Pioneer 11
Mission overview
Pioneer 11 flew past Jupiter and became the first spacecraft to encounter Saturn.
Mission data
Identity and engineering data from Wikidata (type-verified match · Q59113) · launch date 1973-04-06 confirmed
| International designator | 1973-019A | Wikidata · catalogued |
| Operator | Ames Research Center | Wikidata · catalogued |
| Manufacturer | TRW Inc. | Wikidata · catalogued |
| Launch mass | 259 kg | Wikidata · catalogued |
Full field-level provenance
- International designator: Wikidata (Wikimedia Foundation) — community-curated structured knowledge base · Wikidata · wdt · P247 · catalogued value · retrieved 2026-07-11
- Operator: Wikidata (Wikimedia Foundation) — community-curated structured knowledge base · Wikidata · wdt · P137 · catalogued value · retrieved 2026-07-11
- Manufacturer: Wikidata (Wikimedia Foundation) — community-curated structured knowledge base · Wikidata · wdt · P176 · catalogued value · retrieved 2026-07-11
- Launch mass: Wikidata (Wikimedia Foundation) — community-curated structured knowledge base · Wikidata · wdt · P2067 · catalogued value · retrieved 2026-07-11
Sourced from Wikidata (community-maintained structured data, whose statements link to their own citations where provided); each value carries its Wikidata QID. A field with conflicting Wikidata values is omitted. Launch date is used only to cross-check the catalogue, never to override it. Fields Wikidata did not provide, or where conflicting values exist, are omitted, never invented.
Outcome & discoveries
Returned the first close observations of Saturn and its rings.
Mission profile
Knowledge connections
- Operated byNASA
- Part of programPioneer program
- Mission targetJupiter
- Mission targetSaturn
Related missions
| Mission | Type | Agency | Launch | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pioneer 10Jupiter | Flyby | NASA | 1972-03-02 | Completed |
Sources
The primary and reference sources this topic draws on.
- NASANational Aeronautics and Space Administration
Mission data, planetary science, space telescopes, and public-domain imagery.
Most NASA-produced imagery is in the public domain; individual items are checked for usage terms before publication.