Exploration of Uranus

The exploration of Uranus has only happened through telescopes and one spacecraft, NASA's Voyager 2. On January 24, 1986, Voyager 2 flew by Uranus and gave scientists their first close look at this distant planet. During its flyby, Voyager 2 discovered 10 new moons, studied the planet's cold atmosphere, and examined its ring system. The spacecraft found two new rings and took pictures of Uranus's five large moons.

Many ideas for new missions to Uranus have been suggested, but as of April 2026, none of these missions have been chosen to fly. Scientists are still planning and hoping to learn more about this mysterious planet and its moons in the future.

Voyager 2

Main article: Voyager 2

Voyager 2 flew by Uranus on January 24, 1986. It came within 81,500 km of the planet. This was the first time the spacecraft visited a planet alone. Its twin sister, Voyager 1 , had already finished its journey at Saturn’s moon Titan.

The probe showed us many secrets about Uranus. It discovered that the planet is tilted on its side. Voyager 2 also found ten new moons. At that time, this brought the total number of moons to fifteen. The spacecraft studied Uranus’s rings and found two new ones. This showed that the ring system might be young and different from those around Jupiter and Saturn.

Proposed missions

See also: List of missions to the outer planets

Scientists have suggested many trips to Uranus. In 2010, 120 scientists from around the world supported a trip called Uranus Pathfinder. In 2009, NASA thought about sending a spacecraft with solar power to orbit Uranus. This trip could have started in 2018.

Other ideas include using a big rocket called the Space Launch System or an electric sail to get to Uranus. In 2015, NASA looked at trips to Uranus and Neptune. Europe planned a trip called MUSE to launch in 2026 and arrive in 2044. China also plans to send a trip called Tianwen-4 to Uranus in 2045.