Non-exhaustive list of all types of fissile material sent in deep space aboard probes, orbiters and landers. They fuel nuclear devices such as power sources and heaters. (RTGs and RHUs are listed on the Spacecraft Payloads table).
Over 1,235 combined fissile material in forms of microspheres, discs and pellets have been identified, energizing over 38 power sources and 309 heaters.
Estimated total mass: over 123.5 kg.
| COSPAR ID | fuel | type | mission | quantity | total mass (kg) | position | status | date/epoch (UTC) | location |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NONE | POLONIUM-210 | ? | LUNA 15A, LUNA 1969A | ? | 0,001 | V3-R70-4 RHU (rover) | scattered? | February 19, 1969 | kazakhstan |
| 1969-059C | PLUTONIUM-238 | Pellets | APOLLO 11 | 2 | 0,068 | PSEP ALRHUs (EASEP) | intact | August 27, 1969 | moon surface |
| 1969-099C | PLUTONIUM-238 | Microspheres | APOLLO 12 | ? | 3,8 | SNAP-27 RTG (ALSEP1, ARRAY A) | intact | September 30, 1977 | moon surface |
| 1970-029C | PLUTONIUM-238 | Microspheres | APOLLO 13 | ? | 3,8 | SNAP-27 RTG (ALSEP 3, ARRAY B) | survived reentry? | April 17, 1970 | tonga trench, pacific ocean |
| 1970-095C | POLONIUM-210 | ? | LUNA 17, LUNOKHOD 1 | ? | 0,001 | V3-R70-4 RHU (rover) | intact | September 14, 1971 | moon surface |
| 1971-008C | PLUTONIUM-238 | Microspheres | APOLLO 14 | ? | 3,8 | SNAP-27 RTG (ALSEP 2, ARRAY C) | intact | September 30, 1977 | moon surface |
| 1971-063C | PLUTONIUM-238 | Microspheres | APOLLO 15 | ? | 3,8 | SNAP-27 RTG (ALSEP 4, ARRAY A2) | intact | September 30, 1977 | moon surface |
| 1972-012A | PLUTONIUM-238 | Discs | PIONEER 10 | 68 | 4 | SNAP-19 RTGs (probe) | intact | January 23, 2003 | solar escape trajectory |
| 1972-012A | PLUTONIUM-238 | Pellets | PIONEER 10 | 12 | 0,0324 | RHUs (probe) | intact | January 23, 2003 | solar escape trajectory |
| 1972-031C | PLUTONIUM-238 | Microspheres | APOLLO 16 | ? | 3,8 | SNAP-27 RTG (ALSEP 5, ARRAY D) | intact | September 30, 1977 | moon surface |
| 1972-096C | PLUTONIUM-238 | Microspheres | APOLLO 17 | ? | 3,8 | SNAP-27 RTG (ALSEP 6, ARRAY E) | intact | September 30, 1977 | moon surface |
| 1973-001C | POLONIUM-210 | Pellets | LUNA 21, LUNOKHOD 2 | ? | 0,001 | V3-R70-4 RHU (rover) | intact | May 11, 1973 | moon surface |
| 1973-019A | PLUTONIUM-238 | Discs | PIONEER 11 | 68 | 4 | SNAP-19 RTGs (probe) | intact | September 30, 1995 | solar escape trajectory |
| 1973-019A | PLUTONIUM-238 | Pellets | PIONEER 11 | 12 | 0,0324 | probe RHUs (probe) | intact | September 30, 1995 | solar escape trajectory |
| 1975-075C | PLUTONIUM-238 | Discs | VIKING 1 | 34 | 2 | SNAP-19 RTGs (lander) | intact | July 20, 1976 | mars surface |
| 1975-083C | PLUTONIUM-238 | Discs | VIKING 2 | 34 | 2 | SNAP-19 RTGs (lander) | intact | September 3, 1976 | mars surface |
| 1977-076A | PLUTONIUM-238 | Spheres | VOYAGER 2 | 72 | 13,5 | MHW-RTGs (probe) | intact | August 20, 1977 | solar escape trajectory |
| 1977-076A | PLUTONIUM-238 | Pellets | VOYAGER 2 | 9 | 0,0243 | probe RHUs (probe) | intact | August 20, 1977 | solar escape trajectory |
| 1977-084A | PLUTONIUM-238 | Spheres | VOYAGER 1 | 72 | 13,5 | MHW-RTGs (probe) | intact | September 5, 1977 | solar escape trajectory |
| 1977-084A | PLUTONIUM-238 | Pellets | VOYAGER 1 | 9 | 0,0243 | probe RHUs (probe) | intact | September 5, 1977 | solar escape trajectory |
| 1989-084E | PLUTONIUM-238 | Pellets | GALILEO | 17 | 0,0459 | LWRHUs (atmospheric probe) | incinerated upon atmospheric entry | December 7, 1995 | jupiter's atmosphere |
| 1989-084B | PLUTONIUM-238 | Pellets | GALILEO | 144 | 15,4 | GPHS-RTGs (orbiter) | incinerated upon atmospheric entry | September 21, 2003 | jupiter's atmosphere |
| 1989-084B | PLUTONIUM-238 | Pellets | GALILEO | 103 | 0,2781 | LWRHUs (orbiter) | incinerated upon atmospheric entry | September 21, 2003 | jupiter's atmosphere |
| 1990-090B | PLUTONIUM-238 | Pellets | ULYSSES | 72 | 7,7 | GPHS-RTG (probe) | intact | June 30, 2009 | solar orbit |
| 1996-064A | PLUTONIUM-238 | Pellets | MARS 8, MARS 96 | 2 | 0,04 | Angel RHUs (landers) | survived reentry? | November 17, 1996 | along a pacific ocean to bolivia ground track |
| 1996-064A | PLUTONIUM-238 | Pellets | MARS 8, MARS 96 | 2 | 0,04 | Angel RHUs (penetrators) | survived reentry? | November 17, 1996 | along a pacific ocean to bolivia ground track |
| 1996-068A | PLUTONIUM-238 | Pellets | MARS PATHFINDER (DISCOVERY 1) | 3 | 0,0081 | LWRHUs (rover) | intact | September 27, 1997 | mars surface |
| 1997-061C | PLUTONIUM-238 | Pellets | CASSINI-HUYGENS | 35 | 0,0945 | LWRHUs (lander) | intact | January 14, 2005 | titan surface |
| 1997-061A | PLUTONIUM-238 | Pellets | CASSINI-HUYGENS | 216 | 23,1 | GPHS-RTGs (orbiter) | incinerated upon atmospheric entry | September 15, 2017 | saturn's atmosphere |
| 1997-061A | PLUTONIUM-238 | Pellets | CASSINI-HUYGENS | 82 | 0,2214 | orbiter LWRHUs (orbiter) | incinerated upon atmospheric entry | September 15, 2017 | saturn's atmosphere |
| 2003-027A | PLUTONIUM-238 | Pellets | MARS EXPLORATION ROVER 2 (MER-A/MER-2, SPIRIT) | 8 | 0,0216 | LWRHUs (rover) | intact | March 22, 2010 | mars surface |
| 2003-032A | PLUTONIUM-238 | Pellets | MARS EXPLORATION ROVER 1 (MER-B/MER-1, OPPORTUNITY) | 8 | 0,0216 | LWRHUs (rover) | intact | June 10, 2018 | mars surface |
| 2006-001A | PLUTONIUM-238 | Pellets | NEW HORIZONS, NEW FRONTIERS 1 | 72 | 7,7 | GPHS-RTG (probe) | intact | January 19, 2006 | solar escape trajectory |
| 2011-070A | PLUTONIUM-238 | Pellets | MARS SCIENCE LABORATORY (MSL, CURIOSITY) | 32 | 3,4 | MMRTG (rover) | intact | August 6, 2012 | mars surface |
| 2013-070A | PLUTONIUM-238 | Pellets | CHANG'E 3 | 1 | 0,0027 | RHU (lander) | intact | December 14, 2013 | moon surface |
| 2013-070A | PLUTONIUM-238 | Pellets | CHANG'E 3 | 1? | 0,0027 | RHU (rover) | intact | August 3, 2016 | moon surface |
| 2018-103A | PLUTONIUM-238 | Pellets | CHANG'E 4 | 1 | 0,0027 | RHU (lander) | intact | January 3, 2019 | moon surface |
| 2018-103C | PLUTONIUM-238 | Pellets | CHANG'E 4 | 1? | 0,0027 | RHU (rover) | intact | January 3, 2019 | moon surface |
| 2020-052A | PLUTONIUM-238 | Pellets | MARS 2020 (PERSEVERANCE) | 32 | 3,4 | MMRTG (rover) | intact | February 18, 2021 | mars surface |
| 2023-098A | AMERICIUM-241 | Pellets | CHANDRAYAAN-3 | 2 | 0,0054 | RHUs (orbiter) | intact | August 22, 2024 | HEO |
| 2023-118A | POLONIUM-210 | ? | LUNA 25, LUNA-GLOB LANDER | ? | ? | RTG (lander) | scattered | August 19, 2023 | moon surface |