space missions

space missions are individuals using remote-controlled spacecraft.

The initial such mission was the Sputnik I mission, launched October 4, 1957. Some missions are more appropriate for unmanned missions rather than manned space missions, due to lower cost and lower risk factors.

Since the early 1970s, most unmanned space missions have been based on space probes with integral mission computers, and as such may be classified as embedded systems.

Most American unmanned missions have been coordinated by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and European missions by the European Space Operations Centre, division of ESA (the European Space Agency).