Rocket Lab expects to launch a highly anticipated privately funded mission to Venus as soon as the end of 2024, using its experience from a lunar mission.
It seems like it might be. I suppose one could argue that the Falcon Heavy demo test flight could count as privately funded interplanetary mission, since its orbit crosses Mars’ orbit, but it didn’t go to Mars. There have also been a few interplanetary probes built by universities but launched by government agencies like NASA and JAXA.
Will this be the first privately funded and launched interplanetary space mission?
It seems like it might be. I suppose one could argue that the Falcon Heavy demo test flight could count as privately funded interplanetary mission, since its orbit crosses Mars’ orbit, but it didn’t go to Mars. There have also been a few interplanetary probes built by universities but launched by government agencies like NASA and JAXA.