to 10 July 2010 On 10 July 2010 (DOY 191) at 15:44:57 UTC, Rosetta successfully flew past asteroid (21) Lutetia at a distance of 3160 km and with a relative speed of 15 km/s. The spectacular flyby manoeuvre was conducted as planned with the spacecraft autonomously tracking the asteroid. Read more. |
ESA | |
| Jul-02-2014 | GEMS | GEMS will use an X-ray telescope to explore the shape of space that has been distorted by a spinning black hole's gravity, and probe the structure and effects of the formidable magnetic field around magnetars, dead stars with magnetic fields trillions of times stronger than Earth's. | TBD | NASA |
| Jul-2014 | BepiColombo | ESA's Cornerstone mission to Mercury, it will endure extreme temperatures to bring us new images and data about composition and history of the least explored planet in the inner Solar System. BepiColombo consists of two orbiters. Mercury Planetary Orbiter (MPO) will observe the surface and interior, built by ESA. Mercury Magnetospheric Orbiter (MMO) will observe the magnetic field and the magnetosphere, built by JAXA.
Status update
Oct-2011 The Mercury Planetary Orbiter (MPO) Structural/Thermal Model was delivered to ESTEC for environmental testing. A major milestone was completion of the MPO thermal balance test at high solar intensity in ESTEC's Large Space Simulator, as this is critical for BepiColombo. Initial results confirm good performance of the radiator and the high-temperature multi-layer insulation. The new blanket configuration (improved since the sunshield test last year) performed as expected. The Mercury Transfer Module Structural/Thermal Model completed propulsion systems leak tests before shipment to ESTEC. A number of equipment-level Critical Design Reviews were conducted in this period and more will be conducted during the coming months, clearing the way to begin manufacture of flight hardware. Manufacture of the MPO flight structure is nearing completion. Meanwhile, nine of eleven MPO instrument Engineering Models completed pre-integration to the Engineering Test Bed (ETB) at Astrium, Friedrichshafen. During the summer, the Integrated System Tests were defined supported by ESAC, and eight instruments were tested on the ETB. While the MIXS and SIXS Engineering Models are still undergoing instrument-level testing in preparation for delivery, and the MORE instrument Ka-band transponder has been integrated and tested with the spacecraft communication subsystem on the RF mock-up in Turin. Five MPO instrument CDRs were conducted and the remaining six are scheduled for autumn 2011. JAXA is preparing to deliver their Mercury Magnetospheric Orbiter (MMO) Structural Model to ESTEC in early November. This will become part of the STM Mercury Composite Spacecraft for mechanical qualification. The MMO Flight Model mechanical- and electrical-interface checks are ongoing at JAXA. The contract for Ariane 5 launch services was negotiated and signed mid-September. The ground segment completed the Mission Control System PDR. Launch is planned for the Mercury launch opportunity in mid-2014. ESA Bulletin 148 |
Soyuz Fregat | ESA / JAXA |
| Jul-2014 (NET) | Hayabusa 2 | The target body of Hayabusa-2 is a C-type asteroid, considered to contain more organic or hydrated materials than S-type asteroids like Itokawa. | H-2A or H-2B | JAXA |
| Oct-23-2014 | SMAP | The Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) mission will enable global soil moisture mapping with unprecedented resolution, sensitivity, area coverage, and revisit. SMAP draws heavily upon the heritage of the Hydrosphere State (Hydros) mission which was cancelled due to budget constraints in late 2005. | Minotaur IV | NASA |
| Nov-2014 | Rosetta | Philae landing on Comet 67 P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. | ESA | |
| 2014 | World Space Observatory (Spektr-UF) | The aim of the World Space Observatory/Ultraviolet - WSO/UV mission is to study the Universe in the 100 - 320 nm ultraviolet (UV) wavelengths range, which is beyond the reach of ground-based instruments. WSO-UV is a major international collaboration involving researchers from 16 countries with Russia playing the leading role. | Zenit-3SLBF/Fregat-SB | Roscosmos |
| 2014 | Chandrayaan-2 / Luna-Glob 2 | The Chandrayaan-2 lunar mission involves a lunar orbiting spacecraft and a Russian lander/rover (Luna-Glob 2) on the Moon's surface. | GSLV | ISRO / Roscosmos |
| 2014 | Chang'e 4 | Automated sample return. | Long March 5 (CZ-5/E) | CNSA |
| Feb-2015 | Dawn | Ceres arrival. | NASA | |
| Mar-2015 | MMS | Magnetosphere Multiscale (MMS) consist of four identical spacecraft flying in formation studying the solar magnetosphere. | Atlas V | NASA |
| Apr-2015 | Microscope | Microscope (MICRO-Satellite a trainee Compensee pour l'Observation du Principe d'Equivalence) is the third microsatellite of the CNES Myriade series. The main scientific objective is testing of the Equivalence Principle with a 100 times better accuracy than realised with experiments on Earth.
Status update
Oct-2011 Activities are still on hold; the CNES decision is now expected by the end of 2011. ESA Bulletin 148 |
Dnepr | CNES |
| Jul-14-2015 11:59 |
New Horizons | New Horizons Pluto-Kuiper Belt mission arrival at Pluto. | NASA | |
| Aug-2015 | EarthCARE | EarthCARE (Earth, Clouds, Aerosol and Radiation Explorer) is a joint European-Japanese mission, which is to address the need for a better understanding of the interactions between cloud, radiative and aerosol processes that play a role in climate regulation.
Status update
Oct-2011 The project is presently entering into Phase-C/D and the detailed design of all spacecraft elements is proceeding according to the post-PDR configuration. Selection of the subcontractors for the spacecraft subsystems is nearing completion. The development of ATLID is progressing and good performance results have been achieved with the ATLID transmitter breadboard, in particular with a higher than specified efficiency of its harmonic stage (UV). Meanwhile, the Preliminary Design Review of the transmitter proper has been initiated as planned. The Multi-Spectra Imager Structural Model mechanical test campaign has been completed without major issues. Significant progress has been achieved on the instrument detectors with the delivery of the first FM Short Wave Infrared (SWIR-1) detectors, and the ongoing qualification tests of Visible, Near Infrared and SWIR-2 detectors. Development of the Broad-Band Radiometer is proceeding satisfactorily and the first fully representative microbolometer detectors have been delivered for the qualification campaign. A representative model of the instrument mechanism is undergoing a life test and has already achieved 10% of the foreseen cycles. In Japan, JAXA and its industrial consortium are progressing the Cloud Profiling Radar (CPR) subsystems towards Critical Design Review. The CPR Structural Model mechanical tests will resume in the last quarter of 2011. ESA Bulletin 148 |
Soyuz (CSG) (TBC) | ESA / JAXA |
| Oct-2015 | GOES-R | GOES-R series is being developed to replace GOES N/O/P series of satellites. | Delta IV Medium+ (4,2) | NASA / NOAA |
| 2015 | TARANIS | The general objective of the TARANIS mission is to study magnetosphere-ionosphere-atmosphere coupling via transient processes. At the beginning of the project proposal, the transient processes considered were essentially sprites and their associated phenomena, hence the name TARANIS (Tool for the Analysis of RAdiation from lightNIng and Sprites). | Soyuz | CNES |
| 2015 (NET) | Proba-3 | Proba-3 will demonstrate the technologies required for formation flying of multiple spacecraft. An instrument to observe the solar corona will complement the demonstration. | Vega | ESA |
| 2015 | SELENE-2 | SELENE-2 is a proposed Japanese moon lander as a successor to the SELENE (Kaguya) moon orbiter. | H-IIA | JAXA |
| 2015 | MoonLITE | The Moon Lightweight Interior and Telecoms Experiment (MoonLITE), is a proposed British space mission with NASA cooperation to explore the Moon. | TBD | BNSC |
| 2015 (NET) | Luna-Glob 1 | Russian lunar orbiter with ground penetrating sensors built by JAXA originally for the canceled Lunar-A mission. | Soyuz 2 | Roscosmos |
| Jan-07-2016- May-2018 |
ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter and EDL Demonstrator | The first mission within the ESA-NASA ExoMars Programme, scheduled to arrive at Mars in 2016, consists of an Orbiter plus an Entry, Descent and Landing Demonstrator Module (EDM). The main objectives of this mission are to search for evidence of methane, and other trace gases, in the Martian atmosphere and to test key technologies in preparation for ESA's contribution to a 2020 international mission.
Status update
Oct-2011 Work continued on the baseline mission including the Trace Gas Orbiter and Entry, Descent and Landing Demonstrator Module (EDM) to be launched in 2016, as well as study work on the joint rover to be launched in 2018. The work was supported by a Preliminary Authorisation to Proceed issued by ESA for July to September inclusive. This funding is sufficient to maintain progress on launch-critical subsystems. The main issue restricting approval for a full Phase-C/D implementation is a delay to a written NASA commitment to the ExoMars programme. NASA is facing budget reviews, and announced a wish to pool all the ESA contributions into a single mission to be launched in 2018, in order to reduce overall mission costs for the cooperation. A joint ESA–NASA study was performed on this scenario, whereby ESA would provide a Data Relay Carrier/Orbiter as well as a contribution to the joint rover, while NASA would provide the other elements as heritage from their Mars Science Laboratory wherever possible. After a month-long study, the feasibility of this approach was discussed and the risks evaluated, and it was then decided not to pursue it further. An alternative approach for implementation of the full programme was initiated in September at the IAF in South Africa. Russia declared itself open to entering discussions with ESA and NASA to join the ExoMars programme, with the idea of participating with mission elements while ESA seeks to acquire a Proton launcher for the 2016 mission. Discussions with Russia will start shortly, with the objective of establishing a framework for cooperation by the end of January 2012. Study activities for the 2018 mission were slowing down in this period due to the NASA need to study alternative scenarios. Nevertheless, basic agreements for sharing the joint rover and responsibilities for the 2018 mission have been formulated. Furthermore, the ESA requirement to have a European computer on the rover has hardened and NASA has agreed to this, pending a joint review to ensure that the computer can perform all the functions of the mission from launch to cruise phase, entry and landing, and finally rover surface operations. The final architecture for the joint rover will be fixed within the first quarter of 2012 at a Mission Concept Review. In the domain of payload development, work has continued on the TGO instruments and the EDM surface payload called DREAMS. Furthermore, a camera and entry sensors have been identified and will be provided to industry for integration in the EDM as customer-furnished items. Work continues to support accommodation of the instruments of the Pasteur payload within the new structure of the 2018 single, joint rover mission. ESA Bulletin 148 |
Atlas V 421 | ESA / NASA |
| Jan-2016 | ICESat-2 | The ICESat-II mission is to deploy an ICESat follow-on satellite to continue the assessment of polar ice changes. ICESat-II is also expected to measure vegetation canopy heights, allowing estimates of biomass and carbon in aboveground vegetation in conjunction with related missions. | TBD | NASA |
| Sep-04-2016 | OSIRIS-REx | The OSIRIS-REx (Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security –Regolith Explorer) mission will return the first samples ever taken from a special type of asteroid holding clues to the origin of the solar system and likely organic molecules that may have seeded life on Earth. OSIRIS-REx will also investigate an object potentially hazardous to humanity. 1999 RQ36 has a one-in-1,800 chance of impacting the Earth in the year 2182. | TBD | NASA |
| 2016 | Earth Explorer 7 | Three missions undergoing feasibility studies; BIOMASS, CoReH2O and PREMIER. One will be selected in 2011. | TBD | ESA |
| 2016 | GRACE II | GRACE II will continue to provide detailed measurements of Earth's gravity field which will lead to discoveries about gravity and Earth's natural systems. | TBD | NASA |
| 2016 | Millimetron | The goal of the project is to construct space observatory operating in millimeter, sub-millimeter and infrared wavelength ranges using 12-m cryogenic telescope in a single-dish mode and as an interferometer with the space-ground and space-space baselines (the later after the launch of the second identical space telescope). The observatory will provide possibility to conduct astronomical observations with super high sensitivity (down to nanoJansky level) in a single dish mode, and observations with super high angular resolution in an interferometric mode. | Proton | ASC / Roscosmos |
| 2016 | Venera-D | Venus lander planned to survive from 2 months to 1 year on the surface. | Soyuz Fregat | Roscosmos |
| 2016 | Discovery-12 | Planned Discovery Program mission. | TBD | NASA |
| Feb-2017 | GOES-S | GOES-S series is being developed to replace GOES N/O/P series of satellites. | Delta IV Medium+ (4,2) | NASA / NOAA |
| Oct-16-2017 | Juno | Jupiter impact. | NASA | |
| Oct-2017 | DESDynI | DESDynI (Deformation, Ecosystem Structure and Dynamics of Ice Lidar) is a dedicated InSAR and LIDAR mission optimized for studying hazards and global enviromental change. | TBD | NASA |
| Nov-2017 | CLARREO-1 | The Climate Absolute Radiance and Refractivity Observatory (CLARREO) mission will monitor the pulse of the Earth to better understand climate change. | TBD | NASA |
| 2017 | Solar Orbiter | Solar Orbiter will venture closer to the Sun than any previous mission. It is designed to make major breakthroughs in our understanding of how the Sun influences its environment, in particular how the Sun generates and propels the flow of particles in which the planets are bathed, known as the solar wind. An ESA Cosmic Vision 2015-2025 Plan medium-class mission. | Atlas | ESA / NASA |
| May-2018 | NASA/ESA ExoMars Rover | NASA/ESA ExoMars Rover
Status update Apr-2011 See 'ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter and EDL Demonstrator' entry. |
TBD | NASA / ESA |
| Aug-2018 | Solar Probe+ | Solar Probe+ will fly into one of the last unexplored regions of the solar system, the Sun's atmosphere or corona, for the first time. Approaching as close as 3 RS above the Sun's surface, Solar Probe+ will employ a combination of in-situ measurements and imaging to achieve the mission's primary scientific goal: to understand how the Sun's corona is heated and how the solar wind is accelerated. | Atlas V 551 | NASA |
| 2018 | JWST | The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is a large, infrared-optimized space telescope. It will have an 18-segment, 6.5-meter primary mirror and will reside in an L2 Lissajous orbit. | Ariane 5 ECA | NASA / ESA / CSA |
| 2018 | Earth Explorer 8 | Two missions selected for further development; FLEX and CarbonSat. Definition studies begin in the second quarter of 2011. | TBD | ESA |
| 2018 | Discovery-13 | Planned Discovery Program mission. | TBD | NASA |
| 2018 | ESA Lunar Lander | The mission aims to land in the mountainous and heavily cratered terrain of the lunar south pole. The region may be a prime location for future human explorers because it offers almost continuous sunlight for power and potential access to vital resources such as water-ice. | TBD | ESA |
| 2018 | SELENE-3 | SELENE-3 moon mission in formulation phase. | TBD | JAXA |
| 2018 | OSIRIS | OSIRIS is a Russian space optical interferometer project. The goal of the project is to measure parallaxes, coordinates and proper motions of stars with an accuracy of few microarcseconds. | TBD | Roscosmos |
| 2019 | Euclid | Euclid is designed to explore the dark side of the Universe. Essentially a space telescope, the mission will map out the large-scale structure of the Universe with unprecedented accuracy. The observations will stretch across 10 billion light years into the Universe, revealing the history of its expansion and the growth of structure during the last three-quarters of its history. An ESA Cosmic Vision 2015-2025 Plan medium-class mission. | Soyuz | ESA |
| 2019 | ASCENDS | ASCENDS (Active Sensing of CO2 Emissions over Nights, Days, and Seasons) will provide improved ability to predict/model long-term changes in the climate cycle based both on the understanding of the natural processes driving the variability of natural carbon sources and sinks, and on the transport of carbon through the atmosphere. | TBD | NASA |
| 2019 | Lunar-1 | Lunar mission launch slot. | TBD | NASA |
| 2020 (NET) | Cosmic Vision M-class #3 | Launch slot 3 for ESA Cosmic Vision 2015-2025 M-class mission. The M-class missions currently in assessment phase are Exoplanet Characterisation Observatory (EChO), Large Observatory For X-ray Timing (LOFT), MarcoPolo-R and Space-Time Explorer and Quantum Equivalence Principle Space Test (STE-QUEST). Read more here | TBD | ESA |
| 2020 | WFIRST | The Wide Field Infrared Survey Telescope (WFIRST) is a proposed infrared space observatory which was selected by National Research Council committee as the top priority for the next decade of astronomy. | TBD | NASA |
| 2020 | CLARREO-2 | The Climate Absolute Radiance and Refractivity Observatory (CLARREO) mission will monitor the pulse of the Earth to better understand climate change. | TBD | NASA |
| 2020 | SWOT | The Surface Water Ocean Topography (SWOT) Mission is a proposed NASA mission in pre-formulation phase to make the first global survey of Earth's surface water. | TBD | NASA |
| 2020 | Mars-20 | Mars mission launch slot. | TBD | NASA |
| 2020 | JEO | The Jupiter Europa Orbiter's (JEO) main focus is to explore Europa to investigate its habitability. While the primary focus of JEO is to orbit Europa, the science return encompasses the entire Jovian system, especially as is relevant to Europa's potential habitability. JEO uniquely includes flybys of Io and Europa, and includes flybys of Ganymede and Callisto, along with about 2.5 years observing Jupiter's atmosphere, magnetosphere, and rings. | TBD | NASA |
| 2020 | JGO | Jupiter Ganymede Orbiter (JGO) will focus on its three science sub-goals: How did the Jupiter system form?; How does the Jupiter system work?; and Does the Jupiter system harbor a habitable world? | Ariane 5 | ESA |
| 2021 | Discovery-14 | Planned Discovery Program mission. | TBD | NASA |
| 2022 | Mars-22 | Mars mission launch slot. | TBD | NASA |
| 2024 | Discovery-15 | Planned Discovery Program mission. | TBD | NASA |
| 2024 | Mars-24 | Mars mission launch slot. | TBD | NASA |
| 2025 | HST-D | A possible Hubble Space Telescope de-orbit tug mission. | TBD | NASA |
| 2025 | Lunar-2 | Lunar mission launch slot. | TBD | NASA |
| 2026 | Mars-26 | Mars mission launch slot. | TBD | NASA |
| 2027 | Discovery-16 | Planned Discovery Program mission. | TBD | NASA |
| 2028 | Lunar-3 | Lunar mission launch slot. | TBD | NASA |
| 2028 | Mars-28 | Mars mission launch slot. | TBD | NASA |
| 2030 | Discovery-17 | Planned Discovery Program mission. | TBD | NASA |
| 2030 | Mars-30 | Mars mission launch slot. | TBD | NASA |
| 2031 | TSSM | The Titan Saturn System Mission (TSSM) would consist of a NASA orbiter and an ESA lander and research balloon. | TBD | NASA / ESA |
Last Updated Fri Dec 9, 2011 at 15:10 UTC
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Cassini Dione D-3 flyby
0 days, 0 hours, 0 minutes
NuSTAR launch
38 days
MSL Curiosity Mars landing
183 days