Direct measurements of cosmic rays in the energy region between tens MeV/n and few TeV/n have been extensively taking place by experiments on board stratospheric balloons, satellites, Space Stations, since the sixties. The main objectives are the search for primordial antimatter, dark matter annihilation signals and exotic particles and the study of the mechanisms of production, acceleration and propagation of cosmic rays. The monitoring of the cosmic ray solar modulation, the detection of solar flares and studies on the radiation belts around the Earth complete the research program.
A review of the experimental techniques implemented and of the main results obtained by the previous and the current experiments, mainly PAMELA, AMS, DAMPE and CALET, will be presented.