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Projects: International Year of Astronomy 2009

Planetary Missions Active in 2009

There have never been so many planetary missions active at once as there are today.  In 2009, spacecraft will explore the Moon, Mars, Venus, Mercury, and Saturn; many others are on their way to explore comets, asteroids, the cold worlds of the Kuiper belt, and beyond.  The year will also see the launches of three more spacecraft toward Mars and two toward the Moon.  In all, 25 spacecraft will be actively touring the solar system, and beyond, during the International Year of Astronomy.  The year opens with Mars in early northern autumn; Saturn in late northern winter; Uranus in early northern spring; and Neptune in early northern winter.  (Mercury, Venus, and Jupiter have little axial tilt and therefore little seasonal change.)

Inner Solar System

MESSENGER (NASA)

En route to Mercury orbit insertion in 2011, MESSENGER will fly by Mercury for the third time on September 29.

Venus Express (ESA)

Venus Express is currently funded through at least April of 2009.  ESA has not yet determined its future after that, but the spacecraft is in good health and could continue returning data on Venus' atmosphere.

The Moon

Kaguya (JAXA)

Kaguya finished its primary mission in October 2008, but will continue mapping the gravity field of the Moon and capturing high-resolution stereo images until May 2009.  Later in the summer, it will impact the Moon.

Chang'e 1 (China)

Shortly after the lunar orbit insertion of Chang'e 1, Chinese officials announced that the fuel margin should permit them to double the length of its science mission to two years.

Chandrayaan-1 (India)

Launched in October 2008, Chandrayaan-1's lunar mapping mission will continue through 2009.

Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (NASA)

Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter is expected to launch in spring 2009 and will spend the rest of the year mapping the Moon; its cameras will be the first since Apollo's to be able to spot human-made artifacts on the Moon.

Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS) (NASA)

Launching with Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, LCROSS will impact the lunar about two months later, some time during the summer.  The event will be watched by Earth-based astronomers including a worldwide amateur community.

Mars

2001 Mars Odyssey (NASA)

Although long past the end of its primary mission, 2001 Mars Odyssey shows no signs of faltering and will likely still be mapping Mars and serving as a communications relay for the Mars Exploration Rovers.

Mars Express (ESA)

In orbit since 2003, Mars Express' mission will likely be extended again to continue its mapping of the surface and subsurface of Mars, as well as the surface of Mars' moon Phobos.

Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (NASA)

Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter's primary mission ended in November 2008, and is now in its Extended Science Phase.  Once Mars Science Laboratory arrives in 2010 it will serve as the primary Mars telecommunication satellite.

Mars Exploration Rovers (NASA)

Although both Spirit and Opportunity are showing signs of their advanced age, there is no reason to expect that they will not survive well into 2009, when spring and summer in Mars' southern hemisphere should bring them warmer temperatures and more solar power than they enjoyed in 2008.

Mars Science Laboratory (NASA)

The MSL rover is currently scheduled to launch toward Mars in September 2009 for a summer 2010 landing.

Phobos-Grunt (Russia)

Phobos-Grunt is currently scheduled to launch toward Mars in October 2009 to collect samples from Mars' moon Phobos and return them to Earth.

Yinghuo-1 (China)

China's first mission beyond Earth orbit will hitch a ride to Mars with the Phobos-Grunt spacecraft, launching in October 2009.

Saturn

Cassini-Huygens (NASA/ESA/ASI)

Throughout 2009 the Cassini orbiter will be in its first extended mission, continuing studies of Saturn, its rings and its moons; highlights will be three exceptionally close flybys of the geyser moon Enceladus, and witnessing the arrival of Saturn's equinox in August.

Deep Space / Cruise

Dawn (NASA)

In February 2009, Dawn will fly by Mars, which will supply a gravity assist to boost the ion-powered spacecraft onward to its planned 2011 arrival at the asteroid Vesta.

Deep Impact (NASA)

In its EPOXI extended mission, the Deep Impact spacecraft has completed its observations of extrasolar planets.  It is now traveling toward a 2010 rendezvous with Jupiter-family comet 103P/Hartley 2.

Hayabusa (JAXA)

Although seriously injured during its dramatic touchdown on asteroid Itokawa in 2005, Hayabusa continues to persist in its attempt to return its sample capsule (which may or may not contain a sample) to Earth in 2010.

International Cometary Explorer (ICE) (NASA)

After an eight-year hiatus, in 2008 NASA re-established contact with ICE, which flew through the tail of comet Giacobini-Zinner in 1985.  Still in good condition with most of its instruments functioning, ICE is on course for a return visit to Earth in 2014, when it may be sent onward to explore another comet. 

New Horizons (NASA)

New Horizons will spend most of 2009 hibernating while it travels 533.7 million kilometers (3.57 astronomical units) on its way to Pluto.  It will not reach Pluto until 2015.

Rosetta (ESA)

ESA's flagship mission to a comet will fly by Earth for the third time on November 13, en route to its planned May 2014 arrival at comet Churyumov-Gerasimenko.

Stardust (NASA)

Throughout 2009, Stardust will be cruising toward a February 2011 encounter with Tempel 1.

Voyager 1 and 2 (NASA)

The two long-lived spacecraft will hopefully still be returning data from the interstellar medium beyond the Solar System.