List of minor planets and comets visited by spacecraft

A total of 18 minor planets (asteroids, dwarf planets, and Kuiper belt objects) have been visited by space probes. Moons (not directly orbiting the Sun) and planets are not minor planets and thus are not included in the table below.

• 
  Minor planets and comets visited by spacecraft as of 2019 (except Pluto, Ceres, and Vesta), to scale
• 
  The comparative sizes of the first eight asteroids visited by spacecraft

Minor planet				Space probe
Name	Image	Dimensions (km)(a)	Discovery year	Name	Closest approach			Remarks
					year	in km	in radii(b)
951 Gaspra		18.2 × 10.5 × 8.9 (12.2 km)	1916	Galileo	1991	1,600	262	Flyby; first asteroid visited by a spacecraft.
243 Ida		56 × 24 × 21 (28 km)	1884	Galileo	1993	2,390	152	Flyby; discovered Dactyl; first asteroid with a moon visited by a spacecraft, largest asteroid visited by spacecraft at the time.
253 Mathilde		66 × 48 × 46 (58 km)	1885	NEAR Shoemaker	1997	1,212	49.5	Flyby; largest asteroid visited by a spacecraft at the time.
433 Eros		34 × 11 × 11 (17 km)	1898	NEAR Shoemaker	1998–2001	landed	landed	1998 flyby; 2000 orbited (first asteroid studied from orbit); 2001 landing; first asteroid landing, first asteroid orbited by a spacecraft, first near-Earth asteroid (NEA) visited by a spacecraft.
9969 Braille		2.2 × 0.6 (1.6 km)	1992	Deep Space 1	1999	26	12.7	Flyby; followed by flyby of Comet Borrelly; failed to image it during closest approach, only taking images 14,000 km from the asteroid.
5535 Annefrank		4.0	1942	Stardust	2002	3,079	1,230	Flyby
25143 Itokawa		0.5 × 0.3 × 0.2 (350 meters)	1998	Hayabusa	2005	landed	landed	Landed; returned dust samples to Earth in 2010 - first sample return mission from asteroid; smallest asteroid visited by a spacecraft, first asteroid visited by a non-NASA spacecraft.
2867 Šteins		4.6	1969	Rosetta	2008	800	302	Flyby; first asteroid visited by the ESA.
21 Lutetia		120 × 100 × 75 (100 km)	1852	Rosetta	2010	3,162	64.9	Flyby on 10 July 2010; largest asteroid visited by a spacecraft at the time.
4 Vesta		525.4	1807	Dawn	2011–2012	200 approx.	0.76	Space probe broke orbit on 5 September 2012 and headed to Ceres; first "big four" asteroid visited by a spacecraft, largest asteroid visited by a spacecraft at the time.
4179 Toutatis		2.45	1934	Chang'e 2	2012	3.2	0.70	Flyby;[1] closest asteroid flyby, first asteroid visited by a Chinese probe.
1 Ceres		939.4	1801	Dawn	2015–2018	35	0.07	First "close up" picture of Ceres taken in December 2014; probe entered orbit in March 2015; first dwarf planet visited by a spacecraft, largest asteroid visited by a spacecraft.
134340 Pluto		2376.6	1930	New Horizons	2015	12,500	10.5	Flyby; first trans-Neptunian object visited, most distant object visited by a spacecraft (at the time of the visit).
162173 Ryugu		0.896	1999	Hayabusa2	2018-2019	landed	landed	Rendezvoused with asteroid from June 2018 to November 2019. Successful touchdowns to collect a sample in February and July 2019.[2] Three landers and an explosive impactor successfully deployed to the surface.[3] Returned dust samples to Earth in December 2020.[4]
101955 Bennu		0.490	1999	OSIRIS-REx	2018-2020	landed	landed	Arrived on 3 December 2018; entered lowest orbit on 12 June 2019; smallest object to be orbited by spacecraft and closest ever orbit;[5][6] touchdown on 20 October 2020 to collect sample.
486958 Arrokoth		36 × 18 × 10	2014	New Horizons	2019	3,500	380	Flew by Arrokoth (nicknamed Ultima Thule) on 1 January 2019, currently farthest object to be visited by a spacecraft.
65803 Didymos		0.78	1996	DART / LICIACube	2022	1.19	3.1	Asteroid of a near-Earth Apollo group; a flyby target; its moon being the kinetic impact target to test asteroid deflection[7][8]
Dimorphos 65803 Didymos I		0.16	2003	DART / LICIACube	2022	landed	landed	Moon of a near-Earth asteroid of the Apollo group; flyby target of one and kinetic impact target of another spacecraft to test asteroid deflection[7][8]
152830 Dinkinesh		0.79	1999	Lucy	2023	425	1,100	Flyby; discovered Selam; smallest main-belt asteroid to be visited by a spacecraft[9][10]
Notes: a A minor planet's dimensions may be described by x, y, and z axes instead of an (average) diameter due to its non-spherical, irregular shape. b Closest approach given in multiples of the minor planet's mean radius  · List ordered in ascending order by a minor planet's first visit.

Incidental flybys edit

In addition to the above listed objects, three asteroids have been imaged by spacecraft at distances too large to resolve features (over 100,000 km).

Minor planet				Space probe
Name	Image	Dimensions (km)(a)	Discovery year	Name	Closest approach			Remarks
					year	in km	in radii(b)
2685 Masursky		10.7	1981	Cassini–Huygens	2000	1,600,000	297,840	Distant incidental flyby.
132524 APL		2.5	2002	New Horizons	2006	101,867	81,493	Distant incidental flyby.
2012 PM35		0.9-2.5	2012	Dawn	2017	200,000	130,000	Distant incidental flyby; approached Ceres to 200,000 km in September 2017 while Dawn was in orbit.[11]

Comet				Space probe
Name	Image	Dimensions (km)(a)	Discovery year	Name	Closest approach			Remarks
					year	in km	in radii(b)
21P/Giacobini–Zinner		2	1900	ICE	1985	7,800	7,800	first flyby of a comet
1P/Halley		15×9	Known since 1759 (Precovered to 240 BCE)	Vega 1	1986	8,889	1,620	flyby
				Vega 2	1986	8,030	1,460	flyby
				Suisei	1986	151,000	27,450	distant flyby
				Sakigake	1986	6,990,000	1,270,747	distant flyby
				Giotto	1986	596	108	flyby; first direct images of a comet nucleus
				ICE	1986	31,000,000	5,647,000	distant flyby
26P/Grigg–Skjellerup		2.6	1902	Giotto	1992	200	154	flyby
19P/Borrelly		8×4×4	1904	Deep Space 1	2001	2,171	814	flyby; closest approach in September 2001 when probe entered the comet's coma[12]
81P/Wild		5.5×4.0×3.3	1978	Stardust	2004	240	113	flyby; first sample return mission from comet to Earth (2006)
9P/Tempel		7.6×4.9	1867	Deep Impact	2005	500	80	flyby; delivered an impactor
				Deep Impact's impactor vehicle	2005	landed	landed	first landing on a comet (blasted a crater)
				Stardust	2011	181	57.9	flyby; imaged the crater created by Deep Impact
103P/Hartley		1.4	1986	EPOXI (Deep Impact)	2010	700	1,000	flyby; smallest comet visited
67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko		4.1×3.3×1.8	1969	Rosetta	2016	landed	landed	first orbiter of comet (November 2014); impacted surface as of 2016; OSIRIS captured image with 11 cm/px-resolution in Spring 2015[13]
				Philae (Rosetta's lander)	2014	landed	landed	first soft landing on a comet (November 2014)
Notes: (a)Due to a non-spherical, irregular shape, a comet's x, y, and z axes instead of an (average) diameter are often used to describe its dimensions. (b)Closest approach given in multiples of the comet's (average mean) radius  ·  List ordered in ascending order by a comet's first visit.

Spacecraft visited by comets edit

Comet C/2013 A1 passed close by planet Mars in October 2014, closer than the Moon is to Earth.^[14] As of early 2014 it was calculated to pass as close as 0.00087 AU (130,000 km; 81,000 mi).^[14] This was so close that the event was deemed dangerous to spacecraft in orbit around Mars.^[15] Spacecraft that were active at that time included 2001 Mars Odyssey, Mars Express, MAVEN, Mars Orbiter Mission, and Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter in Mars orbit – and two on the surface – Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity and the Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity.

Planned edit

Proposals edit

The following table lists minor planets that are proposed to be visited by spacecraft missions that have not yet been approved.

Failed missions edit

Former targets for launched spacecraft.

Cancelled or not developed missions edit

• List of missions to minor planets
• List of missions to comets
• List of missions to the outer planets
• List of Solar System probes
• List of landings on extraterrestrial bodies
• List of extraterrestrial orbiters