// ORBITAL LOGISTICS AND PROPULSION TERM
Planetary Body
A planetary body is any natural celestial object that is massive enough to be rounded by its own gravity but not massive enough to cause thermonuclear fusion.
TECHNICAL DEFINITION
A planetary body is a general astronomical term encompassing planets, dwarf planets, and large moons, characterized by sufficient mass for self-gravity to achieve hydrostatic equilibrium (a nearly round shape) and orbiting a star or stellar remnant.
BACKGROUND
Outer space, or simply space, is the expanse that exists beyond Earth's atmosphere and between celestial bodies. It contains ultra-low levels of particle densities, constituting a near-perfect vacuum of predominantly hydrogen and helium plasma, permeated by electromagnetic radiation, cosmic rays, neutrinos, magnetic fields and dust. The baseline temperature of outer space, as set by the background radiation from the Big Bang, is 2.7 kelvins.
READ MORE ON WIKIPEDIASYNONYMS & ALIASES
- Celestial body
- astronomical object
- world
- planetoid
USAGE NOTE
The term "planetary body" is useful for broadly categorizing objects in a solar system without specifying their exact classification.
DEVELOPERS
Organizations developing technology related to Planetary Body.
A U.S. government agency responsible for space exploration, scientific discovery, and aeronautics research, with extensive programs dedicated to studying, exploring, and sending missions to various planetary bodies within our solar system.
An intergovernmental organization dedicated to the exploration of space, with numerous missions focused on observing, orbiting, and landing on planetary bodies like Mars, Jupiter's moons, and comets.
Japan's national aerospace and space agency, conducting extensive research and missions related to planetary science, including asteroid sample returns and lunar exploration.
An American aerospace manufacturer and space transportation services company, developing the Starship system for future human missions to the Moon and Mars, and providing launch services for planetary science missions.
An American privately funded aerospace manufacturer and sub-orbital spaceflight services company, developing lunar landers (Blue Moon) and heavy-lift rockets (New Glenn) for missions to the Moon and other planetary destinations.
A U.S. commercial lunar exploration company providing lunar access and services, including robotic lunar landers designed to deliver payloads to the Moon's surface as part of NASA's CLPS program.
A U.S. space robotics company specializing in lunar delivery and exploration, developing landers and rovers to deliver customer payloads to the Moon and other planetary bodies.
A major American aerospace manufacturer that designs and builds spacecraft for planetary exploration, including Mars orbiters, landers, and other deep-space missions for government agencies.
A developer of advanced robotic systems, drills, and specialized tools for planetary exploration, in-situ resource utilization, and sample collection on other planetary bodies.
A major European aerospace and defense company involved in designing and building spacecraft and instruments for planetary science missions, including contributions to Mars exploration and asteroid missions.