Orbiter

An orbiter is a space probe that orbits a celestial body. The term comes from English and is derived from orbit (, orbit ').

List of some of the successful completion of missions

  • Sun (7) Pioneer 6, 7, 8 and 9 (USA)
  • Helios 1 and 2 ( USA / Germany )
  • Ulysses (USA / Europe)
  • Luna 10, 11, 12, 19 and 22 (USSR)
  • Lunar Orbiter 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 (USA)
  • Explorer 35 and 49 (USA)
  • Hiten (Japan)
  • Clementine (USA)
  • Lunar Prospector (USA)
  • SMART -1 ( Europe)
  • Kaguya (Japan)
  • Chang'e -1 ( PR China)
  • Chandrayaan -1 ( India)
  • Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (USA) - still active
  • Venera 9, 10, 15 and 16 (USSR)
  • Pioneer Venus 1 (USA)
  • Magellan (USA)
  • Venus Express (Europe) - active
  • Mariner 9 (USA)
  • Mars 2, 3 and 5 (USSR)
  • Fobos 2 (USSR)
  • Mars Global Surveyor (USA)
  • 2001 Mars Odyssey (USA) - active
  • Mars Express (Europe) - active
  • Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (USA) - active
  • Dawn (USA)
  • Galileo (USA)
  • Cassini (USA) - active

In addition, eight manned Apollo space ships are within the scope of the U.S. Apollo program swung into a lunar orbit of Apollo 8, 10, 11, 12, 14, 15, 16 and 17

Started missions

Started and still on the way to its destination, the first orbiter to a comet ( Tschurjumow -Gerasimenko ), the first Japanese to Venus, and the first orbiter with two objectives - on the asteroid Vesta then be the first to a dwarf planet ( Ceres ):

  • Tschurjumow -Gerasimenko Rosetta (Europe) - Arrival: 2014
  • Ceres Dawn (USA) - Arrival: February 1, 2015
  • Jupiter Juno (USA) - Arrival: 2016
  • Venus Akatsuki (Japan) - misguided Orbit: December 8, 2010 - next possible arrival: 2016

Planned missions

For the next few years more Orbiterstarts are planned:

  • Moon Chandrayaan -2 ( India) - start: 2013
  • Luna - Glob (Russia) - Start: 2012
  • Mars Mars Science and Telecommunications Orbiter (USA) - Start: 2011 or 2013
  • Mars Sample Return ( Europe / USA) - Start: not before 2018
  • P5A
  • Mercury BepiColombo (Europe) - Start: not before 2014
  • Sun Solar Orbiter (Europe) - Start: 2017
  • Solar Probe ( USA) - Start: 2018

In the long term is also reflected on the orbiter for Jupiter 's moon Europa and the TANDEM part of a mission to Saturn's moons Titan and Enceladus.

Have been deleted for reasons of cost the Mars Telecommunications Orbiter ( USA) and the Jupiter Icy Moons Orbiter (USA). The Japanese LUNAR -A was outdated after numerous launch delays. The German project LEO was deferred.

Other concepts

The concept of the flyby, which tracks the fly-by of a celestial body is technically and energetically favorable, as, for example, no braking thrusters are needed to ease in into orbit (apart from solar orbit ). So as well as the scientific return will be lower.

In countries hard and soft landing can be distinguished on the solid surface of a celestial body. Hard landing probes are destroyed by the landing. Technically more difficult is the soft landing, especially with the return of the spacecraft with soil samples. The soft landing probes can be further divided into stationary probes that remain at their landing site, and mobile probes that can move on the surface; these are commonly referred to as a rover.

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