Spacecraft exploration of Jupiter began with a flyby in 1973 and grew into long-term orbital studies of the planet and its moons. The missions below are a selective chronology: they show what Pioneer, Voyager, Galileo and Juno discovered, and what Europa Clipper is designed to investigate. The list is not an inventory of every spacecraft that has observed Jupiter.
What missions have gone to Jupiter?
Jupiter exploration has used different kinds of missions for different questions. Pioneer 10 and the Voyager probes flew past the planet; Galileo and Juno studied it from orbit. Europa Clipper, launched in 2024, is planned to make repeated close passes of Europa while orbiting Jupiter. Those approaches are not interchangeable: flybys offer brief encounters, while orbiters can build a longer view of a planet or system.
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| Mission | Mission type and main target | What it added or is intended to investigate |
|---|---|---|
| Pioneer 10 | Flyby; Jupiter | Opened spacecraft exploration of Jupiter. NASA’s Jupiter Exploration overview |
| Voyager 1 and 2 | Flybys; Jupiter and its system | Revealed, among other findings, Io’s active volcanism and Jupiter’s rings. NASA’s Voyager fact sheet; NASA’s Jupiter facts |
| Galileo | Orbiter; Jupiter and its moons | Studied the Jovian system over several years, including evidence for an ocean beneath Europa’s ice. NASA/JPL’s Galileo mission page |
| Juno | Orbiter; Jupiter | Investigates Jupiter’s origin and evolution, magnetic field, deep atmosphere and auroras. NASA’s Juno page |
| Europa Clipper | Planned repeated moon flybys; Europa, from orbit around Jupiter | Will assess whether conditions below Europa’s surface could support life. NASA’s Europa Clipper page |
Ten interesting facts about Jupiter missions
1. Galileo observed Jupiter before spacecraft did
In 1610, Galileo Galilei made the first detailed observations of Jupiter using a small telescope, according to NASA’s account of Jupiter exploration. His observations belong to the history of studying the planet, not to the spacecraft mission timeline.
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Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →2. Pioneer 10 opened the spacecraft era at Jupiter
Pioneer 10 launched in March 1972 and reached Jupiter in 1973. NASA describes it as the first spacecraft to explore Jupiter and its first spacecraft to visit the outer planets. Its encounter marked the start of close-up spacecraft exploration of the giant planet. NASA: Jupiter Exploration
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3. Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 flew past Jupiter in 1979
The two Voyager spacecraft made their closest approaches months apart: Voyager 1 on March 5, 1979, and Voyager 2 on July 9, 1979. These were flybys, not extended orbital studies. NASA’s Voyager fact sheet
4. Voyager found active volcanoes on Io
Voyager revealed active volcanism on Io, one of Jupiter’s moons. NASA’s Voyager fact sheet calls it the greatest unexpected discovery of the Jupiter encounters. It showed that the Jovian system was not merely a collection of distant, quiet worlds. NASA’s Voyager fact sheet
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5. Voyager 1 discovered Jupiter’s rings
Jupiter’s rings were another surprise from Voyager 1’s 1979 encounter. They consist of small, dark particles and are difficult to see unless sunlight backlights them. Their faintness helps explain why a major feature of the planet had escaped earlier notice. NASA’s Jupiter facts
6. Galileo became the first spacecraft to orbit Jupiter
Galileo launched on October 18, 1989, and arrived in the Jovian system in December 1995. Unlike a passing probe, it remained in orbit and studied Jupiter and its moons over an extended mission. NASA/JPL’s Galileo mission page
7. Galileo found evidence for an ocean beneath Europa’s ice
Galileo gathered evidence that Europa has a saltwater ocean beneath its icy surface. That is evidence for an ocean, not evidence of life. The mission also investigated Io’s volcanic activity and Ganymede’s internally generated magnetic field. NASA/JPL’s Galileo mission page
8. Galileo ended with a deliberate plunge into Jupiter
On September 21, 2003, NASA/JPL directed Galileo into Jupiter’s atmosphere. The controlled end of the mission prevented the spacecraft from accidentally striking Europa, whose environment scientists wanted to protect from possible contamination by the aging probe. NASA/JPL’s Galileo mission page
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9. Juno studies Jupiter from orbit
Juno launched on August 5, 2011, and entered orbit around Jupiter on July 4, 2016. NASA lists its objectives as investigating Jupiter’s origin and evolution, magnetic field, deep-atmosphere water and ammonia, and auroras. These questions focus on how the planet works, rather than on a single moon. NASA’s Juno page
10. Europa Clipper will assess habitability, not search directly for life
Europa Clipper launched on October 14, 2024. NASA’s stated mission plan is for it to reach Jupiter in April 2030 and make 49 close flybys of Europa. The spacecraft will investigate whether places beneath Europa’s surface could have conditions suitable for life; it is not a mission designed to detect life itself. The arrival date and flyby count are planned figures and may change. NASA’s Europa Clipper page
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Pioneer and Voyager provided landmark encounters during brief flybys. Galileo then spent years studying Jupiter and its moons, linking the planet’s exploration to Europa’s hidden ocean and Io’s volcanism. Juno’s orbital work concentrates on Jupiter’s interior, atmosphere, magnetic field and auroras. Europa Clipper extends the moon-focused thread: its planned repeated passes are intended to examine Europa’s potential habitability, not to confirm that life exists.
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