List of missions to the outer planets

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A total of nine spacecraft have been launched on missions that involve visits to the outer planets; all nine missions involve encounters with Jupiter, with four spacecraft also visiting Saturn. One spacecraft, Voyager 2, also visited Uranus and Neptune. The nine missions include two, Ulysses and New Horizons, whose primary objectives were not outer planets, but which flew past Jupiter to gain gravity assists en route to a polar orbit around the Sun (Ulysses), and to Pluto (New Horizons). Pluto was considered a planet at the time that New Horizons launched. Cassini–Huygens also flew past Jupiter for a gravity assist on its Mission to explore Saturn.

Only three of the missions to the outer planets have been orbiters: Galileo orbited Jupiter for eight years, while Cassini orbited Saturn for thirteen years. Juno has been orbiting Jupiter since 2016.

Summary[edit]

System
Spacecraft
 Jupiter
Jupiter trojans 		Saturn Uranus
Uranus trojans 		Neptune
Neptune trojans 		Distant
minor planets
Pioneer 10 1973 flyby
Jupiter and moons
Pioneer 11 1974 flyby
Jupiter and moons 		1979 flyby
Saturn and moons
Voyager 1 1979 flyby
Jupiter and moons 		1980 flyby
Saturn and moons
Voyager 2 1979 flyby
Jupiter and moons 		1981 flyby
Saturn and moons 		1986 flyby
Uranus and moons 		1989 flyby
Neptune and moons
Ulysses 1992, 2004 gravity assist
Jupiter
Galileo 1995–2003 orbiter
Jupiter and moons
1995 atmospheric
Jupiter
Cassini–Huygens 2000 gravity assist
Jupiter and moons 		2004–2017 orbiter
Saturn and moons
2005 lander
Titan
New Horizons 2007 gravity assist
Jupiter and moons 		2015 flyby
Pluto and moons
2019 flyby
486958 Arrokoth
Juno 2016–2025 orbiter
Jupiter
Lucy 2027– flyby mission (launched 2021)
3548 Eurybates
15094 Polymele
11351 Leucus
21900 Orus
617 Patroclus
Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer 2031– orbiter mission (launched 2023)
Jupiter and Ganymede

For proposed and planned future missions see: List of proposed Solar System spacecraft

Jupiter[edit]

Main article: Exploration of Jupiter

Eight spacecraft have been launched to explore Jupiter, with two other spacecraft making gravity-assist flybys.

New Horizons, although eventually targeting Pluto, used Jupiter for a gravity assist and had an extensive almost half year observation campaign of Jupiter and its moons (hence it is counted in the eight).[1]

  Gravity assist, destination elsewhere
Mission Spacecraft Launch date Carrier rocket Operator Mission Type Outcome
1 Pioneer 10 (originally Pioneer F) Pioneer 10 3 March 1972[2] Atlas SLV-3C Centaur-D[3] United States NASA Flyby Successful[4]
Humanity's first object to attain Solar system's escape velocity. First probe to traverse the asteroid belt, to reach Jovanian system, to use a gravity assist and to leave the proximity of Solar systems' planets. Held the record for fastest human-made object at the time and the most distant one until Voyager 1 overtook in 1998. Closest approach towards Jupiter was at 02:25 UTC on 4 December 1973. Flew by Callisto, Ganymade, Europa and Io at long distances. Final signal received on 23 January 2003, 12 billion km (80 AU; 7.5 billion mi) from Earth.[5]
2 Pioneer 11 (Pioneer G) Pioneer 11 6 April 1973[2] Atlas SLV-3D Centaur-D1A[3] United States NASA Flyby Successful[6]
Closest approach towards Jupiter at 05:22 UTC on 3 December 1974. Flew by Callisto, Ganymade, Io and Europa . First probe to reach Saturnian system. Final contact was roughly at a distance of 6.5 billion km (43 AU; 4.0 billion mi)[7]
3 Voyager 2 (earlier: Mariner 12) Voyager 2 20 August 1977[2] Titan IIIE Centaur-D1T[8] United States NASA Flyby Successful
Closest approach at 22:29 on 9 July 1979. Flew past Callisto, Ganymade, Europa, Amalthea and Io at long distances. Later flew past Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. Oldest active space probe at 46 years, 9 months, 12 days. Currently studying interstellar medium. At a distance of 136.1 AU (20.4 billion km; 12.7 billion mi) from Earth as of May 2024[9]
4 Voyager 1 (earlier: Mariner 11) Voyager 1 5 September 1977[2] Titan IIIE Centaur-D1T[8] United States NASA Flyby Successful
Closest approach at 12:05 UTC on 5 March 1979. Flew past Amalthea, Europa, Ganymade and Callisto at long distances. Later flew past Saturn. First probe to depart heliosphere and enter interstellar medium. Most distant human-made object at a distance of 162.7 AU (24.3 billion km; 15.1 billion mi) from Earth as of May 2024.[10]
5 Galileo project Galileo 18 October 1989[2] Space Shuttle Atlantis
STS-34 / IUS[11] 		United States NASA Orbiter Successful[12]
Atmopsheric entry probe Atmospheric probe Successful[12]
First probe to enter Jupiter's atmosphere. Entered at 22:04 UTC on 7 December 1995 and operated for 57 minutes; main spacecraft entered orbit at 00:27 UTC on 8 December.[13] Spacecraft was deorbited on 21 September 2003, impacting Jupiter's atmosphere at 18:57:18 UTC.[14]
– Ulysses (earlier: Odysseus) Ulysses 6 October 1990[2] Space Shuttle Discovery
STS-41 / IUS[15] 		United States European Union NASA/ESA Flyby Successful
Flyby on 8 February 1992 to reach a high-inclination heliocentric orbit.[16] Also made a distant incidental flyby on 4 February 2004[17]
– Cassini–Huygens Cassini 15 October 1997[2] Titan IV(401)B Centaur-T[18] United States European Union NASA/ESA Flyby Successful
Huygens lander Successful
Flyby on 30 December 2000 en route to Saturn[19]
6 New Horizons New Horizons 19 January 2006[2] Atlas V 551[20] United States NASA Flyby Successful
Gravity assist.[20] Major observation campaign from Jan-June[1]. Flyby on 28 February 2007 (closest approach at 05:43:40[21]) en route to Pluto[22]. First probe to flyby Plutonian system.
7 Juno (New Frontiers 2) Juno 5 August 2011[2] Atlas V 551[23] United States NASA Orbiter Operational
Entered orbit 4 July 2016. First outer planet explorer probe with solar panels.[24]
8 JUICE JUICE 14 April 2023 Ariane 5 ECA European Union ESA Flyby En route
First interplanetary probe to the outer Solar System planets not launched by the United States and the first set to orbit a moon (Ganymade) other than Earth's Moon.

Saturn[edit]

Main article: Exploration of Saturn

Four spacecraft have visited Saturn; Pioneer 11, Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 made flybys, while Cassini–Huygens entered orbit, and deployed a probe into the atmosphere of Titan.

Mission Spacecraft Launch date Carrier rocket Operator Mission Type Outcome
1 Pioneer 11 (Pioneer G) Pioneer 11 6 April 1973 Atlas SLV-3D Centaur-D1A[3] European Union ESA Flyby Successful
First probe to reach Saturnian system. Closest approach on 1 September 1979 at 16:31 UTC. Flew past Iapetus, Dione, Mimas, Tethys, Enceladus, Rhea and Titan at long distances. Discovered Epimetheus and Janus.[7]
2 Voyager 2 (earlier: Mariner 12) Voyager 2 20 August 1977[2] Titan IIIE Centaur-D1T[8] United States NASA Flyby Successful
Closest approach at 01:21 UTC on 26 August 1981. Flew past Iapetus, Titan, Dione, Mimas, Enceladus, Tethys and Rhea at long distances. Later flew past Uranus and Neptune.[9]
3 Voyager 1 (earlier: Mariner 11) Voyager 1 5 September 1977[2] Titan IIIE Centaur-D1T[8] United States NASA Flyby Successful
Closest approach on 12 November 1980 at 23:45 UTC. Flew past Titan, Tethys, Mimas, Enceladus and Rhea.[10][9]
4 Cassini–Huygens Cassini 15 October 1997[2] Titan IV(401)B Centaur-T[18] United States NASA Orbiter Successful
Huygens European Union ESA Titan lander Successful
Entered orbit 1 July 2004. First probe to orbit Saturn. Discovered seven new moons. Hyugens probe became the first spacecraft to land on Titan with the farthest landing from Earth a spacecraft ever made. It was deployed from Cassini and landed at 10:13 UTC on 14 January 2005. Mission concluded on 15 September 2017.[25]

Uranus[edit]

Main article: Exploration of Uranus

Voyager 2 is the only spacecraft to have visited Uranus, making a single flyby as part of its grand tour of the outer planets.

Mission Spacecraft Launch date Carrier rocket Operator Mission Type Outcome
1 Voyager 2 (earlier: Mariner 12) Voyager 2 20 August 1977[2] Titan IIIE Centaur-D1T[8] United States NASA Flyby Successful
Discovered eleven moons. Flew past Miranda, Ariel, Umbriel, Titania and Oberon. Closest approach at 17:59 UTC on 24 January 1986. Later flew past Neptune.[9]

Neptune[edit]

Main article: Exploration of Neptune

Voyager 2 is the only spacecraft to have visited Neptune, making a single flyby as part of its grand tour of the outer planets.

Mission Spacecraft Launch date Carrier rocket Operator Mission Type Outcome
1 Voyager 2 (earlier: Mariner 12) Voyager 2 20 August 1977[2] Titan IIIE Centaur-D1T[8] United States NASA Flyby Successful
Discovered Neptunian rings and six new moons. Flew past Galatea, Larissa, Proteus and Triton. Closest approach at 03:26 UTC on 25 August 1989[9]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b NASA Jupiter Press Kit (pdf)
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n McDowell, Jonathan. "Launch Log". Jonathan's Space Page. Retrieved 6 January 2013.
  3. ^ a b c Krebs, Gunter. "Pioneer 10, 11, H". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 6 January 2013.
  4. ^ "Solar System Exploration - Pioneer 10". NASA. Archived from the original on 15 August 2004. Retrieved 6 January 2013.
  5. ^ "Solar System Exploration - Pioneer 10". NASA. Archived from the original on 23 June 2010. Retrieved 6 January 2013.
  6. ^ "Solar System Exploration - Pioneer 11". NASA. Archived from the original on 1 January 2004. Retrieved 6 January 2013.
  7. ^ a b "Solar System Exploration - Pioneer 11". NASA. Archived from the original on 14 June 2015. Retrieved 6 January 2013.
  8. ^ a b c d e f Krebs, Gunter. "Voyager 1, 2". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 6 January 2013.
  9. ^ a b c d e "Solar System Exploration - Voyager 2". NASA. Archived from the original on 14 June 2015. Retrieved 6 January 2013.
  10. ^ a b "Solar System Exploration - Voyager 1". NASA. Archived from the original on 15 August 2004. Retrieved 6 January 2013.
  11. ^ Krebs, Gunter. "Galileo". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 6 January 2013.
  12. ^ a b "Solar System Exploration - Galileo". NASA. Archived from the original on 24 February 2004. Retrieved 6 January 2013.
  13. ^ "Solar System Exploration - Galileo". NASA. Archived from the original on 24 February 2004. Retrieved 6 January 2013.
  14. ^ "Solar System Exploration - Galileo - Dates". NASA. Archived from the original on 24 February 2004. Retrieved 6 January 2013.
  15. ^ Krebs, Gunter. "Ulyssees". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 6 January 2013.
  16. ^ "Solar System Exploration - Ulysses". NASA. Archived from the original on 17 February 2013. Retrieved 6 January 2013.
  17. ^ "Ulysses - Encounter Trajectory". NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Archived from the original on 16 February 2013. Retrieved 6 January 2013.
  18. ^ a b Krebs, Gunter. "Cassini". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 6 January 2013.
  19. ^ "Solar System Exploration - Cassini - Dates". NASA. Archived from the original on 15 August 2004. Retrieved 6 January 2013.
  20. ^ a b Krebs, Gunter. "New Horizons". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 6 January 2013.
  21. ^ Muller, Daniel. "New Horizons Full Mission Timeline". Retrieved 6 January 2013.
  22. ^ "New Horizons targets Jupiter kick". BBC News. 19 January 2007. Retrieved 6 January 2013.
  23. ^ Krebs, Gunter. "Juno (New Frontiers 2)". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 6 January 2013.
  24. ^ Amos, Jonathan (4 July 2016). "Juno probe enters into orbit around Jupiter". BBC News. Retrieved 5 July 2016.
  25. ^ "Solar System Exploration - Cassini". NASA. Archived from the original on 1 January 2004. Retrieved 6 January 2013.
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