Outer Solar System
Reaching the least-explored worlds — an orbiter for an ice giant, and a probe designed to travel deliberately beyond the heliosphere into interstellar space.
In brief
Missions to the ice giants and beyond.
Missions in this theme
- Interstellar ProbeMission conceptConcept · Concept study; no launch date
A concept for a purpose-built successor to the Voyagers — a spacecraft designed from the start to reach deep interstellar space and study the boundary between the Sun's influence and the galaxy beyond.
- Uranus Orbiter and ProbeMission conceptProposed · Concept; potential launch in the 2030s
The flagship mission recommended to become the next great outer-planets endeavour — a first dedicated orbiter for an ice giant, to explore Uranus, its tilted magnetosphere, its rings, and its moons.
Knowledge connections
- Group includesUranus Orbiter and Probe
- Group includesInterstellar Probe
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.