NASA MCP Server

NASA MCP Server is an MCP server that provides a standardized interface for AI models to interact with public NASA APIs and datasets. It connects to more than 20 NASA data endpoints, including the open NASA API, JPL Solar System Dynamics, and Earth Data services. Astronomers, researchers, developers, and educators use this server to query space and Earth science data directly through LLM interfaces. The server enables users to fetch Astronomy Picture of the Day images, retrieve Mars rover photos by sol or date, track Near Earth Objects, and examine space weather events from DONKI. It also supports querying satellite imagery via GIBS, accessing fire data through FIRMS, analyzing solar system bodies, and obtaining meteorological metrics from the POWER API. Operating across stdio and streamable HTTP transports, it converts complex scientific data formats into structured schemas optimized for LLM consumption, complete with automatic parameter validation, rate limit management, and comprehensive request logging.

Category: Other & General Purpose

Tags: astronomy, data, nasa, science, space

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How to install and configure NASA MCP Server

1. Obtain an API key from api.nasa.gov. 2. Run the server using npx by executing: bash env NASA_API_KEY=YOUR_API_KEY npx -y @programcomputer/nasa-mcp-server@latest 3. Alternatively, install manually by cloning the repository: bash git clone https://github.com/ProgramComputer/NASA-MCP-server.git cd NASA-MCP-server npm install NASA_API_KEY=YOUR_API_KEY npm start 4. For Streamable HTTP mode, set the transport mode and port before launching: bash MCP_TRANSPORT=http MCP_HTTP_PORT=3000 NASA_API_KEY=YOUR_API_KEY npm start 5. In your MCP client configuration (such as Claude Desktop or Cursor), add the stdio command or connect via Streamable HTTP at http://127.0.0.1:3000/mcp.

What you can do with NASA MCP Server

• Fetching the Astronomy Picture of the Day (APOD) along with media thumbnails and explanatory metadata for specific dates. - Querying Mars Rover photography by specifying the rover, camera filter, Martian sol, or Earth calendar date. - Tracking Near Earth Objects (NEO) and JPL small-body close approaches within custom specified date ranges. - Retrieving satellite imagery layers from Global Imagery Browse Services (GIBS) for environmental and Earth observation analysis. - Extracting solar and meteorological parameters such as temperature and wind speed via the NASA POWER API.

Key facts

• https://github.com/ProgramComputer/NASA-MCP-server
• Other & General Purpose, Web Search & Research
• astronomy, data, nasa, science, space

Part of MCP Servers

How do I install NASA MCP Server?

You can run NASA MCP Server instantly using npx with your NASA API key. Alternatively, clone the GitHub repository, install dependencies using npm install, and run npm start with your NASA_API_KEY set as an environment variable or command-line flag.

What can NASA MCP Server do?

NASA MCP Server connects AI agents to over 20 NASA data sources. It can query Mars Rover photos, Near Earth Objects, Astronomy Picture of the Day, space weather alerts, exoplanet archives, GIBS satellite imagery, and POWER meteorological datasets.

Which MCP clients work with NASA MCP Server?

The server works with any client supporting the Model Context Protocol. By default, it operates over stdio for local clients such as Claude Desktop and Cursor. It also supports a streamable HTTP transport mode for remote or SDK-based client connections.

Is NASA MCP Server open source?

Yes, NASA MCP Server is open source and licensed under the ISC License. The source code, documentation, and test scripts are available on GitHub.

Does NASA MCP Server require an API key?

Yes, it requires a valid NASA API key to authenticate requests against NASA data endpoints. You can obtain a free API key directly from api.nasa.gov and supply it via the NASA_API_KEY environment variable.