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Hubble Spots a Grand Spiral of Starbursts

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NASA’s Hubble Watches Jupiter’s Great Red Spot Behave Like a Stress Ball

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Station research news.

The latest news on scientific research, crew activities, and milestones on the space station. 

Current mission

Crew members aboard, tissue chips accurately model organs in space.

The International Space Station offers a unique microgravity environment where cells outside the human body behave similarly to how they do inside the human body.  Tissue chips  are small devices containing living cells that mimic complex functions of specific human tissues and organs. Researchers can run experiments using tissue chips aboard space station to understand disease progression and provide faster and safer alternatives for preparing medicine for clinical trials.

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-9 to Conduct Space Station Research

NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov are headed to the International Space Station for the agency’s SpaceX Crew-9 mission in September. Once on station, these crew members will support scientific investigations that include studies of blood clotting, effects of moisture on plants grown in space, and vision changes in astronauts.

Science in Space: September 2024

Educational activities in space.

As students of all ages returned to school this month, crew members on the International Space Station continue to conduct a variety of educational programs and activities that support learning on the ground. These efforts are part of a wider commitment at NASA to engage, inspire, and attract future generations of explorers and to build a diverse future workforce equipped with skills in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-8 Concludes Space Station Scientific Mission

NASA astronauts Michael Barratt, Matthew Dominick, and Jeanette Epps and Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin are returning to Earth after months aboard the International Space Station conducting scientific experiments and technology demonstrations for the agency’s SpaceX Crew-8 mission. The four launched on March 3 aboard a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

NASA Astronaut Don Pettit’s Science of Opportunity on Station

Science ideas are everywhere. Some of the greatest discoveries have come from tinkering and toying with new concepts and ideas. NASA astronaut Don Pettit is no stranger to inventing and discovering. During his previous missions, Pettit has contributed to advancements for human space exploration aboard the International Space Station resulting in several published scientific papers and breakthroughs.

Station Research Features and Articles

NASA’s Orion spacecraft is designed to keep astronauts safe in deep space, protecting them from the unforgiving environment far from…

The International Space Station offers a unique microgravity environment where cells outside the human body behave similarly to how they…

Engineered heart tissues in space showed impairments that led to increased arrhythmias and loss of muscle strength, changes similar to cardiac aging.…

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An updated list of space missions: Current and upcoming voyages

Here is a list to help you keep track of many current and scheduled space missions. We’ve gathered a selected group of high-profiles ones, listed them below, and linked to official sites where you can get the latest updates and launch dates.

We’ll update this article periodically when new missions are announced.

Here is the list of missions in alphabetical order:

2001 Mars Odyssey

Mission: This Mars orbiter was launched with the intention of detecting water and ice on the planet, as well as studying its composition.

Agency: NASA

Launch date: April 7, 2001

Updates available here.

Mission: The mission, which name means “Sun” in Sanskrit, was launched to conduct a comprehensive study of the Sun, sitting at the Lagrange point L1 between the Sun and Earth.

Agency: Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)

Launch date: Sept. 2, 2023

Updates available here.  

Mission: The orbiter mission was designed to study weather patterns and atmospheric conditions, as well as search for the possibility of lighting and active volcanoes.  

Agency: JAXA

Launch date: May 21, 2010

Mission: This mission will be placed at Lagrange point L2 to study thousands of exoplanets, ranging from rocky planets to gas giants in visible and infrared wavelengths.

Agency: ESA/Ariel Mission Consortium

Expected launch: 2029

Mission: The mission, featuring a crew of four astronauts, will perform a series of flights maneuvers as well as tests in space to ensure the systems are appropriate to take the Artemis III crew to the Moon.

Expected launch: September 2025

Artemis III

Mission: The mission is expected to take four astronauts to the lunar South Pole for the first time to explore, collect geologic samples, and take images of the region’s unique features.

Expected launch: September 2026

BepiColombo

Mission: BepiColombo, comprised of two orbiters, was designed to study composition, geophysics, atmosphere, magnetosphere and history of Mercury.

Agency: Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)/ESA

Launch date: Oct. 18, 2018

Chandrayaan-3

Mission: With its lander, Vikram, and rover, Pragyan, this mission landed safely on the Moon’s south pole.

Agency: ISRO

Launch date: July 14, 2023

Boeing Starliner

The Starliner launch is part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, which seeks to launch astronauts into space in a private/public partnership using American tech. 

Updates available here .

Comet Interceptor

Mission: Made up of three spacecrafts, the mission will wait at the Lagrange point L2 before separating to gather 3D images of Comet Interceptor as well as its nucleus and composition.

Agency: ESA

Mission: Deep Atmosphere Venus Investigation of Noble Gases, Chemistry, And Imaging (DAVINCI) probe would explore the atmosphere of Venus.

Expected Launch: June 2029

Mission: This dual-quadcopter would explore a variety of locations on Saturn’s moon, Titan, for possible habitability.

Expected launch: 2027

Emirates Mars Mission

Mission: The Emirates Mars Mission, named “Hope Probe” will gather a picture of the Martian atmosphere and its layers. It will also look at the planet’s loss of hydrogen and oxygen gases into space over the span of one Martian year.

Agency: UAE Space Agency

Launch Date: July 20, 2020

Mission: The mission is to investigate Venus from its inner core to its upper atmosphere, characterizing the interaction between its atmosphere, surface, and interior.

Expected launch: early 2030s

Mission: The Escape and Plasma Acceleration and Dynamics Explorers (EscaPADE) are a dual-spacecraft mission to study the transfer of solar wind energy and momentum.

Expected launch: 2024

Europa Clipper

Mission: Europa is expected to explore the moon of Jupiter with the same name during a series of flybys. Its objectives include studying the moon’s ice shell and ocean, as well as its composition and geology.

Expected Launch: Oct. 10, 2024

Mission: The spacecraft will perform a survey of the target asteroid, Dimorphos and the orbiting moonlet Didymos, after the NASA Dart Mission conducted its asteroid deflection on Sept. 26, 2022. 

Expected launch: October 2024

Mission: Intuitive Machines’ Odysseus’ landing on Feb. 22, 2024 , made it the first American-made craft to land on the Moon since 1972 and the first non-governmental craft to ever do so. Odysseus carried six payloads under contract for NASA. Several were intended to collect data and test navigation and landing technology that will be used for the agency’s Artemis program, which will return astronauts to the Moon.

Mission: Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer, or JUICE, was dispatched to study the composition of Jupiter along with its three large, water-logged moons – Ganymede, Callisto and Europa.

Agency: European Space Agency (ESA)

Launch date: April 14, 2023

Mission: Understand origin and evolution of Jupiter and its four largest moons, look for solid planetary core, map magnetic field, measure water and ammonia in deep atmosphere, observe auroras.

Launch date: Aug. 5, 2011

Korean Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter (KPLO)

Mission: Known as Danuri, this is a lunar probe expected to carry out the mission of lunar observation while flying at an altitude of 100km over the Moon.

Agency: Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI)

Launch date: Aug. 5, 2022

Mission: Lucy was launched to view trojan asteroids surrounding Jupiter.

Launch date: Oct. 16, 2021

Updates available here. 

Related: Surprise! NASA’s Lucy mission uncovered an asteroid moon that is actually two in one

L unar Reconnaissance Orbiter

Mission: The mission began as a way to target areas for future robotic and human exploration on the Moon. After two years, it focused more on studying temperature maps and other scientific data on Earth’s satellite.

Launch date: June 18, 2009

Mars Express

Mission: The orbiter’s goal was to complete a map of the Mars’ atmospheric composition and water on its surface, as well as learning more about one of its moons, Phobos.

Launch date: June 2, 2003

Mars Sample Return

Mission: The mission involves Mars Perseverance Rover working with a lander and orbiter to retrieve samples from Mars and deliver them to Earth.

Agency: NASA/ESA

Expected launch: TBD. NASA announced a call for or agencies to take over the mission to Mars on April 14.

Mission: Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution or MAVEN, studies the upper atmosphere of Mars as well as its interaction with the Sun and solar winds.

Launch date: Nov. 18, 2013

Mission: Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) will explore the two moons of Mars, Deimos and Phobos, to collect data on the satellites as well as samples of Phobos’ surface before returning to Earth.

Expected Launch: September 2024

Parker Solar Probe

Mission: The probe’s main objective was to be the first spacecraft to fly through the Sun’s upper atmosphere to study the evolution and origins of solar wind, to determine if we can forecast the space weather in the future.

Launch date: Aug. 12, 2018

Mission: Two satellites –the Coronagraph spacecraft and the Occulter spacecraft – will fly in tandem to learn about autonomous formation flying. They will also study the Sun’s corona and surrounding atmosphere.

Mission: The mission is expected to land on the asteroid with the same name between Mars and Jupiter. It will study the asteroid’s metal core and determine its age.

Launch: Oct. 13, 2023

Mission: The Solar & Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) mission was designed to study the Sun inside and out as well as observe space weather.

Agency: ESA/NASA

Launch date: Dec. 2, 1995

Mission: The Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionization and Ices Explorer (SPHEREx)

Expected launch: No earlier than June 2024

Mission: The twin Solar TErrestrial RElations Observatory, or STEREO spacecrafts (STEREO-A and -B) launched as the first stereoscopic, or multiple-perspective, view of the Sun.

Launch date: Oct. 25, 2006

Mission: Venus Emissivity, Radio Science, InSAR, Topography, and Spectroscopy or VERITAS (also Latin for “truth”) is expected to study the interior evolution and surface of Venus.

Agency: NASA/German Aerospace Center (DLR)/Italian Space Agency (ASI)/France’s Centre National

Expected Launch: No earlier than 2031

Mission: Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER) will explore Earth’s Moon, characterizing its distribution and composition

Expected launch: Late 2024

Mission: A probe launched 46 years ago with the intention of studying the outer Solar System and interstellar space.

Launch date: Sept. 5, 1977

Mission: Although named Voyager 2 , the probe was launched before Voyager 1, with a longer expected trip to Saturn and Jupiter, but it ultimately had a better vantage point of Uranus and Neptune.

Launch date: Aug. 20, 1977

Both Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 carry The Golden Record of images and sounds.

30 years ago: Magellan Venus mission successfully concluded

All about NASA’s Europa Clipper, launching soon for Jupiter

Europa Clipper launch postponed until at least Oct. 13 due to Hurricane Milton

NASA wants to send humans to Mars in the 2030s − a crewed mission could unlock some of the Red Planet’s geologic mysteries

ESA’s Hera mission is headed to Dimorphos, the asteroid NASA crashed into

What to know about the Hera mission to the deflected asteroid Dimorphos

Nuclear rockets could travel to Mars in half the time − but designing the reactors that would power them isn’t easy

A look at New Glenn: Blue Origin’s heavy-lift booster rocket

CubeSats, the tiniest of satellites, are changing the way we explore the solar system

NASA Science Missions

Featured missions.

Our mission milestones showcase the breadth and depth of NASA science.

Europa Clipper

Launching in October 2024, Europa Clipper’s main science goal is to determine whether there are places below the surface of Jupiter’s icy moon, Europa, that could support life.

Lunar Trailblazer

Launching in 2024, the goal of Lunar Trailblazer is to understand the form, abundance, and distribution of water on the Moon, and the lunar water cycle.

Launching in 2024, NISAR will systematically map Earth and study changes to ice sheets, glaciers, and sea ice in fine detail, as climate change warms the air and ocean.

Why Does NASA Want to Explore Jupiter’s Ocean Moon?

Everywhere there’s water on Earth, there’s life. Does that hold true elsewhere in our solar system? NASA’s Europa Clipper mission will investigate Jupiter’s icy moon Europa, which — with its subsurface ocean — is one of the most promising places in our solar system to find environments capable of supporting life.

NASA Science Fleet Chart

NASA Science missions circle the Earth, the Sun, the Moon, Mars, and many other destinations within our Solar System, including spacecraft that look out even further into our universe. The Science Fleet depicts the scope of NASA’s activity and how our missions have permeated throughout the solar system.

All Science Missions

3D Tissue Chips

Developing tissue chips that can be used for modeling of acute and/or chronic exposures for 6 months or longer 3D…

Able 1 (Pioneer 0)

Pioneer 0, also known as Able 1, was the first-ever launch to the Moon — and humanity’s first attempt to…

Able 2 (Pioneer 1)

The U.S. Air Force shared management of this lunar mission with America's newly-formed space agency — NASA.

Able 4B (Pioneer P-3)

Able 4B, also known as Pioneer P-3, was part of a U.S. push to get to the Moon after the…

Able 5A (Pioneer P-30)

What was Able 5A (Pioneer P-30)? This U.S. probe had a mission similar to its failed predecessor, Able 4B. It…

Able 5B (Pioneer P-31)

What was Able 5B (Pioneer P-31)? LIke its two unsuccessful predecessors, this U.S. spacecraft was launched to orbit the Moon.…

NASA’s Advanced Composition Explorer (ACE) collects and analyzes particles of solar, interplanetary, interstellar, and galactic origins. The data contributes to…

Advancing combustion technology via fundamental microgravity/Improving efficiency and reducing emission in practical terrestrial combustion The Advanced Combustion via Microgravity Experiments…

Earth Orbiter

ACT-America

ADEOS / Midori

Advanced Plant Habitat

Conducting plant bioscience research aboard the International Space Station The Advanced Plant Habitat (APH) is the largest, fully automated plant…

Launch Date May 21, 2010 Launch Site Tanegashima Space Center, Tanegashima, Japan Destination Venus Type Orbiter Status Successful–In Progress Nation…

Apollo 15 Subsatellite

Launch Date Aug. 4, 1971 Launch Site Cape Canaveral, Florida, USA | Launch Complex 39A Destination Earth’s Moon Type Orbiter…

Apollo 16 Subsatellite

Launch Date Apr. 24, 1972 Launch Site Cape Canaveral, Florida, USA | Launch Complex 39A Destination Earth’s Moon Type Orbiter…

Eyes on Aquarius The joint U.S./Argentinian Aquarius/Satélite de Aplicaciones Científicas (SAC)-D mission was launched June 10, 2011, and ended on…

Astro Observatory 1

Astro Observatory 2

The Atlas Program ATLAS-1, the first of the ATLAS series of Shuttle flights, was an important part of the long-term,…

Atmospheric Remote-sensing Infrared Exoplanet Large-survey

Applications Technology Satellite Program The Applications Technology Satellite (ATS) series was conceived of as a follow-on to the successful experimental…

The Atmospheric Waves Experiment (AWE) is attached to the exterior of the Earth-orbiting International Space Station. From its space station…

BARREL was a balloon-based mission to study X-rays in Earth’s atmosphere near the North and South poles.

BepiColombo

What is BepiColombo? BepiColombo is an international mission comprised of two spacecraft riding together to Mercury to orbit and to…

Beresheet was Israel's first lunar mission and the first attempt by a private company to land on the Moon.

Biological Experiment-01 on Artemis I Studying how life responds to conditions beyond low Earth orbit BioExperiment-01 (BioExpt-01) will serve as…

Bion / Biocosmos

BurstCube is a shoebox-sized satellite designed to study the universe’s most powerful explosions.

Carruthers Geocorona Observatory

Cassini-Huygens

Saturn Orbiter

Space Telescope

Chandrayaan-1 / Moon Impact Probe

India's Chandrayaan-1 played a crucial role in the discovery of water molecules on the Moon.

• Falcon Heavy
• Human Spaceflight

ON-ORBIT RESEARCH

As the world's leading launch service provider, SpaceX enables researchers the opportunity to frequently fly critical science to orbit on the Dragon spacecraft, which has carried over 1,000 research experiments to and from low-Earth orbit and the International Space Station since 2012.

REDUCING IN-FLIGHT HEALTH RISKS

VIRTUAL AND AUGMENTED REALITY

MEDICAL CARE AND TRAINING

DEVELOP YOUR RESEARCH

SpaceX is looking for exceptional science and research ideas that will enable life in space and on other planets. Research proposals submitted to SpaceX will be reviewed and evaluated based on mission objectives, scientific and technical merit, and feasibility.

CURRENT RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES

SpaceX is currently evaluating research proposals for Dragon human spaceflight missions on the following two categories:

FITNESS-FOCUSED RESEARCH

Exploration-focused research.

SpaceX © 2024 PRIVACY POLICY SUPPLIERS

Search Missions

Showing 1–12 of 161 results

Near-Earth Object Surveyor

An infrared space telescope designed to help advance NASA’s planetary defense efforts .

Launch date: September 2027

Farside Seismic Suite

Farside Seismic Suite will deliver two sensitive seismometers to the far side of the Moon, where they will measure far-side moonquakes and meteor impacts for the first time ever. .

Launch date: 2026

A trio of small rovers will work as a team to explore the Moon autonomously, mapping the subsurface in 3D, collecting distributed measurements, and showing the potential of multirobot missions. .

Launch date: 2025

Europa Clipper

NASA's Europa Clipper will conduct detailed reconnaissance of Jupiter's moon Europa and investigate whether the icy moon could have conditions suitable for life. .

Launch date: Oct. 10, 2024

Lunar Trailblazer

NASA’s Lunar Trailblazer mission will provide new insights into the lunar water cycle. .

Launch date: 2024

A CubeSat mission to reveal new aspects of the Arctic climate by measuring the full spectrum of polar radiant energy. .

Launch date: May 25, 2024

Using advanced radar imaging that will provide an unprecedented, detailed view of Earth, the NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar, or NISAR, satellite is designed to observe and take measurements of some of the planet's most complex processes. .

The Psyche mission is a journey to a unique metal-rich asteroid orbiting the Sun between Mars and Jupiter. .

Launch date: Oct. 13, 2023

Deep Space Optical Communications (DSOC)

The experiment will aim to demonstrate high-bandwidth communications in deep space for the first time. .

Launch date: Oct. 5, 2023

Euclid will investigate the profound cosmic mysteries of dark matter and dark energy. .

Launch date: July 2023

Surface Water and Ocean Topography

Designed to make the first-ever global survey of Earth's surface water, the Surface Water and Ocean Topography, or SWOT, satellite will collect detailed measurements of how water bodies on Earth change over time. .

Launch date: Dec. 16, 2022

Lunar Flashlight

Roughly the size of a briefcase, Lunar Flashlight is a very small satellite being developed and managed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory that will use near-infrared lasers and an onboard spectrometer to map ice in permanently shadowed regions near the Moon's south pole. .

Launch date: Dec. 11, 2022

Latest News

Night sky for tonight: Visible planets, stars and more in this evening's sky

By Jamie Carter last updated 13 October 24

Find out what you can see in the night sky for tonight, from planets and stars to dazzling meteor showers.

SpaceX catches giant Starship booster with 'Chopsticks' on historic Flight 5 rocket launch and landing (video)

By Mike Wall last updated 13 October 24

SpaceX launched its enormous Starship rocket for the fifth time ever today (Oct. 13), on a dramatic test flight that featured a mid-air catch of the first-stage Super Heavy booster.

Blue Origin delays debut launch of 2nd human-rated New Shepard rocket due to GPS glitch

Blue Origin hoped to debut its second human-rated New Shepard vehicle on an uncrewed launch on Oct. 13, but a GPS issue delayed the flight.

SpaceX Starship launches: Mission updates

By Tariq Malik last updated 13 October 24

Read the latest news about SpaceX's Starship megarocket test flights, launches, photos and more.

What time is SpaceX's Starship Flight 5 launch test today (and how to watch online)?

SpaceX will launch its fifth Starship launch test, called Starship Flight 5, in what will be an audacious attempt to capture the giant rocket's booster at its launch site on Sunday, Oct. 13.

SpaceX's Crew-8 astronauts to depart ISS for trip home soon amid weather delays

SpaceX's Crew-8 astronaut mission for NASA was scheduled to depart the International Space Station early Sunday morning (Oct. 13), but NASA and SpaceX waved off the attempt due to weather.

On this day in space! Oct. 13, 1773: Charles Messier discovers the 'Whirlpool Galaxy'

By Hanneke Weitering last updated 13 October 24

On Oct. 13, 1773, a French astronomer named Charles Messier discovered the "Whirlpool Galaxy," also known as Messier 51, or M51.

Snatching a spinning spacecraft was 'the greatest pride' for 1st Canadian astronaut in space (video)

By Elizabeth Howell published 13 October 24

Canadian astronaut Marc Garneau flew three times in space, conducting some tricky Canadarm robotic arm moves. On the 40th anniversary of his first flight, he celebrates how far Canada has come.

NASA delays Europa Clipper launch to Jupiter to Oct. 14 amid post-hurricane checks

By Tariq Malik published 12 October 24

NASA has postponed the launch of its next flagship mission to Jupiter by at least another day due to the impact of Hurricane Milton at its Florida launch site.

This Week In Space podcast: Episode 132 — Living in Martian Mushrooms

By Space.com Staff published 12 October 24

On Episode 132 of This Week In Space, Rod and Tariq talk with Lynn Rothschild on how mushroom mycelia might be utilized as a Mars habitat-building resource.

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