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Reaching the planets

When these happened

39 dated records from 1962 to 2026. Each is drawn as wide as its date is certain — a band is a band because nobody knows the year, not because the drawing is imprecise.

1965197019751980198519901995200020052010201520202025Mariner 2 passes Venus — the first successful planetary flyby — 1962-12-14Mariner 4 passes Mars — the first close-up images of another planet — 1965-07-15Pioneer 10 passes Jupiter — the first spacecraft to reach the outer Solar System — 1973-12-03Mariner 10 uses Venus to reach Mercury — the first gravity assist to another planet — 1974-02-05Mariner 10 passes Mercury — the first spacecraft to reach it — 1974-03-29Pioneer 11 passes Jupiter, bending north toward Saturn — 1974-12Mariner 10’s third and final Mercury pass — 1975-03-16Pioneer 11 passes Saturn — the first spacecraft to reach it — 1979-09-01Giotto passes through the coma of 1P/Halley — 1986-03-14Galileo takes a gravity assist at Venus — 1990-02-10Galileo enters orbit around Jupiter — the first outer-planet orbiter — 1995-12-07Cassini passes Jupiter for a final speed boost toward Saturn — 2000-12-30Galileo is flown into Jupiter to end its mission — 2003-09-21Cassini enters orbit around Saturn — 2004-07-01Huygens lands on Titan — the only landing on an outer-system moon — 2005-01-14New Horizons takes a gravity assist at Jupiter — 2007-02-28MESSENGER’s first Mercury pass — the first visit since 1975 — 2008-01-14MESSENGER enters orbit around Mercury — the first craft to do so — 2011-03-18Dawn enters orbit around Vesta — 2011-07-16Rosetta arrives at comet 67P — the first comet rendezvous — 2014-08-06Philae lands on 67P — the first landing on a comet — 2014-11-12Dawn enters orbit around Ceres — the first dwarf planet orbited — 2015-03-06MESSENGER strikes Mercury at the end of its mission — 2015-04-30New Horizons passes Pluto — the first close encounter — 2015-07-14Juno enters polar orbit around Jupiter — 2016-07-05Rosetta is set down on 67P to end the mission — 2016-09-30Cassini’s Grand Finale — flown into Saturn to end the mission — 2017-09-15Hayabusa2 arrives at Ryugu — 2018-06-27Parker Solar Probe’s first perihelion pass — 2018-11OSIRIS-REx arrives at Bennu — 2018-12-03New Horizons passes Arrokoth — the most distant body ever visited — 2019-01-01Hayabusa2’s first touchdown collects a surface sample — 2019-02OSIRIS-REx collects a sample from Bennu’s surface — 2020-10-20The Ryugu sample lands in Australia — 2020-12-05BepiColombo’s first Mercury flyby — 2021-10-01The Bennu sample lands on Earth — 2023-09-24Parker Solar Probe passes 6.1 million km from the Sun — 2024-12-24BepiColombo’s sixth and final Mercury flyby — 2025-01-08BepiColombo Mercury orbit insertion — declared target — 2026-11
39 shown · 39 dated · 0 cannot be placed on an axis · Approximate or contested. Draw a band and do not sharpen its edges.
In order39
  1. 1962-12-14Mariner 2 passes Venus — the first successful planetary flyby

    It happened, and the record is settled.

  2. 1965-07-15Mariner 4 passes Mars — the first close-up images of another planet

    It happened, and the record is settled.

  3. 1973-12-03Pioneer 10 passes Jupiter — the first spacecraft to reach the outer Solar System

    It happened, and the record is settled.

  4. 1974-02-05Mariner 10 uses Venus to reach Mercury — the first gravity assist to another planet

    It happened, and the record is settled.

  5. 1974-03-29Mariner 10 passes Mercury — the first spacecraft to reach it

    It happened, and the record is settled.

  6. 1974-12Pioneer 11 passes Jupiter, bending north toward Saturn

    It happened, and the record is settled.

  7. 1975-03-16Mariner 10’s third and final Mercury pass

    It happened, and the record is settled.

  8. 1979-09-01Pioneer 11 passes Saturn — the first spacecraft to reach it

    It happened, and the record is settled.

  9. 1986-03-14Giotto passes through the coma of 1P/Halley

    It happened, and the record is settled.

  10. 1990-02-10Galileo takes a gravity assist at Venus

    It happened, and the record is settled.

  11. 1995-12-07Galileo enters orbit around Jupiter — the first outer-planet orbiter

    It happened, and the record is settled.

  12. 2000-12-30Cassini passes Jupiter for a final speed boost toward Saturn

    It happened, and the record is settled.

  13. 2003-09-21Galileo is flown into Jupiter to end its mission

    It happened, and the record is settled.

  14. 2004-07-01Cassini enters orbit around Saturn

    It happened, and the record is settled.

  15. 2005-01-14Huygens lands on Titan — the only landing on an outer-system moon

    It happened, and the record is settled.

  16. 2007-02-28New Horizons takes a gravity assist at Jupiter

    It happened, and the record is settled.

  17. 2008-01-14MESSENGER’s first Mercury pass — the first visit since 1975

    It happened, and the record is settled.

  18. 2011-03-18MESSENGER enters orbit around Mercury — the first craft to do so

    It happened, and the record is settled.

  19. 2011-07-16Dawn enters orbit around Vesta

    It happened, and the record is settled.

  20. 2014-08-06Rosetta arrives at comet 67P — the first comet rendezvous

    It happened, and the record is settled.

  21. 2014-11-12Philae lands on 67P — the first landing on a comet

    It happened, and the record is settled.

  22. 2015-03-06Dawn enters orbit around Ceres — the first dwarf planet orbited

    It happened, and the record is settled.

  23. 2015-04-30MESSENGER strikes Mercury at the end of its mission

    It happened, and the record is settled.

  24. 2015-07-14New Horizons passes Pluto — the first close encounter

    It happened, and the record is settled.

  25. 2016-07-05Juno enters polar orbit around Jupiter

    It happened, and the record is settled.

  26. 2016-09-30Rosetta is set down on 67P to end the mission

    It happened, and the record is settled.

  27. 2017-09-15Cassini’s Grand Finale — flown into Saturn to end the mission

    It happened, and the record is settled.

  28. 2018-06-27Hayabusa2 arrives at Ryugu

    It happened, and the record is settled.

  29. 2018-11Parker Solar Probe’s first perihelion pass

    It happened, and the record is settled.

  30. 2018-12-03OSIRIS-REx arrives at Bennu

    It happened, and the record is settled.

  31. 2019-01-01New Horizons passes Arrokoth — the most distant body ever visited

    It happened, and the record is settled.

  32. 2019-02Hayabusa2’s first touchdown collects a surface sample

    It happened, and the record is settled.

  33. 2020-10-20OSIRIS-REx collects a sample from Bennu’s surface

    It happened, and the record is settled.

  34. 2020-12-05The Ryugu sample lands in Australia

    It happened, and the record is settled.

  35. 2021-10-01BepiColombo’s first Mercury flyby

    It happened, and the record is settled.

  36. 2023-09-24The Bennu sample lands on Earth

    It happened, and the record is settled.

  37. 2024-12-24Parker Solar Probe passes 6.1 million km from the Sun

    It happened, and the record is settled.

  38. 2025-01-08BepiColombo’s sixth and final Mercury flyby

    It happened, and the record is settled.

  39. 2026-11BepiColombo Mercury orbit insertion — declared targeta declared target, not a prediction

    A programme target or declared plan. NEVER a prediction.