"However, when it comes to the objects beyond Saturn, including the Uranian and Neptunian systems, as well as everything that lies in the Kuiper belt and beyond, the only probes we've ever sent their way are Voyager 2, which flew by Uranus and Neptune in the late 1980s, and New Horizons, which flew past Pluto in 2015."
"That means, unlike Jupiter and Saturn, we've never had a dedicated orbiter, lander, or atmospheric probe around the outermost planets or lunar systems even in our own backyard. Moreover, there are no such planned missions that are funded and slated to fly, which is really too bad, as there's so much to learn about these planets and worlds that are so well-represented in exoplanet analogues all across the galaxy and Universe."
"In particular, one moon stands out as the largest body with a solid surface: Triton, the 7th largest moon in the Solar System and which represents more than 98% of the mass of all the moons that orbit Neptune."
The Solar System provides the closest accessible targets for studying lunar and planetary systems in situ. Beyond Saturn, exploration has been limited to two flybys: Voyager 2 at Uranus and Neptune in the late 1980s, and New Horizons at Pluto in 2015. No dedicated orbiter, lander, or atmospheric probe has been sent to the outermost planets or their moons, and no funded missions are currently planned to change that. Triton stands out among Neptune’s moons as the largest solid-surface body, ranking as the 7th largest moon in the Solar System and accounting for more than 98% of the mass of Neptune’s moons. The lack of missions limits opportunities to learn from outer-world analogues seen in exoplanet systems.
Read at Big Think
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