Every Jupiter mission ever

By studying Jupiter we learn about how our solar system formed and evolved, and how countless others in the galaxy and beyond do as well. Jupiter's four planet-like moons have features like volcanoes and subsurface oceans, making Jupiter a miniature Solar System of its own.

Jupiter is not only an interesting scientific destination but also an important waypoint for spacecraft heading further into the Solar System. The gas giant's immense gravity field can provide a boost and trajectory change for spacecraft heading to even further destinations.

Jupiter, the planet with a planetary system of its own

Jupiter, our largest planet, teaches us how planetary systems evolve. Its four planet-like moons make it a planetary system of its own.

Io, Jupiter’s chaotic volcano moon

Io, one of Jupiter's four Galilean moons, is known for its explosivity.

Europa, Jupiter’s possible watery moon

Europa is the sixth-largest moon in the solar system and Jupiter’s fourth-largest satellite.

Active Missions

Juno, NASA’s Jupiter probe

NASA's Juno spacecraft is searching for answers about Jupiter's origins, as well as how the gas giant has changed over time.

Juice, exploring Jupiter’s icy moons

The European Space Agency (ESA) is launching the Juice spacecraft to study Jupiter and its three largest icy moons — Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto.

Future Missions

Europa Clipper, a mission to Jupiter's icy moon

Europa Clipper will help us determine if Jupiter's icy moon Europa could support life.

Past Missions

New Horizons, exploring Pluto and the Kuiper Belt

NASA's New Horizons spacecraft was the first mission to fly past the Kuiper Belt worlds Pluto and Arrokoth.

Cassini, the mission that revealed Saturn

NASA’s Cassini mission orbited Saturn from 2004 to 2017, circling the planet 294 times and teaching us almost everything we know about our ringed neighbor

Galileo
Launch: October 18, 1989
Jupiter probe descent: December 7, 1995
Jupiter orbit insertion: December 8, 1995
Plunge into Jupiter: September 22, 2003
NASA's Galileo was the first spacecraft to orbit Jupiter. It revealed the structure of the planet's magnetic filed and intense radiation belts, made the first detailed maps of Jupiter's major moons, hinted at a possible underground ocean on Europa, sent the first probe to sample a gas planet's atmosphere, and more.