Space probe

Since the 1957 launch of Sputnik scientists have used rockets to launch space probes to explore outer space and the Solar system.^[1]

As of 2026^[update] NASA has launched five probes traveling faster than the Solar system's escape velocity, and their bodies will enter interstellar space in the distant future.

Over the decades since Sputnik probes have grown increasingly sophisticate.

notable space probes
name	launched	destination	notes
Sputnik	1957	low Earth orbit	Was only capable of broadcasting a radio signal, that allowed scientists to confirm it reached orbit.^[1] Its surprise launch triggered massive world-wide interest, and the USA made great efforts to catch up.
Pioneer 10	1972	Jupiter flyby interstellar space	Pioneer 10 was the first space probe to fly past Planet Jupiter, on December 4, 1973.^[2] Pioneer 10's last broadcast was in January 2023, more than 30 years after its launch.^[2]
Pioneer 11	1973	Jupiter flyby Saturn flyby interstellar space	Pioneer 11 was the first space probe to fly past Planet Saturn, on September 1, 1979^[3]
Voyager 1		Jupiter, Saturn, interstellar space
Voyager 2		Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune interstellar space
Parker Solar Probe	2018	Sol environs
Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART)	2021-11-24	Didymos	The DART probe collided with Didymos's smaller companion, Dimorphis, to test the feasibility of changing asteroid's orbits through controlled collisions.^[4]

References

↑ ^1.0 ^1.1 William J. Jordans (1957-10-05). "Soviet Fires Earth Satellite Into Space; It Is Circling the Globe at 18,000 M.P.H.; Sphere Tracked in 4 Crossings Over U.S." The New York Times. Moscow, USSR. Archived from the original on 2019-10-09. Retrieved 2026-06-10. Their real significance would be in providing scientists with important new information concerning the nature of the sun, cosmic radiation, solar radio interference and static-producing phenomena radiating from the north and south magnetic poles. All this information would be of inestimable value for those who are working on the problem of sending missiles and eventually men into the vast reaches of the solar system.
↑ ^2.0 ^2.1 "What was Pioneer 10?". NASA. 2017-12-22. Archived from the original on 2026-06-15. Retrieved 2026-06-22. Pioneer 10 was NASA's first mission to the outer planets. The mission was a spectacular success and the spacecraft notched a series of firsts unmatched by any other robotic spacecraft to date.
↑ "What was Pioneer 11?". NASA. 2017-12-22. Archived from the original on 2026-05-19. Retrieved 2026-06-22. NASA's Pioneer 11, a sister spacecraft to Pioneer 10, was the first spacecraft to study Saturn up close. The mission ended in 1995 and Pioneer 11 is on a trajectory to take it out of the solar system.
↑ "Didymos & Dimorphos". NASA Science. 2020-06-18. Archived from the original on 2026-07-01. Retrieved 2026-07-07. The two asteroids are not a threat to Earth, but because they do pass relatively close to Earth, they were chosen as the target for NASA’s Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) mission – the agency's first mission to test planetary defense technology. This technology could one day be used to deflect hazardous asteroids on a collision course with Earth.

[nytimes1957-10-05-1] 1.0 ^1.1 William J. Jordans (1957-10-05). "Soviet Fires Earth Satellite Into Space; It Is Circling the Globe at 18,000 M.P.H.; Sphere Tracked in 4 Crossings Over U.S." The New York Times. Moscow, USSR. Archived from the original on 2019-10-09. Retrieved 2026-06-10. Their real significance would be in providing scientists with important new information concerning the nature of the sun, cosmic radiation, solar radio interference and static-producing phenomena radiating from the north and south magnetic poles. All this information would be of inestimable value for those who are working on the problem of sending missiles and eventually men into the vast reaches of the solar system.

[NasaPioneer10-2026-06-22-2] 2.0 ^2.1 "What was Pioneer 10?". NASA. 2017-12-22. Archived from the original on 2026-06-15. Retrieved 2026-06-22. Pioneer 10 was NASA's first mission to the outer planets. The mission was a spectacular success and the spacecraft notched a series of firsts unmatched by any other robotic spacecraft to date.

[NasaPioneer-112026-06-22-3] "What was Pioneer 11?". NASA. 2017-12-22. Archived from the original on 2026-05-19. Retrieved 2026-06-22. NASA's Pioneer 11, a sister spacecraft to Pioneer 10, was the first spacecraft to study Saturn up close. The mission ended in 1995 and Pioneer 11 is on a trajectory to take it out of the solar system.

[NasaDidymos2020-06-18-4] "Didymos & Dimorphos". NASA Science. 2020-06-18. Archived from the original on 2026-07-01. Retrieved 2026-07-07. The two asteroids are not a threat to Earth, but because they do pass relatively close to Earth, they were chosen as the target for NASA’s Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) mission – the agency's first mission to test planetary defense technology. This technology could one day be used to deflect hazardous asteroids on a collision course with Earth.

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