Science

NASA’s Artemis II Breaks Agency Streaming Record

NASA’s live coverage of the Artemis IImission mission drew unprecedented public interest – including more than 149.4 million views of the launch, lunar flyby, splashdown on NASA-owned platforms,

NASA Students Get Airborne View of Atmospheric Science at Ellington Field

From June 3 to 13, aircraft at Ellington Field in Houston gave students a firsthand look at how scientists study Earth from the air. ThroughNASA’s Student Airborne Research Program, or SARP,

Good Morning, Earth!

NASA astronaut Chris Williams took this photo of an orbital sunrise from the International Space Station on June 26, 2026. In 24 hours, the space station makes 16 orbits of Earth, traveling through

NASA’s Webb Reveals Stars Sparking to Life in Cosmic Celebration

NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has captured the infrared light of numerous features that previously were impossible to see beyond the thick dust of the FS Tau star system. In addition to myriad

What’s Up: July 2026 Skywatching Tips from NASA

A predawn Moon-and-planets meetup, a returning comet, a great chance to see the Milky Way, and Saturn’s rings at a new angle. July 7:Last Quarter Moon July 11 + 12:Dawn alignment of the Moon, Mars,

NASA’s Chandra Examines Milky Way at Arms’ Length

To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser thatsupports HTML5 video A new result using NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory shows that the outer spiral arms in

NASA Seeks Volunteers for New Yearlong Simulated Moon, Mars Mission

Beginning no earlier than August 2027, research volunteers will spend one year living and working in interplanetary environments at the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, operating under

Curiosity Blog, Sols 4934-4940: In the Land of the Polygons

Written by William Farrand, Senior Research Scientist, Space Science Institute Earth planning date: Friday, June 26, 2026 There were two planning cycles over this span of sols. The Monday planning

NASA’s Webb Studies How Planet Survived Death of its Star

NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope is giving us new insight into the far-future of solar systems like our own, as the agency continues to reveal the secrets of the universe and our place in

LINK Spacecraft Set for Mission to Boost NASA’s Swift Observatory

A first-of-its-kind missionto raise the orbit ofNASA’s Neil Gehrels Swift Observatoryis poised for launch no earlier than Thursday, July 2, 5:09 a.m. EDT, from Kwajalein Atoll, part of the Republic

Caltech Welcomes Astrophysicist Ray Jayawardhana as New President

Ray Jayawardhana begins his tenure today as the 10th president of the California Institute of Technology. His selection as Caltech’s president, and as the Sonja and William Davidow Presidential

NASA’s TESS Mission Finds Planetary System in New Way

For the first time, NASA’s TESS mission has identified a planet orbiting a distant star thanks to ripples in space-time. Unlike the star-hugging transiting planets TESS regularly reveals, the

NASA’s Chandra Reveals ‘Red, White, Blue’ Universe for US 250th

In celebration of the 250th birthday of the United States, NASA has unveiled four cosmic images from its Chandra X-ray Observatory rendered in red, white, and blue that represent the wonders of the

A Day of Flight Testing at NASA Armstrong

Flight testing is a team sport. For nearly 80 years, teams at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, have used flight testing to push the limits of aerodynamics and advance

La NASA adjudica nuevas misiones científicas para Base Lunar y adelanta nuevas oportunidades

NASA Awards More Moon Base Science, Previews New Opportunities

NASA announced Tuesday the selection of three companies to land four new missions on the Moon in late 2028 as part of the agency’s Moon Base Program. Astrobotic, Firefly Aerospace, and Intuitive

NextSTEP-3 B: Moon Base Demonstrations

July, 2026 – Anticipated Synopsis Release [System for Awards Management] NASA’s Human Spaceflight Mission Directorate is seeking innovative ideas from industry partners through a new solicitation

A Most “Pleasantly Situated” Estate

Editor’s note: In honor of America’s 250th birthday, Earth Observatory is revisiting stories about the landscapes that helped shape U.S. history. The images and text on this page were originally

Starry Chandelier Cluster

This image released on June 26, 2026, features the globular cluster NGC 6723, sometimes called the Chandelier Cluster. Like its namesake, it sparkles with countless lights. However, each

Ames Science Stars of the Month July 2026

The NASA Ames Science Directorate recognizes the outstanding contributions of Sungshin Choi, Yi-Chun Chen, Emma Yates, Eduardo Bendek. Their commitment to the NASA mission represents the

Northwest Earth and Space Science Pathways Project Celebrates Student Innovation Through ROADS from Earth to Venus National Challenge

TheNorthwest Earth and Space Science Pathways projectrecently concluded its 2025–2026 ROADS from Earth to Venus National Challenge, aNASA Science Activation programstudent challenge that engaged more

NASA’s Newest Wind Tunnel Builds on Legacy of Innovation

For more than 100 years, wind tunnels at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, have helped shape the future of flight. Now, two of NASA’s longest-serving facilities — the 12-Foot

NASA, SBA Announce New Initiative to Scale American Space Economy

NASA and the U.S. Small Business Administration launched the SBIC-NASA Initiative on Monday to increase investment in American manufacturers of industrial components and providers of technologies

NASA Seeks Industry Input to Accelerate Lunar Surface Technologies

Long-term lunar exploration requires technology, infrastructure, and operations that function together cohesively on the surface of the Moon. To accelerate the development of key lunar surface

NextSTEP-3 A: Lunar Enabling Technology

NASA issued a draft Broad Agency Announcement under NextSTEP‑3, Appendix A, on June 29, 2026, to advance concepts that accelerate the technological readiness of critical systems for lunar surface and

Mapping Earth’s Observations, featuring Betsy Ford

NASA’s Earth-observing satellites track an enormous range of phenomena: how aerosols move through the atmosphere, how moisture descends through soil, how land-cover shifts over decades. It’s some of

NASA Astronaut Chris Williams Preps for Spacewalk

Flight engineer Sophie Adenot of ESA helps flight engineer Chris Williams of NASA as he tries on his spacesuit on June 23, 2026, testing its comfort and mobility as well as its communications and

Star-Spangled City

Editor’s note: In honor of America’s 250th birthday, Earth Observatory is revisiting stories about the landscapes that helped shape U.S. history. The images and text on this page were originally

NASA Announces Winners for 2026 Human Lander Challenge

NASA has announced the top student-developed solutions for environmental control and life support systems in future crewed lunar landers from participants in the 2026 Human Lander Challenge. The

NASA Tests New Refuel Device for Future In-Space Refueling Missions

For NASA’s next generation of deep space exploration missions, spacecraft may need to refuel in Earth orbit before pushing farther into the solar system. Similar to how a gas pump needs a nozzle to

Partners, NASA Ready for June Launch of Swift Boost Mission

A mission to raise the orbit of NASA’s Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory is poised for launch no earlier than Tuesday, June 30, 6:23 a.m. EDT, from Kwajalein Atoll, part of the Republic of the Marshall

NASA Identifies More Than 40 Space Technologies for Collaboration

NASA selected 41 proposals from 37 companies to advance technologies in support of the agency’s goals to establish a long-term presence on the Moon and enable human exploration of Mars. These

Euclid Sees Heart of Milky Way

Euclid, an ESA mission with NASA contributions, took a new look at the heart of our Milky Way galaxy, seen in this image released on June 24, 2026. This observation overlaps with a region scientists

Hubble Spies Starry Chandelier

The subject of today’s NASA/ESAHubble Space Telescopeimage is an ancient inhabitant of our galaxy. This sparkling scene features aglobular cluster: a collection of tens of thousands to millions of

NASA’s PACE Mission Studies Smoke, Fires

With the North American fire season underway, and a record number of acres already burned nationwide, NASA’s Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, and ocean Ecosystem satellite’s three instruments are observing

Bringing Signals to NASA

Growing up on the central California coast, watching rocket launches with his father was part of Eric Fernandez’s childhood routine. Fernandez had posters of rockets on the wall, but despite being

The Battle for Sullivan’s Island

As Thomas Jefferson and the Committee of Fivepresentedtheir first draftof the Declaration of Independencein Philadelphia on June 28, 1776, several British warships and thousands of troops were

Expedition 73 Crew Reflects on Science, Teamwork, and Life in Orbit

On June 16, astronauts and cosmonauts gathered at Space Center Houston to share stories from their missions aboard the International Space Station and recognize the teamwork and people on the ground

NASA Welcomes Botswana as 68th Artemis Accords Signatory

The Republic of Botswana signed the Artemis Accords Thursday during a ceremony hosted by NASA at the agency’s headquarters in Washington, becoming the sixth African nation to join a growing community

NASA, US Small Business Administration to Announce Partnership

NASA and the U.S. Small Business Administration will sign a memorandum of agreement during a ceremony at 1 p.m. EDT, Monday, June 29, at NASA Headquarters in Washington. The agreement will create a

NASA Selects Rocket Lab to Launch Sun, Earth Science Missions

NASA has selected Rocket Lab to provide the launch service for both the agency’s PolSIR and Total and Spectral Solar Irradiance Sensor-2 missions. The two selections are part of NASA’s Venture-Class

Millions of Stars in Cigar Galaxy

NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope recently observed edge-on starburst galaxy Messier 82, nicknamed the Cigar Galaxy. Webb’s new view of M82, added to archival data from NASA’s Hubble Space

A Turquoise Tint for the Black Sea

The Black Sea sits at the boundary between Europe and Asia and connects to the Mediterranean Sea via a chain of waterways. Its surface often appears dark, but each spring and summer it transforms

NASA’s TESS Mission Reveals the “Puffiest” Planets Ever Found

Data from NASA’s TESS mission has revealed two new “super-puff” planets, giant worlds so light that their density is comparable to cotton candy. Scientists calculate that these Jupiter-sized

NASA at the Ion: Orion Lessons from Artemis II Shape NASA’s Moon to Mars Path

Seven weeks after the Orion spacecraft returned four astronauts from humanity’s first crewed journey around the Moon since Apollo, Artemis II Orion Vehicle Manager Branelle Rodriguez reflected on the

NASA to Share Latest Moon Base Mission Progress

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman will host a virtual conversation at 2:30 p.m. EDT, Tuesday, June 30, to share updates to NASA’s plans to build a Moon Base on the lunar surface. Administrator

Roman Telescope Comes to Kennedy

In this June 21, 2026, photo,NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescopearrives at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida aboardNASA’s Pegasus barge. After offloading and transportation to the

NASA’s HiRISE Captures Perseverance Marking a Milestone on Mars

NASA’s Perseverance rover appears as a green speck on the Martian surface on June 13, 2026, a day before the robotic explorer marked a distance milestone, having traveled a full marathon on the Red

Euclid View of Milky Way Heart Previews Core Survey by NASA’s Roman

A new look at the heart of our Milky Way galaxy by Euclid, an ESA mission with NASA contributions, overlaps with a region scientists will observe with NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope,