NASA MCP Server
Explore space and science via NASA APIs — browse APOD, Mars rover photos, Earth imagery, NEO data and patents from any AI agent.
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What is the NASA MCP Server?
The NASA MCP Server gives AI agents like Claude, ChatGPT, and Cursor direct access to NASA via 9 tools. Explore space and science via NASA APIs — browse APOD, Mars rover photos, Earth imagery, NEO data and patents from any AI agent. Powered by the Vinkius - no API keys, no infrastructure, connect in under 2 minutes.
Built-in capabilities (9)
Tools for your AI Agents to operate NASA
Ask your AI agent "Show me today's Astronomy Picture of the Day." and get the answer without opening a single dashboard. With 9 tools connected to real NASA data, your agents reason over live information, cross-reference it with other MCP servers, and deliver insights you would spend hours assembling manually.
Works with Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor, and any MCP-compatible client. Powered by the Vinkius - your credentials never touch the AI model, every request is auditable. Connect in under two minutes.
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One subscription gives you access to thousands of MCP servers - and you can deploy your own to the Vinkius Edge. Your AI agents only access the data you authorize, with DLP that blocks sensitive information from ever reaching the model, kill switch for instant shutdown, and up to 60% token savings. Enterprise-grade infrastructure and security, zero maintenance.
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NASA MCP Server capabilities
9 toolsIf no date is specified, returns today's APOD. Optionally specify a single date, a date range (start_date and end_date), or a count of random APODs. Returns the image/video URL, title, explanation, copyright and date. This is one of NASA's most popular APIs. Get NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day (APOD)
Requires longitude and latitude coordinates. Optionally specify a date (YYYY-MM-DD) to get imagery from a specific time. Returns the image URL and metadata. Useful for viewing geographic changes over time. Get satellite imagery of Earth from NASA
Optionally specify a date (YYYY-MM-DD) and whether to use enhanced-color images (true) or natural-color (false, default). Returns image URLs, coordinates and acquisition time. Get Earth Polychromatic Imaging Camera (EPIC) images from NASA
Optionally filter by Earth date (YYYY-MM-DD), camera type (FHAZ, RHAZ, MAST, CHEMCAM, MAHLI, MARDI, NAVCAM, PANCAM, MINITES), and page number. Each photo includes the image URL, rover name, camera, Earth date and Mars sol date. Get Mars Rover photos from NASA
Useful for discovering which rovers are active and when they last took photos. Get information about NASA Mars rovers
Optionally specify a start and end date (YYYY-MM-DD, max 7 days range). Returns asteroid count per day, estimated diameters, velocity, and whether they are potentially hazardous. Great for space awareness and planetary defense tracking. Get Near-Earth Object (NEO) feed from NASA
Optionally filter by category (software, patent). Returns descriptions, contact information and availability status. Get NASA technology transfer information
Accepts a free-text query and returns matching media with titles, descriptions, NASA center information and media type (image, video, audio). Optionally set page number for pagination. This is the primary search endpoint for NASA media assets. Search the NASA Image and Video Library
Requires a search query. Returns patent titles, numbers, abstracts and licensing availability. Useful for technology transfer and commercialization research. Search NASA patents
What the NASA MCP Server unlocks
Connect to NASA's open APIs through any AI agent and explore space science through natural conversation.
What you can do
- Astronomy Picture of the Day — Fetch today's APOD or any historical image with title, explanation and media URL
- Mars Rover Photos — Browse photos from Curiosity, Perseverance, Opportunity and Spirit rovers by date and camera
- Earth Satellite Imagery — View Landsat 8 satellite imagery for any coordinate on Earth with date filtering
- EPIC Earth Images — See full-disk Earth images from the DSCOVR satellite's Deep Space Camera
- Near-Earth Objects — Track asteroids and their size, velocity and hazard rating over a date range
- NASA Library Search — Search NASA's extensive image and video library with free-text queries
- Patent & Technology Transfer — Search NASA patents and discover technologies available for licensing
How it works
1. Subscribe to this server
2. Enter your NASA API Key (free at api.nasa.gov)
3. Start exploring space from Claude, Cursor, or any MCP-compatible client
No more navigating multiple NASA websites to find Mars photos or check asteroid data. Your AI acts as a dedicated space science assistant.
Who is this for?
- Educators — quickly find APOD images, Mars photos and space data for lessons and presentations
- Developers — discover NASA datasets, search the media library and explore technology transfer opportunities
- Space Enthusiasts — track near-Earth objects, browse rover photos and view satellite imagery of any location
Frequently asked questions about the NASA MCP Server
How do I get a NASA API key?
Visit api.nasa.gov and sign up with your email — it's completely free. You'll receive an API key instantly. For quick testing, you can use DEMO_KEY which allows 30 requests/hour and 50/day. Registered keys get 1,000 requests/hour.
Can I get Mars rover photos from today?
Mars rovers don't take photos every Earth day due to communication delays and mission schedules. Use get_mars_photos with rover name 'curiosity' or 'perseverance' and an earth_date parameter. If no photos exist for that date, the API returns an empty list. Try recent dates or browse available dates with get_mars_rovers.
What are Near-Earth Objects (NEOs)?
NEOs are asteroids and comets whose orbits bring them close to Earth. NASA tracks them for planetary defense. Use get_neo_feed to see asteroid counts and data over a date range. Each NEO includes estimated diameter, velocity, miss distance, and whether it's classified as 'potentially hazardous'.
Can I search NASA's image library?
Yes! Use search_nasa_library with a free-text query (e.g. 'Apollo 11', 'Mars', 'ISS', 'Hubble'). It searches thousands of images, videos and audio files. Results include title, description, NASA center, media type and URL. Optionally set page number for pagination.
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Give your AI agents the power of NASA MCP Server
Production-grade NASA MCP Server. Verified, monitored, and maintained by Vinkius. Ready for your AI agents — connect and start using immediately.






