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NASA & USGS Map Geology of Western United States | NASA Armstrong
In its third year of data collection, the Geological Earth Mapping Experiment (GEMx) is using NASA’s high-flying ER-2 aircraft to map geology and minerals across the western United States in May 2025. The ER-2, based at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, can fly at 65,000 feet—above 95% of Earth’s atmosphere—making it ideal for this kind of science mission. Researchers are using the latest version of the Airborne Visible/Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS) instrument, AVIRIS-5, to collect visible, shortwave infrared and thermal infrared data about the surface below. The GEMx mission is a joint effort between NASA and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) to improve scientific understanding of the region’s geology and natural resources.
Earth by Moonlight with Airglow | International Space Station
Moonlight casts a silvery light on a set of the International Space Station's main solar arrays and rollout solar arrays and crowned by Earth's atmospheric glow and a wispy aurora as it orbited 272 miles above the southern Indian Ocean at approximately 8:06 p.m. local time.
Moonlight casts a blue light on a set of the International Space Station's main solar arrays and rollout solar arrays and crowned by Earth's atmospheric glow as it orbited 259 miles above the North Pacific Ocean at approximately 3:39 a.m. local time.
You will also notice green and yellow airglow in this image. Airglow occurs when atoms and molecules in the Earth's upper atmosphere, excited by sunlight, emit light to shed their excess energy. Or, it can happen when atoms and molecules that have been ionized by sunlight collide with and capture a free electron. In both cases, they eject a particle of light—called a photon—in order to relax again. The phenomenon is similar to auroras, but where auroras are driven by high-energy particles originating from the solar wind, airglow is energized by ordinary, day-to-day solar radiation.
Unlike episodic and fleeting auroras, airglow shines constantly throughout Earth’s atmosphere, and the result is a tenuous bubble of light that closely encases our entire planet. (Auroras, on the other hand, are usually constrained to Earth’s poles.) Just a tenth as bright as all the stars in the night sky, airglow is far more subdued than auroras, too dim to observe easily except in orbit or on the ground with clear, dark skies and a sensitive camera.
NASA Flight Engineers: Anne McClain, Nichole Ayers, Jonny Kim
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.
Planet Venus (ultraviolet view) - December 23, 2016
"Venus has long been referred to as Earth’s sister planet not only because its size and distance from the sun are similar to those of the Earth, but also because its formation is considered to like that of the Earth at the birth of the solar system."
"However, Venus is actually very different from the Earth. It is veiled in high-temperature carbon dioxide and thick sulfuric-acid clouds. Moreover, above the surface of Venus, violent winds reach over 400 kilometers per hour. Venus’ whole atmosphere is rotating much faster than the surface below at the altitude of the cloud top (70 km), a unique situation called superrotation. Its mechanisms are still largely unclear."
"Clarification of the causes for such an environment will provide us with clues to understand the Earth better, especially to help understand climate change on Earth. Therefore, Venus is a very important subject for exploration in order to learn about the Earth’s environment."
Akatsuki (あかつき, 暁, "Dawn"), also known as the Venus Climate Orbiter (VCO), is a Japanese (JAXA) spacecraft tasked to study the atmosphere of Venus. By using five different cameras, working at several wavelengths, Akatsuki is studying the stratification of the atmosphere, atmospheric dynamics, and cloud physics. It was launched aboard an H-IIA 202 rocket on May 20, 2010.
Image Credits: Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)/ISAS/DARTS/PLANET-C Project
Image Processing: PipploIMP
Processed using UV Blue 285nm Red 365nm - Magnification and reconstruction via AI
Shenzhou-20 Astronauts Complete First Spacewalk | China Space Station
The Shenzhou-20 crew on board China's orbiting space station completed their first series of extravehicular activities (EVAs) at 16:49 Beijing Time (08:49 GMT) on Thursday, May 22, 2025, according to the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA).
Assisted by the space station's robotic arm and a ground team in Beijing, astronauts Chen Dong and Chen Zhongrui, in close collaboration with Wang Jie, exited the Tiangong space station complex through the node cabin of the Tianhe core module.
The three astronauts worked around eight hours to complete multiple tasks, including the installation of space debris protection devices that had earlier been deployed through the cargo airlock cabin and transferred to an intermediate position by the robotic arm, and the inspection of extravehicular equipment and facilities.
Chen Dong and Chen Zhongrui, who undertook the spacewalk, have returned to the Tianhe core module safely, marking a complete success of the mission's first series of extravehicular activities.
This marks the first time since the space station entered its application and development phase on December 31, 2022 that astronauts have exited the complex through the node cabin of the Tianhe core module.
It is also the first time that astronauts' extravehicular activities and cargo deployment have been coupled and implemented in conjunction with each other.
Astronaut Chen Dong conducted his second spacewalk after his first one two years ago, while Chen Zhongrui performed his first extravehicular mission.
Since entering the Tiangong space station on April 25, the three astronauts have completed a series of tasks in orbit, including the rotation with their predecessors Shenzhou-19 crew members, the maintenance and upkeep of the space station platform, inspections and tests of EVA suits, and medical rescue exercises.
Shenzhou-20 Crew Chen Dong (陈冬) - Commander - Third spaceflight Chen Zhong Rui (陈中瑞) - Operator - First spaceflight Wang Jie (王杰) - Flight Engineer - First spaceflight
Video Credit: CCTV Duration: 47 seconds Release Date: May 22, 2025
CAS Space Lijian-1 Y7 Commercial Rocket Launches Six Satellites
CAS Space launched its Lijian-1 Y7 (also known as Kinetica-1 Y7) commercial carrier rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China on May 21, 2025, successfully placing six satellites into orbit. This marks the seventh launch of the Lijian-1 carrier rocket series.
CAS Space is a Chinese commercial space launch provider based in Guangzhou, capital and largest city of Guangdong province in southern China. CAS Space was founded in 2018 and is majority owned by the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS).
The Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center (JSLC) was founded in 1958. It was the first of China's four spaceports. The launch center has been the focus of many of China's historic space ventures, including the country's first satellite Dong Fang Hong I in 1970 and their first crewed space mission, Shenzhou V, on October 15, 2003. JSLC is now a home for many new Chinese launch firms, like CAS Space.
CAS Space Lijian-1 Y7 Commercial Rocket Launch: Six Satellites Delivered to Orbit
CAS Space launched its Lijian-1 Y7 (also known as Kinetica-1 Y7) commercial carrier rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China on May 21, 2025, successfully placing six satellites into orbit. This marks the seventh launch of the Lijian-1 carrier rocket series.
CAS Space is a Chinese commercial space launch provider based in Guangzhou, capital and largest city of Guangdong province in southern China. It was founded in 2018 and is majority owned by the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS).
The Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center (JSLC) was founded in 1958. It was the first of China's four spaceports. The launch center has been the focus of many of China's historic space ventures, including the country's first satellite Dong Fang Hong I in 1970 and their first crewed space mission, Shenzhou V, on October 15, 2003. JSLC is now a home for many new Chinese launch firms, like CAS Space.
Wide-field View of Interacting Galaxies: A 'Cosmic Joust' | DESI Legacy Survey
This wide-field view shows the region of the sky around a pair of interacting galaxies, nicknamed the 'cosmic joust', where one of them is piercing the other with intense radiation. The galaxies appear as a tiny white dot at the center of this image. The Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) resolved them in great detail, and the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope (VLT) studied the damage that one galaxy is inflicting on the other.
Credit: DESI Legacy Survey Release Date: May 21, 2025
This video zooms into a galactic merging event in deep space, like a ‘cosmic joust’. One of these galaxies is piercing the other with intense radiation, emitted by a quasar at its core. This radiation is disrupting the gas and dust inside the other galaxy, dampening its ability to form stars.
Using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), astronomers resolved these two galaxies despite how close they are to each other in the sky. Using the X-shooter instrument on the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope (VLT), they examined how radiation affected the material inside the galaxy being bombarded by a quasar.
The various images shown here were blended together to create this zoom. They come from a range of telescopes, observing at distinct times, ending with a close-up of the galaxies as seen by ALMA. At the very end, we see an artist’s illustration depicting how the beam of radiation affects the companion galaxy.
Credit: ESO/L. Calçada, M. Kornmesser/N. Risinger/Digitized Sky Survey 2/DESI Legacy Survey/ALMA (ESO/NAOJ/NRAO)/S. Balashev and P. Noterdaeme et al. Duration: 1 minute Release Date: May 21, 2025
Galactic Merger: Intense Black Hole-powered Quasar Radiation Observed | ESO
Astronomers have witnessed a violent galactic merger in deep space. Like a ‘cosmic joust’, one galaxy is affecting another with a cone of intense radiation. The results of their analysis, using the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope (VLT) and the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), show that this radiation is disrupting the gas and dust within the other galaxy reducing its star formation.
The source of the radiation is a quasar in one of the galaxies. Quasars are the bright cores of distant galaxies that are powered by supermassive black holes, releasing huge amounts of radiation. Quasars and galaxy mergers used to be far more common, appearing more frequently in the Universe’s first few billion years, so to observe them astronomers peer into the distant past with powerful telescopes. The light from this ‘cosmic joust’ has taken over 11 billion years to reach us, so we see it as it was when the Universe was only 18% of its current age.
Credit: European Southern Observatory (ESO) Directed by: Angelos Tsaousis and Martin Wallner Editing: Angelos Tsaousis Written by: Amy Briggs and Sean Bromilow Footage and photos: ESO/Luis Calçada, Cristoph Malin, Martin Kornmesser, Angelos Tsaousis, Babak Tafreshi, Jose Porte, ALMA (ESO/NAOJ/NRAO)/S. Balashev and P. Noterdaeme et al. Scientific consultant: Paola Amico, Mariya Lyubenova Duration: 2 minutes Release Date: May 21, 2025
China Launches Lijian-1 Y7 Rocket, Sending Six Satellites into Orbit
China launched its Lijian-1 Y7 carrier rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China on May 21, 2025, placing six satellites into orbit. This marks the seventh launch of the Lijian-1 carrier rocket series.
CAS Space is a Chinese commercial space launch provider based in Guangzhou. It was founded in 2018 and majority owned by the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS).
The Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center (JSLC) was founded in 1958. It was the first of China's four spaceports. The launch center has been the focus of many of China's historic space ventures, including the country's first satellite Dong Fang Hong I in 1970 and their first crewed space mission, Shenzhou V, on October 15, 2003. JSLC is now a home for many new Chinese launch firms, like CAS Space.
Starlink Constellations: Orbital View | International Space Station
Veteran NASA astronaut and former Expedition#72 flight engineer, Don Pettit: "Starlink constellations are our most frequent satellite sightings from space station, appearing as distinct and numerous orbiting streaks in my star trail exposures."
NASA astronaut Don Pettit returned to Earth on April 19, 2025, concluding a seven-month science mission aboard the International Space Station. Pettit spent 220 days in space, earning him a total of 590 days in space over the course of his four spaceflights. He orbited the Earth 3,520 times, traveling 93.3 million miles in low-Earth orbit.
NASA Flight Engineers: Anne McClain, Nichole Ayers, Jonny Kim
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.
How big is space? It is one of the most mind-bending questions we can ask because the deeper we look, the more the universe keeps going. We have measured billions of light-years in every direction and still have not reached the edge.
A NASA scientists explains what we know—and do not know—about the size of the cosmos.
China Long March-7A Rocket Launch of Communication Satellite in Hainan
🚀A China Long March-7A carrier rocket successfully launched the ChinaSat3B satellite at 7:50 p.m. (Beijing Time) on May 20, 2025, from the Wenchang Space Launch Site in the southern island province of Hainan. The satellite will provide voice, data, radio, and television transmission services.
This marks the second Long March-7A rocket launch mission of 2025, utilizing its basic configuration with a 4.2-meter-diameter fairing. Known as Bingjian or "Ice Arrow," this 60.1-meter-long medium-lift liquid-fueled rocket is powered by kerosene and liquid oxygen. It can carry up to 7 metric tons of payload to geosynchronous transfer orbit (GTO) with an optional third stage. The Long March 7 aims to handle 70% of China's annual launches, solidifying its role in the nation's space endeavors. Long March 7 also plays a critical role in the China Space Station program. It is used to launch the Tianzhou robotic cargo and resupply spacecraft to the station.
Exploring Planet Jupiter: New Perijove 72 Images | NASA Juno Mission
Jupiter - PJ72-25
Jupiter - PJ72-25
Jupiter - PJ72-25
Jupiter - PJ72-25
Jupiter - PJ72-29
Jupiter - PJ72-28
Jupiter - PJ72-24
Jupiter - PJ72-24
Since it arrived at Jupiter in 2016, NASA’s Juno spacecraft has been probing beneath the dense, forbidding clouds encircling the giant planet—the first orbiter to peer so closely. It seeks answers to questions about the origin and evolution of Jupiter, our solar system, and giant planets across the cosmos. Each perijove passes near a new part of Jupiter's cloud tops. A perijove indicates the point in the Juno spacecraft's orbit when it comes closest to planet Jupiter's center. If we measure by volume, approximately 1,300 Earths could fit inside Jupiter.
The Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), a division of Caltech in Pasadena, California, manages the Juno mission for the principal investigator, Scott J. Bolton, of the Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio. Juno is part of NASA’s New Frontiers Program. This is managed at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, for the agency’s Science Mission Directorate (SMD) in Washington. Lockheed Martin Space in Denver built and operates the spacecraft.
China Long March-7A Rocket Launches Communication Satellite in Hainan
🚀A China Long March-7A carrier rocket successfully launched the ChinaSat3B satellite at 7:50 p.m. (Beijing Time) on May 20, 2025, from the Wenchang Space Launch Site in the southern island province of Hainan. The satellite will provide voice, data, radio, and television transmission services.
This marks the second Long March-7A rocket launch mission of 2025, utilizing its basic configuration with a 4.2-meter-diameter fairing. Known as Bingjian or "Ice Arrow," this 60.1-meter-long medium-lift liquid-fueled rocket is powered by kerosene and liquid oxygen. It can carry up to 7 metric tons of payload to geosynchronous transfer orbit (GTO) with an optional third stage. The Long March 7 aims to handle 70% of China's annual launches, solidifying its role in the nation's space endeavors. Long March 7 also plays a critical role in the China Space Station program. It is used to launch the Tianzhou robotic cargo and resupply spacecraft to the station.
Image Credit: CGTN/Du Xinxin Capture Date: May 20, 2025
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