A model of a liquid metal-cooled reactor, dual 100-kw Brayton Power Conversion is seen on display during an event where NASA is outlining how the agency is executing President Donald J. Trump’s National Space Policy and accelerating preparations for America’s return to the surface of the Moon by 2028, Tuesday, March 24, 2026, at the Mary W. Jackson NASA Headquarters building in Washington. During the event NASA leadership provided updates on mission priorities, including sending the first astronauts to the lunar surface in more than 50 years, establishing the initial elements of a permanent lunar base, getting America underway in space on nuclear propulsion, and other objectives. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

A spectrally resolved Rayleigh/Mie scattering diagnostic was developed to measure temperature and wingspan wise velocity in the vicinity of an ASTOVL aircraft model tested in the Lewis, now Glenn, 9x15 Low Speed Wind Tunnel. This was done for the Phase III hot gas ingestion study of ground-effect flow-field on such aircraft during hover or vertical landing.

Representatives from Serbia and members of NASA’s Office of International and Interagency Relations participate in a bilateral meeting following an Artemis Accords signing ceremony Thursday, July 16, 2026, at the Mary W. Jackson NASA Headquarters building in Washington. Serbia is the 69th country to sign the Artemis Accords, which establish a practical set of principles to guide space exploration cooperation among nations participating in NASA’s Artemis program. Photo Credit: (NASA/Keegan Barber)

Eleven-year-old Hilt Boling, center, and parents Kent Boling, left, and Rachel Boling, right, depart the Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building, Friday, Apr. 3, 2026, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. When asked during an April 1 television appearance why he loved space and being at the Artemis II launch, Boling exclaimed: “We’re going back to the freaking Moon, that’s why!” His comments received widespread social media attention in the following days. Photo Credit: (NASA/John Kraus)

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman is seen with his personal F-5 aircraft, Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Photo Credit: (NASA/John Kraus)

NASA Apollo astronaut Harrison "Jack" Schmitt touches a Moon rock display during an event to award the Congressional Space Medal of Honor to the Artemis II crew, Friday, Aug. 28, 2026, at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. The Artemis II crew completed their approximately ten-day mission around the Moon in April 2026 and are the 31st, 32nd, 33rd, and 34th astronauts to receive the award. Photo Credit: (NASA/John Kraus)

NASA’s Artemis II SLS (Space Launch System) rocket with the Orion spacecraft atop a mobile launcher is seen at Launch Complex 39B, Saturday, March 28, 2026, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The Artemis II test flight will take Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover, and Mission Specialist Christina Koch from NASA, and Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen from the CSA (Canadian Space Agency), around the Moon and back to Earth.

Artemis III crew members, NASA astronauts Andre Douglas and Randy Bresnick (obscured) and get a close look Orion spacecraft hardware inside the Multi-Payload Processing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Friday, July 10, 2026. Bresnick, Douglas, NASA astronaut Frank Rubio, and ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Luca Parmitano will launch aboard Orion on the Artemis III mission to conduct critical rendezvous and docking tests with lunar lander systems in low Earth orbit, advancing the capabilities needed before astronauts return to the lunar surface on Artemis IV.

NASA astronaut Christina Koch, Artemis II mission specialist is assisted off the flight deck after arriving aboard USS John P. Murtha after she and fellow crewmates NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, commander; Victor Glover, pilot; and CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen, mission specialist were extracted from their Orion spacecraft after splashdown, Friday, April 10, 2026, in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California. NASA’s Artemis II mission took the quartet on a 10-day journey around the Moon and back to Earth. Following a splashdown at , NASA and U.S. military teams are working to bring the crewmembers and Orion spacecraft aboard the recovery ship. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

NASA’s Artemis II SLS (Space Launch System) rocket and Orion spacecraft is seen from underneath a lightning tower at Launch Complex 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026. At nearly 600 feet, three towers are positioned around the perimeter of the pad to provide lightning protection for launch vehicles. The Artemis II test flight will take Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover, and Mission Specialist Christina Koch from NASA, and Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen from the CSA (Canadian Space Agency), around the Moon and back to Earth.

NASA astronaut Christina Koch, Artemis II mission specialist is assisted off the flight deck after arriving aboard USS John P. Murtha after she and fellow crewmates NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, commander; Victor Glover, pilot; and CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen, mission specialist were extracted from their Orion spacecraft after splashdown, Friday, April 10, 2026, in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California. NASA’s Artemis II mission took the quartet on a 10-day journey around the Moon and back to Earth. Following a splashdown at , NASA and U.S. military teams are working to bring the crewmembers and Orion spacecraft aboard the recovery ship. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

NASA’s Landing and Recovery team, along with U.S. Navy personnel work to recover the spacecraft into the well deck of USS John P. Murtha in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California, Saturday, April 11, 2026. NASA’s Artemis II mission, which took NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, commander; Victor Glover, pilot; Christina Koch, mission specialist; and CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen, mission specialist on a 10-day journey around the Moon and back to Earth, splashed down at at 5:07 p.m. PDT (8:07 p.m. EDT). Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

An image shows the Thad Cochran Test Stand (B-1/B-2) at NASA’s Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, on July 7. The test stand features dual, vertical firing positions built in the 1960s to test Saturn V rocket stages that carried humans to the Moon during the Apollo program. The B 1 position, right, is equipped for single engine tests, while the B 2 position is designed to test full rocket stages.

Fans play corn hole in the NASA Experience Zone at an NFL game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Atlanta Falcons at Acrisure Stadium, Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. NASA’s engagement at NFL games is part of the agency's Inspiration Tour, aimed at strengthening connections between NASA and its partners and showcasing innovation in air and space in the lead up to the MAX POWER aerospace technology expo and airshow at the agency's Kennedy Space Center in early November. Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)

art002e041740 (April 8, 2026) - NASA astronaut and Artemis II Pilot Victor Glover smiles aboard the Orion spacecraft with a crescent Earth visible through the window behind him on the eighth day of the Artemis II mission. Credit: NASA.

NASA astronaut Reid Wiseman, Artemis II commander provides remarks during an event at the Russell Senate Office Building, Tuesday, May 12, 2026, in Washington. NASA’s Artemis II mission took Wiseman, NASA astronaut Christina Koch, Artemis II mission specialist; NASA astronaut Victor Glover, Artemis II pilot; and CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen, Artemis II mission specialist, on a nearly 10-day journey around the Moon and back to Earth in April 2026. Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)

jsc2026e022273 (April 11, 2026) - Artemis II Mission Specialist Christina Koch returns home to Houston, stepping off a plane at Ellington Airport near NASA's Johnson Space Center, on Saturday, April 11, 2026, following her 10-day mission around the Moon. She and her three fellow crew members launched April 1, 2026, from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, and splashed down off the coast of California on Friday, April 10, 2026.

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman, left, and Sectretary of Education Linda McMahon, right, are seen with the SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket poised to launch NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, Saturday, Aug. 29, 2026, at Launch Complex 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Photo Credit: (NASA/John Kraus)

Davis Adams, project manager, confirms that an advanced guidance and navigation system known as the Safe and Precise Landing – Integrated Capabilities Evolution (SPLICE) experiment is communicating with an Alta-X drone near NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, on Wednesday, July 15, 2026. Researchers at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston developed SPLICE, which successfully communicated with the remotely piloted aircraft during hover maneuvers in flight. SPLICE will help spacecraft land precisely and detect and avoid potential hazards, which is critical for NASA missions to the Moon and to Mars.

President Donald Trump shakes hands with NASA astronaut candidate Anna Menon as NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman watches during a visit to the Christopher C. Kraft Jr. Mission Control Center, Friday, Aug. 28, 2026, at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. Photo Credit: (NASA/John Kraus)

In this Sunset photo, NASA’s Artemis II SLS (Space Launch System) rocket and Orion spacecraft atop a mobile launcher stands vertical at Launch Complex 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026. The Artemis II test flight will take Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover, and Mission Specialist Christina Koch from NASA, and Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen from the CSA (Canadian Space Agency), around the Moon and back to Earth.

Lindsey Waitt, engineer with NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems Program, participates in a terminal countdown simulation for Artemis III on Thursday, Aug. 6, 2026, inside Firing Room 1 of the Rocco A. Petrone Launch Control Center at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The terminal count simulation conducted by NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems team runs through the final five hours of launch countdown, including terminal count - the remaining 10 minutes of the countdown. Artemis III will carry out a series of objectives in low Earth orbit designed to demonstrate critical systems needed for future lunar landings, beginning with Artemis IV.

Justin Link, small uncrewed aircraft pilot, left, reads altitude data on a handheld display, as Justin Hall, Dale Reed Subscale Flight Research Laboratory chief pilot, flies NASA’s Alta-X drone near NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, on Thursday, Aug. 27, 2026. Researchers at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston developed the advanced guidance and navigation system known as the Safe and Precise Landing – Integrated Capabilities Evolution (SPLICE) experiment, which is installed on the drone. SPLICE will help spacecraft land precisely and detect and avoid potential hazards, which is critical for NASA missions to the Moon and to Mars.

A member of USS John P. Murtha (LPD 26) gets ready to fire a line over to the USNS Guadalupe so they may refuel at sea as NASA, U.S. Navy, and U.S. Air Force teams head into the Pacific Ocean for the return of the Artemis II crewmembers to Earth, Monday, April 6, 2026, in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California. NASA’s Artemis II mission is taking NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, commander; Victor Glover, pilot; Christina Koch, mission specialist; and CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen, mission specialist on a 10-day journey around the Moon and back aboard their Orion spacecraft. Wiseman, Glover, Koch, and Hansen are scheduled to splash down off the coast of San Diego at approximately 5:07 p.m. PDT (8:07 p.m. EDT) on Friday, April 10. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Ambassador of Djibouti to the United States, Mohamed Siad Douale gives remarks during an Artemis Accord signing ceremony with Djibouti, Monday, September 14, 2026, at the Mary W. Jackson NASA Headquarters building in Washington. Djibouti is the 72nd country to sign the Artemis Accords, which establish a practical set of principles to guide space exploration cooperation among nations participating in NASA’s Artemis program. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

iss075e0088786 (Sept. 4, 2026) --- Roscosmos cosmonaut and Expedition 75 flight engineer Anna Kikina practices CPR in the weightless environment of the International Space Station. Performing chest compressions in microgravity requires securing the patient with restraints while the crew member braces their feet against a fixed surface to generate effective force. Credit: NASA/Anil Menon

NASA’s Artemis II Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft are seen at sunset at Launch Complex 39B, Tuesday, March 31, 2026, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The Artemis II test flight will take Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover, and Mission Specialist Christina Koch from NASA, and Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen from the CSA (Canadian Space Agency), around the Moon and back to Earth with launch opportunities beginning in April 2026. Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)

An Artemis launch team member participates in the Artemis III terminal countdown simulation on Thursday, May 7, 2026, inside Firing Room 1 of the Rocco A. Petrone Launch Control Center at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. This marked the first simulation the launch team performed ahead of Artemis III.

NASA’s Orion spacecraft is seen in the well deck of USS John P. Murtha as NASA teams begin to work on post-flight processing while transiting back to Naval Base San Diego, Saturday, April 11, 2026, in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California. NASA’s Artemis II mission took NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, commander; Victor Glover, pilot; Christina Koch, mission specialist; and CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen, mission specialist on a nearly 10-day journey around the Moon and back to Earth. Following a splashdown at 5:07 p.m. PDT (8:07 p.m. EDT) on April 10, NASA, U.S. Navy, and U.S. Air Force teams recovered the crewmembers and spacecraft onboard the recovery ship and transferred the Wiseman, Glover, Koch, and Hansen from the ship to Naval Air Station North Island, Calif. where they boarded a NASA aircraft to return to Houston, Texas. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)

Visitors to the Great American State Fair are seen as they view exhibits in the NASA Pavilion, Thursday, June 25, 2026, on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. Photo Credit: (NASA/Keegan Barber)

Kevin Todaro, Artemis launch team member, participates in the Artemis II terminal count simulation on Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026, inside Firing Room 1 of the Rocco A. Petrone Launch Control Center at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The terminal count simulation conducted by NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems team runs through the final five hours of launch countdown, include terminal count - the remaining 10 minutes of the countdown - for NASA’s Artemis II test flight which will take Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover, and Mission Specialist Christina Koch from NASA, and Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen from the CSA (Canadian Space Agency), around the Moon and back to Earth no later than no later than April 2026 from Launch Complex 39B at NASA Kennedy.

A SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket launches with NASA’S Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope onboard from Launch Complex 39A, Sunday, Aug. 30, 2026, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Roman will investigate dark energy and dark matter, conduct a statistical census of planetary systems, and enable a broad range of additional astrophysics research. Launch occurred at 7:26 a.m. EDT. Photo Credit (NASA/Joel Kowsky)

art002e009294 (April 6, 2026) – Artemis II Pilot Victor Glover, Commander Reid Wiseman, and Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen prepare for their journey around the far side of the Moon by configuring their camera equipment shortly before beginning their lunar flyby observations.

iss074e0591312 (May 19, 2026) --- NASA astronaut and Expedition 74 flight engineer Jack Hathaway works inside the International Space Station’s Harmony module, swapping hardware inside the Advanced Space Experiment Processor‑2 to support a biotechnology study that explores the synthesis of pharmaceutical compounds. The investigation, called In‑Space Production Application–Pharmaceutical In‑Space Laboratory–02, studies the effect of microgravity on the production of a variety of crystals, potentially enhancing purity, improving stability, and creating uniform distribution. Credit: ESA/Sophie Adenot

NASA’s Pegasus barge, carrying the top four-fifths of the agency’s SLS (Space Launch System) core stage for the Artemis III mission, arrives at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center Complex 39 turn basin wharf in Florida on Monday, April 27, 2026. Artemis III will launch astronauts to Earth’s orbit aboard the Orion spacecraft on top of SLS to test rendezvous and docking capabilities between Orion and commercial spacecraft needed to land Artemis IV astronauts on the Moon in 2028. 

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman, left, and Goddard Space Flight Center director Jamie Dunn listen to a comment by an audience member during an event held to celebrate the launch of the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026, at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)

Kennedy Space Center employees enjoy coffee and donuts ahead of a Town Hall meeting, courtesy of NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman on Tuesday, June 16, 2026.

Artemis II astronaut Victor Glover performs a simulated surface logistics task while attached to the ARGOS system during the Egress Fitness Task Battery at NASA’s Johnson Space Center on Jan. 13, 2026. (NASA/Robert Markowitz)

These artist’s concepts depict NASA’s Orion spacecraft and SpaceX’s Starship human landing system test article during rendezvous and docking operations as part of NASA’s upcoming Artemis III demonstration mission in low Earth orbit. NASA is working with two American companies to develop the human landing systems that will safely transport astronauts from lunar orbit to the Moon’s surface and back for future Artemis missions. For Artemis III, both SpaceX and Blue Origin will fly test versions, or test articles, of the crewed landers that will be used for future Moon landings. The lander test articles will launch by commercial rockets, while the Artemis III crew will launch to low Earth orbit in Orion atop the agency’s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket.

The European Service Module for NASA’s Artemis III mission undergoes acoustic testing inside the Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Thursday, May 7, 2026. To simulate vibrations experienced during launch, technicians surround the module with a wall of high‑power speakers and measure how the structure responds using microphones, strain gauges, and accelerometers. Provided by ESA (European Space Agency) and its partner Airbus Space, the service module is the Orion spacecraft’s powerhouse, supplying it with electricity, propulsion, thermal control, air, and water in space.

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman, left, and Ambassador of Jordan to the United States Dina Kawar, right, are seen following an Artemis Accords signing ceremony Thursday, April 23, 2026, at the Mary W. Jackson NASA Headquarters building in Washington. The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan is the 63rd country to sign the Artemis Accords, which establish a practical set of principles to guide space exploration cooperation among nations participating in NASA’s Artemis program. Photo Credit: (NASA/Keegan Barber)

art002e000192 (April 3, 2026) - This nighttime picture of Earth was taken on April 2, 2026, by an Artemis II crew member aiming a camera through a window of the Orion spacecraft. The image was captured after Orion completed its translunar injection burn, the critical maneuver that sent the spacecraft on its path toward the Moon and back. The visible hemisphere appears awash in sunlight, but it is actually lit by moonlight — sunlight reflected from the lunar surface. Along the upper left (south) and lower right (north) edges of Earth’s disk, green auroras glow against the dark sky, showing charged particles from the Sun interacting with gases in Earth’s atmosphere. Africa is visible on the left, while a translucent cone of light capped by a bright Venus extends into space from Earth’s lower right edge. This zodiacal light is caused by sunlight reflecting off interplanetary dust. A thin white crescent along the lower right edge of Earth marks the planet’s daytime atmosphere illuminated by the Sun, which lies on the opposite side of Earth from Orion’s perspective. City lights are also visible, especially along coastlines. Credits: NASA

NASA’s Artemis II SLS (Space Launch System) rocket and Orion spacecraft roll out to Launch Complex 39B, Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Photo Credit: (NASA/John Kraus)

iss075e0069016 (Aug. 25, 2026) --- ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut and Expedition 75 flight engineer Sophie Adenot is tethered to the International Space Station during a spacewalk to install a high-speed space-to-ground antenna on the Z1 truss segment above the Unity module. Adenot and NASA astronaut and Expedition 75 flight engineer Anil Menon (out of frame) spent six hours and 30 minutes replacing a failed antenna with a spare and making the precise connections needed to activate it for high-speed transmissions with mission control. Credit: NASA/Anil Menon

Expedition 75 NASA astronaut Anil Menon waves as he and fellow crew mates, Roscosmos cosmonauts Pyotr Dubrov, and Anna Kikina depart the Cosmonaut Hotel to suit-up for their Soyuz launch, Tuesday, July 14, 2026, in Baikonur, Kazakhstan. The launch will send Menon, Dubrov, and Kikina on a mission to the International Space Station. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

jsc2026e019217 (April 1, 2026) – Lead Artemis II Flight Director Jeff Radigan in the White Flight Control Room at the Mission Control Center at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. At the time of this photograph, a little over three hours into the mission, the Artemis II crew was conducting a manual piloting test called the proximity operations demonstration. During the demonstration, mission controllers monitored Orion as the astronauts transitioned the spacecraft to manual mode and piloted its flight path and orientation. This demonstration will provide performance data and operational experience that cannot be readily gained on the ground in preparation for critical rendezvous, proximity operations, docking, and undocking for future Artemis missions. Credit: NASA

The Soyuz MS-28 spacecraft is seen as it lands in a remote area near the town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan with Expedition 74 NASA astronaut Chris Williams, and Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Kud-Sverchkov, and Sergei Mikaev aboard, Sunday, July 26, 2026. The trio are returning to Earth after logging 241 days in space as members of Expeditions 73 and 74 aboard the International Space Station. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

jsc2026e022283 (April 11, 2026) - Commander Reid Wiseman is greeted by NASA's Flight Operations Director Norm Knight on his return home to Houston, at Ellington Airport on Saturday, April 11, 2026, following a 10-day trip around the Moon and back. Wiseman and his three fellow crew members launched April 1, 2026, from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, and splashed down off the coast of California on Friday, April 10, 2026.

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman, right, meets with Iowa Space Grant students, Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2026, at Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

NASA’s Space Launch System rocket launches carrying the Orion spacecraft with NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, commander; Victor Glover, pilot; Christina Koch, mission specialist; and CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen, mission specialist on NASA’s Artemis II mission, Wednesday, April 1, 2026, from Operations and Support Building II at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASA’s Artemis II mission will take Wiseman, Glover, Koch, and Hansen on a 10-day journey around the Moon and back aboard SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft launched at 6:35pm EDT from Launch Complex 39B. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-12 members suit up in the Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida ahead of launch to the International Space Station on Friday, Feb. 13, 2026. From left, Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev, NASA astronauts Jack Hathaway and Jessica Meir, and ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Sophie Adenot are scheduled to lift off aboard SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket at 5:15 a.m. EST, from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.

U.S. Department of Energy Secretary Chris Wright, left, speaks to NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman, right, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, at the Department of Energy Headquarters in Washington. The DOE and NASA signed a memorandum of understanding to support the research and development of a fission surface power system for use on the Moon and future NASA missions to Mars. Photo Credit: (NASA/John Kraus)

From left, Artemis II deputy lunar science lead, Jacob Richardson, science officer and lunar science lead, Kelsey Young, and deputy lunar science lead, Marie Henderson, discuss the team’s final preparations for the lunar flyby. The team worked in the Science Evaluation Room (SER) in Mission Control at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. Built specifically for Artemis missions with these science priorities in mind, the SER is equipped to support rapid data interpretation, collaborative analysis, real-time decision making, and seamless coordination between the science and operations teams. Credits: NASA/ Robert Markowitz

NASA Director for Human Space Flight Programs, Russia, Jay Marschke, right, supported by NASA Interpreter Ilya Shlepakov, reports as NASA, Roscosmos, and Russian Search and Recovery Forces meet at the Cosmonaut Hotel in Karaganda, Kazakhstan, Saturday, July 25, 2026, to discuss the readiness for the landing of Expedition 74 NASA astronaut Chris Williams, and Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Kud-Sverchkov, and Sergei Mikaev. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

iss074e0491096 (April 17, 2026) --- A wispy aurora australis arcs across the Indian Ocean as the Milky Way protrudes above Earth’s atmosphere in this photograph taken at approximately 8:55 p.m. local time from the International Space Station as it orbited 270 miles above the planet. Credit: NASA/Chris Williams

All work platforms are retracted from around NASA’s Artemis II SLS (Space Launch System) rocket and Orion spacecraft, secured to the mobile launcher, inside the Vehicle Assembly Building on Thursday, March 19, 2026, in preparation for rollout to Launch Complex 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The Artemis II test flight will take Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover, and Mission Specialist Christina Koch from NASA, and Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen from the CSA (Canadian Space Agency), around the Moon and back to Earth with launch opportunities beginning in April 2026.

NASA’s SLS (Space Launch System) core stage for the Artemis III mission undergoes prelaunch processing inside High Bay 2 of the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Tuesday, May 12, 2026. This marks the first time core stage assembly operations for Artemis missions have been conducted at the spaceport. Artemis III will launch astronauts to low Earth orbit aboard the Orion spacecraft on top of SLS to test rendezvous and docking capabilities between Orion and commercial spacecraft needed to land Artemis IV astronauts on the Moon in 2028.

Aya Collins, director of the engagement division of NASA’s Office of Communications, moderates a discussion with NASA astronauts Mike Fincke and Zena Cardman and JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Kimiya Yui, Monday, June 1, 2026 at the Mary W. Jackson NASA Headquarters building in Washington. Fincke, Cardman, and Yui served as part of Expeditions 73 and 74 onboard the International Space Station. Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)

NASA’s crawler-transporter 2, carrying NASA’s Artemis II SLS (Space Launch System) rocket with the Orion spacecraft secured to mobile launcher 1, leaves Launch Complex 39B to roll back to the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2026, to troubleshoot the flow of helium to the rocket’s upper stage, the interim cryogenic propulsion stage. Once complete, the SLS rocket will roll back to Launch Complex 39B to prepare to launch four astronauts around the Moon and back for the Artemis II test flight.

iss074e0316030 (Feb. 18, 2026) --- ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut and Expedition 74 flight engineer Sophie Adenot installs research components inside the Advanced Space Experiment Processor‑2 (ADSEP‑2), which houses and processes samples for a variety of biology and physics experiments aboard the International Space Station. The ADSEP‑2 can also operate inside SpaceX Dragon and Northrop Grumman spacecraft during launch and throughout their stays at the orbital outpost. Credit: NASA/Jessica Meir

iss074e0365134 (March 6, 2026) --- The HTV‑X1 cargo spacecraft from JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) departs the International Space Station after being released by the Canadarm2 robotic arm, completing a four‑month stay attached to the Harmony module. Both spacecraft were soaring 268 miles above the Pacific Ocean. Credit: NASA

iss075e0011835 (Aug. 28, 2026) --- Roscosmos cosmonaut and Expedition 75 flight engineer Anna Kikina wears safety goggles while performing life support maintenance duties inside the International Space Station's Nauka science module. Credit: Roscosmos

Support teams onboard the SpaceX recovery ship SHANNON open the hatch to the SpaceX Dragon Endeavour spacecraft shortly after it landed with NASA astronauts Zena Cardman, Mike Fincke, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Kimiya Yui, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov aboard in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Diego, Calif., Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. Cardman, Fincke, Yui, Platonov are returning after 167 days in space as part of Expedition 74 aboard the International Space Station. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

NASA’s X-59 quiet supersonic research aircraft flies along the Bell X-1 Supersonic Corridor in California during continued flight testing on Wednesday, June 10, 2026, in support of NASA’s Quesst mission. Initial supersonic flights help the team evaluate the aircraft’s performance as it progresses toward the speed and altitude planned for future community overflights.

The flags of the United States and Canada are seen on the left shoulder of the Orion Crew Survival System suits that Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover, and Mission Specialist Christina Koch from NASA, and Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen from the CSA (Canadian Space Agency) will wear on the Artemis II test flight are seen, Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026, in the suit-up room of the Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASA’s Artemis II test flight will take Wiseman, Glover, Koch, and Hansen around the Moon and back to Earth no later than April 2026. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)

Technicians install three of four RS-25 SLS (Space Launch System) rocket engines on the work stand for integration with the Artemis III core stage rocket on Friday, Aug. 28, 2026, inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. During Artemis III, the four RS-25 engines will launch the Orion spacecraft and its crew of four into low Earth orbit, generating more than two million pounds of thrust at liftoff.

NASA's Orion spacecraft carrying Artemis II Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover, and Mission Specialist Christina Koch from NASA, along with Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen from the CSA (Canadian Space Agency), splashes down in the Pacific Ocean near San Diego, California, at 5:07 p.m. PDT, (8:07 p.m. EDT) on Friday, April 10, 2026. The Artemis II test flight launched on Wednesday, April 1, from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida to begin its 10-day journey around the Moon for scientific discovery, economic benefits, and to build on our foundation for the first crewed missions to Mars. NASA’s Landing and Recovery team and the U.S. military are coordinating efforts to extract the Artemis II crew from the Orion spacecraft.

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman delivers remarks during the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum rededication ceremony Wednesday, July 1, 2026, in Washington. Photo Credit: (NASA/Keegan Barber)

Lee Armus, Roman Science Support Center lead, Caltech/IPAC, participates in a science briefing for NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope inside the NASA News Center’s John Holliman Auditorium at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, on Saturday, Aug. 29, 2026. Roman will investigate dark energy and dark matter, conduct a statistical census of planetary systems, and enable a broad range of additional astrophysics research. Liftoff from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy is targeted for no earlier than Sunday, Aug. 30, 2026.

NASA astronaut Jack Hathaway signs his name next to the Crew-12 mission insignia inside the Astronaut Crew Quarters in the Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Monday, Feb. 9, 2026, ahead of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-12 mission. A SpaceX Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket will send NASA astronauts Hathaway and Jessica Meir, ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Sophie Adenot, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev to the International Space Station no earlier than 5:15 a.m. EST on Friday, Feb. 13, from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40.

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman greets a member of the NASA workforce, Friday, July 24, 2026, at NASA's exhibit at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh at Wittman Regional Airport in Oshkosh, Wis. Photo Credit: (NASA/John Kraus)

NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket with the Orion spacecraft aboard is seen atop the mobile launcher at Launch Complex 39B, Wednesday, April 1, 2026, as the launch countdown progresses at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASA’s Artemis II mission will take NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, commander; Victor Glover, pilot; Christina Koch, mission specialist; and CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen, mission specialist on a 10-day journey around the Moon and back aboard SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft from Launch Complex 39B, with a two hour launch window opening at 6:24pm EDT. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Expedition 75 NASA astronaut Anil Menon has his Russian Sokol suit pressure checked as he and fellow crewmates, Roscosmos cosmonauts Anna Kikina, and Pyotr Dubrov, prepare for their Soyuz launch to the International Space Station Tuesday, July 14, 2026 in Baikonur, Kazakhstan. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

art002e016165 (April 6, 2026) – NASA astronaut and Artemis II Commander Reid Wiseman pictured here in the Orion spacecraft during the Artemis II lunar flyby. Wiseman and his fellow crewmates spent approximately seven hours taking turns at the Orion windows capturing science data to share with their team back on Earth. At closest approach, they came within 4,067 miles of the Moon’s surface.

iss075e0085238 (Aug. 28, 2026) --- The Fiherenana (left) and Onilahy (right) rivers flow into Madagascar’s Bay of Saint‑Augustin, with sediment forming a large sandbar, or entrance barrier, along the Mozambique Channel. The International Space Station was orbiting 263 miles above the African continent when this photograph was taken. Credit: NASA/Jessica Meir

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman testifies during a hearing held by the Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies to review NASA’s Fiscal Year 2027 budget request, Tuesday, April 28, 2026, at the Dirksen Senate Office Building in Washington. Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)

Two American bald eagles sit perched on a tree branch while two eaglets sit in their nest at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Friday, March 13, 2026. Bald eagle nesting surveys across NASA Kennedy, Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, and Canaveral National Seashore are conducted annually to document the number of bald eagle active and inactive nests in support of wildlife management and regulatory compliance. Each year, eagles take up winter residence at the Florida spaceport, breeding and raising a new generation.

Jānis Beķeris, Chargé D’Affaires a.i. at the Embassy of the Republic of Latvia to the United States delivers remarks during an Artemis Accords signing ceremony, Monday, April 20, 2026, at the Mary W. Jackson NASA Headquarters building in Washington. The Republic of Latvia is the 62nd country to sign the Artemis Accords, which establish a practical set of principles to guide space exploration cooperation among nations participating in NASA’s Artemis program. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)

The right-hand aft assembly solid rocket booster segment for NASA’s Artemis III SLS (Space Launch System) rocket arrives at the agency’s Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Thursday, July 9, 2026, ahead of stacking on top of the mobile launcher for the Artemis III mission. The twin boosters, manufactured by Northrop Grumman in Utah, will provide more than 75 percent of the SLS rocket’s total thrust at launch. The Artemis III mission will launch crew in the Orion spacecraft on top of the SLS rocket to test rendezvous and docking capabilities between Orion and commercial spacecraft needed to land astronauts on the Moon.

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman, center, meets with NASA employees during his visit to NASA’s Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, on Jan. 15, 2026. Isaacman, NASA’s 15th administrator, began visiting the agency’s centers after his appointment on Dec. 17, 2025.

iss074e0459411 (April 10, 2026) --- Mount Fuji is pictured from the International Space Station as it orbited 264 miles above the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Sendai, Japan. Though Mount Fuji is considered an active volcano and is monitored closely 24 hours a day, it has not had a major eruption since 1707. Credit: NASA/Chris Williams

iss074e0518253 (April 23, 2026) --- NASA astronaut and Expedition 74 flight engineer Jessica Meir processes samples of heart stem cells and bacteria that cause pneumonia using a portable glovebag inside the International Space Station's Harmony module. Observations in microgravity may give doctors a clearer understanding of how cellular and molecular mechanisms of infectious diseases damage heart tissue, potentially leading to advanced treatments for heart conditions on and off the Earth. Credit: NASA/Chris Williams

NASA’s Kennedy Space Center Director Brian Hughes (at podium) conducts a swearing-in ceremony for NASA’s latest civil servants on Monday, Aug. 24, 2026, inside the Astronauts Memorial Foundation’s Center for Space Education at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida. The ceremony featured the swearing-in of employees formerly from the Consolidated Operations, Management, Engineering, and Test (COMET) contract, as well as outside hires, as part of the administrator’s workforce directive to restore technical core competencies within the civil servants ranks.

Flags are seen aboard USS John P. Murtha as teams prepare to recover Artemis II crewmembers NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, commander; Victor Glover, pilot; Christina Koch, mission specialist; and CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen, mission specialist and NASA’s Orion spacecraft in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California, Friday, April 10, 2026. NASA’s Artemis II mission took Wiseman, Glover, Koch, and Hansen on a 10-day journey around the Moon and back to Earth. The quartet is scheduled to splash down off the coast of San Diego at approximately 5:07 p.m. PDT (8:07 p.m. EDT). Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)

Mitchell Hamann and John Pindell configure the Lunar Environment Monitoring Station (LEMS) instrument for testing in the Electromagnetic Interference/Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMI/EMC) Chamber at Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt Md., Feb 17, 2026. LEMS is a compact, autonomous, and self-sustaining seismometer suite designed to carry out continuous, long-term, monitoring of the lunar seismic environment at the South Polar region. Photo Credit: NASA/Mike Guinto

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman meets with ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher, Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026, at the Mary W. Jackson NASA Headquarters Building in Washington. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

A SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket launches with NASA’S Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope onboard from Launch Complex 39A, Sunday, Aug. 30, 2026, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Roman will investigate dark energy and dark matter, conduct a statistical census of planetary systems, and enable a broad range of additional astrophysics research. Launch occurred at 7:26 a.m. EDT. Photo Credit (NASA/Joel Kowsky)

A technician inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida installs a memory card containing a total of 1,350,144 names as part of a commemorative plaque on the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope on Friday, July 17, 2026. The names, submitted by people from across the globe, including astronauts from NASA’s Artemis II and Artemis III missions, will travel with the Roman observatory to the Sun-Earth Lagrange point 2, or L2, about one million miles from Earth, where the Sun’s and Earth’s gravity balance out. Roman is named after Dr. Nancy Grace Roman, NASA’s first chief astronomer and one of the architects of the agency’s modern science program.

NASA’s Cross Flow Attenuated Natural Laminar Flow test article is mounted beneath the agency’s F-15 research aircraft ahead of the design’s high-speed taxi test on Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2026, at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California. The 3-foot-tall scale model is designed to increase a phenomenon known as laminar flow and reduce drag, improving efficiency in large, swept wings like those found on most commercial aircraft.

Technicians at NASA’s Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at Kennedy Space Center in Florida offload eight high‑efficiency particulate air (HEPA) wall modules and other ground support equipment on Monday, April 27, 2026, as part of preparations for arrival of NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope. Each 1,800‑pound module enhances the 40-year-old facility’s clean room systems, helping meet the telescope’s stringent cleanliness requirements during prelaunch processing. Teams are targeting launch as soon as early September aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket from Launch Complex 39A at NASA Kennedy.

A lunar eclipse is visible over southern Louisiana. The lunar eclipse was visible throughout much of North and South America and part of Europe and Africa between Aug. 27-28. The Full Moon slipped through Earth’s shadow on Aug. 27, continuing into Aug. 28 for some parts of the world, resulting in the lunar eclipse. At maximum eclipse, the Moon takes on a dramatic dark, ruddy or coppery tint along the covered edge. New Orleans is home to NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility, where stages for NASA’s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket and structures for Orion spacecraft are produced for the Artemis missions.

iss074e0796207 (July 7, 2026) --- A lithium extraction facility in Bolivia's Salar de Uyuni, the world's largest salt flat and the flattest surface on Earth, is pictured from the International Space Station as it orbited 263 miles above the South American nation. Credit: NASA/Chris Williams

NASA’s Day of Remembrance is marked by flowers placed before the Space Mirror Memorial at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex on Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026. The mirror was dedicated in 1991 to honor all astronauts who lost their lives on missions or during training. During the Day of Remembrance, NASA centers across the country honor those astronauts who have fallen in the pursuit of space exploration. This year marks the 40th anniversary of the Challenger tragedy.

Steven Siceloff, NASA Communications, participates in a prelaunch news conference for NASA’s SpaceX Crew-12 mission inside the John Holliman Auditorium of the NASA News Center at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Monday, Feb. 9, 2026. The Crew-12 mission will send NASA astronauts Jessica Meir and Jack Hathaway, ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Sophie Adenot, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev to the International Space Station aboard SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket no earlier than 5:38 a.m. EST, Thursday, Feb. 12, from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40.

Phil Wellner, aircrew life support technician, help prepare Kelly Jellison, lead avionics technician for NASA’s C-20 and G-V aircraft for an employee incentive flight in an F/A-18 aircraft at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, on Wednesday, May 27, 2026. NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman established the ride‑along program to recognize and reward workforce members for their dedication to advancing the agency’s priorities.

A train engineer waits to support the roll out the Soyuz rocket to the launch pad, Saturday, July 11, 2026, at Site 31 of the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Expedition 75 crewmembers: NASA astronaut Anil Menon, Roscosmos cosmonauts Pyotr Dubrov and Anna Kikina are scheduled to launch aboard their Soyuz MS-29 spacecraft on July 14. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

NASA Artemis II astronaut, Victor Glover, pilot, speaks with children who came to watch the rollout of the agency’s Artemis II SLS (Space Launch System) rocket and Orion spacecraft from the Vehicle Assembly Building to Launch Complex 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center on Saturday, Jan. 16, 2026. In the coming weeks, engineers will prepare for the wet dress rehearsal, a two-day test that simulates launch day. The Artemis II test flight will take Wiseman, Glover, Koch, and Hansen around the Moon and back to Earth no later than April 2026.

NASA’s Artemis II SLS (Space Launch System) rocket and Orion spacecraft, secured to the mobile launcher, prepares to roll out from the Vehicle Assembly Building to Launch Complex 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026. Seen in the background is also mobile launcher 2, which will be used on future Artemis flights beginning with Artemis IV. The Artemis II test flight will take Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover, and Mission Specialist Christina Koch from NASA, and Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen from the CSA (Canadian Space Agency), around the Moon and back to Earth no later than April 2026.

Fans learn about the X-59 supersonic aircraft at the NASA Experience Zone at an NFL game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Atlanta Falcons at Acrisure Stadium, Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. NASA’s engagement at NFL games is part of the agency's Inspiration Tour, aimed at strengthening connections between NASA and its partners and showcasing innovation in air and space in the lead up to the MAX POWER aerospace technology expo and airshow at the agency's Kennedy Space Center in early November. Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)

The Artemis II zero gravity indicator, "Rise," is seen looped around the wrist of NASA astronaut Reid Wiseman, Artemis II commander, before the Artemis II crew appeared on stage for a crew return event, Saturday, Apr. 11, 2026, at Ellington Field in Houston, Texas. NASA’s Artemis II test flight took Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover, and Mission Specialist Christina Koch from NASA, and Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen from the CSA (Canadian Space Agency) on an approximately nine-day mission around the Moon and back to Earth. Photo Credit: (NASA/John Kraus)