A side-by-side look at the Mast Nasa and Starfetch MCP servers: transport, auth, tools, quality signals, and the config to install either one in Claude, Cursor, Windsurf or VS Code.
Verdict: choose Mast Nasa for aerospace & astrodynamics work as a local process; choose Starfetch for aerospace & astrodynamics as a local process. You can also run both side by side in one mcpServers block.
cone_search, mission_search, caom.starfetch_list_presets, starfetch_registry_search, starfetch_tap_availability.Rows where the two servers differ are marked.
| Spec | ||
|---|---|---|
| Category | Aerospace & Astrodynamics | Aerospace & Astrodynamics |
| Quality signal | 59/100 · Good | 60/100 · Good |
| Install command | Confirmed | Confirmed |
| Transport | Local subprocess (stdio) | Local subprocess (stdio) |
| Auth | Not declared | Not declared |
| Pricing | Not declared | Not declared |
| Required env vars | None listed | None listed |
| Verified owner | Community listing | Community listing |
| GitHub stars | 0 | 2 |
| Directory activity | 2 views 0 installs 0 upvotes | 1 views 0 installs 0 upvotes |
| Tools | 4 | 12 |
| Full listing | View Mast Nasa | View Starfetch |
cone_searchSearch MAST around (RA, Dec).mission_searchMission-scoped search with arbitrary criteria.caomGeneric CAOM (Common Archive Observation Model) query.lookup_nameResolve target name → coords.starfetch_list_presetsList built-in TAP service presets before selecting an explicit target for metadata inspection.starfetch_registry_searchSearch VO registry metadata when no built-in preset fits; inspect the selected service before querying it.starfetch_tap_availabilityCheck whether the selected TAP service reports itself available; an unavailable service is not an empty catalog result.starfetch_tap_capabilitiesInspect the selected TAP service's languages, formats, and authentication requirements before using service-specific features.starfetch_tap_tablesList tables on the selected TAP service before choosing an exact table for ADQL.starfetch_tap_columnsInspect names, datatypes, units, and descriptions for an exact metadata-discovered table before constructing ADQL.starfetch_tap_queryRun a small bounded synchronous TAP ADQL query after inspecting the exact table and columns. Use TOP in ADQL and/or maxrec, and treat tool errors as failures rather than empty scientific results.starfetch_tap_submit_jobSubmit metadata-backed bounded ADQL as an explicit TAP async job when synchronous querying is insufficient. Preserve the exact query and use starfetch_tap_query for small work.starfetch_tap_job_statusRead the current phase and links for a TAP async job.starfetch_tap_job_waitPoll a TAP async job until completion, timeout, or terminal failure. This is an explicit wait and never starts a background job.starfetch_tap_job_fetchFetch a TAP async job result. JSON and JSONL conversion supports VOTable, CSV, and TSV rows.starfetch_tap_job_deleteDelete a TAP async job from the remote service.Paste either block (or both) into your client config, e.g. claude_desktop_config.json or ~/.cursor/mcp.json. We only show a config when the install command is confirmed.
{
"mcpServers": {
"mast-nasa": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"@pipeworx/mcp-mast-nasa"
]
}
}
}
{
"mcpServers": {
"starfetch": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"@starfetch-js/mcp"
]
}
}
}