Galileo
About this mission
Galileo di Vincenzo Bonaiuti de' Galilei, commonly referred to as Galileo Galilei, was an Italian astronomer, physicist, and engineer, sometimes described as a polymath. He was born in the city of Pisa, then part of the Duchy of Florence. Galileo has been called the father of observational astronomy, modern-era classical physics, the scientific method, and modern science.
The mission lasted 13.4 years — 4,897 days from launch to end of operations.
Launched 36 years ago, this mission shaped how we design spacecraft today.
Timeline
Galileo orbiter + atmospheric probe — 3D Model
Procedural representation based on spacecraft class. Not to scale.
Other missions to Jupiter
JUICE
ESA's flagship mission to Jupiter, bound for orbital insertion in 2031. Will perform 35 close flybys of Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto before settling into orbit around Ganymede in 2034 — the first spacecraft to orbit a moon of another planet.
Juno
Orbiting Jupiter since 2016, probing beneath the cloud tops to study the gas giant's interior structure, magnetic field, and polar aurora.