List of NASA missions

List of NASA missions
This is a list of NASA missions, both crewed and robotic, since the establishment of NASA in 1958. There are over 80 currently active science missions.
X-Plane program
Since 1945, NACA (NASA's predecessor) and, since 1958, NASA has conducted the X-Plane Program. The program was originally intended to create a family of experimental aircraft not intended for production beyond the limited number of each design built solely for flight research. The first X-Plane, the Bell X-1, was the first rocket-powered airplane to break the sound barrier on October 14, 1947. X-Planes have set numerous milestones since then, both crewed and unpiloted.
Human spaceflight
NASA has successfully launched 166 crewed flights. Three have ended in failure, causing the deaths of seventeen crewmembers in total: Apollo 1 (which never launched) killed three crew members in 1967, STS-51-L (the Challenger disaster) killed seven in 1986, and STS-107 (the Columbia disaster) killed seven more in 2003. Thus far, 163 missions were conducted without fatalities.
Notes:
Canceled
In May 2009, the Obama Administration announced the launch of an independent review of planned U.S. human space flight activities with the goal of ensuring that the nation is on a vigorous and sustainable path to achieving its boldest aspirations in space. The review was conducted by a panel of experts led by Norman Augustine, the former CEO of Lockheed Martin, who served on the President's Council of Advisers on Science and Technology under both Democrat and Republican presidents.
The "Review of United States Human Space Flight Plans" was to examine ongoing and planned National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) development activities, as well as potential alternatives and present options for advancing a safe, innovative, affordable, and sustainable human space flight program in the years following Space Shuttle retirement. The panel worked closely with NASA and sought input from the United States Congress, the White House, the public, industry, and international partners as it developed its options. It presented its results on October 22, 2009.
In February 2010, Obama announced his proposal to cancel the Constellation Program as part of the 2011 Economic Projects. Constellation was officially canceled by the NASA Budget Authorization Act on October 11, 2010.
Future
NASA brought the Orion spacecraft back to life from the defunct Constellation Program and successfully test-launched the first capsule on December 5, 2014, aboard EFT-1. After a near-perfect flight traveling above Earth, the spacecraft was recovered for study. NASA plans to use the Orion crew vehicle to send humans to deep space locations such as the Moon and Mars starting in the 2020s. Orion will be powered by NASA's new heavy-lift vehicle, the Space Launch System (SLS), which is currently under development.
Artemis 1 is the first flight of the SLS and was launched as a test of the completed Orion and SLS system. During the mission, an uncrewed Orion capsule will spend 10 days in a distant retrograde orbit around the Moon before returning to Earth. Artemis 2, the first crewed mission of the program, will launch four astronauts in 2024 on a free-return flyby of the Moon at a distance of .
After Artemis 2, the Power and Propulsion Element of the Lunar Gateway and three components of an expendable lunar lander are planned to be delivered on multiple launches from commercial launch service providers.
Artemis 3 is planned to launch in 2025 aboard an SLS Block 1 rocket and will use the minimalist Gateway and expendable lander to achieve the first crewed lunar landing of the program. The flight is planned to touch down on the lunar south pole region, with two astronauts staying there for about one week.
Robotic missions
Suborbital
Anomalous Transport Rocket Experiment (ATREX) – five consecutive launches, 80 seconds apart on March 27, 2012, studied the high-altitude jet stream.
NASA Sounding Rocket Program
SHIELDS – launched April 19, 2021, collected data from the heliopause.
Earth and Heliocentric satellites
Biosatellite program
Biosatellite 1, launched December 1966,
Biosatellite 2, launched September 1967,
Biosatellite 3, launched June 1969,
Cosmic Background Explorer (COBE), launched November 1989,
Earth Observing System
Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS), launched September 1991,
Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE), launched March 2002,
Gravity Recover and Climate Experiment - Follow-On (GRACE-FO), launched May 2018,
NPOESS Preparatory Project (NPP) – National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System (NPOESS), launched October 2011,
Echo 1 and 2, launched August 1960 and January 1964, respectively,
Great Observatories
Hubble Space Telescope, launched April 1990,
Compton Gamma Ray Observatory, launched April 1991,
Chandra X-ray Observatory, launched July 1999,
Spitzer Space Telescope, launched August 2003,
James Webb Space Telescope, launched December 2021,
High Energy Astronomy Observatory program
High Energy Astronomy Observatory 1 (HEAO 1), launched August 1977,
Einstein Observatory (HEAO 2) launched November 1978, – first fully imaging X-ray telescope
High Energy Astronomy Observatory 3 (HEAO 3), launched September 1979,
Imager for Magnetopause-to-Aurora Global Exploration (IMAGE), launched March 2000,
Infrared Astronomical Satellite (IRAS), launched January 1983,
Jason-1, launched December 2001,
OSTM/Jason-2, launched June 2008,
Jason-3, launched January 2016,
Landsat program
Landsat 1, launched July 1972,
Landsat 2, launched January 1975,
Landsat 3, launched March 1978,
Landsat 4, launched July 1982,
Landsat 5, launched March 1984,
Landsat 6, launched October 1993,
Landsat 7, launched April 1999,
Landsat 8, launched February 2013,
Landsat 9, launched September 2021,
Living With a Star
Van Allen Probes, launched August 2012, – Twin probes studying the Van Allen radiation belt
Terra, launched December 1999,
Aqua, launched May 2002,
Aura, launched July 2004,
New Millennium Program (NMP)
Earth Observing-1 (EO-1), launched November 2000,
Space Technology 5 (ST5), launched March 2006,
Space Technology 6 (ST6)
NanoSail-D, launched August 2008,
NanoSail-D2, launched November 2010,
Orbiting Carbon Observatory (OCO), launched February 2009,
Orbiting Carbon Observatory (OCO-2), launched July 2014,
Origins program
Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer (FUSE), launched June 1999,
Kepler, launched March 2009, – searching for Earth-sized exoplanets in the habitable zone
Time History of Events and Macroscale Interactions during Substorms (THEMIS), launched February 2007,
Small Explorer program (SMEX)
Aeronomy of Ice in the Mesosphere (AIM), launched April 2007,
Fast Auroral Snapshot Explorer (FAST), launched August 1996,
Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX), launched April 2003,
Interstellar Boundary Explorer (IBEX), launched October 2008,
Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR), launched June 2012, – X-ray telescope orbiting Earth
Reuven Ramaty High Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager (RHESSI), launched February 2002, – Sun observing, Earth satellite
Solar Anomalous and Magnetospheric Particle Explorer (SAMPEX), launched July 1992,
Submillimeter Wave Astronomy Satellite (SWAS), launched December 1998,
Transition Region and Coronal Explorer (TRACE), launched August 1998, – Sun observing, Earth satellite
Wide Field Infrared Explorer (WIRE), launched March 1999,
Solar Terrestrial Probes program
Hinode (Solar-B)
Thermosphere Ionosphere Mesosphere Energetics and Dynamics (TIMED)
Two Wide-angle Imaging Neutral-atom Spectrometers (TWINS)
Uhuru
Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP)
Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE)
BioSentinel
Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, launching May 2027,
Sun
Pioneer program
Pioneer 6, 7, 8, and 9, launched between December 1965 and November 1968, – Solar wind, solar magnetic field and cosmic rays
Helios 1 and 2, launched December 1974 and January 1976,
Ulysses spacecraft, launched October 1990, – ESA partnership
Genesis, launched August 2001, – returned sample of solar wind
Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO), launched December 1995, – ESA partnership
Solar Maximum Mission (SolarMax), launched February 1980, – suffered partial failure after launch; repaired in April 1984 during a Space Shuttle mission
Solar Terrestrial Probes program
TIMED, launched December 2001,
Hinode, launched September 2006,
STEREO, launched October 2006,
MMS, launched March 2015,
IMAP, launching 2025,
Parker Solar Probe, launched August 2018, – the first mission into the Sun's corona
Living With a Star
Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO), launched February 2010,
Balloon Array for RBSP Relativistic Electron Losses (BARREL) – two campaigns of 20 balloons each, studying the Van Allen radiation belts, 2012 to 2014 This mission is a complement to the Van Allen Probes (RBSP).
CubeSat for Solar Particles (CuSP), launched November 2022
Moon
Pioneer program
Pioneer 0, launched August 1958,
Pioneer 1, launched October 1958,
Pioneer 2, launched November 1958,
Pioneer 3, launched December 1958,
Pioneer 4, launched March 1959,
Pioneer P-1, launched September 1959,
Pioneer P-3, launched November 1959,
Pioneer P-30, launched September 1960,
Pioneer P-31, launched December 1960,
Ranger program
Ranger 1, launched August 1961,
Ranger 2, launched November 1961,
Ranger 3, launched January 1962,
Ranger 4, launched April 1962,
Ranger 5, launched October 1962,
Ranger 6, launched January 1964,
Ranger 7, launched July 1964,
Ranger 8, launched February 1965,
Ranger 9, launched March 1965,
Surveyor program
Surveyor 1, launched May 1966,
Surveyor 2, launched September 1966,
Surveyor 3, launched April 1967,
Surveyor 4, launched July 1967,
Surveyor 5, launched September 1967,
Surveyor 6, launched November 1967,
Surveyor 7, launched January 1968,
Lunar Orbiter program
Lunar Orbiter 1, launched August 1966,
Lunar Orbiter 2, launched November 1966,
Lunar Orbiter 3, launched February 1967,
Lunar Orbiter 4, launched May 1967,
Lunar Orbiter 5, launched August 1967,
Clementine, launched January 1994,
Discovery Program
Discovery 3 – Lunar Prospector, launched January 1998,
Discovery 11 – GRAIL, launched September 2011,
Moon Mineralogy Mapper (M3) – instrument for ISRO's Chandraayan-1, launched October 2008,
Lunar Precursor Robotic Program (LPRP)
LCROSS, launched June 2009,
Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO), launched June 2009,
LADEE, launched September 2013,
Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter'''s ShadowCam instrument, launched August 2022,
CAPSTONE, launched November 2022,
LunaH-Map, launched November 2022,
Lunar IceCube, launched November 2022,
Lunar Flashlight, launched December 2022,
Mercury
Mariner program
Mariner 10, launched November 1973, – flyby of Venus; multiple flybys of Mercury; first spacecraft to Mercury
Discovery program
Discovery 7 – MESSENGER, launched August 2004, – first to orbit Mercury
Venus
Mariner program
Mariner 1, launched July 1962, – intended to be first American flyby of Venus
Mariner 2, launched August 1962, – first flyby of Venus by an operational spacecraft
Mariner 5, launched June 1967, – flyby of Venus
Mariner 10, launched November 1973, – flyby of Venus; multiple flybys of Mercury; first spacecraft to Mercury
Pioneer program
Pioneer 5, launched March 1960, – interplanetary space between Earth and Venus
Pioneer Venus project
Pioneer Venus Orbiter, launched May 1978, – Venus orbiter
Pioneer Venus Multiprobe, launched August 1978, – Venus atmospheric probes
Magellan, launched May 1989, – radar mapping of Venus
Discovery Program
Discovery 15 – VERITAS, launching 2028,
Discovery 16 – DAVINCI, launching 2029,
Mars
Mariner program
Mariner 4, launched November 1964,
Mariner 6 and 7, launched February 1969,
Mariner 8, launched May 1971,
Mariner 9, launched May 1971,
Viking program
Viking 1, launched August 1975,
Viking 2, launched September 1975,
Mars Observer, launched September 1992,
Mars Global Surveyor, launched November 1996,
Discovery Program
Discovery 2 – Mars Pathfinder / Sojourner rover, launched July 1997,
Discovery 12 – InSight, launched May 2018,
Mars Polar Lander, launched January 1999,
Deep Space 2, launched January 1999, – (sub-surface probes)
2001 Mars Odyssey, launched April 2001,
Mars Exploration Rovers
Spirit rover, launched June 2003,
Opportunity rover, launched June 2003,
Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, launched August 2005, – Mars orbiter
Mars Scout program
Phoenix, launched August 2007, – Mars lander
MAVEN, launched November 2013, – orbiter studying the atmosphere of Mars
Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) / Curiosity rover, launched November 2011, – Mars rover exploring Gale Crater
InSight, launched May 2018,
Mars 2020
Perseverance rover, launched July 2020, – Mars rover exploring Jezero Crater
Ingenuity helicopter, launched July 2020, – first powered flight on Mars
EscaPADE, launching August 2024,
NASA-ESA Mars Sample Return, launching 2027 and 2028,
Jupiter
Pioneer program
Pioneer 10, launched March 1972, – first to the asteroid belt and Jupiter
Pioneer 11, launched December 1974, – asteroid belt and Jupiter, first to Saturn
Voyager program
Voyager 1, launched September 1977, – flybys of Jupiter and Saturn; extended mission to explore interstellar medium; most distant human-made object
Voyager 2, launched August 1977, – flybys of Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune; extended mission to explore interstellar medium; first spacecraft to Uranus and Neptune
Galileo, launched October 1989, – Jupiter and its moons
New Frontiers program
New Frontiers 2 – Juno, launched August 2011, – Jupiter orbiter mission
Europa Clipper, launching 2024,
Saturn
Pioneer program
Pioneer 11, launched December 1974, – asteroid belt and Jupiter, first to Saturn
Voyager program
Voyager 1, launched September 1977, – flybys of Jupiter and Saturn; extended mission to explore interstellar medium; most distant human-made object
Voyager 2, launched August 1977, – flybys of Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune; extended mission to explore interstellar medium; first spacecraft to Uranus and Neptune
Cassini–Huygens, launched October 1997, – Saturn and its moons
New Frontiers program
New Frontiers 4 – Dragonfly, launching 2027,
Enceladus Orbilander, launching 2038,
Uranus
Voyager program
Voyager 2, launched August 1977, – flybys of Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune; extended mission to explore interstellar medium; first spacecraft to Uranus and Neptune
Uranus Orbiter and Probe, launching 2032,
Neptune
Voyager program
Voyager 2, launched August 1977, – flybys of Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune; extended mission to explore interstellar medium; first spacecraft to Uranus and Neptune
Asteroids/comets
New Millennium Program (NMP)
NEAR Shoemaker, launched February 1996, – close study of 433 Eros
Deep Space 1 (DS1), launched October 1998, – first spacecraft propelled by an ion thruster
Discovery Program
Discovery 4 – Stardust, launched February 1999, – follow-up for Deep Impact's primary mission to 9P/Tempel
Discovery 6 – CONTOUR, launched July 2002,
Discovery 8 – Deep Impact (primary); EPOXI (extended), launched January 2005,
Discovery 13 – Lucy, launched October 2021, – Will fly by one main-belt asteroid and seven Jupiter Trojan asteroids.
Discovery 14 – Psyche, launching October 2023,
New Frontiers program
New Frontiers 3 – OSIRIS-REx – launched September 2016,
Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART), launched November 2021,
Near-Earth Asteroid Scout, launched November 2022,
Dwarf planets
New Frontiers program
New Frontiers 1 – New Horizons, launched January 2006, – flyby of Pluto and its moons in 2015; first to Pluto
Discovery Program
Discovery 9 – Dawn, launched September 2007, – Vesta in 2011-2012, and Ceres in 2015-2018
Canceled or undeveloped missions
Comet Rendezvous Asteroid Flyby (CRAF)
Jupiter Icy Moons Orbiter (JIMO)
Mars Astrobiology Explorer-Cacher (MAX-C)
Mars Telecommunications Orbiter (MTO)
Asteroid Redirect Mission (2013-2017)
Origins Program
Space Interferometry Mission (SIM)
Terrestrial Planet Finder (TPF)
Pluto Kuiper Express (PLUTOKE) – replaced by New HorizonsOld proposals
Mars Scout program
Aerial Regional-scale Environmental Survey (ARES) (2000-2010 concept)
TAU (spacecraft)- probe to 1000 AU (1980s concept)
See also
NASA:
Large strategic science missions, the NASA flagship missions
Discovery Program, medium-cost NASA missions
New Frontiers program, medium-large NASA missions to outer planets
When We Left Earth: The NASA Missions'' – 2008 documentary covering NASA's mission history.
Space exploration
Timeline of Solar System exploration
List of European Space Agency programmes and missions
References
Bibliography
External links
NASA - Missions
Lists of space missions
Missions