Pioneer 10 Pioneer 10 Pioneer 10 (originally designated Pioneer F) is an American space probe, launched in 1972 and weighing , that completed the first mission to the planet Jupiter. Thereafter, "Pioneer 10" became the first of five artificial objects to achieve the escape velocity that will allow them to leave the Solar System. This space exploration project was conducted by the NASA Ames Research Center in California, and the space probe was manufactured by TRW Inc. "Pioneer 10" was assembled around a hexagonal bus with a diameter parabolic dish high-gain antenna, and the spacecraft was spin stabilized around the axis of
Exploration of Jupiter a European "Jovian Europa Orbiter" mission were also studied, but were superseded by the "Europa Jupiter System Mission". The "Europa Jupiter System Mission" (EJSM) was a joint NASA/ESA proposal for exploration of Jupiter and its moons. In February 2009 it was announced that both space agencies had given this mission priority ahead of the "Titan Saturn System Mission". The proposal included a launch date of around 2020 and consists of the NASA-led "Jupiter Europa Orbiter", and the ESA-led "Jupiter Ganymede Orbiter". ESA's contribution had encountered funding competition from other ESA projects. However, the "Jupiter Europa Orbiter" (JEO), NASA's contribution, was