List of missions to the 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. 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 of missions to the outer Solar System

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Table
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

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]

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Timeline
Spacecraft	Launch date	Operator	Mission	Outcome	Remarks	Carrier rocket
Pioneer 10	3 March 1972^[2]	NASA United States	Flyby	Successful^[3]	Closest approach at 02:25 UTC on 4 December 1973^[4]	Atlas SLV-3C Centaur-D^[5]
Pioneer 11	6 April 1973^[2]	NASA United States	Flyby	Successful^[6]	Closest approach at 05:22 UTC on 3 December 1974, later flew past Saturn^[7]	Atlas SLV-3D Centaur-D1A^[5]
Voyager 2	20 August 1977^[2]	NASA United States	Flyby	Successful	Closest approach at 22:29 on 9 July 1979, later flew past Saturn, Uranus and Neptune^[8]	Titan IIIE Centaur-D1T^[9]
Voyager 1	5 September 1977^[2]	NASA United States	Flyby	Successful	Closest approach at 12:05 UTC on 5 March 1979, later flew past Saturn^[10]	Titan IIIE Centaur-D1T^[9]
Galileo	18 October 1989^[2]	NASA United States	Orbiter/Atmospheric	Successful^[11]	Atmospheric probe entered atmosphere at 22:04 UTC on 7 December 1995 and operated for 57 minutes; main spacecraft entered orbit at 00:27 UTC on 8 December.^[12] Spacecraft was deorbited on 21 September 2003, impacting Jupiter's atmosphere at 18:57:18 UTC.^[13]	Space Shuttle Atlantis STS-34 / IUS^[14]
Ulysses	6 October 1990^[2]	NASA United States / ESA	Gravity assist	Successful	Flyby on 8 February 1992 to reach a high-inclination heliocentric orbit.^[15] Also made a distant incidental flyby on 4 February 2004^[16]	Space Shuttle Discovery STS-41 / IUS^[17]
Cassini–Huygens	15 October 1997^[2]	NASA United States / ESA	Gravity assist	Successful	Flyby on 30 December 2000 en route to Saturn^[18]	Titan IV(401)B Centaur-T^[19]
New Horizons	19 January 2006^[2]	NASA United States	Gravity assist^[20] Major observation campaign from Jan-June^[1]	Successful	Flyby on 28 February 2007 (closest approach at 05:43:40^[21]) en route to Pluto^[22]	Atlas V 551^[20]
Juno	5 August 2011^[2]	NASA United States	Orbiter of Jupiter	Operational	Entered orbit 4 July 2016^[23]	Atlas V 551^[24]
JUICE	14 April 2023	ESA	Orbiter of Jupiter Orbiter of Ganymede	En route		Ariane 5 ECA

Missions whose primary objectives were not related to the exploration of Jupiter are indicated in grey

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.

Timeline
Spacecraft	Launch date	Operator	Mission	Outcome	Remarks	Carrier rocket
Pioneer 11	6 April 1973^[2]	NASA United States	Flyby	Successful	Closest approach on 1 September 1979 at 16:31 UTC^[7]	Atlas SLV-3D Centaur-D1A^[5]
Voyager 2	20 August 1977^[2]	NASA United States	Flyby	Successful	Closest approach at 01:21 UTC on 26 August 1981, later flew past Uranus and Neptune^[8]	Titan IIIE Centaur-D1T^[9]
Voyager 1	5 September 1977^[2]	NASA United States	Flyby	Successful	Closest approach on 12 November 1980 at 23:45 UTC^[10]	Titan IIIE Centaur-D1T^[9]
Cassini	15 October 1997^[2]	NASA United States	Orbiter	Successful	Entered orbit 1 July 2004; mission concluded on 15 September 2017^[25]	Titan IV(401)B Centaur-T^[19]
Huygens	15 October 1997^[2]	ESA / ASI Italy	Titan lander	Successful	Deployed from Cassini; landed on Titan at 10:13 UTC on 14 January 2005	Titan IV(401)B Centaur-T^[19]

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.

Timeline
Spacecraft	Launch date	Operator	Mission	Outcome	Remarks	Carrier rocket
Voyager 2	20 August 1977^[2]	NASA United States	Flyby	Successful	Closest approach at 17:59 UTC on 24 January 1986, later flew past Neptune^[8]	Titan IIIE Centaur-D1T^[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.

Timeline
Spacecraft	Launch date	Operator	Mission	Outcome	Remarks	Carrier rocket
Voyager 2	20 August 1977^[2]	NASA United States	Flyby	Successful	Closest approach at 03:26 UTC on 25 August 1989^[8]	Titan IIIE Centaur-D1T^[9]

References

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

[presskit-1] NASA Jupiter Press Kit (pdf)

[LL-2] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m ⁿ ^o ^p McDowell, Jonathan. "Launch Log". Jonathan's Space Page. Retrieved 6 January 2013.

[3] "Solar System Exploration - Pioneer 10". NASA. Archived from the original on 15 August 2004. Retrieved 6 January 2013.

[4] "Solar System Exploration - Pioneer 10". NASA. Archived from the original on 23 June 2010. Retrieved 6 January 2013.

[GSP-P10-5] Krebs, Gunter. "Pioneer 10, 11, H". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 6 January 2013.

[6] "Solar System Exploration - Pioneer 11". NASA. Archived from the original on 1 January 2004. Retrieved 6 January 2013.

[NASA-P11-7] "Solar System Exploration - Pioneer 11". NASA. Archived from the original on 14 June 2015. Retrieved 6 January 2013.

[NASA-V2-8] "Solar System Exploration - Voyager 2". NASA. Archived from the original on 14 June 2015. Retrieved 6 January 2013.

[GSP-Voy-9] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Krebs, Gunter. "Voyager 1, 2". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 6 January 2013.

[NASA-V1-10] "Solar System Exploration - Voyager 1". NASA. Archived from the original on 15 August 2004. Retrieved 6 January 2013.

[NASA-GR-11] "Solar System Exploration - Galileo". NASA. Archived from the original on 24 February 2004. Retrieved 6 January 2013.

[NASA-G-12] "Solar System Exploration - Galileo". NASA. Archived from the original on 24 February 2004. Retrieved 6 January 2013.

[NASA-GT-13] "Solar System Exploration - Galileo - Dates". NASA. Archived from the original on 24 February 2004. Retrieved 6 January 2013.

[14] Krebs, Gunter. "Galileo". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 6 January 2013.

[15] "Solar System Exploration - Ulysses". NASA. Archived from the original on 17 February 2013. Retrieved 6 January 2013.

[16] "Ulysses - Encounter Trajectory". NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Archived from the original on 16 February 2013. Retrieved 6 January 2013.

[17] Krebs, Gunter. "Ulyssees". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 6 January 2013.

[NASA-CASST-18] "Solar System Exploration - Cassini - Dates". NASA. Archived from the original on 15 August 2004. Retrieved 6 January 2013.

[GSP-Cass-19] Krebs, Gunter. "Cassini". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 6 January 2013.

[GSP-NH-20] 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] Amos, Jonathan (4 July 2016). "Juno probe enters into orbit around Jupiter". BBC News. Retrieved 5 July 2016.

[24] Krebs, Gunter. "Juno (New Frontiers 2)". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 6 January 2013.

[NASA-CASS-25] "Solar System Exploration - Cassini". NASA. Archived from the original on 1 January 2004. Retrieved 6 January 2013.

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v t e Space missions by destination
Planets	Mercury Venus Mars Outer planets Jupiter Saturn Uranus Neptune
Others	The Sun The Moon lunar probes Minor planets Comets
Orbiters	Extraterrestrial orbiters Mars orbiters Objects in heliocentric orbit

v t e Spacecraft missions to Jupiter
Flybys	Pioneer program Pioneer 10 11^‡ Voyager program Voyager 1^‡ 2^‡ Ulysses^‡ Cassini–Huygens^‡ New Horizons^‡
Orbiters	Galileo Juno (active)
Atmospheric probes	Galileo Probe
En route	Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (JUICE) (2023, insertion 2031) Europa Clipper (2024, insertion 2030)
Planned missions	Tianwen-4 (2029, insertion 2035)
Proposed missions	Shensuo^‡ (2020s) Europa Lander (2025) Interstellar Probe^‡ (2036)
Cancelled or not developed	Argo Europa Jupiter System Mission-Laplace Jupiter Europa Orbiter Jupiter Ganymede Orbiter Jupiter Magnetospheric Orbiter Europa Orbiter FIRE Innovative Interstellar Explorer Io Volcano Observer Jovian Europa Orbiter Jupiter Icy Moons Orbiter Laplace-P New Horizons 2 OKEANOS Pioneer H SMARA Trident Tsiolkovsky mission
Related topics	Exploration of Jupiter Atmosphere of Jupiter Magnetosphere of Jupiter Moons of Jupiter Io Exploration Europa Ganymede Callisto Rings of Jupiter Deep Space Network Missions to outer planets Colonization of the outer Solar System
Missions are ordered by launch date. Sign ^† indicates failure en route or before intended mission data returned. ^‡ indicates use of the planet as a gravity assist en route to another destination.