NASA advances aeronautics and space technologies through experimental aircraft and flight research at the agency’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California. Behind those efforts is the Dryden Aeronautical Test Range (DATR), which provides the communications, tracking, and data services that enable safe and effective missions. For most NASA Armstrong research flights, the DATR supplies […]
To facilitate discussion and information sharing on activities at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia, a public information session is being held 4–6 p.m., Wednesday, May 13, at the NASA Wallops Visitor Center. During the event, NASA will have information booths on the status on the causeway bridge construction, updates on beach replenishment, and a representative from the GLOBE program. Federal and state health experts will […]
The Expedition 74 crew spent the majority of their time maintaining science hardware and life support systems on Wednesday. The orbital residents aboard the International Space Station also pursued cardiovascular research, conducted a vision test, and performed other experiments throughout the day. NASA’s Spot the Station website finally got an upgrade! You can find International […]
NASA and SpaceX are targeting 7:16 p.m. EDT Tuesday, May 12, for the next launch to deliver science, supplies, and equipment to the International Space Station. This will be the 34th SpaceX commercial resupply services mission to the orbital outpost for NASA. Carrying about 6,500 pounds of cargo, a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft will lift off […]
A new “X-ray dot” found by NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory – which could look like this artist’s illustration released on April 28, 2026 – could explain what the hundreds or potentially thousands of these objects are. Shortly after NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope started its science observations, reports of a new class of mysterious objects […]
German Earth observation data provider LiveEO has closed a €28 million funding round. The company plans to use the funding to accelerate its expansion into dual-use defence and security services, as it positions itself to compete for a share of Germany’s planned €35 billion in spending on space-related defence projects. Founded in 2018, the Berlin-based […]
The post LiveEO Secures €28 Million to Accelerate Push into Defence Applications appeared first on European Spaceflight.
As NASA looks to explore the Moon, Mars, and beyond, researchers must develop materials capable of withstanding the extreme temperatures found in space and on other planets and their moons. In frigid conditions, rubber can shatter like glass, circuit boards may fail, and electrical connections can freeze and fracture. Gaining a deeper understanding of how […]
Astronomers have long known that neutron stars, the crushed cores left behind after massive stars explode, should be scattered throughout the Milky Way galaxy. However, most of them are effectively invisible. A new study published in Astronomy and Astrophysics suggests NASA’s upcoming Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope could spot them anyway. Using detailed simulations of […]
In the far northern reaches of Finnish Lapland, an ambitious new chapter in Earth observation is unfolding. The European Space Agency, together with the Finnish Meteorological Institute and Finnish industrial partners, is advancing plans to develop a state-of-the-art ‘supersite’ in Sodankylä.
Astronomers using the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope together with the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope have looked deeply at thousands of young star clusters in four nearby galaxies, studying clusters at different stages of evolution. Their findings show that more massive star clusters emerge more quickly from the clouds they are born in, clearing away gas and filling the galaxy with ultraviolet light. The result gives us a more detailed understanding of star formation in galaxies, as well as how and where planets can form.
The European Space Agency (ESA) has partnered with French video game studio DON’T NOD Entertainment on the development of Aphelion, a narrative science‑fiction game inspired by space exploration and scientic expertise.
Thirty-eight science educators representing seven school districts across Virginia’s Tidewater region joined forces with community organizations, such as the Elizabeth River Project, to deepen their instructional practice through a dynamic collaboration between NASA eClips and the GLOBE (Global Learning and Observation to Benefit the Environment) Program. Together, these groups are cultivating a regional STEM ecosystem […]
Description NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover used its Mastcam-Z camera system to capture this 360-degree panorama of a region nicknamed “Crocodile Bridge” on Jezero Crater’s rim. The panorama is made up of 980 images, 971 of which were taken on Dec. 18, 2025, the 1,717th Martian day, or sol, of the mission. An additional nine were […]
Written by William Farrand, Senior Research Scientist, Space Science Institute Earth planning date: Friday, May 1, 2026 Chile’s Atacama desert is the driest mid-latitude desert in the world, receiving only 15 millimeters (0.59 inches) of precipitation per year. Only the dry valleys of Antarctica receive less precipitation. These environmental conditions have made the Atacama a […]
Health monitoring, spacesuit checks, and preparations for an upcoming cargo mission kept the Expedition 74 crew busy on Tuesday. The International Space Station residents rounded out the day with a variety of maintenance on science hardware and life support equipment.
After a recent count, NASA Citizen Science is proud to report that more than 650 people who have volunteered to participate in NASA citizen science projects have co-authored peer-reviewed research papers with scientists on those project teams. These volunteers made incredible contributions like: And all of them saw their passion and dedication translated into lasting […]
Over six months after the end of Flight 11, the old design, Pad 1, was…
The post Pad 1 conversion ongoing, with Flight 12 nearing appeared first on NASASpaceFlight.com.
Description This series of images shows NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover as it got a rock stuck to the drill on the end of its robotic arm and, after waving the arm and running the drill a few times, finally detached the rock. The imagery showing the entire process was captured by the black-and-white hazard cameras […]
Students in Florida will hear from NASA astronaut Chris Williams as he answers prerecorded science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) questions while aboard the International Space Station. The Earth-to-space call will begin at 11 a.m. EDT Friday, May 8, and will stream live on the agency’s Learn With NASA YouTube channel. This event is hosted […]
NASA-funded scientists have discovered that life on Earth over 3 billion years ago relied on the metal molybdenum, which was incredibly scarce in the environment at the time. The study, published in Nature Communications on Tuesday, is the first to show that molybdenum was used by ancient life this far back in our planet’s history. […]
On the morning of May 5, 1961, the Mercury-Redstone 3 launch vehicle lifted into the sky from Cape Canaveral, Florida, carrying astronaut Alan B. Shepard Jr. Over the next 15 minutes, Shepard ascended to an altitude of 116 miles (187 kilometers) in his Freedom 7 spacecraft, becoming the first American to fly into space before […]
Description NASA’s Juno spacecraft captured this view of Thebe, the second largest of Jupiter’s inner moons, during a close pass on May 1, 2026. The spacecraft’s Stellar Reference Unit (SRU) captured this image from a distance of approximately 3,100 miles (5,000 kilometers) at a resolution of about 1.9 miles (3 kilometers) per pixel. Thebe resides […]
A new Sun-centered and science-focused coloring book produced by NASA in partnership with the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) is now available for people to learn while showing their artistic side.
The European Space Agency has awarded Thales Alenia Space a €26.1 million contract to develop six optical telescopes for the three spacecraft that will make up ESA’s LISA mission. Selected as ESA’s third Large-Class mission in July 2017, the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) will be dedicated to detecting gravitational waves that occur during some […]
The post ESA Awards Thales Alenia Space €26 Million Contract for LISA Telescopes appeared first on European Spaceflight.
A new paper from NASA’s Backyard Worlds: Planet 9 project announces that volunteers have essentially doubled the number of known brown dwarfs, with over 3,000 new discoveries made over the past 10 years since the project began. Brown dwarfs are balls of gas the size of Jupiter, less massive than stars. There’s one for every three or four stars near the Sun.
The Starlink 17-29 mission is the 44th dedicated flight supporting the broadband internet constellation so far in 2026. Liftoff from pad 4E at Vandenberg Space Force Base is scheduled for 7:35 p.m. PDT (10:35 p.m. EDT / 0235 UTC).
The announcement comes ahead of Firefly Aerospace’s first quarter earnings call for investors. A timeline for the first ocean-based Alpha rocket launches wasn't announced.
Ireland signed the Artemis Accords Monday during a signing ceremony hosted by NASA, becoming the latest nation to commit to the responsible exploration of space for all humanity. Ireland, a longstanding member of ESA (European Space Agency) and a valued international partner for NASA, now joins all 23 ESA member states as a signatory of […]
To support long-duration missions to the Moon and Mars, NASA and industry are developing technologies that can extract resources such as hydrogen and helium-3 from lunar soil, known as regolith. This capability, known as in-situ resource utilization (ISRU), allows explorers to use what is already available on other planetary bodies, from water ice to minerals. […]
The Expedition 74 crew kicked off the week setting up advanced radio frequency technology, configuring quantum physics hardware, and conducting ultrasound vein scans aboard the International Space Station. The crewmates also prepared for the arrival of the next U.S. cargo mission, unpacked the latest Roscosmos resupply ship, and checked out a spacesuit.
Two Falcon 9 launches and a Chang Zheng 7 make up the launch roster for…
The post Launch Preview: three launches — a calm before the storm? appeared first on NASASpaceFlight.com.
The Republic of Malta became the 65th signatory to the Artemis Accords on Monday during a ceremony in the town of Kalkara with NASA and U.S. Department of State officials present. “Today, it’s my pleasure to welcome the Republic of Malta to the Artemis Accords community,” NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said in recorded remarks. “By […]
This year’s Findings from the Field Student Research Symposium welcomed 106 students, grades four through eight, 29 educators, and 15 Subject Matter Experts, and it featured 68 research posters, 14 lightning talks, and 5 discussion sessions.
Also known as Endurance, MK1 is an uncrewed cargo lander funded by Blue Origin as a commercial demonstration mission to advance Human Landing System capabilities in support of NASA’s Artemis program. The tests in Chamber A represent a public-private partnership model, with Blue Origin conducting work through a reimbursable Space Act Agreement. Endurance will demonstrate […]
Also known as Endurance, MK1 is an uncrewed cargo lander funded by Blue Origin as a commercial demonstration mission to advance Human Landing System capabilities in support of NASA’s Artemis program. The tests in in Chamber A represent a public-private partnership model, with Blue Origin conducting work through a reimbursable Space Act Agreement. Endurance will […]
In this new picture from NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope, a spiral galaxy glittering with star clusters is the center of attention. NGC 3137 is located 53 million light-years away in the constellation Antlia (the Air Pump). As a nearby spiral galaxy, this target offers astronomers an excellent opportunity to study the cycle of stellar birth and death, as […]
A study of NASA’s TESS (Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite) data on stellar pairs undergoing mutual eclipses has uncovered more than two dozen candidate exoplanets, or worlds beyond our solar system. This method allows the mission to locate planets it couldn’t otherwise detect. To date, TESS has discovered 885 confirmed exoplanets and identified more than 7,900 […]
On May 4, 1976, a spacecraft resembling a disco ball entered orbit almost 3,700 miles (6,000 kilometers) above Earth. This shiny, two‑foot‑wide (60‑centimeter) sphere called the Laser Geodynamics Satellite, or LAGEOS, is covered with 426 retroreflectors—small mirrored prisms designed to bounce laser light directly back to where it came from. Beneath its aluminum exterior sits […]
The European Space Agency has published a Request for Information (RFI) that suggests it is considering shifting the launch of its Harmony satellites from Vega C to Ariane 6. In October 2024, ESA awarded OHB a €280 million contract to develop and build a pair of satellites for its Harmony mission, which will monitor shifts […]
The post ESA Considers Shifting Harmony from Vega C to Ariane 6 appeared first on European Spaceflight.
Thirteen European satellites on the same rideshare launcher have successfully reached orbit, bringing capabilities to Italian and Greek monitoring programmes as well as CubeSats that will test satellite connectivity.
Here is SpacePolicyOnline.com’s list of space policy events for the week of May 3-9, 2026 and any insight we can offer about them. The House and Senate are in recess […]
SpaceX successfully launched its third rideshare mission of 2026 aboard Falcon 9. The mission carried…
The post SpaceX launches CAS500-2 and 45 other payloads to Sun-synchronous orbit appeared first on NASASpaceFlight.com.
The CAS500-2 mission is scheduled for liftoff from pad 4E at Vandenberg Space Force Base at 11:59 p.m. PDT (2:59 a.m. EDT / 0659 UTC). The Korea Aerospace Industries’ Compact Advanced Satellite 500 (CAS500) satellite will be the first to deploy about an hour after liftoff.
