Just over half a century ago in 1972, NASA’s craft, Pioneer 10, launched into space. It crossed the orbit of Saturn in 1976 and the orbit of Uranus in 1979. On June 13, 1983, the craft crossed the orbit of Neptune, the outermost planet, and so became the first human-made craft to leave the proximity of the major planets of the solar system and enter interstellar space.

To this day, Pioneer 10 is considered one of the most successful spacecraft of all time. Designed for deep-space exploration, which at the time of its launch in 1972 meant pretty much anything beyond the moon. Pioneer 10 achieved a number of firsts while sending back valuable data along the way. Among the milestones:

• Following liftoff, Pioneer 10 achieved a breakaway speed of 32,400 mph, making it the fastest human-made object to leave the Earth. It shot past the moon in a mere 11 hours and crossed Mars’ orbit in just 12 weeks. By the time it reached Jupiter on Dec. 3, 1973, Pioneer 10 was moving along at a crisp 82,000 mph.
• On July 12, 1972, Pioneer 10 became the first spacecraft to pass through the asteroid belt. NASA described this as a “spectacular achievement” and, considering that asteroids the size of Alaska hurtle through the belt at 45,000 mph, there’s no reason to dispute the claim.
• Upon reaching Jupiter, Pioneer 10 sent back the first direct observations and close-up images of the solar system’s largest planet. It was data from Pioneer 10 that confirmed that Jupiter is mostly a liquid planet.
• After clearing Pluto’s orbit (considered the boundary of the planetary solar system in the decades before astronomers decided Pluto isn’t really a planet), Pioneer 10 continued to send back valuable data regarding solar wind, until its scientific mission ended in 1997

Although lost to contact forever, Pioneer 10 continues its endless journey through interstellar space. It’s headed in the general direction of Aldebaran, the brightest star in constellation Taurus, forming the bull’s eye. According to NASA, it will take about 2 million ‘earth years’ for Pioneer 10 to reach Taurus.

So Pioneer 10’s mission, originally intended to go 21 months, lasted 25 years!

This forward-thinking and inspiring feat underpins the philosophy of global digital communications collective, P10 Group. We were born with the name Pioneer 10, taking NASA’s philosophy of going beyond all expectations, and translating it into the online brand and marketing sphere. Our parent business still goes by that name.

Applying originality, connection and an unwavering determination for excellence, we have produced high level digital solutions in sectors including Space & Spatial (spatial mapping, infrastructures, positioning, geodesy, analytics), Education, Sports Administration (FFA/FIFA), Manufacturing, FMCG, Healthcare incl. Pharmaceuticals and Nutraceuticals, Retail (Grocery), Property, Travel & Tourism, Telecommunications, Banking and Financial Services and considerable B2B and NFP consulting.