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 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

has successfully launched over 200 crewed flights. Three have ended in failure, causing the death of the entire crew: Apollo 1 in 1967 lost three crew members, STS-51-L in 1986, and STS-107 in 2003.
ProgramStart dateFirst crewed flightEnd dateNo. of crewed
missions launched		Notes
Mercury program1958196119636First U.S. crewed program
Gemini program19611965196610Program used to practice space rendezvous and EVAs
Apollo program19601968197211Landed first humans on the Moon
Skylab1964197319743First American space station
Apollo–Soyuz Test Project1971197519751Joint with Soviet Union
Space Shuttle program197219812011135First missions in which a spacecraft was reused
Shuttle-Mir program19931995199811Russian partnership
International Space Station19931998Ongoing65Joint with Roscosmos, CSA, ESA, and JAXA; Americans flew on Russian Soyuz after 2011 retirement of Space Shuttle
Commercial Crew Program20112020Ongoing8Current program to shuttle Americans to the ISS
Artemis program20172026 Ongoing0Current program to bring humans to the Moon again

'''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 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, 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