List of artificial objects in heliocentric orbit

Below is a current list of artificial objects currently in heliocentric orbit. These do not include man-made objects which are escaping from the Solar System (Pioneer 10, Pioneer 11, Voyager 1, Voyager 2, and New Horizons), Agena, Centaur, or IUS upper stages used on unmanned missions (only the S-IVB upper stages on manned Apollo missions are listed), or objects in the Sun-Earth Lagrange Points.

United States

• 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 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(?) – Intended for Mars, failed prior to orbital insertion (1992)
• 2001 Mars Odyssey – Mars (2001) (active)
• CONTOUR – Intended to flyby several comets, failed after launch (2002), seen as three separate fragments
• Deep Impact – Comet Tempel 1 (active)
• Genesis – Solar wind sample mission
• Stardust – Comet Wild 2 (active)
• Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter – Mars (2005) (active)
• Spitzer Space Telescope (active)
• Kepler Mission (active)
• STEREO (active)

U.S.S.R./Russian Federation

• 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 fly by bus – Mars (1974)
• Mars 7 – Intended to land on Mars, but missed planet (1974)
• Venera 11 fly by bus – Venus (1978)
• Venera 12 fly by bus – Venus (1978)
• Venera 13 fly by bus – Venus (1982)
• Venera 14 fly by bus – 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)

• Helios 1 (joint U.S./ESA) – Sun (1975)
• Helios 2 (joint U.S./ESA) – Sun (1975)
• Giotto mission – Halley's Comet (1986)
• Ulysses (joint U.S./ESA) – Jupiter & Sun's north & south poles (1990)
• Rosetta – comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko (active)

Japan

• 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)
• Akatsuki – Intended for Venus but orbital insertion maneuver in Dec 2010 failed (possibly active)