Last update: 2013 May 6
Date of
Spacecraft Space Spacecraft Date of Radar
Mission Agency Target Encounter Observations
---------- ------ ------ ----------- ----------
Giotto ESA 1P/Halley 1986 1985
Vega 1, 2 Soviet Union, Hungary, France, East Germany, West Germany, Poland, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, Austria, United States
1P/Halley 1986
Suisei JAXA 1P/Halley 1986
Sakigake JAXA 1P/Halley 1986
ICE NASA 1P/Halley 1986
Giotto ESA 26P/Grigg-
Skjellerup 1992 1982
Clementine SDI 1620 Geographos 1994 1983, 1994 Flyby did not occur due to a mission failure
NEAR-Shoemaker NASA 253 Mathilde 1997l 2001
433 Eros 1998,2000-2001 1975, 1988 1998 flyby, 2000-2001 rendezvous
4660 Nereus Didn't happen 2002 Original target for the mission; subsequently changed to Eros
CONTOUR NASA 2P/Encke Didn't happen 1980, 2003 2003 flyby mission did not occur due to failure in 2002
Hayabusa JAXA 25143 Itokawa 2005-2006 2001, 2004 2010 sample return
4660 Nereus Didn't happen 2002 Original target; subsequently changed to 25143 Itokawa
CONTOUR NASA 73P/Schwassmann-
Wachmann 3 Didn't happen 2006 2006 flyby mission did not occur due to failure in 2002
Rosetta ESA 21 Lutetia 2010 1985, 2004
EPOXI NASA 103P/Hartley 2 2010 2010
Dawn NASA 4 Vesta 2011-2012 1979, 1981, 1988, 1992, 2001, 2003
Chang'e 2 China 4179 Toutatis 2012 1992, 1996, 2000, 2004, 2008, 2012
Dawn NASA 1 Ceres 2015 rendezvous 1977, 1984, 1986, 1990, 1995, 2000, 2004
OSIRIS-REx NASA 101955 Bennu 2018 rendezvous 1999, 2005, 2011 Launch is scheduled in 2016. 2023 sample return
Deep Impact NASA 163249 2002 GT 2020 flyby 2013 Radar observations are planned in 2013 at Arecibo
Proposed Missions
Marco Polo-R ESA 341843 2008 EV5 2020s 2008 Mission is in final 4 of ESA's 2010 Cosmic Visions M-class competition.
175706 1996 FG3 2020s 2011 Original target for Marco Polo-R; changed to 2008 EV5 in Nov. 2012
AIDA ESA/NASA 65803 Didymos 2020s 2003 Mission concept under study
Apophis-2029 CNES 99942 Apophis 2029 2005, 2006, 2012, 2013 Mission concept under study
Comet Hopper NASA 46P/Wirtanen Not selected Planned in 2018 Discovery program 2010
BASiX NASA 65803 Didymos Not selected 2003 Discovery program 2010
Amor NASA 153591 2001 SN263 Not selected 2008 Discovery program 2010
MAX NASA 99942 Apophis Not selected 2005, 2005, 2006 Discovery program 2010
Galahad NASA 175706 1996 FG3 Not selected 2011 New Frontiers program 2009
Don Quijote ESA 99942 Apophis Not selected 2005, 2005, 2006
Marco Polo ESA 101955 Bennu Not selected 1999, 2005, 2011 Cosmic Visions M-class Program 2007
Deep Interior NASA 3908 Nyx Not selected 1988, 2004 Discovery program 2003
Radar observations have also been conducted for 45 NEAs observed by NASA's WISE mission and 70+
objects observed by NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope.
Small Body Mission Targets NOT observed by radar:
ICE NASA 21P/Giacobini-
Zinner 1985 Radar observations are planned in 2018
Galileo NASA 951 Gaspra 1991
Galileo NASA 243 Ida 1993
Deep Space 1 NASA 9969 Braille 1999
Deep Space 1 NASA 19P/Borrelly 2001
Stardust NASA 5535 Annefrank 2002
Stardust NASA 81P/Wild 2 2004
Deep Impact NASA 9P/Tempel 1 2005
Rosetta ESA 2867 Steins 2008
CONTOUR NASA 6P/D'Arrest 2008 Spacecraft failed in 2002; flyby never occurred
Stardust NASA 9P/Tempel 1 2011
Rosetta ESA 67P/Churyumov-
Gerasimenko 2014
Hayabusa 2 JAXA 162173 1999 JU3 2018-2019 Radar observations in Oct. 2011 were unsuccessful due to insufficient SNRs.
Hayabusa JAXA 10302 1989 ML Didn't happen Original target for Hayabusa; later changed to 25143 Itokawa due to launch delays
http://echo.jpl.nasa.gov/~lance/radar.small.body.mission.targets.html