# List of missions to minor planets

List of missions to minor planets is a listing of spaceflight missions to minor planets, which are category of astronomical body that excludes planets, moons and comets, but orbit the Sun. Most missions to minor planets have been to asteroids or dwarf planets.
Spacecraft visits to minor planets have mostly been flybys, and have ranged from dedicated missions to incidental flybys and targets of opportunity for spacecraft that have already completed their missions. The first spacecraft to visit an asteroid was Pioneer 10, which flew past an unnamed asteroid on 2 August 1972; a distant incidental encounter while the probe was en route to Jupiter. The first dedicated mission was NEAR Shoemaker, which was launched in February 1996, and entered orbit around 433 Eros in February 2000, having first flown past 253 Mathilde. NEAR was also the first spacecraft to land on an asteroid, surviving what was intended to be an impact with Eros at 20:01 on 12 February 2001 at the planned end of its mission. As a result of its unexpected survival, the spacecraft's mission was extended until 1 March to allow data to be collected from the surface.

## Missions

There have been thirty-three overall missions towards minor planets, with four of them being flyby missions that were not intended to explore minor planets, marked in grey background.
Many minor planets are in two domains:
* Asteroid belt, between 2–3 AU (0.30–0.45 billion km)
* Kuiper belt, between 30–60 AU (4.5–9.0 billion km)
| Mission | Mission | Spacecraft | Launch date | Carrier rocket | Operator | Destination | Mission type | Outcome |
| – | Pioneer 10 | Pioneer 10 | 2 March 1972 | Atlas SLV-3C Centaur-D Star-37E | NASA | Unnamed asteroid | Flyby | — |
| – | Pioneer 10 | Pioneer 10 | 2 March 1972 | Atlas SLV-3C Centaur-D Star-37E | NASA | 307 Nike | Flyby | — |
| Distant incidental flybys en route to Jupiter; closest approaches occurred on 2 August 1972 and 2 December 1972, respectively, with a distance of 8.8 million km (5.5 million mi). |||||||
| – | Galileo project | Galileo | 18 October 1989 | Space Shuttle Atlantis STS-34 / IUS | NASA | 951 Gaspra | Flyby | Successful |
| – | Galileo project | Galileo | 18 October 1989 | Space Shuttle Atlantis STS-34 / IUS | NASA | 243 Ida | Flyby | Successful |
| Incidental flybys en route to Jupiter; flyby of 951 Gaspra occurred on 29 October 1991 with closest approach of 1,604 kilometres (997 mi) at 22:37 UTC; flyby of 243 Ida occurred on 28 August 1993 with closest approach of 2,410 kilometres (1,500 mi) at 16:51:59 UTC; discovered Dactyl |||||||
| 1 | DSPSE | Clementine | 25 January 1994 | Titan II(23)G | NASA | 1620 Geographos | Flyby | Spacecraft failure |
| Attitude control failure; failed to leave geocentric orbit after first phase of mission exploring the Moon. Flyby had been planned for August 1994 |||||||
| 2 | Discovery 1 | NEAR Shoemaker | 17 February 1996 | Delta II 7925 | NASA | 253 Mathilde | Flyby | Successful |
| 2 | Discovery 1 | NEAR Shoemaker | 17 February 1996 | Delta II 7925 | NASA | 433 Eros | Orbiter | Mostly successful |
| Closest approach to Mathilde was 1,212 kilometres (753 mi) at 12:56 UTC on 27 June 1997. Three days before arrival at Eros the orbiter aborted a burn resulting in failure to enter orbit, instead flew past at 3,827 kilometres (2,378 mi) at 18:41:23 on 23 December 1998. Insertion reattempted successfully on 14 February 2000. Impacted asteroid at 20:01 on 12 February 2001 at end of mission, but survived impact and continued to operate on surface until 1 March. |||||||
| – | Cassini-Huygens | Cassini | 15 October 1997 | Titan IV(401)B Centaur-T | NASA | 2685 Masursky | Flyby | — |
| Distant incidental flyby en route to Saturn; closest approach 1.5 million kilometres (0.9 million miles) at 09:58 UTC on 23 January 2000 |||||||
| 3 | New Millennium 1 | Deep Space 1 | 24 October 1998 | Delta II 7326 | NASA | 4015 Wilson–Harrington | Flyby | Spacecraft failure |
| 3 | New Millennium 1 | Deep Space 1 | 24 October 1998 | Delta II 7326 | NASA | 9969 Braille | Flyby | Partial failure |
| Spacecraft was unable to reach Wilson–Harrington due to ion engine operation being suspended while a problem with the probe's star tracker was investigated. Braille flyby added to mission following loss of ability to reach Wilson–Harrington. Closest approach 28.3 kilometres (17.6 mi) at 04:46 UTC on 29 July 1999. Intended to pass within 14 kilometres (8.7 mi) but this was not achieved due to a computer failure; poor-quality images returned as a result. |||||||
| 4 | Discovery 4 | Stardust | 7 February 1999 | Delta II 7426 | NASA | 5535 Annefrank | Flyby | Successful |
| Closest approach of 3,079 kilometres (1,913 mi) at 04:50:20 UTC on 2 November 2002. |||||||
| 5 | Hayabusa (formerly: MUSES-C) | Hayabusa | 9 May 2003 | M-V | JAXA | 25143 Itokawa | Orbiter/Lander/Sample returner | Successful |
| 5 | Hayabusa (formerly: MUSES-C) | MINERVA | 9 May 2003 | M-V | JAXA | 25143 Itokawa | Lander | Failure |
| First asteroid sample return mission. Reached Itokawa on 12 September 2005, landed briefly on 19 and 25 November, collected samples, missed return window due to communications outage, finally returned to Earth on 13 June 2010. MINERVA deployable lander was deployed from Hayabusa on 12 November 2005 but was accidentally released while Hayabusa was moving away from Itokawa; reached escape velocity and drifted off into heliocentric orbit |||||||
| 6 | Cornerstone 3 | Rosetta | 2 March 2004 | Ariane 5G+ | ESA | 2867 Šteins | Flyby | Successful |
| 6 | Cornerstone 3 | Rosetta | 2 March 2004 | Ariane 5G+ | ESA | 21 Lutetia | Flyby | Successful |
| 6 | Cornerstone 3 | Philae | 2 March 2004 | Ariane 5G+ | ESA | 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko | Lander | Successful |
| Closest approach of Šteins at 800 kilometres (500 mi) on 5 September 2008. Closest approach of Lutetia at 3,162 kilometres (1,965 mi) on 10 July 2010. Rendezvous with Churyumov–Gerasimenko 6 August 2014, orbit on 10 September 2014; Philae (lander) landed on 12 November 2014, Rosetta itself landed on 30 September 2016. |||||||
| 7 | Discovery 7 | Deep Impact | 12 January 2005 | Delta II 7426 | NASA | (163249) 2002 GT | Flyby | Spacecraft failure (Extended mission) |
| Extended mission (EPOXI), flyby was expected in 2020, but communication with the spacecraft was lost in August 2013. |||||||
| 8 | New Frontiers 1 | New Horizons | 19 January 2006 | Atlas V 551 | NASA | 132524 APL | Incidental flyby | — |
| 8 | New Frontiers 1 | New Horizons | 19 January 2006 | Atlas V 551 | NASA | 134340 Pluto and its five moons. | Flyby | Successful |
| 8 | New Frontiers 1 | New Horizons | 19 January 2006 | Atlas V 551 | NASA | 486958 Arrokoth | Flyby | Successful |
| Closest approach of APL at 101,867 kilometres (63,297 mi) at 04:05 UTC on 13 June 2006. First probe to flyby Pluto, on 14 July 2015. Flyby of Arrokoth occurred on 1 January 2019. |||||||
| 9 | Discovery 9 | Dawn | 27 September 2007 | Delta II 7925H | NASA | 4 Vesta | Orbiter | Successful |
| 9 | Discovery 9 | Dawn | 27 September 2007 | Delta II 7925H | NASA | 1 Ceres | Orbiter | Successful |
| Orbited Vesta from 16 July 2011 to 5 September 2012, before departing for Ceres. Arrived at Ceres in 2015. |||||||
| 10 | Chang'e 2 | Chang'e 2 | 1 October 2010 | Long March 3C | CNSA | 4179 Toutatis | Flyby | Successful |
| Flyby on 13 December 2012, closest approach 3.2 kilometres (2.0 mi). |||||||
| 11 | Hayabusa2 | Hayabusa-2 | 3 December 2014 | H-IIA 202 | JAXA | 162173 Ryugu | Orbiter/Lander/Sample Returner | Successful |
| 11 | Hayabusa2 | DCAM-3 | 3 December 2014 | H-IIA 202 | JAXA | 162173 Ryugu | Orbiter | Successful |
| 11 | Hayabusa2 | SCI impactor | 3 December 2014 | H-IIA 202 | JAXA | 162173 Ryugu | Impactor | Successful |
| 11 | Hayabusa2 | HIBOU | 3 December 2014 | H-IIA 202 | JAXA | 162173 Ryugu | Lander | Successful |
| 11 | Hayabusa2 | OWL | 3 December 2014 | H-IIA 202 | JAXA | 162173 Ryugu | Lander | Successful |
| 11 | Hayabusa2 | MINERVA II-2 | 3 December 2014 | H-IIA 202 | JAXA | 162173 Ryugu | Lander | Spacecraft failure |
| 11 | Hayabusa2 | MASCOT | 3 December 2014 | H-IIA 202 | JAXA | 162173 Ryugu | Lander | Successful |
| 11 | Hayabusa2 | PROCYON | 3 December 2014 | H-IIA 202 | JAXA | (185851) 2000 DP107 | Flyby | Spacecraft failure |
| Hayabusa-2 arrived in 2018, landed in February and July 2019; sample returned to Earth on 5 December 2020 UTC. HIBOU and OWL were both deployed on 21 September 2018. MINERVA-II was deployed on 2 October 2019; it had failed prior to deployment but was deployed anyway to observe the effects of gravity on it as it descended to the surface. MASCOT was deployed on 3 October 2018; operated for 17 hours. DCAM-3 and SCI Impactor were deployed on 5 April 2019; DCAM-3 observed SCI impact. PROCYON flyby of 2000 DP had been planned for 2016; cancelled due to ion engine failure in heliocentric orbit. |||||||
| 12 | New Frontiers 3 | OSIRIS-REx / OSIRIS-APEX | 8 September 2016 | Atlas V 411 | NASA | 101955 Bennu | Orbiter/Sample Returner | Successful |
| 12 | New Frontiers 3 | OSIRIS-REx / OSIRIS-APEX | 8 September 2016 | Atlas V 411 | NASA | 99942 Apophis | Orbiter/Regolith Disturber | en route |
| Successfully collected sample of Bennu on 20 October 2020 and returned the sample to Earth on 24 September 2023. For its extended mission called OSIRIS-APEX, the spacecraft is now en route to encounter Apophis on 8 April 2029. |||||||
| 13 | Discovery 13 | Lucy | 16 October 2021 | Atlas V 401 | NASA | 152830 Dinkinesh | Flyby | Successful |
| 13 | Discovery 13 | Lucy | 16 October 2021 | Atlas V 401 | NASA | 52246 Donaldjohanson | Flyby | en route |
| 13 | Discovery 13 | Lucy | 16 October 2021 | Atlas V 401 | NASA | 3548 Eurybates | Flyby | planned |
| 13 | Discovery 13 | Lucy | 16 October 2021 | Atlas V 401 | NASA | 15094 Polymele | Flyby | planned |
| 13 | Discovery 13 | Lucy | 16 October 2021 | Atlas V 401 | NASA | 11351 Leucus | Flyby | planned |
| 13 | Discovery 13 | Lucy | 16 October 2021 | Atlas V 401 | NASA | 21900 Orus | Flyby | planned |
| 13 | Discovery 13 | Lucy | 16 October 2021 | Atlas V 401 | NASA | 617 Patroclus | Flyby | planned |
| Closest approach of Dinkinesh at 425 km (264 mi) at 16:54 UTC on 1 November 2023. Flyby of Donaldjohanson on 20 April 2025, Eurybates on 12 August 2027, Polymele on 15 September 2027, Leucus on 18 April 2028, Orus on 11 November 2028 and Patroclus on 2 March 2033. |||||||
| 14 | SSE 1 | DART | 24 November 2021 | Falcon 9 | NASA | Dimorphos | Impactor | Successful |
| 14 | SSE 1 | LICIACube | 24 November 2021 | Falcon 9 | ASI | 65803 Didymos system | Flyby | Successful |
| The U.S. component of AIDA. DART impacted 23:14 UTC 26 September 2022. LICIACube separated from DART on 11 September 2022 and on flew by about 3 minutes after DART's impact. |||||||
| – | NEA Scout | NEA Scout | 16 November 2022 | SLS Block 1 | NASA | GE 2020 | Flyby | Spacecraft failure |
| Spacecraft was to perform a series of lunar flybys before targeting asteroid in September 2023, but after launch contact was lost and later the mission was declared as a failure. |||||||
| 15 | Discovery 14 | Psyche | 16 November 2022 | Falcon Heavy | NASA | 16 Psyche | Orbiter | en route |
| Arrives in August 2029. |||||||
| 16 | Hera | Hera | 7 October 2024 | Falcon 9 | ESA | 65803 Didymos system | Orbiter | en route |
| 16 | Hera | Milani | 7 October 2024 | Falcon 9 | ESA | 65803 Didymos system | Orbiter | en route |
| 16 | Hera | Juventas | 7 October 2024 | Falcon 9 | ESA | 65803 Didymos system | Orbiter | en route |
| The European component of AIDA. Arrives in December 2026 according to current plans. |||||||
| 17 | Brokkr-2 | Odin | February 26, 2025 | Falcon 9 Block 5 | AstroForge | 2022 OB5 | Flyby | en route |
| Expected to reach 2022 OB5, a suspected M-type near-Earth object, in December 2025. |||||||

## Statistics
### Major milestones
#### Legend

Milestone achieved  Milestone not achieved † First to achieve
Asteroid belt :
| Country/Agency | Flyby | Orbit | Impact | Touchdown | Lander | Hopper | Rover | Sample return |
| United States | Pioneer 10, (unnamed asteroid) 1972 † | NEAR Shoemaker, (Eros) 2000 † | NEAR Shoemaker, (Eros) 2001 † | OSIRIS-REx, 2020 | — | — | — | OSIRIS-REx, 2023 |
| Japan | — | — | SCI, (Ryugu) 2014 | Hayabusa, (Itokawa) 2005 † | — | HIBOU and OWL, (Ryugu) 2018 † | — | Hayabusa, (Itokawa) 2010 † |
| ESA | Rosetta, (Šteins) 2008 | Rosetta, (Churyumov–Gerasimenko) 2014 | — | — | Philae, (Churyumov–Gerasimenko) 2014 † | — | — | — |
| China | Chang'e 2, (Toutatis) 2012 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Italy | LICIACube, (Didymos system) 2022 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Kuiper belt :
| Country/Agency | Flyby | Orbit |
| United States | New Horizons, (Pluto) 2015 † | — |

## Future missions

| Mission | Spacecraft | Launch date | Carrier rocket | Operator | Destination | Mission type |
| Tianwen-2 | Tianwen-2 | May 2025 | Long March 3B | CNSA | 469219 Kamoʻoalewa | Orbiter/lander/Sample return |
| Planned arrival in 2026 ||||||
| DESTINY+ | DESTINY+ | 2028 | H3 | JAXA | 3200 Phaethon | Flyby |
| Planned arrival in 2030. ||||||
| MBR Explorer | MBR Explorer | March 2028 | H3 | UAESA | 10253 Westerwald | Flyby |
| MBR Explorer | MBR Explorer | March 2028 | H3 | UAESA | 623 Chimaera | Flyby |
| MBR Explorer | MBR Explorer | March 2028 | H3 | UAESA | 13294 Rockox | Flyby |
| MBR Explorer | MBR Explorer | March 2028 | H3 | UAESA | (88055) 2000 VA$_{28}$ | Flyby |
| MBR Explorer | MBR Explorer | March 2028 | H3 | UAESA | (23871) 1998 RC$_{76}$ | Flyby |
| MBR Explorer | MBR Explorer | March 2028 | H3 | UAESA | (59980) 1999 SG$_6$ | Flyby |
| MBR Explorer | MBR Lander | March 2028 | H3 | UAESA | 269 Justitia | Orbiter/lander |
| Planned flybys of six asteroids between 2030 and 2033, then orbiting Justitia in October 2034 and landing there in May 2035. ||||||