Future Missions

Space Missions

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Upcoming Missions

1 . The SIM Lite Astrometric Observatory  to better determine positions and distances to other stars and to search for Earth-sized planets orbiting nearby stars.  To be launched in 2011

2. Bepi Colombo Mission   a European Space Agency mission in cooperation with Japan to explore the planet Mercury and bring us new images and data about the planet nearest to the Sun.  To be launched in 2013.

3. Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution Mission (MAVEN)   a NASA mission designed to study the Martian upper atmosphere, ionosphere and interactions with the sun and solar wind.  To be launched in late 2013.

4. James Webb Space Telescope   a large infrared-optimized space telescope which will be able to find the first galaxies that formed in the early universe.  To be launched in 2018.

5. Terrestrial Planet Finder (TPF)  to search for small Earth-sized extrasolar planets and identify gases such as carbon dioxide, water vapor, ozone and methane in the atmosphere of these planets.  To be launched around 2014.

6. Thirty Meter Telescope   a ground based observatory to be located at Mauna Kea in Hawaii will be the most capable and advanced telescope ever built.  To be completed in 2018.

7. LISA - Laser Interferometer Space Antenna   this mission will attempt to better understand the fundamental physical laws of the universe.  LISA is a joint mission of NASA and the European Space Agency.  To be launched in 2018 at the earliest.

8. International X-ray Observatory   a new x-ray telescope with joint participation from NASA, ESA (European Space Agency and JAXA (Japan's Aerospace Exploration Agency. To be launched in 2021.