Cassini flew by Jupiter in 2000 on its journey to Saturn.
The Cassini spacecraft made its closest approach to Jupiter on December 30, 2000, passing about 9.7 million kilometers from the giant planet. The encounter used Jupiter’s gravity to help shape the spacecraft’s trajectory toward Saturn, where Cassini would arrive in 2004.
Although Cassini was designed primarily for Saturn, the flyby became a valuable science opportunity. Its instruments studied Jupiter’s atmosphere, magnetosphere, radiation environment, rings, and moons. Cassini also produced exceptionally detailed images of Jupiter, including a global color portrait with visible features roughly 60 kilometers across.
Cassini was launched in 1997 as a joint NASA, European Space Agency, and Italian Space Agency mission. After reaching Saturn, it spent 13 years studying the planet and its moons, including Titan and Enceladus. The mission ended on September 15, 2017, when the spacecraft was deliberately sent into Saturn’s atmosphere.