How do I use space-mcp-server?

1. Click on "Install Server". 2. Wait a few minutes for the server to deploy. Once ready, it will show a "Started" state. 3. In the chat, type @ followed by the MCP server name and your instructions, e.g., "@space-mcp-server What is the Astronomy Picture of the Day?" That's it! The server will respond to your query, and you can continue using it as needed. Here is a step-by-step guide with screenshots.

Space MCP Server

MCP server giving AI agents access to NASA and space/astronomy data — APOD, Mars rover photos, near-Earth asteroids, exoplanets, Earth imagery, natural events, and space weather.

Features (10 Tools)

Tool	Description
`get_astronomy_picture`	NASA's Astronomy Picture of the Day (APOD)
`search_nasa_images`	Search NASA's 140,000+ image/video library
`get_exoplanets`	Query 5,000+ confirmed exoplanets
`get_space_weather`	Solar flares, CMEs, geomagnetic storms (DONKI)
`get_mars_rover_photos`	Real photos from Curiosity, Perseverance, Opportunity, Spirit
`get_mars_rover_info`	Rover mission status, cameras, photo counts
`get_near_earth_objects`	Track asteroids approaching Earth (NeoWs)
`get_asteroid_details`	Orbital data and close approaches for specific asteroids
`get_earth_imagery`	Full-Earth photos from DSCOVR satellite (EPIC)
`get_natural_events`	Active wildfires, volcanoes, storms worldwide (EONET)

Related MCP server: NASA-MCP

Quick Start

Install from source

git clone https://github.com/AiAgentKarl/space-mcp-server.git
cd space-mcp-server
python -m venv .venv
.venv/Scripts/activate  # Windows
# source .venv/bin/activate  # Linux/Mac
pip install -e .

Configure

cp .env.example .env
# Edit .env and add your NASA API key (optional, DEMO_KEY works out of the box)

Get a free API key at https://api.nasa.gov/ for higher rate limits.

Run

space-mcp
# or
python -m src.server

Claude Code Integration

Add to your .mcp.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "space": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "path/to/.venv/Scripts/python.exe",
      "args": ["-m", "src.server"],
      "env": {
        "NASA_API_KEY": "your-api-key-here"
      }
    }
  }
}

API Sources

API	Key Required	Rate Limit
NASA API (APOD, Mars, NeoWs, DONKI)	Yes (DEMO_KEY works)	30/hour (DEMO), 1000/hour (registered)
EPIC	No	No limit
EONET	No	No limit
NASA Image Library	No	No limit
Exoplanet Archive	No	No limit

Architecture

src/
├── server.py          # FastMCP server entry point
├── config.py          # Settings & environment variables
├── analytics.py       # Usage tracking
├── clients/
│   ├── nasa.py        # NASA API (APOD, Mars, NeoWs, DONKI)
│   ├── epic.py        # EPIC Earth imagery
│   ├── eonet.py       # EONET natural events
│   ├── nasa_images.py # NASA Image Library
│   └── exoplanet.py   # Exoplanet Archive
└── tools/
    ├── astronomy.py   # APOD, image search, exoplanets, space weather
    ├── mars.py        # Mars rover photos & info
    ├── asteroids.py   # Near-Earth objects & asteroid details
    └── earth.py       # EPIC imagery & natural events

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