Missions to Neptune

Only one space mission has ever flown by Neptune, the Voyager 2. Launched in 1973, actually sixteen days before the Voyager 1, the probe passed by Jupiter, Saturn, and Uranus, finally reaching Neptune twelve years after its launch. Despite a problem with its radio system, Voyager 2 was a very successful launch. All of its experiments acquired useful and interesting information; no equipment malfunctioned. Some of the most important Neptunian discoveries of Voyager 2 are:

Neptune's highly inclined magnetosphere
Six satellites (moons)
Auroral zones
Two new rings circling the planet
Storms were discovered, particularly the Great Dark Spot

Summary of Past Missions

Mission	Country	Launch Date	Arrival Date	Type	Mission Details
Voyager 2	USA	August 20, 1977	August 25, 1989	Flyby	10,000 images Spectrometric analysis Now traveling outside the Solar System