solar-observing spacecraft

Solar-observing
spacecraft

Below are checklists of Solar-observing spacecraft, including launch dates and images of the spacecraft. If readers know of additional information or images, please contact the authors using the e-mail addresses at the bottom of this page.

Note: Solar-observing spacecraft (such as Explorer-81 / HESSI / RHESSI / SMEX-6, Explorer-91 / IBEX / SMEX-10, and Explorer-94 / IRIS / SMEX-12) that are part of a larger mostly non-solar-observing series (in these examples they are 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:

USA SOLar RADiation (SolRad)1 / GRAB / GREB series satellites:

SpacecraftLaunch DateImages
referencelaunch coversother postal items
SolRad-1 / GRAB-11960-06-22 SolRad-1
SolRad
SolRad-1 (+ Transit-2A) 		SolRadSolRad
SolRad-2 / GRAB-(2) [failed]1960-11-30
SolRad-3 / GRAB-21961-06-29 SolRad-3 (+ Injun-1)
SolRad-3 (+ Transit-4A+Injun-1)
SolRad-3 (+ Transit-4A+Injun-1)
SolRad-4A / GRAB-(3a) [failed]1962-01-24
SolRad-4B / GRAB-(3b) [failed]1962-04-26
SolRad-5 / GRABNever launched
SolRad-6 (carried by Poppy-2A) [partial failure]1963-06-15
SolRad-7A (carried by Poppy-3A)1964-01-11
SolRad-7B (carried by Poppy-4A)1965-03-09
SolRad-8 / Explorer-30 (SE-A)1965-11-19Explorer-30
SolRad-9 / Explorer-37 (SE-B)1968-03-05 Explorer-37
Explorer-37
SolRad-10 / Explorer-44 (SE-C)1971-07-09Explorer-44
SolRad-11A, SolRad-11B1976-03-14SolRad-11A+11B
SolRad-11CNever launched

1The SolRad satellites' primary mission was to locate Russian radar sites. Their secondary mission, to conduct solar radiation studies, did provide some scientific data, but the fundamental reason for including the secondary mission was to hide the true nature of these satellites.

West German Helios-series satellites:

SpacecraftLaunch DateImages
referencelaunch coversother postal items
Helios-1 (Helios-A)1974-12-10 Helios
Helios-1
Helios (patch) 		(West German)
Helios		(West German)
Helios
Helios-2 (Helios-B)1976-01-15

USA Orbiting Solar Observatory (OSO) series satellites:

SpacecraftLaunch DateImages
referencelaunch coversother postal items
OSO-1 (OSO-A)1962-03-07OSO-1OSOOSO
OSO-2 (OSO-B)1965-02-03
OSO-C [failed]1965-08-25
OSO-3 (OSO-E)1967-03-08OSO-3 (newspaper article)
OSO-4 (OSO-D)1967-10-18
OSO-5 (OSO-F)1969-01-22"OSO-5"
OSO-6 (OSO-G)1969-08-09 "OSO-6"
OSO-6 (mis-labeled "OSO-7")
OSO-7 (OSO-H)1971-09-29OSO-7
OSO-8 (OSO-I)1975-06-21 OSO-8
OSO-8
OSO-8
"OSO-8"
OSO-8 (newspaper articles)
AOSOCanceled AOSO
AOSO
AOSO
AOSO (mis-labeled "OSO-1") 		AOSO

Japanese Solar-series satellites:

SpacecraftLaunch DateImages
referencelaunch coversother postal items
Solar-A / Yohkoh1991-08-30Solar-ASolarSolar
Solar-B / Hinode2006-09-22Solar-B

USA Solar Maximum Mission (SMM) satellite:

SpacecraftLaunch DateImages
referencelaunch coversother postal items
SMM [rocket-launched]1980-02-14 SMM
SMM (patch, with STS-41C/Challenger)
SMM (patch, with STS-41C/Challenger) 		SMM (rocket-launched)SMM
SMM [STS-41C/Challenger-repaired and re-deployed]1984-04-08/12SMM (repaired)

Russian Comprehensive ORbital Near-earth Observations of the Active Sun (CORONAS / KORONAS) series spacecraft:

SpacecraftLaunch DateImages
referencelaunch coversother postal items
KORONAS-I1994-03-02KORONAS-IKORONAS / CORONASKORONAS / CORONAS
KORONAS-F2001-07-13KORONAS-F
KORONAS-Foton2009-01-30KORONAS-Foton

Other (selected) USA solar-observing spacecraft:

SpacecraftLaunch DateImages
referencelaunch coversother postal items
Solwind / P78-11979-02-24SolwindSolwindSolwind
P80-2CanceledP80-2
Ulysses [STS-41/Discovery-deployed]1990-10-06 Ulysses
Ulysses
Ulysses (patch)
Ulysses (patch)
Ulysses (patch)
Ulysses (patch, with STS-41/Discovery) 		UlyssesUlysses
Wind (orbit at L2 point, 2003-2004; at L1 point, since 2004)1994-11-01WindWindWind
Genesis / Discovery-5 (orbit at L1 point, 2001-2004)2001-08-08GenesisGenesis Genesis
SORCE2003-01-25 SORCE
SORCE
SORCE
SORCE 		SORCESORCE
STEREO-A, STEREO-B2006-10-26 STEREO
STEREO (patch) 		STEREOSTEREO
SDO2010-02-11SDOSDOSDO
DSCOVR / Triana / "GoreSat" (orbit at L1 point)2015-02-11 Triana
DSCOVR
DSCOVR (patch)
DSCOVR (patch) 		DSCOVRDSCOVR
PSP / SPP2018-08-12 PSP
PSP (patch) 		PSPPSP
SWFO-L12025-?SWFO-L1
PUNCH / SMEX-15A/15B/15C/15D / Explorer-98/1012025-03-12 PUNCH-WFI
PUNCH-NFI
PUNCH (and SPHEREx) (passport stamp)

Other (selected) non-USA solar-observing spacecraft:

SpacecraftCountryLaunch DateImages
referencelaunch coversother postal items
SOHO (orbit at L1 point)Europe (ESA)-USA (NASA)1995-12-02 SOHO (early-design)
SOHO (early-design)
SOHO
SOHO
SOHO
SOHO
SOHO (patch) 		SOHOSOHO
PicardFrance (CNES)2010-06-15 Picard
Picard 		PicardPicard
Solar OrbiterEurope (ESA)-USA (NASA)2020-02-10 Solar Orbiter
Solar Orbiter (patch) 		Solar OrbiterSolar Orbiter
ASO-S / Kuafu-1 (first of three satellites, one of which will orbit at L1 point)*ChinaPR2022-10-08ASO-SASO-S (and derivatives, not shown here)
Aditya-L1 (orbit at L1 point)India (ISRO)2023-09-02Aditya-L1 Aditya-L1
Aditya-L1 (back)

* Kuafu is the mythological Chinese giant who chased the Sun and died trying to catch it (and whose name was given to the Kuafu satellites). In modern Chinese usage, "Kuafu" refers to a person who is brave, optimistic and willing to overcome all obstacles to reach his goal. See also https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kuafu_project where it is stated that there will be three Kuafu satellites, to establish a space weather forecasting system, for which "One of these satellites would be placed at the Sun-Earth Lagrangian Point L1, while the other two would be placed in polar orbits." See China (PR) 2114 (Mi2141) from 1987 for the Chinese mythological character (god?) Kuafu.

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Updated: 2025-04-30