// ORBITAL LOGISTICS AND PROPULSION TERM
Neptune
Neptune is the eighth and farthest known planet from the Sun, an ice giant with strong winds and a deep blue color.
TECHNICAL DEFINITION
Neptune is the eighth and farthest known planet from the Sun, an ice giant characterized by its deep blue color, powerful storms, and a composition rich in water, ammonia, and methane ices.
BACKGROUND
Private spaceflight companies include non-governmental or privately owned entities focused on developing and/or offering equipment and services geared towards spaceflight, both robotic and human. This list includes both inactive and active entities.
READ MORE ON WIKIPEDIASYNONYMS & ALIASES
- Farthest planet
- Blue giant
- Ice giant
- Outer planet
USAGE NOTE
Neptune's orbit takes about 165 Earth years to complete.
DEVELOPERS
Organizations developing technology related to Neptune.
Managed by Caltech for NASA, JPL is a leading center for robotic exploration of the solar system. It managed the Voyager 2 mission, the only spacecraft to have visited Neptune, and is actively involved in designing future mission concepts to the Ice Giants, such as the proposed Neptune Odyssey orbiter.
APL designs, builds, and operates robotic space missions for NASA. They successfully managed the New Horizons mission to Pluto and the Kuiper Belt and are frequently principal investigators on proposed missions to the outer solar system, including concepts for Neptune and its moon Triton.
An independent, nonprofit applied research and development organization, SwRI frequently leads NASA missions and develops scientific instruments for deep space exploration. SwRI scientists are key figures in the planetary science community advocating for and designing missions to the Ice Giants.
The primary U.S. agency for space exploration. NASA funds and directs the scientific priorities for planetary exploration through programs guided by the Planetary Science Decadal Survey, which has identified missions to the Ice Giants (Uranus and Neptune) as a high priority.
China's national space agency has announced long-term plans for deep space exploration that include a proposed nuclear-powered orbiter mission to Neptune. The mission, sometimes referred to as 'Neptune Explorer', would launch in the 2030s to study the planet, its rings, and moons.
ESA often collaborates with NASA on major deep space missions and conducts its own studies for future exploration. It has been involved in joint concept studies for missions to the outer solar system, including potential orbiters for the Ice Giants.
A major manufacturer of rocket propulsion systems. The company develops advanced propulsion technologies, such as Solar Electric Propulsion (SEP) and concepts for Nuclear Electric Propulsion (NEP), which are considered enabling technologies for reducing travel time on long-duration missions to Neptune.