Space Probes | The Planets And Beyond 🛰

Man’s Interplanetary Explorers!

There are many destinations that space probes can venture too, one of the more interesting is to visit and study the Planets of the solar system! These missions may take years to complete as some planets are very very far away so take a long to time to reach. After travelling through interplanetary space, the probe may enter orbit or simply flyby and continue, leaving the solar system behind, and eventually enter interstellar space!

Cool Space Probes Dispatched To The Far Reaches Of The Solar System!!

Below you can check out some of mankind’s most successful planetary explorers launched by various space agencies like NASA, the European Space Agency and Roscosmos. At any one point, there are about a dozen active space probes in deep space with the future promising many more exciting missions!

Planet Mercury

• The trailblazing Mariner 10 spacecraft – the first to visit Mercury!
• The Messenger mission that studied Mercury up close from orbit!
• The European Space Agencies first mission to Mercury; the BepiColombo mission.

Planet Venus

• The Mariner missions including the first ever interplanetary mission!
• Magical Magellan, sent to orbit Venus and map its surface through its thick haze

Mars - The Red Planet

• The Mariner missions – Mars’ first Earthy visitors!
• A 2001 Odyssey to orbit Mars
• MARVEN – sent to study the Martian atmosphere
• The powerful ‘eye in the sky’ orbiting Mars – The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO)
• Check out these cool Martian Landers and Rovers – Viking 1&2, Sojourner Rover, Spirit, Opportunity, Curiosity and Mars 2020!

The Gas Giant Planet Jupiter

• The pioneering deep space missions - Pioneer 10 & 11
• One of the most epic space missions of all time - Voyager 1
• Voyager 2's incredible mission to the Gas & Ice Giants of the outer solar system
• The Galileo mission which became the first probe to orbit the giant planet
• The Juno probe - the solar-powered polar orbiter!

The Spectacular Ringed Planet Saturn

• Pioneer 10 & 11
• Voyager 1
• Voyager 2
• The truly incredible Cassini spacecraft!

Planet Uranus, A Planet On Its Back

• Voyager 2

Planet Neptune, The Deep Blue Ice Giant

• Voyager 2

The Dwarf Planet Formally Known As ‘Planet Pluto’

• The revealing deep space New Horizons mission