Future Missions
Future Missions
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Launch Date: Late 2021
NASA is developing a first-ever robotic mission to visit a large near-Earth asteroid, collect a multi-ton boulder from its surface, and redirect it into a stable orbit around the moon.
ARRM
Asteroid Redirect Robotic Mission
Asteroid Redirect Robotic Mission -
Launch Date: April 2017
A facility designed to fly aboard the International Space Station, the Cold Atom Laboratory, or CAL, will make use the space station's unique microgravity environment to observe quantum phenomena that would otherwise be undetectable from Earth.CAL
Cold Atom Laboratory
Cold Atom Laboratory -
Launch Date: 2016
The Deep Space Atomic Clock, or DSAC, is a technology demonstration of a small, ultra-precise, mercury-ion atomic clock, which will be launched into Earth orbit to test its potential as a next-generation tool for spacecraft navigation, radio science and global positioning systems.DSAC
Deep Space Atomic Clock
Deep Space Atomic Clock -
Launch Date: April 2018
The ECOsystem Spaceborne Thermal Radiometer Experiment on Space Station (ECOSTRESS), will monitor one of the most basic processes in living plants: the loss of water through the tiny pores in leaves.
ECOSTRESS
ECOsystem Spaceborne Thermal Radiometer Experiment on Space Station
ECOsystem Spaceborne Thermal Radiometer Experiment on Space Station -
Launch Date: 2020
Euclid, a planned mission to investigate the profound cosmic mysteries of dark matter and dark energy, has passed its preliminary design review.Euclid
Euclid -
Launch Date: TBD (2020's)
NASA's planned Europa mission would conduct detailed reconnaissance of Jupiter's moon Europa and investigate whether the icy moon could harbor conditions suitable for life.Europa Mission
Europa Mission -
Launch Date: 2017
The Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment Follow-on (GRACE-FO) mission is a partnership between NASA and the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ).GRACE-FO
Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment Follow-On
Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment Follow-On -
Launch Date: May 5, 2018
The InSight mission will place a lander on Mars that will drill beneath the surface to investigate the Red Planet's interior structure.InSight
InSight -
Launch Date: Summer 2020
The Mars 2020 rover will investigate a region of Mars where the ancient environment may have been favorable for microbial life, probing the Martian rocks for evidence of past life.Mars 2020
Mars 2020 -
Launch Date: 2018
Designed to play a key role in NASA's James Webb Space Telescope, the Mid-Infrared Instrument, or MIRI, will image stars and galaxies in infrared light.MIRI
Mid-Infrared Instrument
Mid-Infrared Instrument -
Launch Date: To be determined
Currently in development, MAIA uses a twin-camera instrument that will make radiometric and polarimetric measurements needed to characterize the sizes, compositions and quantities of particulate matter in air pollution.MAIA
Multi-Angle Imager for Aerosols
Multi-Angle Imager for Aerosols -
Launch Date: 2020
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, including ecosystem disturbances, ice-sheet collapse, and natural hazards such as earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanoes and landslides.NISAR
NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar
NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar -
Launch Date: To be determined
The Orbiting Carbon Observatory 3, or OCO-3, is a future space instrument designed to investigate important questions about the distribution of carbon dioxide on Earth as it relates to growing urban populations and changing patterns of fossil fuel combustion.OCO-3
Orbiting Carbon Observatory 3
Orbiting Carbon Observatory 3 -
Launch Date: 2020
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.SWOT
Surface Water and Ocean Topography
Surface Water and Ocean Topography -
Launch Date: Mid 2020's
WFIRST, the Wide Field InfraRed Survey Telescope, is a NASA observatory designed to settle essential questions in the areas of dark energy, exoplanets, and infrared astrophysics.WFIRST
Wide Field Infrared Survey Telescope
Wide Field Infrared Survey Telescope