Planetary Missions Program Office
Unlocking the Mysteries of the Solar System
Planetary Missions Programs
NASA is helping humanity answer profound questions about the nature of the solar system and our place in it. How did the solar system form and evolve? What are the hazards to Earth? Is there life out there? These are the questions we seek to answer, as we work to expand the frontiers of knowledge and opportunity in space.
Discovery Program
Established in 1992, this program includes a series of small planetary missions, launching every 36 months, selected and funded by NASA through open, peer-reviewed competition.
New Frontiers Program
Established in 2003, this program is a series of mid-size planetary missions, launching every 60 months. New Frontiers missions take on high-priority goals established by the planetary science community.
Solar System Exploration Program
From small, focused investigations to large, strategic missions of national importance, this program includes our "flagship" missions to answer the most compelling and challenging questions about our solar system.
Lunar Instruments and Payloads
In preparation for sending humans to Mars for the first time, NASA’s Artemis program will send astronauts back to the Moon by 2024. Twelve new science and technology payloads have been selected as part of this program that will help us study the lunar surface.
Latest Planetary Missions Programs News
Stay up-to-date with the latest news from NASA's Planetary Missions Programs.
A new analysis of imagery collected during NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft’s 2015 encounter with Pluto provides evidence that liquid nitrogen…
Description This graphic illustrates the areas of Jupiter’s moon Io sampled by the Microwave Radiometer (MWR) instrument aboard NASA’s Juno…
Description This map represents data captured by the Microwave Radiometer (MWR) aboard NASA’s Juno spacecraft, indicating heat rising from just…
Lee esta historia en español aquí. NASA’s Juno mission has provided the first measurements of the temperature below the surface of…
Background Human exploration of Mars will expose crews to a persistent, fine particulate environment whose physicochemical properties and health implications…
Description Captured by the multispectral imager instrument on NASA’s Psyche mission, this is an enhanced-color mosaic created from four individual…
Planetary Missions Interactive
Right now, NASA spacecraft are exploring the furthest reaches of our solar system to answer age-old questions about life, the universe, and Earth. Join the mission! Try this interactive experience in your browser to learn more:
Learn More about Planetary Missions Interactive