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What Is Science Cloud?

Science Cloud is a unified, modernized cloud infrastructure serving new and existing NASA Science Mission Directorate (SMD) projects. It brings together three of NASA's cloud environments into a single platform:

By consolidating existing cloud environments that overlap in security and systems requirements, Science Cloud reduces SMD operation costs while accelerating scientific progress, streamlining interdisciplinary collaboration, powering faster innovation, and improving user experience.

The result is a more agile, secure, and innovative environment for scientific computing at NASA.

 

Features of Science Cloud

Commercial Cloud Access

Science Cloud allows direct, rapid access to commercial clouds with cutting-edge cloud computing capabilities (e.g. artificial intelligence and machine learning).

Standardized Security Guardrails

Science Cloud provides Federal Information Security Management Act (FISMA) low and moderate computing environments that provide the appropriate level of security to meet each project’s needs.

High-Performance Computing Solutions

Science Cloud users can access the computing power they need through the cloud, no on-premises supercomputers required.

Shared Services

Science Cloud helps NASA projects achieve their goals faster through shared services such as Gitlab repository and Continuous Integration/Continuous Delivery.

Science-Ready Environments

Science Cloud comes with the Research Platform, a scalable JupyterHub environment with customizations for science.

Easier Authentication

NASA users and authorized external users will possess a single identity that enables access to all Science Cloud-supported Cloud Service Providers​. NASA users can use Personal Identity Verification (PIV) authentication.

 

Benefits of Science Cloud

Science Cloud offers significant benefits to NASA projects running in the cloud:

  • Quicker, broader access to new technologies.
  • A centralized security team.  
  • Inter-cloud communication for data sharing from almost any source worldwide.
  • Connection and learning opportunities through a Science Cloud Community of Practice.

The new cloud infrastructure supports the growing speed of science and promotes rapid delivery of actionable insights to NASA customers, federal and state government, and the public.

A grid of images showcasing NASA Science.

 

Working in Science Cloud

Science Cloud offers a wide range of solutions for NASA science, including storage, rapid web deployments, and accessible compute resources.

Statistics from the Open Data Registry show a total of 2.98 petabytes stored and 1.57 billion objects stored. A "Data Growth" graph shows the increasing data holdings of the registry over time. A summary of Open Data Registry statistics for a selected period shows 688 terabytes of data downloaded and 138 million objects downloaded. A “Data downloaded per hour” graph shows a consistent demand for data from the registry, with a big spike around January 8.

Low-Cost Data Storage

Low-cost and free data storage options support cloud-based data caches that facilitate browser-based computing, allowing researchers to work with NASA science data without needing to download large datasets.

 For example, the AWS Open Data Registry (ODR) used Science Cloud to achieve:

  • Limited, free storage for cloud users offered through the Amazon Web Services (AWS)/NASA Space Act Agreement
  • 5 PB of storage capacity
  • Currently storing 3.16 PB  
  • Cost to Cloud Users and NASA: $0
An image from the Eclipse Explorer website showing the path of the 2024 eclipse over the United States. The cities shown in the path of totality include Mazatlan, Torreon, Kerrville, Dallas, Russelville, Carbondale, Indianapolis, Cleveland, Niagara Falls, and Houlton. A few of the cities that experienced the partial eclipse are also shown on the map: Honolulu, Houston, Chicago, New York, Jacksonville, Cape Canaveral, and San Juan.

Rapid Onboarding and Deployment

Science Cloud’s short onboarding and deployment time supports rapid web deployments, such as the 2024 Eclipse Explorer:

  • A NASA web tool that allowed users to explore the path of the 2024 total solar eclipse.
  • Deployed in less than 1 month
  • 107.93 TB transferred out
  • 2.24 billion objects requested
  • 7.35 million unique IP addresses
  • Cost: ~$1,500
Artist's impression of NASA's SWOT mission.

High-Throughput Compute Resources

Science Cloud’s scalable compute resources speed up timelines, making research pipelines more efficient and promoting rapid delivery of actionable insight. When switching from on-premises compute to Science Cloud, projects have saved up to 18 months on project timelines. For example, here's what the Aquaverse project achieved using Science Cloud:

  • The Aquaverse project laid critical groundwork for AI-powered studies of the atmosphere.
  • 4 million single core jobs in Microsoft Azure
  • Completed in ~2 weeks
  • Generated about 21TB of data
  • Cost: ~$20,000
  • Accelerated the research project by 12 to 18 months.

GET STARTED

Are You a NASA Researcher or Team Interested in Science Cloud?

Science Cloud is available for use now by NASA-affiliated teams working on Federal Information Security Management Act (FISMA) Low projects, with a FISMA Moderate capability coming by early 2026.

Contact Us 

The Whirlpool Galaxy and smaller galaxy companion NGC 5195, as imaged by the Hubble Space Telescope.