Space exploration, investigation, by means of crewed and uncrewed spacecraft, of the reaches of the universe beyond Earth’s atmosphere and the use of the information so gained to increase knowledge of the cosmos and benefit humanity. Learn more about space exploration in this article.

Space exploration is the physical investigation of outer space by uncrewed robotic space probes and through human spaceflight. While the observation of objects in space, known as astronomy, predates reliable recorded history, it was the development of large and relatively efficient rockets ...

Explore ways to get more involved as a member. ... Latest space missions, discoveries and exploration updates.

An international partnership of five space agencies from 15 countries operates the International Space Station, and two dozen countries have signed the Artemis Accords, signaling their commitment to shared values for long-term human exploration and research at the Moon.

On July 20, 1969, astronaut Neil Armstrong took “one giant leap for mankind” as he stepped onto the Moon. Six Apollo missions were made to explore the Moon between 1969 and 1972. During the 1960s, unmanned spacecraft photographed and probed the Moon before astronauts ever landed.

On Nov. 11, 1966, the Gemini 12 mission launched an astronaut crew into orbit and set the stage for NASA's Apollo program. Here's why it mattered. Space Exploration

Scientific research in space can be divided into five general areas: (1) solar and space physics, including study of the magnetic and electromagnetic fields in space and the various energetic particles also present, with particular attention to their interactions with Earth, (2) exploration of the planets, moons, asteroids, comets, meteoroids, and dust in the solar system, (3) study of the origin, evolution, and current state of the varied objects in the universe beyond the solar system, (4) research on nonliving and living materials, including humans, in the very low gravity levels of the space environment, and (5) study of Earth from space.

Space exploration - Milestones, Achievements, History: The first artificial Earth satellite, Sputnik 1, was launched by the Soviet Union on October 4, 1957. The first human to go into space, Yuri Gagarin, was launched, again by the Soviet Union, ...

Humans are exploring space. While our current human exploration is through the International Space Station and transportation to and from it, future activities could include missions to the Moon, Mars, and other locations in the Solar System.

NASA's DAVINCI, launching no earlier than 2030, will descend through Venus' atmosphere and explore its surface geology. NASA's VERITAS, launching no earlier than 2031, will map out Venus' topography. The Planetary Society is working to change the launch date to 2029. ESA's EnVision will launch no earlier than 2031 to investigate Venus' atmosphere and overall structure. All the past and present missions to Venus, a planet that may have once resembled Earth. ... China's Tiangong space station hosts the country's astronauts in low-Earth orbit.

During the time that has passed since the launching of the first artificial satellite in 1957, astronauts have traveled to the moon, probes have explored the solar system, and instruments in space have discovered thousands of planets around other stars.

A spacecraft is set to launch on an ambitious mission to bring 10g of Martian moon dust back to Earth.

On Oct. 16, 2021, NASA's Lucy spacecraft began its journey to the never-before-explored Jupiter Trojan asteroids with an early morning launch.

For the first time ever, a spacecraft will travel all the way to the Mars system and return.

Space exploration is the physical exploration of outer space, both by human spaceflights and by robotic spacecraft. While the observation of objects in space—known as astronomy—pre-dates reliable recorded history, it was the development ...

ESA’s exploration of the Solar System is focused on understanding the Earth’s relationship with the other planets, essential stepping stones for exploring the wider Universe. While space may hold many wonders and explanations of how the universe was formed or how it works, it also holds dangers.

Named after NASA’s first chief astronomer, the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope will settle essential questions in the areas of dark energy, exoplanets, and astrophysics. ... Under Artemis, NASA will send astronauts on increasingly difficult missions to explore more of the Moon to build on our foundation for the first crewed missions to Mars.

Strange New Planet: Work in teams to collect data and plan missions to explore unknown worlds, observing them from a distance to simulate observations by ground-based telescopes, then from increasingly closer distances during flybys and orbits. Build a Space Station: Design a space station and review the parts needed to meet the living requirements for humans to live and work in space.

The space exploration and space science industry creates piloted and unpiloted vehicles and devices that venture into space, study phenomena beyond Earth's atmosphere, and make use of extraterrestrial resources—including extreme height, a ...

The results of these space investigations have made major contributions to an understanding of the origin, evolution, and likely future of the universe, galaxies, stars, and planetary systems. For example, the U.S. Cosmic Background Explorer (COBE) satellite, launched in 1989, mapped the microwave background radiation left over from the early universe, providing strong support for the theory that the universe was created in a primordial explosion, known as the big bang.