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Montage of planets and some moons that the two Voyager spacecraft have visited and studied. It is the only program that visited all four outer planets.

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, but was reclassified as a dwarf planet. 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

Summary of missions to the outer planets and beyond.

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

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.

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 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

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 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]

Pluto and trans-Neptunian objects

New Horizons is the only spacecraft that visited dwarf planet Pluto (in 2015) and the trans-Neptunian object 486958 Arrokoth (in 2019).

Mission Spacecraft Launch date Carrier rocket Operator Mission Type Outcome
1 New Horizons New Horizons 19 January 2006 Atlas V (551) AV-010 + Star 48B 3rd stage United States NASA Flyby Successful
Flew by Pluto in July 2015, flew past Arrokoth on 1 January 2019.

Statistics

Major milestones

Legend

  Milestone achieved
  Milestone not achieved
  En route
First to achieve

Planets
Country/Agency Jupiter Saturn Uranus Neptune
Flyby Orbit Artmospheric entry Flyby Orbit Artmospheric entry Flyby Flyby
United States United States Pioneer 10, 1973 Galileo, 1995 Atmospheric probe, 1995 Pioneer 11, 1979 Cassini, 2004 Cassini, 2017 † Voyager 2, 1986 Voyager 2, 1989 †
ESA Ulysses, 1992
Galilean moons
Country/Agency Ganymede Callisto Io Europa
Flyby Orbit Flyby Flyby Flyby
United States United States Pioneer 10, 1973 Pioneer 10, 1973 † Pioneer 10, 1973 † Pioneer 10, 1973 †
ESA Juice, TBD 2034 Juice, TBD 2034
Major Saturnian moons
Country/Agency Titan Rhea Iapetus Dione Tethys Enceladus Mimas
Flyby Orbit Lander Flyby Flyby Flyby Flyby Flyby Flyby
United States United States Pioneer 11, 1979 Pioneer 11, 1979 † Pioneer 11, 1979 † Pioneer 11, 1979 † Pioneer 11, 1979 † Pioneer 11, 1979 † Pioneer 11, 1979 †
ESA Huygens, 2005

Future missions

Mission Spacecraft Launch date Carrier rocket Operator
Planned missions
Dragonfly Dragonfly TBD July 2028 TBD United States NASA
Titan robotic rotorcraft
Tianwen-4 Tianwen-4 TBD September 2029 TBD China CNSA
Uranus flyby probe
Jupiter and Callisto orbiter; Flyby past Uranus with mission extension planned for interstellar journey
Proposed missions
IM-1 Shensuo TBD 2024 TBD China CNSA
Interstellar heliospheric probe with Jovian gravity assist; planned flybys of Jupiter and 50000 Quaoar
IM-2 Shensuo TBD 2024 TBD China CNSA
Interstellar heliospheric probe with Jovian gravity assist; planned flybys of Jupiter, Neptune, Triton and a Kuiper belt object
Uranus Orbiter and Probe Uranus orbiter NET 2031 Falcon Heavy (expendable) United States NASA
Uranus probe
Uranus orbiter after a flyby of Jupiter; Uranus atmospheric probe
Enceladus Orbilander Enceladus Orbilander NET 2038 United States NASA
Enceladus orbiter/lander

See also

References

  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.
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  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.
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  10. ^ a b "Solar System Exploration - Voyager 1". NASA. Archived from the original on 15 August 2004. Retrieved 6 January 2013.
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  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.
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  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.
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  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.
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