SpaceX Falcon Heavy Rocket Launch: ViaSat-3 F3 Communications Satellite

SpaceX Falcon Heavy Rocket Launch: ViaSat-3 F3 Communications Satellite

New Photos: A SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket launched the ViaSat-3 F3 Mission at 10:13 a.m. Eastern Time (ET) on Wednesday morning, April 29, 2026, from Launch Complex 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center on Merritt Island, Florida. The satellite successfully separated from the launch vehicle’s upper stage just under five hours after liftoff, with initial signals acquired minutes later, confirming the satellite is healthy in orbit and ready for the next phase of operations. 

Watch a replay of the launch here: 
http://spacex.com/launches/viasat3f3

The Falcon Heavy rocket reduces time to orbit by delivering the satellite to a more favorable transfer orbit where this satellite’s electric propulsion will take over to place ViaSat-3 F3 into a geostationary orbit. Following launch, the ViaSat-3 F3 satellite will spend several months traveling to geostationary orbit before arriving at its reserved orbital slot. It will go through rigorous in-orbit testing of both the bus and payload before entering service, expected to occur by late summer 2026. ViaSat-3 satellites are each designed to provide regional coverage with ViaSat-3 F3 expected to cover the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region.

One of the side boosters on this mission previously supported SDA-0A, SARah-2, Transporter-11, and 18 Starlink missions, and the second previously supported launch of the GOES-U mission. Following stage separation, Falcon Heavy’s two side boosters landed on SpaceX’s Landing Zones 2 and 40 (LZ-2 and LZ-40) at Cape Canaveral in Florida.

SpaceX Falcon Heavy Info: 
https://www.spacex.com/vehicles/falcon-heavy

ViaSat Press Release: 
https://www.viasat.com/news/latest-news/corporate/2026/viasat-confirms-successful-launch-and-initial-signal-acquisition/

Image Credit: SpaceX

Release Date: May 1, 2026

#NASA #Space #CommercialSpace #SpaceX #SpaceXFalconHeavy #HeavyLiftRockets #ReusableRockets #Satellites #CommunicationSatellites #ViaSat #ViaSat3F3Mission #NASAKennedy #KSC #MerrittIsland #Florida #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

NASA Astronaut Christina Koch—International Space Station Scientist

NASA Astronaut Christina Koch—International Space Station Scientist

While living in space for 328 days, NASA astronaut Christina Koch spent many of her hours on science activities aboard the International Space Station and wore many hats: farmer, biologist, physicist, engineer, test subject and many more.

Learn more about the research being conducted on Station: https://www.nasa.gov/international-space-station/space-station-research-and-technology/

Six years before her Artemis II Moon Mission, NASA astronaut, scientist, mission specialist, flight engineer, and spacewalker Christina Koch spent almost a year in space on International Space Station Expeditions 59-61 (March 2019-February 2020), before coming home. During the longest-ever single spaceflight by a female astronaut, NASA astronaut Christina Koch also completed six spacewalks. 

When Koch returned to Earth, she set the record for the longest single spaceflight by a woman. Additionally, Christina participated in the first all-female spacewalk with fellow NASA astronaut Jessica Meir, currently serving aboard the International Space Station on Expedition 74.

Christina Koch Biographies:
https://www.nasa.gov/astronauts/biographies/christina-h-koch
https://www.nasa.gov/astronauts/biographies/christina-hammock-koch/biography

Artemis II mission specialist and NASA astronaut Christina Koch joined NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen on a nearly 10-day lunar flyby mission, surpassing the Apollo 13 record for farthest crewed spaceflight and observing the lunar surface like never before, capturing iconic views.

Learn more about NASA's Artemis II Mission:
https://www.nasa.gov/mission/artemis-ii/

How to Become a NASA Astronaut:
https://www.nasa.gov/humans-in-space/astronauts/become-an-astronaut/

Video Credit: NASA's Johnson Space Center
Duration: 2 minutes
Release Date: Feb. 3, 2020

#NASA #Space #Science #Earth #ISS #Expedition59 #Expedition60 #Expedition61 #Moon #ArtemisProgram #ArtemisII #Astronauts #ChristinaKoch #Scientists #ElectricalEngineers #EVAs #Spacewalks #WomenInSTEM #HumanSpaceflight #SolarSystem #SpaceExploration #NASAJohnson #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Planetarium View: Galaxy AM 0644-741 in Volans—The Lure of The Rings | Hubble

Planetarium View: Galaxy AM 0644-741 in Volans—The Lure of The Rings | Hubble

Note: The full dome video display format is designed for projection systems in planetariums. A planetarium is a theater built primarily for presenting educational and entertaining shows about astronomy and the night sky, or for training in celestial navigation. Resembling a diamond-encrusted bracelet, a ring of brilliant blue star clusters wraps around the yellowish nucleus of what was once a normal spiral galaxy in this image from the NASA/European Space Agency Hubble Space Telescope (HST). Hubble was launched on April 24, 1990 and was deployed from the space shuttle Discovery on April 25, 1990.

The sparkling blue ring is 150,000 light-years in diameter, making it larger than our entire home galaxy, the Milky Way. The galaxy, cataloged as AM 0644-741, is a member of the class of so- called "ring galaxies." It lies 300 million light-years away in the direction of the southern constellation Volans.

Ring galaxies arise from a collision where one galaxy plunges directly through the disk of another one. The prominent ring of galaxy AM 0644-741 is the result of a hit-and-run event by a celestial neighbor. The spiral galaxy visible to the left of AM 0644-741 is not the culprit, as it is actually a background galaxy that is not interacting with the ring galaxy at all.

The gravitational shock imparted by a collision of this kind drastically changes the orbits of stars and gas in the "target" galaxy's disk, causing them to rush outward. As the ring plows outward into its surroundings, gas clouds collide and are compressed. The clouds can then contract under their own gravity, collapse, and form an abundance of new stars.

The rampant star formation explains why the ring here is so blue: It is continuously forming massive, young, hot stars that are blue in color. Associated with them are the pink regions visible along the ring. These are rarefied clouds of glowing hydrogen gas, fluorescing because of the strong ultraviolet light from the newly formed massive stars.

Credit: NASA, ESA, and The Hubble Heritage Team (AURA/STScI)

Duration: 13 seconds
Release Date: April 22, 2004

#NASA #ESA #Hubble #Astronomy #Space #Science #Galaxies #AM0644741 #LenticularGalaxies #RingGalaxies #VolansConstellation #Cosmos #Universe #HST #HubbleSpaceTelescope #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #Europe #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Wide-field view: Galaxy AM 0644-741 in Volans—The Lure of The Rings | Hubble

Wide-field view: Galaxy AM 0644-741 in Volans—The Lure of The Rings | Hubble

Resembling a diamond-encrusted bracelet, a ring of brilliant blue star clusters wraps around the yellowish nucleus of what was once a normal spiral galaxy in this image from the NASA/European Space Agency Hubble Space Telescope (HST). Hubble was launched on April 24, 1990 and was deployed from the space shuttle Discovery on April 25, 1990.

The sparkling blue ring is 150,000 light-years in diameter, making it larger than our entire home galaxy, the Milky Way. The galaxy, cataloged as AM 0644-741, is a member of the class of so- called "ring galaxies." It lies 300 million light-years away in the direction of the southern constellation Volans.

Ring galaxies arise from a collision where one galaxy plunges directly through the disk of another one. The prominent ring of galaxy AM 0644-741 is the result of a hit-and-run event by a celestial neighbor. The spiral galaxy visible to the left of AM 0644-741 is not the culprit, as it is actually a background galaxy that is not interacting with the ring galaxy at all.

The gravitational shock imparted by a collision of this kind drastically changes the orbits of stars and gas in the "target" galaxy's disk, causing them to rush outward. As the ring plows outward into its surroundings, gas clouds collide and are compressed. The clouds can then contract under their own gravity, collapse, and form an abundance of new stars.

The rampant star formation explains why the ring here is so blue: It is continuously forming massive, young, hot stars that are blue in color. Associated with them are the pink regions visible along the ring. These are rarefied clouds of glowing hydrogen gas, fluorescing because of the strong ultraviolet light from the newly formed massive stars.

Credit: NASA, ESA, and The Hubble Heritage Team (AURA/STScI)
Release Date: April 22, 2004

#NASA #ESA #Hubble #Astronomy #Space #Science #Galaxies #AM0644741 #LenticularGalaxies #RingGalaxies #VolansConstellation #Cosmos #Universe #HST #HubbleSpaceTelescope #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #Europe #STEM #Education

Galaxy AM 0644-741 in Volans: The Lure of The Rings | Hubble Space Telescope

Galaxy AM 0644-741 in Volans: The Lure of The Rings | Hubble Space Telescope

Resembling a diamond-encrusted bracelet, a ring of brilliant blue star clusters wraps around the yellowish nucleus of what was once a normal spiral galaxy in this image from the NASA/European Space Agency Hubble Space Telescope (HST). Hubble was launched on April 24, 1990 and was deployed from the space shuttle Discovery on April 25, 1990.

The sparkling blue ring is 150,000 light-years in diameter, making it larger than our entire home galaxy, the Milky Way. The galaxy, cataloged as AM 0644-741, is a member of the class of so- called "ring galaxies." It lies 300 million light-years away in the direction of the southern constellation Volans.

Ring galaxies arise from a collision where one galaxy plunges directly through the disk of another one. The prominent ring of galaxy AM 0644-741 is the result of a hit-and-run event by a celestial neighbor. The spiral galaxy visible to the left of AM 0644-741 is not the culprit, as it is actually a background galaxy that is not interacting with the ring galaxy at all. The true perpetrator has been identified by astronomers, but is outside the field of view of this image.

The gravitational shock imparted by a collision of this kind drastically changes the orbits of stars and gas in the "target" galaxy's disk, causing them to rush outward. As the ring plows outward into its surroundings, gas clouds collide and are compressed. The clouds can then contract under their own gravity, collapse, and form an abundance of new stars.

The rampant star formation explains why the ring here is so blue: It is continuously forming massive, young, hot stars that are blue in color. Associated with them are the pink regions visible along the ring. These are rarefied clouds of glowing hydrogen gas, fluorescing because of the strong ultraviolet light from the newly formed massive stars.

Credit: NASA, ESA, and The Hubble Heritage Team (AURA/STScI)
Release Date: April 22, 2004

#NASA #ESA #Hubble #Astronomy #Space #Science #Galaxies #AM0644741 #LenticularGalaxies #RingGalaxies #VolansConstellation #Cosmos #Universe #HST #HubbleSpaceTelescope #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #Europe #STEM #Education

How Do Stars Influence the Search for Life? | We Asked a NASA Expert

How Do Stars Influence the Search for Life? | We Asked a NASA Expert

How do stars influence the search for life? 
When astronomers search for life on other worlds, they look for atmospheric molecules called biosignatures, or gases that could indicate biological activity. However, starlight can greatly alter a planet’s atmosphere through photochemistry, sometimes creating or destroying these signals.

A NASA scientist explains why understanding a planet’s star is essential when searching for life beyond our solar system.

Learn more: https://science.nasa.gov/exoplanets/stars/

Video Credit: National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
Duration: 1 minute, 42 seconds
Release Date: May 1, 2026

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Scientists #Stars #Exoplanets #Planets #Atmospheres #Biochemistry #Photochemistry #Astrobiology #Biosignatures #Habitability #PlanetaryScience  #SolarSystem #SpaceExploration #UnitedStates #NASAGoddard #GSFC #STEM #Education #HD #Video

NASA Artemis II Moon Crew Visits The United Nations: ‘Ambassadors of the Cosmos’

NASA Artemis II Moon Crew Visits The United Nations: ‘Ambassadors of the Cosmos’

Back from their mission to the Moon, astronauts from NASA's Artemis II crew arrived at United Nations Headquarters in New York City on April 30, 2026, with a message for humanity about our shared purpose on Earth.

The first crewed test flight of NASA’s Artemis program lifted off from Launch Pad 39B at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on April 1, 2026, carrying the first astronauts to travel to the Moon in more than half a century. 

During their nearly 10-day mission, the crew completed a record-setting lunar flyby, taking them 252,756 miles at their farthest distance from Earth and 4,067 miles above the lunar surface at their closest approach. 

Artemis II splashed down on April 10 in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Diego. Following splashdown and recovery, the four crew members underwent post-mission medical evaluations before returning to shore and boarding an aircraft bound for Houston.

Under Artemis, NASA will send astronauts on increasingly difficult missions to explore more of the Moon for scientific discovery, economic benefits, and to build on our foundation for the first crewed missions to Mars.

Learn about the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs:

https://www.unoosa.org

Learn more about NASA's Artemis II Mission:
https://www.nasa.gov/mission/artemis-ii/

Video Credit: United Nations
Duration: 2 minutes, 21 seconds
Release Date: May 1, 2026

#NASA #Space #Science #Earth #Moon #ArtemisProgram #ArtemisII #OrionSpacecraft #Astronauts #ReidWiseman #VictorGlover #ChristinaKoch #JeremyHansen #CSA #Canada #HumanSpaceflight #SolarSystem #SpaceExploration #UnitedNations #UN #UNAmbassadors #NewYorkCity #UnitedStates #InternationalCooperation #UNOOSA #STEM #Education #HD #Video

What's Up for May 2026: Skywatching Tips from NASA | Jet Propulsion Laboratory

What's Up for May 2026: Skywatching Tips from NASA | Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Here are examples of skywatching highlights for the northern hemisphere in May 2026:

The Eta Aquarid meteor shower brings shooting stars before dawn, the Moon meets brilliant Venus after sunset, and May wraps up with a rare Blue Moon. Look to the early morning sky around May 5-6, 2026, for meteors from Halley’s Comet, although bright moonlight may wash out some of the fainter streaks. 

Then on May 18, spot the crescent Moon near Venus low in the western sky just after sunset. May ends with a Full Moon on May 31. 

May ends with a Blue Moon, meaning the second full moon in a single calendar month, but it will not actually look blue.

0:00 Intro

0:09  Eta Aquarids 

1:25  Moon and Venus conjunction 

1:54  Blue Moon

2:35 May Moon phases

Video Credit: NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Duration: 3 minutes
Release Date: April 30, 2026

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #SolarSystem #Planets #Venus #Earth #MeteorShowers #EtaAquarids #HalleysComet #Moon #BlueMoon #Stars #Nebulae #Galaxies #MilkyWayGalaxy #Skywatching #JPL #Caltech #UnitedStates #Canada #Mexico #NorthernHemisphere #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Earth Atmospheric Entry of Mysterious Object Observed | International Space Station

Earth Atmospheric Entry of Mysterious Object Observed | International Space Station

Expedition 74 flight engineer and NASA astronaut Chris Williams: "On April 27th at about 10:40 PM GMT, I was in the International Space Station's Cupola and saw something really neat. I was scanning the sky to try to catch a glimpse of the approaching Progress MS-34 vehicle bringing new supplies. Just as we were passing over West Africa, I saw a bright object directly below us, streaking through the upper atmosphere. I saw its tail grow and then split apart into a shower of smaller pieces. I think it must have been some piece of orbital debris or a satellite breaking up as it entered the atmosphere. It was quite a light show!"

Follow Expedition 74:
https://blogs.nasa.gov/spacestation/

Expedition 74 Crew
Station Commander: Sergey-Kud Sverchkov (Russia)
Roscosmos (Russia) Flight Engineers: Andrey Fedyaev, Sergei Mikaev

European Space Agency Flight Engineer: Sophie Adenot

NASA Flight Engineers: Jessica Meir, Jack Hathaway, Chris Williams

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.

Video Credit: NASA's Johnson Space Center, C. Williams

Duration: 14 seconds
Date: April 30, 2026

#NASA #Space #Science #Astronomy #Earth #ISS #Astronauts #AstronautPhotography #ChrisWilliams #Cosmonauts #Russia #Россия #Roscosmos #Роскосмос #HumanSpaceflight #InternationalCooperation #Expedition74 #JSC #UnitedStates #ESA #Europe #SpaceExploration #SolarSystem #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Earth Atmospheric Entry of Mysterious Object Observed | International Space Station

Earth Atmospheric Entry of Mysterious Object Observed | International Space Station

Expedition 74 flight engineer and NASA astronaut Chris Williams: "On April 27th at about 10:40 PM GMT, I was in the International Space Station's Cupola and saw something really neat. I was scanning the sky to try to catch a glimpse of the approaching Progress MS-34 vehicle bringing new supplies. Just as we were passing over West Africa, I saw a bright object directly below us, streaking through the upper atmosphere. I saw its tail grow and then split apart into a shower of smaller pieces. I think it must have been some piece of orbital debris or a satellite breaking up as it entered the atmosphere. It was quite a light show!"

Follow Expedition 74:
https://blogs.nasa.gov/spacestation/

Expedition 74 Crew
Station Commander: Sergey-Kud Sverchkov (Russia)
Roscosmos (Russia) Flight Engineers: Andrey Fedyaev, Sergei Mikaev

European Space Agency Flight Engineer: Sophie Adenot

NASA Flight Engineers: Jessica Meir, Jack Hathaway, Chris Williams

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.

Image Credit: NASA's Johnson Space Center, C. Williams
Image Date: April 30, 2026

#NASA #Space #Science #Astronomy #Earth #ISS #Astronauts #AstronautPhotography #ChrisWilliams #Cosmonauts #Russia #Россия #Roscosmos #Роскосмос #HumanSpaceflight #InternationalCooperation #Expedition74 #JSC #UnitedStates #ESA #Europe #SpaceExploration #SolarSystem #STEM #Education

NASA Astronaut Moments: Christina Koch | Johnson Space Center

NASA Astronaut Moments: Christina Koch | Johnson Space Center

It may not look like mountain climbing has much to do with being an astronaut, although both involve great heights and special equipment. However, NASA’s Christina Koch says the concentration and control she learned in climbing helped her prepare to be an astronaut and to make the climb to space for her first mission to the International Space Station.

Six years before her Artemis II Moon Mission, NASA astronaut, scientist, mission specialist, flight engineer, and spacewalker Christina Koch spent almost a year in space on International Space Station Expeditions 59-61 (March 2019-February 2020), before coming home. During the longest-ever single spaceflight by a female astronaut, NASA astronaut Christina Koch also completed six spacewalks. 

When Koch returned to Earth after her long-duration human spaceflight mission, she had lived in space for 328 days, setting the record for the longest single spaceflight by a woman. During this time, Koch spent many of her hours on science activities aboard the International Space Station and wore many hats—farmer, biologist, physicist, engineer, test subject and many more. 

Additionally, Christina participated in the first all-female spacewalk with fellow NASA astronaut Jessica Meir, currently serving aboard the International Space Station on Expedition 74.

Christina Koch Biographies:
https://www.nasa.gov/astronauts/biographies/christina-h-koch
https://www.nasa.gov/astronauts/biographies/christina-hammock-koch/biography

Artemis II mission specialist and NASA astronaut Christina Koch joined NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen on a nearly 10-day lunar flyby mission, surpassing the Apollo 13 record for farthest crewed spaceflight and observing the lunar surface like never before, capturing iconic views.

Learn more about NASA's Artemis II Mission:
https://www.nasa.gov/mission/artemis-ii/

How to Become a NASA Astronaut:
https://www.nasa.gov/humans-in-space/astronauts/become-an-astronaut/

Video Credit: NASA's Johnson Space Center
Duration: 2 minutes, 36 seconds
Release Date: March 1, 2019

#NASA #Space #Science #Earth #ISS #Expedition59 #Expedition60 #Expedition61 #Moon #ArtemisProgram #ArtemisII #Astronauts #ChristinaKoch #Scientists #ElectricalEngineers #EVAs #Spacewalks #WomenInSTEM #HumanSpaceflight #SolarSystem #SpaceExploration #NASAJohnson #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

NASA Artemis II Moon Crew Visits Times Square in New York City

NASA Artemis II Moon Crew Visits Times Square in New York City

NASA’s Artemis II crewmembers: Canadian Space Agency (CSA) astronaut Jeremy Hansen, mission specialist; left, NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, commander; Christina Koch, mission specialist, and Victor Glover, pilot, right, pose for a group photograph at the Times Square Skywalk, Thursday, April 30, 2026 in New York, NY. 

NASA’s Artemis II commander Reid Wiseman, holds ‘Rise’ the zero gravity indicator, up for a photograph in Times Square, New York

NASA’s Artemis II crewmembers: NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, commander; left, Christina Koch, mission specialist; Victor Glover, pilot; and Canadian Space Agency (CSA) astronaut Jeremy Hansen, mission specialist, right, in Times Square, New York. 

NASA’s Artemis II crewmembers pose for a group photograph at the Times Square Skywalk (from left to right): NASA astronaut and mission specialist Christina Koch; NASA astronaut and pilot Victor Glover; Canadian Space Agency (CSA) astronaut and mission specialist Jeremy Hansen; NASA astronaut and commander Reid Wiseman

NASA’s Artemis II crewmembers: Canadian Space Agency (CSA) astronaut Jeremy Hansen, mission specialist; left, NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, commander; Christina Koch, mission specialist, and Victor Glover, pilot, right, pose for a group photograph at the Times Square Skywalk

NASA’s Artemis II crewmembers: Canadian Space Agency (CSA) astronaut Jeremy Hansen, mission specialist; left, NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, commander; Christina Koch, mission specialist, and Victor Glover, pilot, right, look at Times Square from the Times Square Skywalk

NASA’s Artemis II crewmembers: NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, commander, left, and Christina Koch, mission specialist, look at Times Square from the Times Square Skywalk

A large display at the Times Square Skywalk shows NASA’s Artemis II crewmembers: Canadian Space Agency (CSA) astronaut Jeremy Hansen, mission specialist; NASA astronauts Victor Glover, pilot; Reid Wiseman, commander; and Christina Koch, mission specialist, right, Thursday, April 30, 2026 in New York, NY

The Artemis II crew was in New York City for a number of postflight events. NASA’s Artemis II mission took Wiseman, Glover, Koch, and Hansen on a nearly 10-day journey around the Moon and back to Earth earlier in April 2026. Times Square is a major commercial intersection, tourist destination, entertainment hub, and neighborhood in the Midtown Manhattan section of New York City. It is formed by the junction of Broadway, Seventh Avenue, and 42nd Street.

The first crewed test flight of NASA’s Artemis program lifted off from Launch Pad 39B at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on April 1, 2026, carrying the first astronauts to travel to the Moon in more than half a century. 

During their nearly 10-day mission, the crew completed a record-setting lunar flyby, taking them 252,756 miles at their farthest distance from Earth and 4,067 miles above the lunar surface at their closest approach. 

Artemis II splashed down on April 10 in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Diego. Following splashdown and recovery, the four crew members underwent post-mission medical evaluations before returning to shore and boarding an aircraft bound for Houston.

Under Artemis, NASA will send astronauts on increasingly difficult missions to explore more of the Moon for scientific discovery, economic benefits, and to build on our foundation for the first crewed missions to Mars.

Learn more about NASA's Artemis II Mission:
https://www.nasa.gov/mission/artemis-ii/

Image Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls
Date: April 30, 2026

#NASA #Space #Science #Earth #Moon #ArtemisProgram #ArtemisII #OrionSpacecraft #Astronauts #ReidWiseman #VictorGlover #ChristinaKoch #JeremyHansen #CSA #Canada #HumanSpaceflight #SolarSystem #SpaceExploration #NewYorkCity #TimesSquare #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

Close-up: Star Birth in Spiral Galaxy M83 in Hydra | Hubble Space Telescope

Close-up: Star Birth in Spiral Galaxy M83 in Hydra | Hubble Space Telescope

This is currently the most detailed view of star birth in the graceful, curving arms of the nearby spiral galaxy Messier 83 (M83). Nicknamed the Southern Pinwheel, M83 is undergoing more rapid star formation than our own Milky Way galaxy, especially in its nucleus. The sharp "eye" of the Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3) has captured hundreds of young star clusters, ancient swarms of globular star clusters, and hundreds of thousands of individual stars, mostly blue supergiants and red supergiants. The image provides a close-up view of the myriad stars near the galaxy's core, the bright whitish region at far right.

WFC3's broad wavelength range, from ultraviolet to near-infrared, reveals stars at distinct stages of evolution, allowing astronomers to dissect the galaxy's star-formation history.

The image reveals in unprecedented detail the current rapid rate of star birth in this famous "grand design" spiral galaxy. The newest generations of stars are forming largely in clusters on the edges of the dark dust lanes, the backbone of the spiral arms. These fledgling stars, only a few million years old, are bursting out of their dusty cocoons and producing bubbles of reddish glowing hydrogen gas.

The excavated regions give a colorful "Swiss cheese" appearance to the spiral arm. Gradually, the young stars' fierce winds (streams of charged particles) blow away the gas, revealing bright blue star clusters. These stars are about 1 million to 10 million years old. The older populations of stars are not as blue.

A bar of stars, gas, and dust slicing across the core of the galaxy may be instigating most of the star birth in the galaxy's core. The bar funnels material to the galaxy's center, where the most active star formation is taking place. The brightest star clusters reside along an arc near the core.

The remains of about 60 supernova blasts, the deaths of massive stars, can be seen in the image, five times more than known previously in this region. WFC3 identified the remnants of exploded stars. By studying these remnants, astronomers can better understand the nature of the progenitor stars that are responsible for the creation and dispersal of most of the galaxy's heavy elements.

M83, located in the Southern Hemisphere, is often compared to M51, dubbed the Whirlpool galaxy, in the Northern Hemisphere. Located 15 million light-years away in the constellation Hydra, M83 is two times closer to Earth than M51.

Credit: NASA, ESA and the Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA)
Release Date: Nov. 5, 2009

#NASA #ESA #Hubble #Astronomy #Space #Science #Stars #StarBirth #Galaxies #Messier83 #M83 #SouthernPinwheelGalaxy #SpiralGalaxies #BarredSpiralGalaxies #Supernovae #HydraConstellation #Cosmos #Universe #HST #HubbleSpaceTelescope #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #Europe #STEM #Education

Journey to The Southern Pinwheel Galaxy in Hydra | Hubble Space Telescope

Journey to The Southern Pinwheel Galaxy in Hydra | Hubble Space Telescope

Beginning with a wide view, this video zooms in through ground-based imagery to the Hubble and Magellan composite image of Messier 83, ending on Hubble's view. Messier 83 is a barred spiral galaxy that has hosted a remarkable number of supernova explosions, and appears to have a double nucleus at its core. The final Hubble image shows the scatterings of bright stars and thick dust that make up spiral galaxy Messier 83, otherwise known as the Southern Pinwheel Galaxy. 

Distance from Earth: 15 million light years

Credit: NASA, ESA, and G. Bacon (STScI)
Acknowledgement: William Blair (Johns Hopkins University)

Duration: 1 minute
Release Date: Jan. 9, 2014

#NASA #ESA #Hubble #Astronomy #Space #Science #Stars #Galaxies #Messier83 #M83 #SouthernPinwheelGalaxy #SpiralGalaxies #BarredSpiralGalaxies #Supernovae #HydraConstellation #Cosmos #Universe #HST #HubbleSpaceTelescope #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #Europe #STEM #Education #HD #Video

China's Lijian-2 Commercial Rocket Enters Mass Production with New Mega-Factory

China's Lijian-2 Commercial Rocket Enters Mass Production with New Mega-Factory

A specialized mega-factory for the Lijian-2 large liquid-propellant carrier rocket was completed on April 28, 2026, in Shaoxing, east China's Zhejiang Province, marking the transition of the rocket model into its mass production phase.   

The newly completed facility, under the CAS Space, a leading Chinese commercial space enterprise, integrates final assembly, testing, and processing of core sections. It features dedicated production areas for critical liquid-propellant rocket components, including propellant tanks, pipe valves, interstage sections, and conduits.

The facility is equipped with pulsed assembly lines for final assembly and testing, enabling the parallel and continuous production of multiple rockets.

"During the production process, we continue to introduce automated equipment and a series of relevant intelligent manufacturing systems to improve our production efficiency and the quality of our products," said Li Qinfeng, deputy chief designer of the Lijian-2 at CAS Space.

Lijian-2 is China's first carrier rocket to feature a common booster core. It successfully completed its maiden flight on March 30. Using a standardized modular design, the core stage and boosters employ the same modules. This allows major components to be mass-produced and significantly simplifies the manufacturing process.

"Once at full capacity, the facility can deliver 12 Lijian-2 carrier rockets per year. In the future, if we continue to optimize our processes, including a series of upgrades to our automated equipment, the production capacity could increase further," Li said.

Video Credit: CCTV
Duration: 1 minute
Release Date: April 29, 2026

#NASA #Space #Satellites #Earth #China #中国 #CASSpace #中科宇航 #CAS #中国科学院 #Lijian2Rockets #Kinetica2Rockets #LaunchVehicles #CargoSpacecraft #CommercialSpace #CommercialSpaceflight #SpaceTechnology #Engineering #绍兴市 #Shaoxing #Zhejiang #浙江 #STEM #Education #HD #Video

NASA’s Quiet Supersonic X-59 Flies Faster & Higher over California

NASA’s Quiet Supersonic X-59 Flies Faster & Higher over California

NASA’s X-59 quiet supersonic research aircraft flies over the Mojave Desert in California on Tuesday, April 14, 2026. During the flight, the aircraft completed a series of maneuvers as it was pushed to higher altitudes and near-supersonic speeds, continuing envelope expansion testing and data collection.

The X-59 aircraft builds on decades of supersonic flight research and is the centerpiece of NASA’s Quesst mission. The vast amount of data collected over the years has given designers the tools they needed to craft the shape of the X-59. The goal is to enable the aircraft to fly at supersonic speeds and reduce a loud sonic boom to a quieter “sonic thump.”

Data gathered during X-59 research flights will be shared with the U.S. and international regulators to inform the establishment of new, data-driven acceptable noise thresholds related to supersonic commercial flight over land.

The X-59’s engine, a modified F414-GE-100, packs 22,000 pounds of thrust. This will enable the X-59 to achieve the desired cruising speed of Mach 1.4 (925 miles per hour) at an altitude of approximately 55,000 feet. It sits in a nontraditional spot–atop the aircraft—to aid in making the X-59 quieter.

The X-59's goal is to help change existing national and international aviation rules that ban commercial supersonic flight over land.

For more information about the X-59 and NASA's Quesst mission, visit www.nasa.gov/quesst

Video Credit: NASA's Armstrong Flight Research Center (AFRC)
Duration: 3 minutes
Release Date: April 30, 2026

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