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List of NASA missions

This is a list of NASA missions, both crewed and robotic, since the establishment of NASA in 1957. There are over 80 currently active science missions.

X-Plane program

Since 1945, NACA (NASA's predecessor) and, since January 26, 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 over 200 crewed flights. Three have ended in failure, causing the death of the entire crew: Apollo 1 (which never launched) in 1967 lost three crew members, STS-51-L (the Challenger disaster) in 1986, and STS-107 (the Columbia disaster) in 2003.

Notes:

Early Obama administration review

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 his reform program. 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 I was 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 spent 10 days in a distant retrograde orbit around the Moon before returning to Earth. Artemis II, the first crewed mission of the program, will launch four astronauts in 2026 on a free-return flyby of the Moon at a distance of .

After Artemis II, 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 III is planned to launch in 2026 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

Earth and Heliocentric satellites

* ATS-1, launched December 1966,
* ATS-2, launched April 1967,
* ATS-3, launched November 1967,
* ATS-4, launched August 1968,
* ATS-5, launched August 1969,
* ATS-6, launched May 1974,
* Biosatellite 1, launched December 1966,
* Biosatellite 2, launched September 1967,
* Biosatellite 3, launched June 1969,
* 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,
* 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,
*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,
*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,
* Earth Observing-1 (EO-1), launched November 2000,
* Space Technology 5 (ST5), launched March 2006,
* Space Technology 6 (ST6)
* Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer (FUSE), launched June 1999,
* Kepler, launched March 2009, – searching for Earth-sized exoplanets in the habitable zone
* James Webb Space Telescope, launched December 2021,
* 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,
* Hinode (Solar-B)
* Thermosphere Ionosphere Mesosphere Energetics and Dynamics (TIMED)

Sun

* Pioneer 6, 7, 8, and 9, launched between December 1965 and November 1968, – Solar wind, solar magnetic field and cosmic rays
* TIMED, launched December 2001,
* Hinode, launched September 2006,
* STEREO, launched October 2006,
* MMS, launched March 2015,
* IMAP, launched September 2025,
* 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).

Moon

* 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 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 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 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,
* Discovery 3 – Lunar Prospector, launched January 1998,
* Discovery 11 – GRAIL, launched September 2011,
* LCROSS, launched June 2009,
* Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO), launched June 2009,
* LADEE, launched September 2013,
* Peregrine Mission One, launched January 2024,
* IM-1, launched February 2024, – first commercial lunar landing. First American Moon landing since Apollo 17 in December 1972.
* Blue Ghost Mission 1, launched January 2025,
* IM-2, launched February 2025,

Mercury

* Mariner 10, launched November 1973, – flyby of Venus; multiple flybys of Mercury; first spacecraft to Mercury
* Discovery 7 – MESSENGER, launched August 2004, – first to orbit Mercury

Venus

* 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 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
* Discovery 15 – VERITAS, launching 2028,
* Discovery 16 – DAVINCI, launching 2029,

Mars

* Mariner 4, launched November 1964,
* Mariner 6 and 7, launched February 1969,
* Mariner 8, launched May 1971,
* Mariner 9, launched May 1971,
* Viking 1, launched August 1975,
* Viking 2, launched September 1975,
* Discovery 2 – Mars Pathfinder / Sojourner rover, launched July 1997,
* Discovery 12 – InSight, launched May 2018,
* Deep Space 2, launched January 1999, – (sub-surface probes)
* Spirit rover, launched June 2003,
* Opportunity rover, launched June 2003,
* Phoenix, launched August 2007, – Mars lander
* MAVEN, launched November 2013, – orbiter studying the atmosphere of Mars
* Perseverance rover, launched July 2020, – Mars rover exploring Jezero Crater
* Ingenuity helicopter, launched July 2020, – first powered flight on Mars

Jupiter

* Pioneer 10, launched March 1972, – first to the asteroid belt and Jupiter
* Pioneer 11, launched April 1973, – asteroid belt and Jupiter, first to Saturn
* 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
* New Frontiers 2 – Juno, launched August 2011, – Jupiter orbiter mission

Saturn

* Pioneer 11, launched April 1973, – asteroid belt and Jupiter, first to Saturn
* 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
* New Frontiers 4 – Dragonfly, launching 2028,

Uranus

* Voyager 2, launched August 1977, – flybys of Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune; extended mission to explore interstellar medium; first spacecraft to Uranus and Neptune

Neptune

* 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

* 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 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 9 – Dawn, launched September 2007, – Vesta in 2011-2012, and Ceres in 2015-2018
* Discovery 13 – Lucy, launched October 2021, – Will fly by one main-belt asteroid and seven Jupiter Trojan asteroids.
* Discovery 14 – Psyche, launched October 2023,
* New Frontiers 3 – OSIRIS-REx – launched September 2016,

Dwarf planets

* New Frontiers 1 – New Horizons, launched January 2006, – flyby of Pluto and its moons in 2015; first to Pluto
* Discovery 9 – Dawn, launched September 2007, – Vesta in 2011-2012, and Ceres in 2015-2018

Canceled or undeveloped missions

* Space Interferometry Mission (SIM)
* Terrestrial Planet Finder (TPF)

Old proposals

  • Mars Scout program
* Aerial Regional-scale Environmental Survey (ARES) (2000-2010 concept)
* TAU (spacecraft)- probe to 1000 AU (1980s concept)

See also

References

Bibliography

External links