// ORBITAL LOGISTICS AND PROPULSION TERM
Ice Giant
An ice giant is a large planet made mostly of icy materials like water, methane, and ammonia, rather than rock or gas, found in the outer solar system.
TECHNICAL DEFINITION
An ice giant is a large planetary class, exemplified by Uranus and Neptune, primarily composed of volatile substances like water, ammonia, and methane, distinguished from gas giants by their denser, icy mantle and smaller hydrogen/helium envelopes.
BACKGROUND
As of May 27, 2026, the SpaceX Starship has been launched 12 times, with 7 successes and 5 failures. SpaceX has developed Starship with the intention of lowering launch costs using economies of scale. It aims to achieve this by reusing both rocket stages, increasing payload mass to orbit, increasing launch frequency, creating a mass-manufacturing pipeline and adapting it to a wide range of space missions. Starship is the latest project in SpaceX's reusable launch system development program and plan to colonize Mars, and is one of two landing systems selected by NASA for the Artemis program's crewed Lunar missions.
READ MORE ON WIKIPEDIASYNONYMS & ALIASES
- Uranus
- Neptune
- Icy Planet
- Volatile-rich planet
USAGE NOTE
Ice giants represent a distinct category of large planets in our solar system and beyond.
DEVELOPERS
Organizations developing technology related to Ice Giant.
JPL is NASA's lead center for robotic exploration of the solar system. It managed the Voyager 2 mission, the only spacecraft to visit the ice giants Uranus and Neptune, and is actively developing concepts for the Uranus Orbiter and Probe, a proposed flagship mission.
APL designs, builds, and operates robotic space missions. With extensive experience in the outer solar system from its New Horizons mission to Pluto, APL is a key institution in proposing and developing mission concepts and technologies for Ice Giant exploration.
SwRI develops scientific instruments for space missions and often leads their science teams. Its researchers are instrumental in defining the scientific questions and developing the necessary instruments, such as plasma spectrometers and imagers, for future missions to Uranus or Neptune.
ESA's science programme explores the Solar System and the wider Universe. It collaborates with NASA on major outer solar system missions and has studied its own mission concepts, contributing key instruments and technology for deep space exploration relevant to Ice Giants.
A major aerospace contractor that designs and builds spacecraft, advanced optical systems, and scientific instruments. Ball Aerospace develops critical sensing and imaging technology that would be essential for a mission to study the atmospheres, rings, and moons of an Ice Giant.
As a prime contractor for NASA, Lockheed Martin has built numerous deep-space probes, including Juno (Jupiter) and OSIRIS-REx. The company's expertise in designing and manufacturing durable spacecraft buses makes it a leading candidate to build a future Ice Giant orbiter.
The DOE develops and produces radioisotope power systems (RPS), the nuclear batteries like MMRTG that power spacecraft in the outer solar system where sunlight is too faint for solar panels. This is an essential enabling technology for any long-duration Ice Giant mission.
GSFC specializes in the development of scientific instruments for NASA missions. The center develops magnetometers, spectrometers, and other sensors crucial for studying the unique magnetic fields, atmospheric composition, and internal structure of Ice Giants.