From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishspace probeˈspace probe noun [countable] TTSHAa spacecraft without people in it, that is sent into space to collect information about the conditions there and send the information back to Earth
Examples from the Corpus
space probe• Atlantis was to carry the Galileo space probe on the first leg of a six-year voyage to Jupiter this afternoon.• Despite serious technical obstacles, space agency officials are considering whether to launch a Jupiter space probe powered entirely by sunlight. 