Future Missions:

Prometheus    This future mission will orbit three planet-sized moons of Jupiter -- Callisto, Ganymede and Europa -- to make extensive investigations of their makeup, their history and their potential for sustaining life.

Proposed Launch:  No earlier than 2015

Past Encounters:

Voyager Project    The twin spacecraft Voyager 1 and 2 flew by and observed Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. Both craft are now heading out of the solar system. In 1998, Voyager 1 became the most distant human-made object in space.	Voyager 1 Launch: Voyager 2 Launch:  September 5, 1977  Aug. 20, 1977   Voyager 1 Flyby: Voyager 2 Flyby:  March 5, 1979  July 9, 1979
Ulysses    A joint project between NASA and the European Space Agency, the Ulysses spacecraft was carried into Earth orbit aboard the Space Shuttle Discover and then it was propelled toward Jupiter. The giant planet's gravity helped direct the craft's flight path into a final orbit around the Sun, where it is studying the Sun's north and south poles.	Launch Date:  October 6, 1990
Galileo    Upon arrival at Jupiter in December 1995, the Galileo spacecraft delivered a probe that descended into the giant planet's atmosphere. The orbiter also completed many flybys of Jupiter's major moons, reaping a variety of science discoveries. In December 2000, Galileo paired up with the Cassini spacecraft, passing Jupiter en route to Saturn, to conduct joint studies of Jupiter and its system. It is unusual in the history of robotic exploration to have two spacecraft--on separate missions--observing the same planet at once. The Galileo mission ended on Sept. 21, 2003, when the spacecraft plunged into Jupiter's atmosphere.	Galileo Launch: Cassini Flyby:  October 18, 1989 December 30, 2000