View source for List of spacecraft intentionally crashed into extraterrestrial bodies

{{Short description|List of deliberate crash landings on extraterrestrial bodies}}
[[File:ITS_Impact.gif|right|thumb|Deep Impact at Comet 9P/Tempel 1|250px]]
[[File:Dart impact replay.gif|thumb|Dart Impact at Dimorphos|250x250px]]
[[File:PIA24425-MarsPerseveranceRover-SmokePlumeFromDescentStageAfterLanding-20210218.jpg|Mars 2020 Skycrane descend stage crash smoke plume in the distance|thumb|250px]]
This is a list of [[space probe|uncrewed spacecraft]] which have been intentionally destroyed at their objects of study, typically by [[hard landing]]s or crash landings at the end of their respective missions and/or functionality. This list only includes spacecraft specifically instructed to crash into the surface of an [[Astronomical object|astronomical body]] other than the [[Earth]], and also does not include unintentionally crashed spacecraft, derelict spacecraft, or [[Lander (spacecraft)|spacecraft designed as landers]]. Intentionally crashing spacecraft not only removes the possibility of orbital [[space debris]] and [[Planetary protection|planetary contamination]], but also provides the opportunity (in some cases) for terminal science given that the transient light released by the kinetic energy may be available for [[spectroscopy]]; the physical [[ejecta]] can be used for further study.
Even after soft landings had been mastered, [[NASA]] used crash landings to test whether Moon craters contained ice by crashing space probes into craters and testing the debris that got thrown out.<ref>{{cite web |title=Crash Landing on the Moon |url=https://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2006/28jul_crashlanding/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100416120608/https://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2006/28jul_crashlanding/ |archive-date=April 16, 2010 |accessdate=April 20, 2016 |publisher=NASA Science}}</ref> Several rocket stages utilized during the [[Apollo space program]] were intentionally crashed on the Moon to aid [[seismology|seismic]] research, and four of the ascent stages of [[Apollo Lunar Module]]s were intentionally crashed onto the Moon after they had fulfilled their primary mission. In total at least 47 NASA rocket bodies have impacted the Moon.
A recent impactor, the unusual double-crater of which was photographed on March 4, 2022 by the [[Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter]], is of unknown provenance; no space program has taken credit for it,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/article/mystery-rocket-NASA-moon-crash-country-origin-17273903.php|title='Mystery rocket' that crashed into the Moon baffles NASA scientists|first=Ariana Garcia|last=Chron|date=June 29, 2022|website=Chron}}</ref> although a later study attributed it to a spent upper stage from the [[Chang'e 5-T1]] mission.<ref name="spacecom28022024">{{cite web |last1=Wall |first1=Mike |title=Rogue rocket that slammed into the moon last year confirmed to be Chinese vehicle |url=https://www.space.com/moon-crash-march-2022-china-rocket-body#:~:text=Rogue%20rocket%20that%20slammed%20into,confirmed%20to%20be%20Chinese%20vehicle&text=It%20was%20part%20of%20the,2014%2C%20a%20new%20study%20finds.&text=The%20case%20of%20the%20mysterious,closed%2C%20a%20new%20study%20reports. |website=Space.com |publisher=Future US Inc |access-date=28 February 2024 |language=en |date=16 November 2023}}</ref>
The [[Deep Impact (spacecraft)|Deep Impact]] mission had its own purpose-built [[Impactor (spacecraft)|impactor]] which hit [[Comet 9P/Tempel 1]]. Terminal approaches to [[gas giant]]s which resulted in the destruction of the space probe count as crash landings for the purposes of this article.
The crash landing sites themselves are of interest to [[space archeology]].
[[Luna 1]], not itself a lunar orbiter, was the first spacecraft designed as an [[Impactor (spacecraft)|impactor]]. It failed to hit the Moon in 1959, however, thus inadvertently becoming the first man-made object to leave [[geocentric orbit]] and enter a [[heliocentric orbit]], where it remains.
==Planets==
===[[Mercury (planet)|Mercury]]===
{{Anchor|Mercury}}
{| class="wikitable"
|- valign="top"
!Mission
!Country/Agency
!Date of landing/impact
!Coordinates
!Notes
|- valign="top"
|[[MESSENGER]] || {{flagicon|USA}} United States || 30 April 2015 || Probably around 54.4° N, 149.9° W, near the crater Janáček ||Intentionally crashed at end of mission.
|}
===[[Venus]]===
{{Anchor|Venus}}
{| class="wikitable"
|- valign="top"
!Mission
!Country/Agency
!Date of landing/impact
!Coordinates
!Notes
|- valign="top"
|[[Venera 3]] || {{flagicon|USSR}} Soviet Union || 1 March 1966 || {{coord|20|N|80|E|globe:Venus}} || First manmade object to hit another planet. Failed to transmit data.
|- valign="top"
|[[Venera 4]] || {{flagicon|USSR}} Soviet Union || 18 October 1967 || {{Venus coords and quad cat|19|N|38|E}} || First probe to transmit data from another planet's atmosphere. Succumbed after 53 minutes, within {{convert|26|km|mi}} from the surface.
|- valign="top"
|[[Venera 5]] || {{flagicon|USSR}} Soviet Union || 16 May 1969 || {{Venus coords and quad cat|3|S|18|E}} || Succumbed after 51 minutes, within {{convert|26|km|mi}} from the surface.
|- valign="top"
|[[Venera 6]] || {{flagicon|USSR}} Soviet Union || 17 May 1969 || {{Venus coords and quad cat|5|S|23|E}} || Succumbed after 51 minutes, within {{convert|11|km|mi}} from the surface.
|- valign="top"
|[[Venera 7]] || {{flagicon|USSR}} Soviet Union || 15 December 1970 ||  {{Venus coords and quad cat|5|S|351|E|}} || Unexpectedly survived impact and generated extremely weak signal after landing. {{efn|Venera 8-14 and Vega 1 and 2 were explicitly designed to land on Venus and are not included in this list.}}
|- valign="top"
|[[Pioneer Venus Multiprobe#Large probe|Pioneer Venus Large probe]] || {{flagicon|USA}} United States || 9 December 1978 || {{Venus coords and quad cat|4.4|N|304.0|E}} || Stopped transmitting on impact with surface.
|- valign="top"
|[[Pioneer Venus Multiprobe#Small probes|Pioneer Venus Small Probe North]] || {{flagicon|USA}} United States || 9 December 1978 || {{Venus coords and quad cat|59.3|N|4.8|E}} || Stopped transmitting on impact with surface.
|- valign="top"
|[[Pioneer Venus Multiprobe#Small probes|Pioneer Venus Small Probe Day]] || {{flagicon|USA}} United States || 9 December 1978 || {{Venus coords and quad cat|31.3|S|317.0|E}} || Unexpectedly survived impact and transmitted for another 68 minutes.
|- valign="top"
|[[Pioneer Venus Multiprobe#Small probes|Pioneer Venus Small Probe Night]] || {{flagicon|USA}} United States || 9 December 1978 || {{Venus coords and quad cat|28.7|S|56.7|E}} || Unexpectedly survived impact and transmitted for another 2 seconds.
|- valign="top"
|[[Pioneer Venus Multiprobe#Spacecraft|Pioneer Venus Multiprobe Bus]] || {{flagicon|USA}} United States || 9 December 1978 || || Stopped transmitting within {{convert|110|km|mi}} from the surface.
|- valign="top"
|[[Pioneer Venus Orbiter]] || {{flagicon|USA}} United States || 22 October 1992 || || Intentionally held to lower orbit to facilitate orbital decay.
|- valign="top"
|[[Magellan (spacecraft)|Magellan]] || {{flagicon|USA}} United States || 13 October 1994 || || Controlled entry into Venus upon conclusion of mission.
|}
{{notelist}}
===[[Mars]]===
{{Anchor|Mars}}
{{sort under}}
{| class="wikitable sortable sort-under"
|- valign="top"
! Mission
! Country/Agency
! Date of landing/impact
! Coordinates
! class=unsortable|Notes
|- valign="top"
|[[Mars Science Laboratory]] [[Sky crane (landing system)|Sky crane]] || {{flagicon|USA}} United States || 6 August 2012 || [[Bradbury Landing]]<br>{{coord|4.5859|N|137.4312|E|globe:Mars}}||Debris field created by the heat shield, sky crane, and other components.
|- valign="top"
|[[Mars 2020]] [[Sky crane (landing system)|Sky crane]] || {{flagicon|USA}} United States || 18 February 2021 || [[Octavia E. Butler Landing]]<br>{{coord|18.453|N|77.4504|E|globe:Mars}}||Debris field created by the heat shield, sky crane, and other components.
|}
===[[Jupiter]]===
{{Anchor|Jupiter}}
{| class="wikitable"
|- valign="top"
!Mission
!Country/Agency
!Date of landing/impact
!Coordinates
!Notes
|- valign="top"
| [[1989-084E|''Galileo'' atmospheric probe]] || {{nowrap|{{flagicon|USA}} United States}} || {{nowrap|7 December 1995}} || ||Functioned for 57.6 minutes, disintegrated in the Jovian atmosphere
|- valign="top"
| [[1989-084B|''Galileo'']] || {{nowrap|{{flagicon|USA}} United States}} || {{nowrap|21 September 2003}} || ||Disintegrated in the Jovian atmosphere.
|}
===[[Saturn]]===
{{Anchor|Saturn}}
{| class="wikitable"
|- valign="top"
!Mission
!Country/Agency
!Date of landing/impact
!Coordinates
!Notes
|- valign="top"
| [[Cassini orbiter|''Cassini'' orbiter]] || {{nowrap|{{flagicon|USA}} United States}} || {{nowrap|15 September 2017}} || 9.4° N, 53° W || 30 seconds of terminal data, more than anticipated, were received prior to ''Cassini''{{'}}s disintegration in Saturn's atmosphere.
|}
==Planetary moons==
===Earth's [[Moon]]===
{{Anchor|Moon}}
{{More|Moon landings|List of artificial objects on the Moon}}
{{sticky header}}{{sort under}}
{| class="wikitable sortable sticky-header sort-under"
|-
! Mission
! Country/Agency
! Date of landing/impact
! Coordinates
! class=unsortable| Notes
|- valign="top"
|[[Luna 2]] || {{flagicon|USSR}} Soviet Union || 13 September 1959 || {{Lunar coords and quad cat|29.1|N|0|W}} || Intentional hard impact.
|- valign="top"
|[[Ranger 4]] || {{flagicon|USA}} United States || 26 April 1962 || {{Lunar coords and quad cat|15.5|S|130.7|W}} || Intentional hard impact; hit lunar far side due to failure of navigation system.
|- valign="top"
|[[Ranger 6]] || {{flagicon|USA}} United States || 2 February 1964 || {{Lunar coords and quad cat|9.4|N|21.5|E}} || Intentional hard impact.
|- valign="top"
|[[Ranger 7]] || {{flagicon|USA}} United States || 31 July 1964 || {{Lunar coords and quad cat|10.35|S|20.58|W}} || Intentional hard impact.
|- valign="top"
|[[Ranger 8]] || {{flagicon|USA}} United States || 20 February 1965 || {{Lunar coords and quad cat|2.72|N|24.61|E}} || Intentional hard impact.
|- valign="top"
|[[Ranger 9]] || {{flagicon|USA}} United States || 24 March 1965 || {{Lunar coords and quad cat|12.83|S|2.37|W}} || Intentional hard impact.
|- valign="top"
|[[Lunar Orbiter 1]] || {{flagicon|USA}} United States || 29 October 1966 || {{Lunar coords and quad cat|6.35|N|160.72|E}} || Lunar orbiter, intentionally crashed at end of mission.
|- valign="top"
|[[Hiten (spacecraft)|Hiten]] || {{flagicon|JPN}} Japan || 10 April 1993 || {{Lunar coords and quad cat|34.3|S|55.6|E}} || Lunar orbiter, intentionally crashed at end of mission.
|- valign="top"
|[[Lunar Prospector]] || {{flagicon|USA}} United States || 31 July 1999 || {{Lunar coords and quad cat|87.7|S|42.1|E}} || Lunar orbiter, intentionally crashed into polar crater at end of mission to test for liberation of water vapour (not detected).
|- valign="top"
|[[SMART-1]] || [[Image:ESA logo simple.svg|24px]] [[European Space Agency|ESA]] || 3 September 2006 || {{Lunar coords and quad cat|34.262|S|46.193|W}} || Lunar orbiter, intentionally crashed at end of mission.
|- valign="top"
|[[Chandrayaan-1]] [[Moon Impact Probe]] || {{flagicon|India}} [[India]] || 14 November 2008 || {{Lunar coords and quad cat|89.76|S|39.40|W}} || Impactor. Water found.
|- valign="top"
| [[SELENE#Okina (small relay satellite)|SELENE Rstar (Okina)]]|| {{flag|Japan}}|| 12 February 2009
|| || Lunar orbiter, intentionally crashed at end of mission.
|- valign="top"
| [[Chang'e 1]]|| {{flag|China}}|| 1 March 2009 || {{Lunar coords and quad cat|1.50|S|52.36|E}} || Lunar orbiter, intentionally crashed at end of mission.
|- valign="top"
| [[SELENE|Kaguya]]|| {{flag|Japan}}|| 10 June 2009 || || Lunar orbiter, intentionally crashed at end of mission.
|- valign="top"
|[[LCROSS]] (Centaur)
| {{flagicon|USA}} United States
| 9 October 2009
| {{coord|84.675|S|48.725|W|type:landmark_globe:moon}} <br>  {{coord|84.729|S|49.360|W|type:landmark_globe:moon}}
| Impactors: main craft flew through the plume of lunar dust created by its own upper rocket stage gathering data. Water confirmed.
|- valign="top"
|[[Longjiang 2]] || {{flag|China}} || 31 July 2019 || {{Lunar coords and quad cat|16.6956|N|159.5170|E}}<ref>{{cite web |url=http://lroc.sese.asu.edu/posts/1132 |title=Longjiang-2 Impact Site Found! |first=Mark |last=Robinson |date=November 14, 2019}}</ref> || Micro-satellite, intentionally crashed at end of mission.
|- valign="top"
|[[Chang'e 5]] ascender || {{flag|China}} || 7 December 2020 || {{Lunar coords and quad cat|30|S|0|E}} || Intentional impact of ascent stage after delivering sample to orbiter.
|- valign="top"
|[[Chang'e 6]] ascender || {{flag|China}} || 6 June 2024 ||  || Intentional impact of ascent stage after delivering sample to orbiter.
|}
==Other bodies==
===[[Asteroid|Asteroids]]===
{{Anchor|Asteroids}}
{| class="wikitable"
|- valign="top"
!Mission
!Country/Agency
!Date of landing/impact
!Coordinates
!Notes
|- valign="top"
| [[NEAR Shoemaker]] || {{nowrap|{{flagicon|USA}} United States}} || {{nowrap|12 February 2001}}||[[433 Eros|Eros]] || Slow impact with asteroid surface, spacecraft operated for another two weeks on asteroid surface.
|- valign="top"
| [[Hayabusa 2#Sub-surface sample|Hayabusa 2 Small Carry-On Impactor]] (SCI) || {{nowrap|{{flagicon|JP}} Japan}} || {{nowrap|5 April 2019}}||[[162173 Ryugu|Ryugu]] || Copper projectile shot at surface with explosive charge to expose asteroid subsurface.
|- valign="top"
| ''[[Double Asteroid Redirection Test]] (DART)'' || {{nowrap|{{flagicon|USA}} United States}} || {{nowrap|26 September 2022}}||[[Dimorphos]] || First attempt in history to redirect an asteroid.
|}
===[[Comet|Comets]]===
{{Anchor|Comets}}
{| class="wikitable"
|- valign="top"
!Mission
!Country/Agency
!Date of landing/impact
!Coordinates
!Notes
|- valign="top"
|''[[Deep Impact (spacecraft)|Deep Impact]]'' || {{flagicon|USA}} United States || 4 July 2005 || Tempel 1 || The "Smart Impactor" had a payload of 100 kg of copper, which at its closing velocity of 10.2 km/s had the kinetic energy equivalent to 4.8 tonnes of TNT.
|- valign="top"
|''[[Rosetta (spacecraft)|Rosetta]]'' || [[Image:ESA logo simple.svg|24px]] [[European Space Agency|ESA]] || 30 September 2016 || [[67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko]] || Intentionally crashed at end of mission.
|}
==Chronological gallery==
<gallery widths="180" heights="180">
1964_71394L.jpg|Ranger 4
1964_71390L.JPG|Ranger 6
The_Ranger_Spacecraft_GPN-2000-001979.jpg|Rangers 7, 8, and 9
Lunar Orbiter Engineering Mock-up.jpg|Lunar Orbiter 1
Hiten.gif|Hiten
Descent_Module.jpeg|''Galileo'' Probe
Galileo_in_1983.jpg|''Galileo''
Lunar_Prospector_transparent.png|Lunar Prospector
90855main_dispcrft.svg|Deep Impact
Artist%27s_impression_of_the_SMART-1_mission_ESA199399.jpg|SMART-1
CY1 2007 (cropped).jpg|Chandrayaan-1
Selene.gif|SELENE (Kaguya)/Okina
Chang_e_1.jpg|Chang'e 1
LCROSS_Centaur_1.jpg|LCROSS
MESSENGER_-_spacecraft_at_mercury_-_atmercury_lg.jpg|MESSENGER
File:593484main_pia14839_full_Curiosity%27s_Sky_Crane_Maneuver,_Artist%27s_Concept.jpg|Mars Science Laboratory
Cassini-Huygens_is_installed_to_the_payload_adapter.jpg|''Cassini''
File:Perseverance Landing Skycrane (cropped).jpg|Mars 2020
</gallery>
==See also==
*[[List of extraterrestrial orbiters]]
*[[List of landings on extraterrestrial bodies]]
*[[List of artificial objects on extraterrestrial surfaces]]
*[[Flyby (spaceflight)]]
*[[Space rendezvous]]
==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{Planetary exploration}}
{{Space exploration lists and timelines}}
[[Category:Spaceflight timelines]]
[[Category:Landers (spacecraft)|*]]
[[Category:Space probes]]
[[Category:Extraterrestrial atmosphere entry|*]]