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Today in History: Galileo makes first asteroid flyby of Gaspra

By Drooid · Oct 29, 2026 · How we work

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On Oct. 29, 1991, NASA’s Galileo probe performed the first spacecraft flyby of an asteroid, passing within 1,600 km of S-type asteroid 951 Gaspra. Launched in 1989 and later the first orbiter of an outer planet, Galileo’s close encounter delivered the inaugural detailed images and compositional data of a minor planet.

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On Oct. 29, 1991, NASA’s Galileo probe performed the first spacecraft flyby of an asteroid, passing within 1,600 km of S-type asteroid 951 Gaspra. Launched in 1989 and later the first orbiter of an outer planet, Galileo’s close encounter delivered the inaugural detailed images and compositional data of a minor planet.