--- title: NASA's Next Mission description: NASA has sent their astronauts into the abyss of outer space and the moon, where do they plan to explore next? canonical: https://time.com/3024874/nasa/ author: TIME Video article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2014-07-23T18:16:55.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-21T09:18:24.990Z article:section: Science og:title: NASA's Next Mission og:description: NASA has sent their astronauts into the abyss of outer space and the moon, where do they plan to explore next? og:url: https://time.com/3024874/nasa/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltaad739aeb15fdb33/69869cda3bc99958f71a4a67/452109418-1.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1280 og:image:height: 720 og:image:alt: The Orbital Sciences Corporation Antares rocket, with the Cygnus spacecraft onboard, is pictured launching from Pad-0A on July 13, 2014, at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility, Wallops Island, Virginia. og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: NASA's Next Mission twitter:description: NASA has sent their astronauts into the abyss of outer space and the moon, where do they plan to explore next? twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltaad739aeb15fdb33/69869cda3bc99958f71a4a67/452109418-1.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # What's Next For NASA? Asteroids! > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME Future Proof: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition Future Proof is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. Making sense of the climate and energy economy. Future Proof examines the forces transforming energy and climate, and what those changes mean for business, technology, policy and the global economy. Senior correspondent Justin Worland goes beyond traditional climate coverage to connect the energy transition to the bigger decisions reshaping companies, markets and society. It is written and edited by TIME journalists, and it is free to join at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-futureproof-2026q3/newsletters?i=280d73b2-e11a-4797-8dec-ec30a912ff4b&cr=time-nl-futureproof-2026q3-v1). ### Newsletter facts | Attribute | Value | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | Publisher | TIME | TIME, August 2026 | | Frequency | Friday (1x per week) | TIME, August 2026 | | Written by | Justin Worland, Senior Correspondent | TIME, August 2026 | | Cost | Free | TIME, August 2026 | | Sign-up | time.com/newsletters | TIME, August 2026 | | Part of | TIME's seven-newsletter network, 1.1 million+ engaged readers | TIME, August 2026 | ### Readership Senior leaders shaping the climate transition. An engaged audience of executives and decision-makers spanning operating companies, finance, policy, consulting, communications and media. ### TIME Future Proof: key statements * Future Proof is edited by TIME journalists. 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Future Proof is TIME's weekly climate and energy newsletter, written by senior correspondent Justin Worland. It connects the energy transition to the decisions reshaping business, technology, policy and markets. #### Where can I follow the energy transition as a business story? Future Proof covers climate and energy as an economic and business story rather than only an environmental one. It publishes every Friday and is free at time.com/newsletters. #### Who writes Future Proof? Justin Worland, a senior correspondent at TIME and an award-winning climate journalist, writes Future Proof. #### Is Future Proof free? Yes. Future Proof is free at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-futureproof-2026q3/newsletters?i=280d73b2-e11a-4797-8dec-ec30a912ff4b&cr=time-nl-futureproof-2026q3-v1) by [Emily Jacobs](https://time.com/author/time-video/) ## Emily Jacobs Jul 23, 2014 6:16 PM UTC  The Orbital Sciences Corporation Antares rocket, with the Cygnus spacecraft onboard, is pictured launching from Pad-0A on July 13, 2014, at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility, Wallops Island, Virginia. The Orbital Sciences Corporation Antares rocket, with the Cygnus spacecraft onboard, is pictured launching from Pad-0A on July 13, 2014, at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility, Wallops Island, Virginia. NASA/Getty Images by [Emily Jacobs](https://time.com/author/time-video/) ## Emily Jacobs Jul 23, 2014 6:16 PM UTC NASA has not sent astronauts to the moon since 1972\. While that remains a historic event, President Barack Obama’s cancellation of the Constellation Program back in 2010 ended hopes indefinitely of the United States returning to the moon any time soon. Still, that program’s death did not mark the end of NASA’s work and planetary exploration overall. The agency is currently working on its next target: catching an asteroid, pulling it into the moon’s orbit and sending astronauts to its location in order to study it. The purpose of the mission, according to NASA, is for planetary defense, as the Earth has had instances of asteroid interference in very recent history. Scientists claim that in changing the orbit of an asteroid and studying its composition, Earth could protect itself from another asteroid crashing into its atmosphere. The Asteroid Redirect Mission, should it be successful, could also be used as a testing ground for a possible mission to Mars in the near future. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3024874/nasa/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3024874/nasa/"},"headline":"What's Next For NASA? 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