What kinds of space missions does NASA JPL cover on its website?

Updated

NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) website covers robotic space missions — not human spaceflight. JPL describes itself as the home of NASA's robotic space missions, spanning Mars rovers, planetary science, Earth observation, and discoveries from roughly 40 active missions. If you are looking for astronaut programs, launch schedules for crewed flights, or the International Space Station, that content lives elsewhere in NASA; if you want uncrewed probes, rovers, orbiters, and the science they return, JPL is the right site.

Robotic exploration, not crewed spaceflight

The dividing line matters when you are deciding where to browse. JPL's scope is uncrewed spacecraft: machines that fly, orbit, land, or rove, and the instruments and data they produce. Its own description frames the site around "robotic space missions," which is why you will find mission pages, instrument descriptions, and science results rather than astronaut biographies or crewed vehicle operations.

Mission categories you can browse

The site organizes content into several broad areas, each with its own mission pages and updates:

  • Mars — rovers and related surface and orbital missions, including the science and engineering behind them.
  • Planetary science — missions to other planets, moons, asteroids, and comets, covering flybys, orbiters, landers, and sample-focused efforts.
  • Earth observation — spacecraft that monitor Earth's climate, surface, and atmosphere.
  • Latest discoveries — news and findings drawn from the active mission fleet.

JPL states it hosts around 40 active missions, so the site functions as a hub that aggregates current missions and their results rather than a single-project page.

How to find missions that match your interest

  1. Start from the mission or topic areas above (Mars, planetary science, Earth observation) rather than a general search, since the site is structured by mission and theme.
  2. Open an individual mission page to see its target, instruments, and current status.
  3. Check the discoveries or news section to see recent results from the active fleet.
  4. Use the mission list as a map: if a target or instrument type interests you, follow that thread into its mission page.

The practical test is simple: if the object of your interest is a robot exploring space or a spacecraft studying Earth, JPL's site is likely to have a page for it; if it is a person going to space, it is outside this site's scope.