The Sun emitted a strong solar flare, peaking at 1:09 p.m. EST on Jan. 18, 2026. NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory, which watches the Sun constantly, captured video of the event. Solar flares are powerful bursts of energy. Flares and solar eruptions can impact radio communications, electric power grids, navigation signals, and pose risks to spacecraft […]
Editor’s Note: The timeframe for a wet dress rehearsal has been updated. At 6:42 p.m. EST on Saturday, Jan. 17, NASA’s Artemis II SLS (Space Launch System) rocket and Orion spacecraft reached Launch Pad 39B after a nearly 12-hour journey from the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Hours earlier, NASA’s […]
The SLS (Space Launch System) rocket and Orion spacecraft that will carry four astronauts around the Moon is rolling to Launch Complex 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The four-mile trek began at 7:04 a.m. EST on Saturday, Jan. 17, and is expected to take up to 12 hours. The 11-million-pound stack has been undergoing preparations […]
The four crew members of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-11 mission have arrived at the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, where they will continue standard postflight reconditioning and evaluations. As part of Crew-11, NASA astronauts Zena Cardman and Mike Fincke, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Kimiya Yui, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov safely splashed down […]
NASA’s Scientific Balloon Program has completed four successful Antarctica flights during a long-duration campaign that began in early December. The balloons launched from the agency’s facility located near the U.S. National Science Foundation’s McMurdo Station on the Ross Ice Shelf. The General AntiParticle Spectrometer (GAPS) balloon lifted off Dec. 15. The GAPS payload is an experiment designed to detect anti-matter particles entering Earth’s atmosphere to help reveal the origin of dark matter — an invisible […]
Inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the agency’s Artemis II Moon rocket stands poised for the next step in its journey. Engineers are targeting no earlier than 7 a.m. EST, Saturday, Jan. 17, to begin rolling NASA’s powerful SLS (Space Launch System) rocket and Orion spacecraft, atop the mobile […]
This year will be busy for avid skywatchers, with some incredible opportunities to view meteor showers, planets, and the Moon in the night sky. In 2026, we will also mark the 20th anniversary of NASA Marshall Space Flight Center’s Observatory. Originally established as an engine test site in 1958, it was converted to a solar […]
Three Expedition 74 crew members continue to reside aboard the International Space Station now following the return to Earth of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-11 mission on Thursday. The orbiting trio will conduct research and maintenance while awaiting the arrival of four new crewmates planned in February.
Award: The Sylvia A. Earle Award for Exploration Excellence, previously known as the Citation of Merit, is an annual award given by the Explorers Club to an individual or team in recognition of outstanding feats of exploration or contributions to the welfare and objectives of the Explorers Club. Awarded to: The SPHEREx mission team, including […]
At 3:41 a.m. EST, the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft, carrying NASA astronauts Zena Cardman and Mike Fincke, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Kimiya Yui, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov splashed down off the coast of San Diego, California. This completes a stay in space of 167 days for the four-person crew. The mission returned to Earth earlier than originally planned as teams monitored a medical concern with a crew member living and working aboard the orbital laboratory. The crew member […]
