NASA Planetary Science

NASA’s planetary science program explores the objects in our solar system to better understand its history and the distribution of life within.

The blue-green outline of Jupiter against the blackness of space, with swirling clouds of white and blue on the planet's surface.

Advancing Knowledge of Other Worlds

For decades, NASA’s planetary science program has advanced scientific understanding of our solar system in extraordinary ways, pushing the limits of spacecraft and robotic engineering design and operation.

NASA spacecraft have visited every planet and a variety of small bodies, and current and upcoming missions will bring back samples from exciting destinations, allowing detailed study and analysis back on Earth.

Using recommendations from the National Academies' Planetary Science and Astrobiology Decadal Survey 2023-2032 as our guide, NASA planetary science missions and research inform us about our solar system's origin and evolution, which will enable the expansion of humanity beyond Earth.

Jupiter is in the upper right corner with moon Io to the bottom left.
Just hours before NASA's Juno mission completed its 53rd close flyby of Jupiter on July 31, 2023, the spacecraft sped past the planet's volcanic moon Io and captured this dramatic view of both bodies in the same frame.
NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI/MSSS

Europa Clipper

future Mission

Europa Clipper will search for signs of potential habitability on Jupiter's icy ocean moon Europa.

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A spacecraft hovers over a reddish striped moon with planet Jupiter in the background.
An artist's concept of NASA's Europa Clipper spacecraft.
NASA/JPL-Caltech

Planetary Science Missions

NASA’s robotic explorers gather data to help scientists understand how the planets formed, what triggered different evolutionary paths among planets, what processes have occurred and are active, and how Earth among the planets became habitable.

In searching for evidence of life beyond Earth, scientists use these data to map zones of habitability, studying the chemistry of unfamiliar worlds, and unveiling the processes that lead to conditions necessary for life. With this knowledge, NASA is enabling safe and effective human missions to destinations beyond low Earth orbit.

Blue spiral graphic against space background showing planetary science mission icons
NASA Planetary Science Division missions. (January 2024)
NASA

NASA missions continue to explore from the innermost planet, Mercury, to the outer reaches of the solar system, where Pluto orbits among many Kuiper Belt Objects. We have orbited and traversed the surface of Mars, finding evidence of liquid water and ancient habitable environments.

Closer to home, the Planetary Science Division uses Earth-orbiting telescopes and ground-based sensors in coordination with other organizations, including the National Science Foundation and the U.S. Air Force. These telescopes and sensors are used to survey space to detect, track, catalog, and characterize near-Earth objects (NEOs), which may pose hazards to Earth or provide destinations and resources for future exploration.

A robotic arm laden with science instruments extends toward a rocky outcrop on Mars.
NASA’s Perseverance rover puts its robotic arm to work around a rocky outcrop called “Skinner Ridge” in Mars’ Jezero Crater.
NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU/MSSS
An illustration shows a spacecraft in silhouette above an icy moon's surface with reddish fractures. Beyond the moon's horizon, the planet Jupiter sits in the distance.
Illustration of NASA's Europa Clipper spacecraft above Jupiter's ocean moon Europa. The spacecraft will use its powerful suite of science instruments to determine if the moon has the ingredients to support life as we know it – that is, "Is Europa habitable?"
NASA/JPL-Caltech
Falcon heavy rocket carrying Psyche spacecraft emits fire and smoke as it lifts off
A SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket with the Psyche spacecraft onboard is launched from Launch Complex 39A, Friday, Oct. 13, 2023, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASA’s Psyche spacecraft will travel to a metal-rich asteroid by the same name orbiting the Sun between Mars and Jupiter to study it’s composition. The spacecraft also carries the agency’s Deep Space Optical Communications technology demonstration, which will test laser communications beyond the Moon.
NASA/Aubrey Gemignani

Discover more

illustration of hikers going up a rocky ledge to the left with solar system planets represented large in an arc across the sky

Planetary science resources and references for new and experienced researchers.

Closeup of hands making a Juno model out of popsicle sticks and foil connected in a 3-pronged model

Activities, internship information, and ways to get involved with planetary science are linked here.

Looking for the origins of life on this planet and signs that it may exist elsewhere in the universe.

Close up photo of a green and gold image sensor with numbers and text on it.

Final report assessing SMD's computing infrastructure and transition to open science.

A full globe view of Mars

Exploring our solar system's inner, rocky worlds as NASA develops new missions to extend human presence beyond Earth.

A deep blue planet with wispy white clouds moving across its face.

Unlocking the secrets of distant worlds to understand more about the formation of our solar system.

Revealing the foundational materials of our solar system with asteroids, comets, meteors, and objects in the Kuiper Belt and Oort Cloud.

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