Best Space Based
Updated Daily
Despite the emergence of newer observatories, the Hubble Space Telescope remains a vital tool for astronomical research. Its long operational history has provided a wealth of data, contributing to countless discoveries about the universe. While its capabilities are surpassed by JWST in some areas, H...
The Cassini-Huygens mission, operated by NASA and ESA, was a space-based observatory dedicated to studying Saturn and its system. Launched in 1997, it provided unprecedented data on Saturn’s rings, atmosphere, and moons. The Huygens probe successfully landed on Titan, offering the first close observ...
The Gaia observatory is a space-based mission operated by the European Space Agency. It meticulously surveys our galaxy, the Milky Way, producing an unprecedented three-dimensional map through astrometry. This data allows astronomers to determine the positions and motions of over one billion stars w...
The Kepler Space Telescope was a NASA observatory launched in 2009. It monitored over 150,000 stars for dips in brightness caused by planets passing in front of them – a technique called the transit method. This allowed scientists to identify and characterize numerous exoplanets, particularly those...
The Parker Solar Probe is a NASA observatory spacecraft investigating the Sun’s outer atmosphere, the corona. Launched in 2018, it utilizes an innovative design to repeatedly approach closer to the Sun than ever before. This allows scientists to study solar activity and its effects on the heliospher...
Hipparcos was a European Space Agency observatory launched in 1989. It performed groundbreaking measurements of stellar positions and distances using parallax – tiny shifts in apparent position caused by Earth’s orbit. This data significantly improved our understanding of the Milky Way galaxy's stru...
The Planck mission was a European Space Agency-operated observatory designed to study the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB). Launched in 2009 and decommissioned in 2013, it provided highly detailed measurements of this afterglow from the Big Bang. This data is invaluable for cosmologists studying th...
SOHO is a space-based observatory operated jointly by NASA and the European Space Agency. It monitors the Sun’s activity, including solar flares and coronal mass ejections, providing crucial data for understanding these events and their impact on Earth's space environment. Scientists studying heliop...
The Spitzer Space Telescope was a NASA space-based observatory operating from 2003 to 2020. It utilized infrared light to survey the universe, providing detailed observations of celestial objects and star systems. Notably, Spitzer contributed significantly to the discovery of exoplanets, including t...
The Herschel Space Observatory is a decommissioned space-based observatory operated by the European Space Agency (ESA). It specialized in observing the far-infrared spectrum of the universe, providing unique insights into star formation, galaxy evolution and the distribution of cold gas. Its observa...
The Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) is a space-based observatory operated by NASA. It provides continuous ultraviolet imaging of the Sun, allowing scientists to study solar flares, coronal mass ejections, and other energetic events. This data is crucial for understanding how the Sun impacts Earth’s...
The Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope is a NASA observatory orbiting Earth. It detects high-energy gamma rays, providing insights into extreme astrophysical phenomena like black holes and supernovae. Scientists use its data to study these events and understand the universe’s most energetic processes....
The Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory is a NASA spacecraft dedicated to studying high-energy astrophysical events. Launched in 2004, it’s notable for its rapid detection of gamma-ray and X-ray bursts, providing crucial data for astronomers investigating transient phenomena like supernovae and neutron s...
BeppoSAX was a European Space Agency observatory launched in 1996. This satellite primarily observed X-rays and gamma rays, providing critical data for studying high-energy astrophysical events like gamma-ray bursts. It’s notable for pioneering the detection of afterglows – faint emissions following...
The XMM-Newton observatory, operated by ESA, observes the universe primarily in X-rays. Its large telescope allows for detailed studies of extremely hot and energetic astronomical objects like black holes and supernova remnants. Scientists use XMM-Newton to investigate these phenomena and gain insig...
eROSITA is a German observatory utilizing a space-based x-ray telescope. Launched in 2019 as part of the Spektr-RG mission, it performs the first comprehensive all-sky survey within the medium x-ray spectrum. This allows astronomers to study distant galaxies and energetic events across the entire sk...
The Compton Gamma Ray Observatory was a NASA space-based observatory that operated from 1991 until its decommissioning in 2000. It monitored high-energy gamma rays to study celestial events such as gamma-ray bursts and active galactic nuclei. Scientists utilized the observatory’s data to understand...
The Roman Space Telescope is a NASA observatory designed for wide-field surveys of the universe. Utilizing both optical and infrared capabilities, it will investigate dark energy’s influence on cosmic structure and search for exoplanets orbiting distant stars. This mission benefits astronomers study...
WISE was a NASA space observatory designed to conduct a comprehensive all-sky infrared survey. Launched in 2009, it scanned the heavens using infrared light, identifying previously unknown asteroids and distant galaxies. The data collected by WISE remains valuable for astronomers studying celestial...
Uhuru was a NASA-operated space observatory launched in 1970 as the first satellite dedicated specifically to X-ray astronomy. Also known as the Small Astronomy Satellite 1, it surveyed the sky for celestial X-ray sources and produced a catalog that greatly expanded the known X-ray universe. Its obs...
ROSAT, short for Röntgensatellit, was a German-led space observatory launched in 1990 for X-ray and extreme-ultraviolet astronomy. Its principal achievement was the first all-sky X-ray survey performed with an imaging telescope, which cataloged tens of thousands of sources. The mission supplied astr...
XRISM (X-Ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission) is a space observatory jointly developed by JAXA and NASA, launched in September 2023. The satellite is equipped with a high-resolution X-ray microcalorimeter and an X-ray imager, specifically designed to measure the extreme high-energy phenomena occurr...
The Einstein Observatory, originally designated HEAO-2, was a pioneering NASA X-ray telescope launched into Earth orbit in 1978. It was the first space observatory equipped with a fully imaging X-ray telescope, drastically improving the sensitivity of astronomical observations compared to earlier de...
The Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR) is a space-based observatory launched by NASA in 2012. It operates in the hard X-ray band, utilizing a specialized telescope design to focus high-energy X-rays into sharp images. This capability allows astronomers to study extremely energetic phenom...
LISA Pathfinder was an European Space Agency technology demonstrator spacecraft launched on December 3, 2015. Its primary objective was to test the technologies required for a future space-based gravitational-wave observatory, the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA). The mission validated crit...
The Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer (RXTE) was a NASA satellite launched on December 30, 1995, to study time variability in astronomical X-ray sources. Named after physicist Bruno Rossi, the mission observed X-ray emissions from black holes, neutron stars, and active galactic nuclei. RXTE carried three...
Hinode, which translates to "sunrise" in Japanese, is a solar observation satellite developed by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) in collaboration with NASA and the UK Space Agency. Launched in September 2006, the spacecraft is designed to study the Sun's magnetic fields and dynamic phe...
STEREO (Solar TErrestrial RElations Observatory) is a NASA solar observation mission launched in 2006. It utilizes two nearly identical spacecraft placed in heliocentric orbits ahead of and behind Earth. This orbital configuration allows the observatories to capture stereoscopic images of the Sun an...
The Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) is a NASA space observatory launched on December 9, 2021, designed to measure the polarization of X-rays from cosmic sources. It is the first satellite dedicated to X-ray polarimetry, complementing existing X-ray telescopes such as Chandra and XMM-Newton...
The Advanced Satellite for Cosmology and Astrophysics (ASCA), known as ASTRO-D before launch, was a Japanese X-ray astronomy satellite launched in February 1993. It was equipped with X-ray telescopes using CCD detectors, making it the first X-ray satellite to use CCD technology for imaging and spect...
