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.
Planetary Science Happenings
Total Solar Eclipse 2024: The Moon’s Moment in the Sun
On April 8, 2024, much of North America will experience a solar eclipse: a cosmic alignment of Sun, Moon, and Earth. The Moon’s shadow path will make landfall on Mexico’s Pacific coast, cross the U.S. from Texas to Maine, and exit North America via Newfoundland.
NASA Unveils Design for Message Heading to Jupiter’s Moon Europa
When it launches in October, the agency’s Europa Clipper spacecraft will carry a richly layered dispatch that includes more than 2.6 million names submitted by the public.
Mission Manager Update: All VIPER Flight Instruments Installed
The VIPER team continues to push forward with the build of the flight trover that will go to the surface of the Moon, with all of VIPER’s flight instruments installed, and the rover more than 80% built.
NASA Announces OSIRIS-REx Bulk Sample Mass
NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft delivered 4.29 ounces (121.6 grams) of material from asteroid Bennu when it returned to Earth on Sep. 24, 2023; the largest asteroid sample ever collected in space and over twice the mission’s requirement.
Our Solar System
Join NASA's planetary science team as we explore our planetary neighborhood: The Sun, planets, moons, and millions of asteroids, and comets.
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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.
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.
More Planetary Science News from NASA
For Your Processing Pleasure: The Sharpest Pictures of Jupiter’s Volcanic Moon Io in a Generation
NASA Puts Next-Gen Exoplanet-Imaging Technology to the Test
NASA Celebrates First Decade of International Asteroid Warning Network
Thank You, Jovian Vortex Hunters! The Hunt Is Over…for Now.