Previous Flybys

Several spacecraft before MESSENGER have used Earth's gravity to bend or boost their trajectories. The others (in order of their flyby) are below; click on the name to learn more about each mission:

• Giotto (1990)
• Galileo (1990 and 1992)
• Sakigake (1992 and 1993)
• Near Earth Asteroid Rendezvous (NEAR) (1998)
• Cassini (1999)
• Stardust (2001)
• Nozomi (2003)
• Hayabusa (formerly Muses-C) (2004)
• Rosetta (2005)