Cometary-exploration spacecraft

Below are checklists of Cometary-exploration spacecraft, including launch dates and images of the satellites. This is a work in progress, and completeness is our goal. If readers know of additional information or images, please contact the authors using the e-mail addresses at the bottom of this page.

Note: Cometary-exploration spacecraft (such as Explorer-59 / ISEE-3 / ICE) that are part of larger mostly non-cometary series (in this example ISEE-3 / ICE is part of the long Explorer-series) are listed only as part of that larger series. In other words, in such cases their entries are not repeated in this page.

Spacecraft series covered:

(Earlier) Japanese Planet-series (cometary) spacecraft:

Satellite	Launch Date	Images
		reference	launch covers	other postal items
MS-T1 — MS-T4
Planet-prototype / Sakigake / MS-T5 (Comet 1P/Halley)	1985-01-08	MS-T5 MS-T5	(Earlier) Planet (cometary)	(Earlier) Planet (cometary)
Planet-A / Suisei (Comet 1P/Halley)	1985-08-18	Planet-A Planet-A Planet-A Planet-A
(Later) Planet-series spacecraft (planetary: Planet-B — Planet-C)			(Later) Planet (planetary)	(Later) Planet (planetary)

Russian Vega (VEnera GAllei) series satellites:

Satellite	Launch Date	Images
		reference	launch covers	other postal items
Vega-1	1984-12-15	Vega-1 Vega-1/2 type Vega-1/2 type (Halley flyby configuration)	Vega	Vega
Vega-2	1984-12-21

Other (selected) USA cometary-exploration spacecraft:

Satellite	Launch Date	Images
		reference	launch covers	other postal items
MCIM	Canceled			MCIM
CRAF (Cassini-Huygens forerunner)	Canceled	CRAF		CRAF
Deep Space-1 / NMP	1998-10-24	Deep Space-1 Deep Space-1 (patch)	Deep Space	Deep Space
Deep Space-3 / ST-3 / Starlight / NMP	Canceled
Deep Space-4 / ST-4 / Champollion / NMP	Canceled	Deep Space-4 (single-spacecraft concept) Deep Space-4 (original concept)
Stardust / NExT / Discovery-4	1999-02-07	Stardust Stardust (patch) Stardust (patch)	Stardust	Stardust
Contour / Discovery-6 [failed]	2002-07-03	Contour	Contour
Deep Impact / EPOXI / Discovery-7	2005-01-12	Deep Impact Deep Impact (patch)	Deep Impact	Deep Impact
CAESAR	2024-?	CAESAR

Other (selected) non-USA cometary-exploration spacecraft:

Satellite	Country	Launch Date	Images
			reference	launch covers	other postal items
CNSR	Europe (ESA)-USA (NASA)	Canceled	CNSR/Rosetta		CNSR
Giotto	Europe (ESA)	1985-07-02	Giotto Giotto	Giotto	Giotto
Rosetta / Philae	Europe (ESA)	2004-03-02	Rosetta (orbiter) Rosetta (lander) / Philae Rosetta (patch)	Rosetta	Rosetta
Comet Interceptor mission (3 spacecraft)	Europe (ESA)-Japan (JAXA)	2028-?			"ESA's Comet Interceptor mission"

Links to cometary-exploration spacecraft information:

(The link below leads to information sources that are maintained by others. They are not part of this Website.)

• Windows to the Universe: Comet Missions

Back to Un-manned Satellite Philately.