NASA MCP Server

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for NASA APIs, providing a standardized interface for AI models to interact with NASA's vast array of data sources. This server implements the official Model Context Protocol specification.

Big thanks to the MCP community for their support and guidance!

Features

• Access to 20+ NASA data sources through a single, consistent interface
• Standardized data formats optimized for AI consumption
• Automatic parameter validation and error handling
• Rate limit management for NASA API keys
• Comprehensive documentation and examples
• Support for various NASA imagery formats
• Data conversion and formatting for LLM compatibility
• Cross-platform support (Windows, macOS, Linux)

Disclaimer

This project is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or related to NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) or any of its subsidiaries or its affiliates. It is an independent implementation that accesses NASA's publicly available APIs. All NASA data used is publicly available and subject to NASA's data usage policies.

Installation

Running with npx

env NASA_API_KEY=YOUR_API_KEY npx -y @programcomputer/nasa-mcp-server@latest

You can also pass the API key as a command line argument:

npx -y @programcomputer/nasa-mcp-server@latest --nasa-api-key=YOUR_API_KEY

Using SuperGateway for Server-Sent Events (SSE)

You can use SuperGateway for Server-Sent Events (SSE).

The developers of NASA-MCP-server DO NOT ENDORSE the SuperGateway repository. This information is provided for those who wish to implement SSE functionality at their own discretion.

Manual Installation

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/ProgramComputer/NASA-MCP-server.git

# Install dependencies
cd NASA-MCP-server
npm install

# Run with your API key
NASA_API_KEY=YOUR_API_KEY npm start

Running on Cursor

Configuring Cursor 🖥️ Note: Requires Cursor version 0.45.6+

To configure NASA MCP Server in Cursor:

Create or edit an mcp.json file in your Cursor configuration directory with the following content:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "nasa-mcp": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@programcomputer/nasa-mcp-server@latest"],
      "env": {
        "NASA_API_KEY": "your-api-key"
      }
    }
  }
}

Replace your-api-key with your NASA API key from https://api.nasa.gov/.

After adding the configuration, restart Cursor to see the new NASA tools. The Composer Agent will automatically use NASA MCP when appropriate for space-related queries.

Environment Variables

The server can be configured with the following environment variables:

| Variable | Description | |----------|-------------| | NASA_API_KEY | Your NASA API key (get at api.nasa.gov) |

Included NASA APIs

This MCP server integrates the following NASA APIs:

1. NASA Open API (api.nasa.gov):

   • APOD (Astronomy Picture of the Day)
   • EPIC (Earth Polychromatic Imaging Camera)
   • DONKI (Space Weather Database Of Notifications, Knowledge, Information)
   • Insight (Mars Weather Service)
   • Mars Rover Photos
   • NEO (Near Earth Object Web Service)
   • EONET (Earth Observatory Natural Event Tracker)
   • TLE (Two-Line Element)
   • NASA Image and Video Library
   • Exoplanet Archive
   • NASA Sounds API (Beta)
   • POWER (Prediction Of Worldwide Energy Resources)

2. JPL Solar System Dynamics API (ssd-api.jpl.nasa.gov):

   • SBDB (Small-Body DataBase)
   • SBDB Close-Approach Data
   • Fireball Data
   • Scout API

3. Earth Data APIs:

   • GIBS (Global Imagery Browse Services)
   • CMR (Common Metadata Repository) - Enhanced with advanced search capabilities
   • EPIC

... View full README on GitHub