There is no close-up image of Galileo. The 3D model shows an artist’s impression.

Space probe

Galileo

Galileo was a space probe that circled Jupiter for eight years. It found out that there could be a sea under the ice of the moon Europa.

▶ View Galileo in the 3D model

Fact file

Type: Space probe
Launch: 18 October 1989
End of mission: 21 September 2003

Interesting facts about Galileo

Galileo was the first probe to orbit a planet of the outer region – Jupiter, for eight years.
Along the way it discovered the first moon of an asteroid: Dactyl, the tiny companion of Ida.
It provided the first evidence of an ocean beneath the ice of Europa.

Frequently asked questions about Galileo

When was Galileo launched?

The mission began on 18 October 1989. It ended on 21 September 2003.

Which celestial bodies has Galileo visited?

Galileo visited Venus and Jupiter. All milestones with their dates are listed further down this page.

The mission

A NASA mission named after Galileo Galilei, who had discovered Jupiter's four large moons in 1610. It was launched by the Space Shuttle Atlantis.

Technology and flight

In 1995 a small daughter probe dropped into Jupiter's atmosphere on a parachute and radioed back measurements for almost an hour before it was crushed.

Discoveries

In 1994 Galileo watched live as the fragments of comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 crashed into Jupiter.

For comparison

Because its large antenna was stuck, it had to send all its data through a small back-up antenna – at the speed of an old telephone modem.

Mission milestones

18 October 1989Launch at Earth
Launch on board the Space Shuttle Atlantis.
10 February 1990Venus at Venus
Swing-by of Venus.
8 December 1990Earth (1) at Earth
First swing-by of Earth.
29 October 1991Asteroid Gaspra
The first close-up of an asteroid ever.
8 December 1992Earth (2) at Earth
Second swing-by of Earth.
28 August 1993Ida and Dactyl
Flyby of the asteroid Ida – with the discovery of its small moon Dactyl.
16 July 1994Comet impact
Galileo is the only one to see directly how the fragments of comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 plunge into Jupiter.
7 December 1995Arrival at Jupiter at Jupiter
Galileo enters orbit around Jupiter, and the daughter probe plunges into the atmosphere.
21 September 2003Deliberate crash
Galileo is steered into Jupiter so that it can never crash onto the ocean moon Europa and contaminate it.

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