Eros

The first asteroid orbited and landed on by a spacecraft.

Orbits Sun

First asteroid visited by a dedicated orbiter (NEAR Shoemaker, 2000-2001).
First asteroid softly landed on (NEAR Shoemaker touchdown, 12 February 2001).
Near-Earth Amor-class object.

About Eros

Eros is a 34 × 11 × 11 km Near-Earth asteroid (Amor class) that crosses the orbit of Mars. It holds the distinction of being the first asteroid ever orbited by a spacecraft (NASA’s NEAR Shoemaker, February 2000 – February 2001), and the first ever to have a spacecraft land on its surface when NEAR Shoemaker touched down at the end of its mission on 12 February 2001.

Live · 3DSee Eros in the Live 3D Solar SystemFly to Eros and explore its orbit among the planets, moons & spacecraft in a full-screen interactive view.Launch 3D view

Physical Properties

Mean radius8 km

Mass6.687e15 kg

Density2.67 g/cm³

Rotation period5.27 h

Bond albedo0.25

Orbit

OrbitsSun

Semi-major axis1.458 AU

Eccentricity0.2229

Inclination10.83°

Orbital period1.76 yr

Gallery

Hand-picked mission imagery of Eros sourced from NASA and partner archives. Click any photo for full resolution and source attribution.

Near-Earth asteroid 433 Eros, from NEAR Shoemaker. NASA/JPL/JHUAPL · Public Domain u2014 NASA Media Usage Guidelines

The sculptured, grooved surface of Eros, from NEAR Shoemaker. — The sculptured, grooved surface of Eros, from NEAR… NASA/JPL/JHUAPL

Imagery on this page is provided by the original mission teams. Full attribution terms: Image Rights & Credits.

Sources & Further Reading

Numerical values (radius, mass, orbital elements, temperatures) are drawn from NASA NSSDC Planetary Fact Sheets, JPL Horizons, and the JPL Small-Body Database. Last refreshed: 2026-06-08 01:37:02.