NASA's Exoplanet Count Reaches 6,000
Posted on September 26, 2025
NASA’s confirmed exoplanet total has reached 6,000. The milestone is tracked by the NASA Exoplanet Science Institute at Caltech’s IPAC. The planet count is updated continuously as planets are verified by teams worldwide.
An additional 8,000 candidates are waiting in the pipeline to be confirmed. The first exoplanet was discovered about 30 years ago.
Domagal-Goldman, acting director, Astrophysics Division, NASA Headquarters in Washington, says in a statement, "This milestone represents decades of cosmic exploration driven by NASA space telescopes — exploration that has completely changed the way humanity views the night sky. Step by step, from discovery to characterization, NASA missions have built the foundation to answering a fundamental question: Are we alone? Now, with our upcoming Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope and Habitable Worlds Observatory, America will lead the next giant leap - studying worlds like our own around stars like our Sun. This is American ingenuity, and a promise of discovery that unites us all."
Dawn Gelino, head of NASA’s Exoplanet Exploration Program (ExEP), located at the agency’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, says, "Each of the different types of planets we discover gives us information about the conditions under which planets can form and, ultimately, how common planets like Earth might be, and where we should be looking for them. If we want to find out if we’re alone in the universe, all of this knowledge is essential."
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