NASA - News Releases
Official announcements on space missions, aerospace research, and exploration
NASA Releases Artemis II Moon Mission Launch Countdown
NASA is initiating the final countdown for Artemis II, the agency’s first crewed lunar mission scheduled for Jan. 17, 2026. The SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft are being moved to Launch Pad 39B, where a detailed L‑minus and T‑minus timeline will guide fueling, system checks, and crew boarding. Built‑in holds and automated sequencing are designed to keep the launch within a precise window while allowing flexibility for technical issues. The mission will carry astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen around the Moon, testing capabilities for future lunar and Martian exploration.
Arctic Winter Sea Ice Ties Record Low, NASA, NSIDC Scientists Find
Arctic winter sea ice reached its March 15 peak of 5.52 million square miles, tying the lowest extent recorded since satellite monitoring began in 1979. The coverage was about half a million square miles below the 1981‑2010 average, and NASA’s ICESat‑2...
NASA’s Water-Hunting Tool Will Help Scout Moon’s South Pole
NASA is contributing its Neutron Spectrometer System (NSS) to the JAXA‑ISRO Lunar Polar Exploration (LUPEX) mission, which plans to land a rover at the Moon’s South Pole no earlier than 2028. The NSS detects hydrogen signatures up to three feet...
NASA’s Hubble, Webb Telescopes Survey Pinwheel Galaxy
NASA’s Hubble and James Webb Space Telescopes captured a high‑resolution view of the Pinwheel Galaxy (Messier 101) on March 16, 2026. The combined ultraviolet, visible and near‑infrared data focus on the galaxy’s core, which lies about 25 million light‑years away and presents a rare face‑on...
NASA to Provide Update on Implementation of National Space Policy
NASA will host a public event on March 24, 2026 at its Washington headquarters to detail how the agency is executing President Donald J. Trump’s National Space Policy. The agenda includes remarks by Administrator Jared Isaacman and high‑level panels on Artemis II, the goal of...
NASA Selects University Finalists for Technology Concepts Competition
NASA announced 14 university teams as finalists in the 2026 Revolutionary Aerospace Systems Concepts – Academic Linkage (RASC-AL) competition. The challenge asks students to devise rigorous concepts for lunar and Martian operations across four mission themes, from communications to power...
Smiles and Spacesuits
NASA astronaut Chris Williams performed a spacesuit fit verification on Jan 2, 2026 inside the ISS Quest airlock, confirming airtight integrity, comfort and mobility. On March 18, 2026 Williams and fellow astronaut Jessica Meir completed a 7‑hour‑2‑minute EVA. The spacewalk focused on preparatory work for installing...
NASA Exploration, Science Inspire “Project Hail Mary” Film
NASA partnered with the upcoming sci‑fi film “Project Hail Mary,” providing scientific consultation, astronaut interaction, and brand‑clearance for the agency’s logos. The collaboration coincides with the Artemis II launch preparations, positioning the movie as a cultural bridge to the crewed deep‑space...
NASA Glenn Opens Applications for Free Summer Engineering Institute
NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland is accepting applications for the 2026 NASA Glenn High School Engineering Institute, a five‑day, hands‑on summer program for rising juniors and seniors. Applications are open from March 20 to May 1, 2026, and require a minimum...
Lava Flows Down Mayon
Landsat 8 captured a clear image of Mayon Volcano on Feb 26 2026, showing an active lava flow with an infrared heat signature. The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology reported volcanic earthquakes, rockfalls, and pyroclastic flows that day. NASA satellites tracked sizable...
Solving Asteroid Bennu’s Mysteries
NASA released X‑ray computed tomography scans of asteroid Bennu samples on March 17, 2026, revealing intricate crack networks inside the material. The scans show that Bennu’s boulders are highly porous, a property that accounts for the low thermal inertia measured...
NESC Develops Method for Estimating Risk When Reducing NDE
The NASA Engineering and Safety Center (NESC) created a probabilistic method to estimate the risk of reducing nondestructive evaluation (NDE) inspections on spaceflight hardware. Using a historic database of 33,630 bolt‑hole inspections that yielded six crack‑like findings, the team derived...
USBR Crack the Case Challenge
NASA’s Center of Excellence for Collaborative Innovation has launched the "Crack the Case" challenge to develop novel subsurface crack detection methods for embankment dams. The three‑phase competition moves teams from concept framing to design validation and finally to real‑world demonstration...
USBR Halt the Hitchhiker: Invasive Species Challenge
The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation has launched a three‑phase prize challenge, managed by yet2, to develop technologies that stop aquatic invasive species from hitchhiking in watercraft ballast water. The competition offers a total prize pool of $550,000. It targets high‑risk...
Good Morning, Moon
NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) continues to deliver high‑resolution lunar imagery, with its March 2026 Science Image of the Month highlighting an unnamed crater illuminated by early‑morning sunlight. The image, captured on 30 August 2023 by LROC, showcases the Moon’s rugged terrain and...
NASA’s Artemis II Moon Mission Daily Agenda
NASA’s Artemis II will launch aboard the Space Launch System for a ten‑day Orion test flight around the Moon. The crew—Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and CSA astronaut Jeremy Hansen—will conduct system checkouts, trajectory correction burns, a translunar injection, and a...
Telescopes Team Up for New View of Cat’s Eye Nebula
A new composite image of the Cat’s Eye Nebula (NGC 6543) merges ESA’s Euclid infrared observations with NASA’s Hubble optical data. The nebula, located 4,400 light‑years away in Draco, displays unprecedented detail of its layered shells, jets, and dust structures. This...
Insights Into Spallation Mechanisms of Thermal Protection System Materials From Mass Spectrometry and HyMETS Testing
NASA researchers used the Hypersonic Materials Environmental Test System (HyMETS) and mass spectrometry to map how gases evolve inside thermal protection system (TPS) materials under high‑enthalpy conditions. The study identified an early release of absorbed water that creates localized stress...
NASA Selects Axiom Space for Fifth Private Mission to Space Station
NASA has awarded Axiom Space its fifth private astronaut mission to the International Space Station, with a launch window opening no earlier than January 2027 from Kennedy Space Center. The 14‑day flight will carry up to four crew members who...
NASA Earth Energy Instrument Completes Testing, Ready for Delivery
NASA’s Libera instrument, designed to sustain the global Earth radiation budget record, has successfully completed comprehensive environmental testing, including thermal vacuum simulations. The instrument, built by the University of Colorado Boulder’s LASP, will fly aboard the JPSS‑4 satellite—later named NOAA‑22—targeted...
Goldstone’s DSS-15 Antenna and the Milky Way
NASA’s Goldstone Deep Space Station 15 (DSS-15) is a 112‑foot antenna that forms part of the Deep Space Network’s global array of communication facilities. The DSN supports interplanetary spacecraft, radar, and radio‑astronomy observations, and is a critical link for the...
Artemis II Recovery Training
NASA’s Artemis Landing and Recovery team, together with the Department of Defense, performed a final just‑in‑time training exercise off California’s coast on Jan. 27, 2026. The drill used a full‑scale Crew Module Test Article to mimic the Orion spacecraft’s splashdown environment for...
Resurrecting Ancient Enzymes in NASA’s Search for Life Beyond Earth
NASA‑backed researchers have resurrected a 3.2‑billion‑year‑old nitrogenase enzyme, demonstrating that its nitrogen‑isotope signature remains unchanged despite billions of years of molecular evolution. By reverse‑engineering modern nitrogenase, the team recreated ancestral versions and expressed them in microbes, confirming that the isotopic...
Chandra, Webb Catch Twinkling Lights
NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope captured a vivid infrared image of the young star cluster Pismis 24 in the Lobster Nebula, while the Chandra X‑ray Observatory overlaid red, green and blue bursts indicating high‑energy activity from massive stars. The composite picture,...
NASA Welcomes Oman as Newest Artemis Accords Signatory
Oman signed the Artemis Accords on Jan. 26, 2026, becoming the 61st nation to endorse the framework for responsible space exploration. The ceremony in Muscat, attended by NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman and U.S. Ambassador Ana Escrogima, highlighted Oman’s commitment to...
NASA Technology Brings Golden Age of Exploration to Earth
NASA’s Spinoff 2026 marks the 50th anniversary of the agency’s technology‑transfer program, showcasing how space‑derived innovations are reshaping everyday life. The edition highlights two firms that use NASA‑inspired 3D‑printing to build lunar‑compatible habitats and affordable Earth housing, as well as...
Red, Green Light Show
NASA released a striking photograph taken from the International Space Station on Jan. 19, 2026, showing a green and red aurora streaming across the horizon above Europe. The ISS was orbiting 262 miles over the Mediterranean at roughly 10:02 p.m. local time when the...
AMS 2026 Hyperwall Schedule
NASA will host a Hyperwall storytelling series at the 106th American Meteorological Society meeting Jan. 26‑29, 2026, showcasing Earth‑science missions, space‑weather research, and new data‑access tools. Sessions feature experts discussing satellite‑derived precipitation, solar observations, aerosol monitoring, and the One Health...
TESS Status Updates
NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) entered safe mode on Jan. 15, 2026 after its solar arrays failed to track the Sun during a slewing maneuver, causing a slow battery discharge. The spacecraft automatically protected itself and resumed normal science operations...
Widely Attended Gatherings (WAGs) Determinations
NASA released a comprehensive set of Widely Attended Gatherings (WAG) determinations covering over 300 aerospace‑related events from 2023 through early 2026. The list includes high‑profile conferences, launch receptions, industry roundtables, and award galas across the United States and internationally. Each...
NASA’s Day of Remembrance Honors Fallen Heroes of Exploration
NASA will observe its annual Day of Remembrance on Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026, honoring the crews of Apollo 1, Challenger, and Columbia. The ceremony begins at Arlington National Cemetery with a wreath‑laying at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, followed by...
New NASA Artemis Payloads To Study Moon’s Terrain, Radiation, History
NASA announced the selection of three new lunar science investigations under the Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program for the Artemis campaign, with deliveries slated for no earlier than 2028. The payloads—EMILIA-3D, LISTER and SELINE—will generate three‑dimensional thermal maps, measure...
NASA’s SLS Rocket: Secondary Payloads
NASA’s Space Launch System will launch Artemis II to the Moon with four CubeSats as secondary payloads. The small satellites are housed in the Orion stage adapter and come from countries that have signed the Artemis Accords. Deployment is scheduled about...
2025 NESC Technical Update
The NASA Engineering and Safety Center released its 2025 Technical Update, an annual report detailing FY25 engineering activities. The document highlights independent testing, analysis, and assessments of NASA’s high‑risk projects, emphasizing safety and mission success. Collaboration across NASA centers enabled...
NASA Receives 15th Consecutive ‘Clean’ Financial Audit Opinion
NASA received an unmodified, or “clean,” audit opinion for its FY2025 financial statements, marking the agency’s 15th consecutive year of clean audits. The opinion verifies that NASA’s accounts comply with federal GAAP and accurately reflect its financial position. Administrator Jared...
NASA Develops Blockchain Technology to Enhance Air Travel Safety and Security
NASA researchers conducted a drone‑based flight test at Ames Research Center using an open‑source blockchain framework to secure real‑time transmission of flight data. The system proved capable of protecting telemetry, flight plans and operator registrations from interception or tampering. By...
NASA’s Crawler Preps for Artemis II Rollout
On Jan. 9, 2026 NASA’s Crawler‑transporter 2 rolled toward the Vehicle Assembly Building at Kennedy Space Center, positioning itself for the Artemis II rollout. The massive vehicle will carry the Space Launch System rocket and Orion crew capsule to Launch Complex 39B for a crewed...
NASA Welcomes Portugal as 60th Artemis Accords Signatory
Portugal signed the Artemis Accords on Jan. 11, becoming the 60th nation to join the framework for responsible lunar and deep‑space exploration. The signing ceremony in Lisbon featured Portuguese Space Agency director Hugo Costa and U.S. Ambassador John J. Arrigo,...
White Dwarf Star (Artist’s Concept)
NASA’s Imaging X‑ray Polarization Explorer (IXPE) has for the first time measured X‑ray polarization from a white dwarf binary, EX Hydrae, located about 200 light‑years away. The week‑long observation revealed the geometry of the accretion flow as material from a...
Flight Engineers Give NASA’s Dragonfly Lift
NASA’s Dragonfly mission is advancing toward its 2028 launch after successful full‑scale rotor testing at the Transonic Dynamics Tunnel (TDT) at Langley Research Center. Engineers from Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory fabricated the rotors from massive aluminum blocks, refined the...
NASA’s Pandora Satellite, CubeSats to Explore Exoplanets, Beyond
NASA’s Pandora mission, accompanied by the BlackCAT and SPARCS CubeSats, is set to launch Jan. 11 aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 from Vandenberg. Pandora’s 45‑cm all‑aluminum telescope will observe visible and near‑infrared light to separate planetary atmospheric signals from stellar contamination during...
NASA to Provide Media with International Space Station Update Today
NASA will hold a live news conference at 5 p.m. EST Thursday from its Washington headquarters to update media on the International Space Station. The briefing follows the agency’s Jan 7 announcement postponing a Jan 8 spacewalk while a crew member’s medical condition...
Best of 2025: Artemis II Countdown Demonstration Test
NASA conducted the Artemis II Countdown Demonstration Test on Dec. 20, 2025, rehearsing the full launch day sequence for the crew of Christina Koch, Victor Glover, Jeremy Hansen and Reid Wiseman. The simulation covered suit‑up, walkout, and ingress/egress of the Orion capsule atop the Space Launch System....
