How do I get a NASA API key?

Visit [**api.nasa.gov**](https://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.

NASA MCP Server for VS Code Copilot 9 tools — connect in under 2 minutes

Name: NASA
Availability: InStock
Author: Vinkius

code.visualstudio.com/docs/copilot/chat/mcp-servers

Built by Vinkius GDPR 9 Tools IDE

GitHub Copilot in VS Code is the most widely adopted AI coding assistant, embedded directly into the world's most popular code editor. With MCP support in Agent mode, Copilot can access external data and APIs to generate context-aware code grounded in real-time information.

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Classic Setup·json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "nasa": {
      "url": "https://edge.vinkius.com/[YOUR_TOKEN_HERE]/mcp"
    }
  }
}

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* Every MCP server runs on Vinkius-managed infrastructure inside AWS - a purpose-built runtime with per-request V8 isolates, Ed25519 signed audit chains, and sub-40ms cold starts optimized for native MCP execution. See our infrastructure

About NASA MCP Server

Connect to NASA's open APIs through any AI agent and explore space science through natural conversation.

GitHub Copilot Agent mode brings NASA data directly into your VS Code workflow. With a project-scoped config, the entire team shares access to 9 tools — Copilot queries live data, generates typed code, and writes tests from actual API responses, all without leaving the editor.

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

The NASA MCP Server exposes 9 tools through the Vinkius. Connect it to VS Code Copilot in under two minutes — no API keys to rotate, no infrastructure to provision, no vendor lock-in. Your configuration, your data, your control.

How to Connect NASA to VS Code Copilot via MCP

Follow these steps to integrate the NASA MCP Server with VS Code Copilot.

Create MCP config

Create a .vscode/mcp.json file in your project root

Add the server config

Paste the JSON configuration above

Enable Agent mode

Open GitHub Copilot Chat and switch to Agent mode using the dropdown

Start using NASA

Ask Copilot: "Using NASA, help me..." — 9 tools available

Why Use VS Code Copilot with the NASA MCP Server

GitHub Copilot for Visual Studio Code provides unique advantages when paired with NASA through the Model Context Protocol.

VS Code is used by over 70% of developers — adding MCP tools to Copilot means your team can leverage external data without leaving their primary editor

Project-scoped MCP configs (`.vscode/mcp.json`) let you commit server configurations to your repository, ensuring the entire team shares the same tool access

Copilot's Agent mode integrates MCP tools seamlessly with file editing, terminal commands, and workspace search in a single agentic loop

GitHub's enterprise compliance and audit features extend to MCP tool usage, providing visibility into how AI interacts with external services

NASA + VS Code Copilot Use Cases

Practical scenarios where VS Code Copilot combined with the NASA MCP Server delivers measurable value.

Live API integration: Copilot can query an MCP server, inspect the response schema, and generate typed API client code in the same step

DevSecOps workflows: security teams can give developers access to domain intelligence tools directly in their editor for real-time vulnerability assessment during code review

Data pipeline development: Copilot fetches sample data via MCP and generates transformation scripts, validators, and test fixtures from actual API responses

Documentation generation: Copilot queries available tools and auto-generates README sections, API reference docs, and usage examples

NASA MCP Tools for VS Code Copilot (9)

These 9 tools become available when you connect NASA to VS Code Copilot via MCP:

get_apod

If 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)

get_earth_imagery

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

get_epic_images

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

get_mars_photos

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

get_mars_rovers

Useful for discovering which rovers are active and when they last took photos. Get information about NASA Mars rovers

get_neo_feed

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

get_tech_transfer

Optionally filter by category (software, patent). Returns descriptions, contact information and availability status. Get NASA technology transfer information

search_nasa_library

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

search_patents

Requires a search query. Returns patent titles, numbers, abstracts and licensing availability. Useful for technology transfer and commercialization research. Search NASA patents

Example Prompts for NASA in VS Code Copilot

Ready-to-use prompts you can give your VS Code Copilot agent to start working with NASA immediately.

"Show me today's Astronomy Picture of the Day."

"Show me photos taken by the Perseverance rover on Mars."

"Are there any potentially hazardous asteroids approaching Earth this week?"

Troubleshooting NASA MCP Server with VS Code Copilot

Common issues when connecting NASA to VS Code Copilot through the Vinkius, and how to resolve them.

MCP tools not available

Ensure you are in Agent mode in Copilot Chat. MCP tools only appear in Agent mode.

NASA + VS Code Copilot FAQ

Common questions about integrating NASA MCP Server with VS Code Copilot.

Which VS Code version supports MCP?

MCP support requires VS Code 1.99 or later with the GitHub Copilot extension. Ensure both are updated to the latest version. Older versions of Copilot may not expose the Agent mode toggle.

How do I switch to Agent mode?

Open the Copilot Chat panel and look for two mode options: "Ask" and "Agent". Click "Agent" to enable autonomous tool calling. In Ask mode, Copilot provides conversational answers but cannot invoke MCP tools.

Can I restrict which MCP tools Copilot can access?

Yes. VS Code shows a tool consent dialog before any MCP tool is invoked for the first time. You can also configure tool access policies at the organization level through GitHub Copilot settings.

Does MCP work in VS Code Remote or Codespaces?

Yes. MCP servers configured via .vscode/mcp.json work in Remote SSH, WSL, and GitHub Codespaces environments. The MCP connection is established from the remote host, so ensure the server URL is accessible from that environment.