NASA Artemis II Moon Mission Rocket Preflight | Kennedy Space Center

NASA Artemis II Moon Mission Rocket Preflight | Kennedy Space Center

NASA’s Artemis II Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft are seen atop a mobile launcher at Launch Complex 39B, Sunday, March 29, 2026, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASA’s 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 Canadian Space Agency (CSA), around the Moon and back to Earth with launch opportunities beginning in April 2026.

Read more about NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) rocket: nasa.gov/sls

Check the NASA Artemis II Mission page for updates:

https://www.nasa.gov/mission/artemis-ii/

Artemis blog: https://blogs.nasa.gov/artemis/

Image Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls
Date: March 29, 2026

#NASA #Space #Science #Earth #Moon #ArtemisProgram #ArtemisII #OrionSpacecraft #SLS #CrewedMissions #Astronauts #ReidWiseman #VictorGlover #ChristinaKoch #JeremyHansen #DeepSpace #MoonToMars #HumanSpaceflight #SolarSystem #SpaceExploration #NASAKennedy #KSC #MerrittIsland #Florida #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

Extreme Collision of Neutron Stars Found in Unexpected Site | NASA Chandra

Extreme Collision of Neutron Stars Found in Unexpected Site | NASA Chandra

Astronomers have spotted the merger between two neutron stars in a very odd place. This extreme collision was found in a tiny galaxy embedded in a stream of gas. Scientists needed NASA’s Chandra, Fermi, Swift, and Hubble observatories to make this discovery. This result may help answer two mysteries about stars and intergalactic space.

A neutron star is the gravitationally collapsed core of a massive supergiant star. It results from the supernova explosion of a massive star—combined with gravitational collapse—that compresses the core past white dwarf star density to that of atomic nuclei. Surpassed only by black holes, neutron stars are the second smallest and densest known class of stellar objects.

Credits: NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory
X-ray: NASA/CXC/Penn State Univ./S. Dichiara; Infrared: NASA/ESA/STScI
Duration: 4 minutes
Release Date: March 10, 2026

#NASA #ESA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Stars #NeutronStars #StellarCollisions #Cosmos #Universe #NASAChandra #XrayAstronomy #CXC #HubbleSpaceTelescope #HST #InfraredAstronomy #ESA #Europe #STScI #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #Art #Illustration #HD #Video

Shenzhou-21 Crew Advances Space Experiments & Other Tasks | China Space Station

Shenzhou-21 Crew Advances Experiments & Other Tasks | China Space Station

China's Shenzhou-21 astronauts have steadily advanced a series of in-orbit scientific experiments, emergency drills, facility maintenance, and health protection tasks in the week following their successful second spacewalk on March 16, 2026, the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) announced.

The crew members, made up of mission commander Zhang Lu and astronauts Wu Fei and Zhang Hongzhang, are approaching the landmark 150 days in orbit, with all three in good physical condition and all scheduled missions proceeding smoothly.

In the field of space medicine, the crew members have completed saliva sample collection for a key pharmacokinetics research project. The data acquired and accumulated through the work will be used to investigate the effects of long-duration spaceflight on the human body.

For microgravity physical science experiments, the astronauts have completed a series of facility maintenance and operation tasks as planned. These included replacing the sampling cover on the experimental plug-in inside the combustion science experiment rack, cleaning samples in the cavity of the container-free experiment cabinet and performing electrode maintenance on the cabinet's axis mechanism.

In addition to scientific experiments, the crew members have conducted a full-system pressure emergency drill as scheduled. The exercise simulated the full emergency response process for an internal depressurization scenario aboard the space station, aiming to consolidate and further improve the crew's emergency response capabilities and ground-space coordination skills.

For the daily upkeep of the space station, they have carried out simultaneous environmental monitoring and equipment inspection and maintenance work. They used specialized instruments to complete air cleanliness tests and acoustic environment monitoring inside the cabin, and conducted routine checks and maintenance on the water dispenser and regenerative environmental control and life support systems. The astronauts also regularly sorted onboard supplies and disposed of waste to maintain a clean and orderly living and working environment.

To safeguard their in-orbit health, the crew members have carried out several medical examinations, including abdominal, cardiac and muscular ultrasound scans, bone density measurements, maximum isometric muscle strength tests, and hearing assessments. They also remained committed to daily physical exercises, utilizing equipment such as the "space treadmill" to counteract the physiological effects of microgravity.

As the crew members are approaching the 150-day on-orbit milestone, they are set to carry out a series of follow-up scientific experiments and operational tasks aboard the Tiangong space station.

Shenzhou-21 Crew
Zhang Lu (张陆) - Commander & Pilot - 2nd spaceflight
Wu Fei (武飞)  Flight Engineer - 1st spaceflight
Zhang Hong Zhang (张洪章) - Payload Specialist - 1st spaceflight

Video Credit: CCTV
Duration: 1 minute, 37 seconds
Release Date: March 29, 2026

#NASA #Space #Science #China #中国 #Shenzhou21Mission #神舟二十一号 #Shenzhou21 #Taikonauts #Astronauts #ZhangLu #WuFei #ZhangHongzhang #ChinaSpaceStation #中国空间站 #TiangongSpaceStation #MicrogravityExperiments #SpaceLaboratory #CNSA #国家航天局 #HumanSpaceflight #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Starburst Galaxy MCG+07-33-027 in Hercules: A Lonely Birthplace | Hubble

Starburst Galaxy MCG+07-33-027 in Hercules: A Lonely Birthplace | Hubble

This image was taken by the NASA/European Space Agency Hubble Space Telescope’s Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS), and shows a starburst galaxy named MCG+07-33-027. This galaxy lies around 300 million light-years away from us, and is currently experiencing an extraordinarily high rate of star formation—a starburst. Normal galaxies produce only a couple of new stars per year, but starburst galaxies can produce a hundred times more than that. As MCG+07-33-027 is seen face-on, the galaxy’s spiral arms and the bright star-forming regions within them are clearly visible and easy for astronomers to study.

In order to form newborn stars, the parent galaxy has to hold a large reservoir of gas. This is slowly depleted to spawn stars over time. For galaxies in a state of starburst, this intense period of star formation has to be triggered—often this happens due to a collision with another galaxy. MCG+07-33-027, however, is special. While many galaxies are located within a large cluster of galaxies, MCG+07-33-027 is a field galaxy. This means it is rather isolated. Thus, the triggering of the starburst was most likely not due to a collision with a neighboring or passing galaxy and astronomers are still speculating about the cause.

Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA and N. Grogin (STScI)
Release Date: July 11, 2016

#NASA #ESA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Galaxies #MCG0733027 #StarburstGalaxies #SpiralGalaxies #FieldGalaxies #HerculesConstellation #Cosmos #Universe #HubbleSpaceTelescope #HST #ACS #Europe #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

Northern Lights over Finland

Northern Lights over Finland

Also known as the northern lights (aurora borealis) or southern lights (aurora australis), auroras are colorful, dynamic, and often visually delicate displays of an intricate dance of particles and magnetism between the Sun and Earth called space weather. When energetic particles from space collide with atoms and molecules in the atmosphere, they can cause the colorful glow that we call auroras.

Learn more about auroras: 
https://science.nasa.gov/sun/auroras/

Finland is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, opposite Estonia.

Image Credit: Mikko Peussa

Location: Nousiainen, Finland
Release Date: March 23, 2026 

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #Stars #SolarSystem #Sun #Planets #Earth #Aurora #AuroraBorealis #NorthernLights #Astrophotography #MikkoPeussa #Astrophotographers #Nousiainen #Finland #Suomi #STEM #Education

NASA Artemis II Moon Mission Crew Travels to Kennedy Space Center

NASA Artemis II Moon Mission Crew Travels to Kennedy Space Center

Artemis II primary and backup crew members, from left to right: Andre Douglas (NASA backup); Victor Glover, Artemis II pilot; Christina Koch, Artemis II mission specialist; Dr. Jenni Gibbons (Canadian Space Agency backup), Reid Wiseman, Artemis II commander; and Jeremy Hansen, Artemis II mission specialist

Artemis II crew T38 jet aircraft in flight traveling from Houston, Texas, to Merritt Island, Florida. The Artemis II 'zero' gravity indicator “Rise” was having a "main character moment" as the Artemis II astronauts flew to NASA's Kennedy Space Center to prepare for launch.

NASA Artemis II pilot Victor Glover

NASA Artemis II mission specialist Jeremy Hansen of the Canadian Space Agency (CSA)

The Artemis II crew, consisting of Canadian Space Agency (CSA) astronaut Jeremy Hansen, Artemis II mission specialist; NASA astronaut Christina Koch, Artemis II mission specialist; NASA astronaut Reid Wiseman, Artemis II commander; and NASA astronaut Victor Glover, Artemis II pilot, arriving on T38 jet aircraft     The Artemis II Mission will launch the crew on a 10-day journey around the Moon and back no earlier than April 1. 

While work continues to prepare the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, Orion spacecraft, and ground systems for launch, the crew—NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Canadian Space Agency (CSA) astronaut Jeremy Hansen will review their launch day timeline and mission activities, participate in medical checkouts, and spend time with family.

Check the NASA Artemis II Mission page for updates:

https://www.nasa.gov/mission/artemis-ii/

Artemis blog: https://blogs.nasa.gov/artemis/

Image Credits: NASA/John Kraus/Brandon Hancock/Kim Shiflett

Date: March 27, 2026

#NASA #Space #Science #Earth #Moon #ArtemisProgram #ArtemisII #OrionSpacecraft #SLS #CrewedMissions #Astronauts #ReidWiseman #VictorGlover #ChristinaKoch #JeremyHansen #DeepSpace #MoonToMars #HumanSpaceflight #SolarSystem #SpaceExploration #NASAKennedy #MerrittIsland #Florida #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

To Protect Artemis II Moon Mission Crew, NASA Experts Keep Eyes on The Sun

To Protect Artemis II Moon Mission Crew, NASA Experts Keep Eyes on The Sun

As four astronauts travel around the Moon on NASA’s Artemis II Mission, they will venture beyond Earth's protective magnetic field. The crew’s spacecraft, Orion, will carry and protect them as they journey into deep space. It serves as the main protection against the Sun’s intense power. During their ten-day flight, NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) will continuously monitor the Sun around the clock and translate space weather conditions into real-time decisions to protect the astronauts.

NASA’s Artemis II flight test will take Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover, and Mission Specialist Christina Koch from NASA, and Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen from the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), around the Moon and back to Earth.

The Artemis II mission will launch no earlier than April 1. 

Image Description: The Sun is against a black background. The Sun is colorized primarily in blue, with brighter purple areas scattered across the star showing higher activity areas. Toward the upper center of the star, there is a bright flash in white and red that looks like an X. This is a solar flare.

Check the NASA Artemis II Mission page for updates:

https://www.nasa.gov/mission/artemis-ii/

Artemis blog: https://blogs.nasa.gov/artemis/

Credit: National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
Release Date: March 17, 2026

#NASA #NOAA #Space #Science #Sun #SpaceWeather #SolarRadiation #Earth #Moon #ArtemisProgram #ArtemisII #OrionSpacecraft #SLS #CrewedMissions #Astronauts #ReidWiseman #VictorGlover #ChristinaKoch #JeremyHansen #DeepSpace #MoonToMars #HumanSpaceflight #SolarSystem #SpaceExploration #CSA #Canada #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

Aurora Australis over New Zealand

Aurora Australis over New Zealand

Astrophotographer Taichi Nakamura: "We had a beautiful display last night starting after twilight, while the sun was still casting light on the upper part of the aurora, changing its color, and gently shifting into the dark moonless night."

Also known as the northern lights (aurora borealis) or southern lights (aurora australis), auroras are colorful, dynamic, and often visually delicate displays of an intricate dance of particles and magnetism between the Sun and Earth called space weather. When energetic particles from space collide with atoms and molecules in the atmosphere, they can cause the colorful glow that we call auroras.

Learn more about auroras: 
https://science.nasa.gov/sun/auroras/

New Zealand is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island (Te Ika-a-Māui) and the South Island (Te Waipounamu)—and over 600 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island country by area and lies east of Australia across the Tasman Sea and south of the islands of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga.

Aoraki Mount Cook National Park:
https://www.newzealand.com/us/feature/national-parks-aoraki-mount-cook/

Image Credit: Taichi Nakamura
Location: Aoraki Mount Cook National Park, South Island, New Zealand
Image Details: Canon 6D astromod 20mm f1.4 8sec ISO3200
Release Date: March 21, 2026

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #Sun #SolarSystem #Planets #Earth #Aurora #AuroraAustralis #SouthernLights #LMC #SMC #Stars #Astrophotography #TaichiNakamura #Astrophotographer #AorakiMountCookNationalPark #SouthIsland #NewZealand #STEM #Education

NASA Artemis II Moon Mission Crew Arrives at Kennedy Space Center

NASA Artemis II Moon Mission Crew Arrives at Kennedy Space Center

The Artemis II crew of Canadian Space Agency (CSA) astronaut Jeremy Hansen, Artemis II mission specialist; NASA astronaut Christina Koch, Artemis II mission specialist; NASA astronaut Reid Wiseman, Artemis II commander; and NASA astronaut Victor Glover, Artemis II pilot, pose for a photograph.

From left to right, Artemis II Commander Reid Wiseman, Mission Specialist Christina Koch, Pilot Victor Glover, from NASA, and Jeremy Hansen from the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), arrive on Friday, March 27, 2026, at the Launch and Landing Facility at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida in preparation for the Artemis II test flight.

NASA Artemis II Mission Specialist Christina Koch

NASA Artemis II Pilot Victor Glover

NASA Artemis II Commander Reid Wiseman 

NASA Artemis II Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen of the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), holding up the crew's 'zero' gravity indicator named "Rise"

The Artemis II crew, consisting of Canadian Space Agency (CSA) astronaut Jeremy Hansen, Artemis II mission specialist; NASA astronaut Christina Koch, Artemis II mission specialist; NASA astronaut Reid Wiseman, Artemis II commander; and NASA astronaut Victor Glover, Artemis II pilot, pose for photographs, Friday, March 27, 2026, after arriving on T38 jet aircraft at the Launch and Landing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The Artemis II mission will launch the crew on a 10-day journey around the Moon and back no earlier than April 1. 

The crew members took turns speaking to the crowd as they also announced the zero-gravity indicator they would be taking with them on their journey. “Rise,” designed by Lucas Ye of Mountain View, California, is the zero gravity indicator that will fly with the crew around the Moon. “Rise” was inspired by the iconic Earthrise moment from the Apollo 8 Mission. A zero gravity indicator is a small plush item that typically rides with a crew to visually indicate when they are in space. 

While work continues to prepare the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, Orion spacecraft, and ground systems for launch, the crew—NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Canadian Space Agency (CSA) astronaut Jeremy Hansen will review their launch day timeline and mission activities, participate in medical checkouts, and spend time with family.

Check the NASA Artemis II Mission page for updates:

https://www.nasa.gov/mission/artemis-ii/

Artemis blog: https://blogs.nasa.gov/artemis/

Image Credit: NASA/John Kraus
Date: March 27, 2026

#NASA #Space #Science #Earth #Moon #ArtemisProgram #ArtemisII #OrionSpacecraft #SLS #CrewedMissions #Astronauts #ReidWiseman #VictorGlover #ChristinaKoch #JeremyHansen #DeepSpace #MoonToMars #HumanSpaceflight #SolarSystem #SpaceExploration #NASAKennedy #MerrittIsland #Florida #UnitedStates #History #STEM #Education

China's Commercial Space Sector on the Rise

China's Commercial Space Sector on the Rise

China has unveiled its strategic roadmap for economic and social development during the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-2030). The blueprint highlights the country's commitment to modernization, high-quality production, green technology and improving people's well-being. In this episode of the special series, "2026–2030: The Journey Ahead," we look at the boost China's commercial space sector is receiving.

Video Credit: CGTN
Duration: 5 minutes, 43 seconds
Release Date: March 27, 2026

#NASA #Space #Satellites #SatelliteConstellations #Earth #China #中国 #CNSA #CASSpace #GalacticEnergy #Rockets #ReusableRockets #RocketLaunches #LaunchVehicles #LiquidFuelRockets #SolidFuelRockets #HeavyLiftRockets #SpaceTechnology #SpaceEngineering #CommercialSpace #STEM #Education #HD #Video

2026 Michael Collins Trophy Awarded to NASA's Boeing Starliner Test Flight Crew

2026 Michael Collins Trophy Awarded to NASA's Boeing Starliner Test Flight Crew

The winners of the National Air and Space Museum’s 2026 Michael Collins Trophy for current achievement is the Boeing Starliner Flight Test crew.

Astronauts Sunita “Suni” Williams and Barry “Butch” Wilmore’s extensive spaceflight experience prepared them to not just adapt but excel with personal strength, grace, and competence when their eight-day mission turned into one that lasted more than nine months.

Astronaut Sunita “Suni” Williams NASA Biography
https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/williams-sl.pdf
https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/nasa-astronaut-suni-williams-retires/

Astronaut Barry “Butch” Wilmore NASA Biography
https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/wilmore-be.pdf
https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/nasa-astronaut-barry-butch-wilmore-retires/

National Air and Space Museum (NASM) Press Release

https://www.airandspace.si.edu/newsroom/press-releases/national-air-and-space-museums-2026-michael-collins-trophy-awarded-farouk

NASA Releases Report on Starliner Crewed Flight Test Investigation
https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/nasa-releases-report-on-starliner-crewed-flight-test-investigation/

In 2014, NASA awarded a Commercial Crew Transportation Capability contract to Boeing to fly astronauts to and from the International Space Station with its Starliner spacecraft. Certification of Boeing’s Starliner remains important to NASA’s goal of sustained human presence in low Earth orbit and dissimilar redundancy is essential to supporting the agency’s goals and international obligations.

Through the Commercial Crew Program (CCP), NASA is working with business partners to build rockets and spacecraft. The Commercial Crew Program has made it possible for astronauts to launch to space from the United States once again.

Learn more about NASA’s Commercial Crew Program at: 

https://www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew

An international partnership of space agencies provides and operates the elements of the International Space Station (ISS). The principals are the space agencies of the United States, Russia, Europe, Japan, and Canada. The ISS has been the most politically complex space exploration program ever undertaken.

The National Air and Space Museum (NASM) of the Smithsonian Institution is a museum in Washington, D.C., United States, dedicated to human flight and space exploration.

Video Credit: Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum
Duration: 5 minutes
Release Date: March 28, 2026

#NASA #Space #Science #ISS #Earth #Boeing #Starliner #CST100 #CrewSpacecraft #CrewFlightTests #CommercialSpace #Astronauts #SuniWilliams #ButchWilmore #SpaceLaboratory #HumanSpaceflight #Expedition71 #InternationalCooperation #CommercialCrewProgram #NASAJohnson #JSC #NASM #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

The Sky around Open Star Cluster NGC 299 in Tucana | Hubble

The Sky around Open Star Cluster NGC 299 in Tucana | Hubble

This image was captured by the NASA/European Space Agency Hubble Space Telescope’s Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS), a highly efficient wide-field camera covering the optical and near-infrared parts of the spectrum. While this lovely image contains hundreds of distant stars and galaxies, one vital thing is missing—the object Hubble was actually studying at the time!

This is not because the target has disappeared. The ACS actually uses two detectors: the first captures the object being studied—in this case an open star cluster known as NGC 299—while the other detector images the patch of space just ‘beneath’ it. This is what can be seen here.

Distance from Earth: 200,000 light years

Technically, this picture is merely a sidekick of the actual object of interest—but space is bursting with activity, and this field of bright celestial bodies offers plenty of interest on its own. It may initially seem to show just stars, but a closer look reveals many of these tiny objects to be galaxies. The spiral galaxies have arms curving out from a bright center. The fuzzier, less clearly shaped galaxies might be ellipticals. Some of these galaxies contain millions and millions of stars, but are so distant that all of their starry residents are contained within just a small pinprick of light that appears to be the same size as a single star!

The bright blue dots are very hot stars, sometimes distorted into crosses by the struts supporting Hubble’s secondary mirror. The redder dots are cooler stars, possibly in the red giant phase when a dying star cools and expands.

Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA
Release Date: Feb. 13, 2017

#NASA #ESA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Stars #StarClusters #NGC299 #DwarfGalaxies #SmallMagellanicCloud #SMC #TucanaConstellation #Cosmos #Universe #HubbleSpaceTelescope #HST #Europe #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

Open Star Cluster NGC 299 in The Small Magellanic Cloud | Hubble

Open Star Cluster NGC 299 in The Small Magellanic Cloud | Hubble

It may be famous for hosting spectacular sights, such as the Tucana Dwarf Galaxy and 47 Tucanae, the second brightest globular cluster in the night sky, but the southern constellation of Tucana (The Toucan) also possesses a variety of unsung cosmic beauties.

One such beauty is NGC 299, an open star cluster located within the Small Magellanic Cloud just under 200,000 light-years away. Open clusters such as this are collections of stars weakly bound by the shackles of gravity. They form from the same massive molecular cloud of gas and dust. Due to this, all the stars have the same age and composition, but vary in their mass because they formed at unique positions within the cloud. 

The Small Magellanic Cloud is a dwarf galaxy orbiting the Milky Way.

Distance from Earth: 200,000 light years

This unique property not only ensures a spectacular sight when viewed through a sophisticated instrument attached to a telescope, such as Hubble's Advanced Camera for Surveys, but gives astronomers a cosmic laboratory to study the formation and evolution of stars—a process that is thought to depend strongly on a star's mass.

Image Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA
Release Date: Oct. 17, 2016

#NASA #ESA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Stars #StarClusters #NGC299 #DwarfGalaxies #SmallMagellanicCloud #SMC #TucanaConstellation #Cosmos #Universe #HubbleSpaceTelescope #HST #Europe #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

Aurora Borealis over Finland

Aurora Borealis over Finland

Astrophotographer Ansel Siegenthaler: "Active aurora flickering in the atmosphere at impressively quick intervals. Often overhead and multidirectional."

Also known as the northern lights (aurora borealis) or southern lights (aurora australis), auroras are colorful, dynamic, and often visually delicate displays of an intricate dance of particles and magnetism between the Sun and Earth called space weather. When energetic particles from space collide with atoms and molecules in the atmosphere, they can cause the colorful glow that we call auroras.

Learn more about auroras: 
https://science.nasa.gov/sun/auroras/

Finland is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, opposite Estonia.

Image Credit: Ansel Siegenthaler
Location: Rauma, Finland
Ansel's website: https://www.stormsendphoto.com
Release Date: March 23, 2026

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #Planets #Earth #Aurora #AuroraBorealis #NorthernLights #SolarSystem #Sun #Astrophotography #AnselSiegenthaler #Astrophotographers #Rauma #Finland #Suomi #STEM #Education

NASA Artemis II Moon Mission: How Europe will Power the Journey | ESA

NASA Artemis II Moon Mission: How Europe will Power the Journey | ESA

Artemis II will send astronauts around the Moon and safely home. At the core of the mission is the European Service Module (ESM) providing propulsion, power and life support for their journey into deep space.

"For the first time in over 50 years, humans are going back to the Moon. This time, Europe is part of that journey. Artemis II is the first crewed mission of NASA's Artemis program and will bring four astronauts on a 10-day journey around the Moon and safely back to Earth. What carries them on this voyage is the Orion spacecraft, powered by our European Service Module (ESM)."

"The ESM is built by 20 companies across Europe, led by prime contractor Airbus. The module will provide all the air and water needed by the crew throughout their journey, and power and propel their spacecraft through deep space and back home."

NASA’s Artemis II flight test will take Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover, and Mission Specialist Christina Koch from NASA, and Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen from the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), around the Moon and back to Earth with launch opportunities beginning in April 2026. 

Check the NASA Artemis II Mission page for updates:

https://www.nasa.gov/mission/artemis-ii/

Artemis blog: https://blogs.nasa.gov/artemis/

Credit: European Space Agency (ESA)
Duration: 4 minutes, 20 seconds
Release Date: March 27, 2026

#NASA #ESA #Space #Science #Earth #Moon #ArtemisProgram #ArtemisII #OrionSpacecraft #ESM #SLS #CrewedMissions #Astronauts #DeepSpace #MoonToMars #Engineering #SpaceTechnology #HumanSpaceflight #SolarSystem #SpaceExploration #UnitedStates #Europe #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Moonbound! | NASA Artemis II Mission | Kennedy Space Center

Moonbound! | NASA Artemis II Mission | Kennedy Space Center

As early as April 1, 2026, four astronauts will be launched on a journey around the Moon and back to Earth!

📺 Watch briefings, events, and 24/7 mission coverage on NASA's YouTube channel. The launch, lunar flyby, and splashdown coverage will be available on NASA+ and Amazon Prime.

The four astronauts set to fly around the Moon on NASA’s Artemis II test flight arrived at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Friday, March 27, 2026. NASA continues to target as soon as Wednesday, April 1, for launch within a two-hour window that opens at 6:24 p.m. EDT.

While work continues to prepare the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, Orion spacecraft, and ground systems for launch, the crew—NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Canadian Space Agency (CSA) astronaut Jeremy Hansen will review their launch day timeline and mission activities, participate in medical checkouts, and spend time with family.

Check the NASA Artemis II Mission page for updates:

https://www.nasa.gov/mission/artemis-ii/

Artemis blog: https://blogs.nasa.gov/artemis/

Credit: NASA/Brandon Hancock/Keegan Barber/Bill Ingalls
Release Date: March 27, 2026

#NASA #Space #Science #Earth #Moon #ArtemisProgram #ArtemisII #OrionSpacecraft #SLS #CrewedMissions #Astronauts #DeepSpace #MoonToMars #Engineering #SpaceTechnology #HumanSpaceflight #SolarSystem #SpaceExploration #NASAKennedy #KSC #MerrittIsland #Florida #UnitedStates #STEM #Education