Planetary Pursuit was a highly popular, space-themed geocaching souvenir campaign run by Geocaching HQ (Groundspeak) in the spring of 2018. Set in the fictional year 2650, the challenge invited players to join the "Geocaching Explorers Club" to "visit" every planet in our solar system by completing geocaching tasks on Earth.
Timeline
The event officially launched on March 19, 2018 with an announcement on the Official Geocaching Blog. It was originally scheduled to end on April 8, but due to high player engagement and late-winter weather challenges in places like the Northeast United States, Geocaching HQ launched a "Rescue Mission" extension. This extended the deadline to April 15, 2018, giving players an extra week to log their finds.
How the Points and Scoring
Worked
Players earned digital points by logging various geocaching
activities. These points were tallied automatically using the Friend League
(now known as the Leaderboard) feature on Geocaching.com. Different actions
yielded different point values, incentivizing specific cache types:
- Found a Geocache (Traditional, Virtual, Whereigo or Webcam): 5 points
- Found a Multi-Cache or a Letterbox Hybrid: 10 points
- Found a Mystery Cache or an EarthCache: 15 points
- Found a Geocache with 10 or more Favorite Points: 15 points
- Attended an Event: 15 points
- Drop a Trackable: 4 points
Souvenirs and Milestones
Players could earn a maximum of 10 unique digital souvenirs for their online profiles by hitting specific point milestones. Earning 500 total points unlocked all 10 rewards, culminating in the title of "Official Space Explorer".
The souvenirs corresponded to milestones named after celestial bodies: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto. In addition, geocachers that earned all the souvenirs that corresponded to the planets gained the Official Space Explorer souvenir. There was also a Friend League Bonus (Awarded for having active friends on your roster during the challenge)
Community Impact
The campaign heavily emphasized community collaboration. Because Mystery/Puzzle caches provided high point yields, local groups frequently organized puzzle-solving groups and hiking meetups to hit milestones together. Many local communities also hosted dedicated space-themed events, and some creative geocachers even built physics-based "Planet Walk" cache series to match the planetary theme.
Related Geoaching.com Official Blog
Posts
“Planetary Pursuit Starthilfe (aka FAQ)” February 27, 2018
“How to Make the Most of Planetary Pursuit” March 18, 2018
“3, 2, 1, Planetary Pursuit Liftoff!” March 19, 2018
“No Service in Outer Space? No Problem!” March 21, 2018
“Lists Will Power You Through Your Galactic Journey” March 26, 2018
“It’s Not Too Late to Become an Official Space Explorer” March 27, 2018
“Message from Ground Control” April 2, 2018
“You Still Have Until April 15 to Earn All 10 Souvenirs” April 3, 2018
“Planetary Pursuit Rescue Mission Has Launched” April 8, 2018
1. EARTH
A Souvenir by: Geocaching HQ
Additional Information: Earth may be the third planet from the sun and the fifth largest planet in the Solar system but it’s the first stop—or rather launch pad—for your journey through outer space! Congratulations! You earned this souvenir by earning five (5) points on the Friend League and are one step closer to becoming an Official Space Explorer. Next stop: Venus!
2. VENUS
A Souvenir by: Geocaching HQ
Additional Information: The second planet from the sun and the second souvenir of Planetary Pursuit! Venus is the second-brightest natural object in the night sky after the Moon, and it is named after the Roman goddess of love and beauty, so we can only hope that you loved earning this souvenir! Congratulations! You earned this souvenir by earning ten (10) points on the Friend League. Next stop: Mercury!
3. MERCURY
A Souvenir by: Geocaching HQ
Additional Information: You’ve made it to Mercury! As the closest planet to the sun, Mercury's surface can reach 800℉ (430℃), but because the planet has no atmosphere to retain the heat, nighttime temperatures can drop to -280℉ (-170℃), so don’t stay here for too long! Congratulations! You earned this souvenir by earning 20 points on the Friend League and are one step closer to becoming an Official Space Explorer. Next stop: Mars!
4. MARS
A Souvenir by: Geocaching HQ
Additional Information: Known as the “red planet” because of iron oxide on its surface, Mars is home to Olympus Mons, the largest volcano in the Solar System. Seems like a fitting place for an Earth Cache...or a Mars Cache? Congratulations! You earned this souvenir by earning 40 points on the Friend League and have now earned four out of the nine planetary souvenirs. Next stop: Jupiter!
5. JUPITER
A Souvenir by: Geocaching HQ
Additional Information: Jupiter is the largest planet in the Solar System with a diameter of 88,846 mi (142,984 km) at its equator. Along with being the biggest planet, Jupiter also spins the fastest, completing a rotation roughly every 10 hours. Congratulations! You earned this souvenir by earning 65 points on the Friend League. Next stop: Saturn!
6. SATURN
A Souvenir by: Geocaching HQ
Additional Information: You’ve arrived at Saturn! Saturn is the farthest planet from Earth visible to the unaided human eye. Known for its rings, which extend thousands of miles from the planet, the main rings are typically only about 30 feet thick! Congratulations! You earned this souvenir by earning 100 points on the Friend League and are one step closer to becoming an Official Space Explorer.
7. URANUS
A Souvenir by: Geocaching HQ
Additional Information: You’ve reached the seventh planet from the sun and your seventh souvenir of Planetary Pursuit! This ice giant rotates at a nearly 90-degree angle from the plane of its orbit which makes it look like a rolling ball around the sun. Congratulations! You earned this souvenir by earning 200 points on the Friend League. Next stop: Neptune!
8. NEPTUNE
A Souvenir by: Geocaching HQ
Additional Information: With the exception of you, Neptune has only been visited once before by the Voyager 2 spacecraft when it flew by in 1989! Neptune was also thought to be the farthest known planet until 1930 when Pluto was discovered. Congratulations! You earned this souvenir by earning 300 points on the Friend League. You now have only 200 points to go to become an Official Space Explorer!
9. PLUTO
A Souvenir by: Geocaching HQ
Additional Information: The ninth (dwarf) planet from the sun and the ninth Planetary Pursuit souvenir! Pluto is smaller than Earth’s moon and is filled with craters, glaciers, mountains, and valleys. Pluto also has long days—one day on Pluto is about 6.5 days on Earth! Congratulations! You earned this souvenir by earning 500 points on the Friend League.
10. OFFICAL SPACE EXPLORER
A Souvenir by: Geocaching HQ
Additional Information: Congratulations, we're over the moon to award you with this souvenir! You've geocached around the galaxy and can now call yourself an Official Space Explorer. There is no doubt that this intergalactic journey might have had some turbulence but you powered through and we salute you! You’ve earned this souvenir by visiting all nine planets in the solar system and earning 500 points on the Friend League.
