Friends of NASA (FoN) is an independent non-governmental organization (NGO) dedicated to building international support for peaceful space exploration, commerce, scientific discovery, and STEM education.
"Have you ever seen the band of our Milky Way Galaxy? In a clear sky from a dark location at the right time, a faint band of light becomes visible across the sky. Soon after your eyes become dark adapted, you might spot the band for the first time. It may then become obvious. Then spectacular. One reason for your growing astonishment might be the realization that this fuzzy swath, the Milky Way, contains billions of stars. Visible in the featured image, high above in the night sky, the band of the Milky Way Galaxy arcs. Also visible are the colorful clouds of Rho Ophiuchi on the right, and the red and circular Zeta Ophiuchi nebula near the top center. Taken in late February from Maunakea, Hawaii, USA, the foreground telescope is the University of Hawaii's 2.2-Meter Telescope. Fortunately, you do not need to be near the top of a Hawaiian volcano to see the Milky Way."
Image Description: A wide starfield is shown with the dark and light band arching horizontally across the middle. On the right is a colorful and complex nebula, and near the top center is a red circular nebula.
China Sea-based Ceres-1S Rocket Launches Four Commercial Satellites
Galactic Energy's fifth Ceres-1S carrier rocket, Ceres-1S Y5, launched four Tianqi satellites (Tianqi 34-37) for its "Beautiful World” Mission from a sea platform located near Shandong Province, China, on May 19, 2025, at 07:38 UTC (15:38 local time). This was Galactic Energy's 19th successful flight. The satellites entered their planned orbits as part of the Tianqi Constellation. The CERES-1S is a sea-launch version of the company's mature rocket model, the CERES-1. The four-stage rocket can carry a payload of about 300 kilograms to a Sun-synchronous orbit at an altitude of 500 km. It can adapt to flexible launch points and landing areas and provide high-quality and low-cost launch services for various types of small satellites.
This a series of Chinese experimental Low Earth Orbit (LEO) comsats for private firm Guodian Gaoke supporting Internet-of-Things (IoT) communications. They each carry a camera for educational purposes. This marks the completion of the first phase of the "Apocalypse Constellation"—China's first low Earth orbit IoT constellation. The Tianqi constellation consists of 38 satellites, plus ground stations. Twenty-five satellites are currently in operation. Once completed for China's Internet of Things information industry.
Guodian Gaoke operates this constellation to provide its users with much-needed data collection and transmission services for terrestrial network coverage blind areas. It supports marine, environmental protection, meteorological, forestry, geological, emergency, rescue and smart city industries to improve China's global data network coverage. It is also being applied to the consumer electronics products market, including mobile phones, cars, walkie-talkies, wearable devices and emergency kits that can be directly linked to these satellites.
China Commercial Sea-based Ceres-1S Rocket Launches Four Satellites
The fifth Ceres-1S launch vehicle, Ceres-1S Y5 launched four Tianqi satellites (Tianqi 34-37) for the “Huai Xu Fei Tang” Mission from a sea platform located near Shandong Province, China, on May 19, 2025 at 07:38 UTC (15:38 local time). The satellites entered the planned orbits as part of the Tianqi Constellation. This a series of Chinese experimental Low Earth Orbit (LEO) comsats for Guodian Gaoke for Internet-of-Things (IoT) communications. They each carry a camera for educational purposes.
Guodian Gaoke operates this constellation to provide its users with much-needed data collection and transmission services for terrestrial network coverage blind areas. It supports marine, environmental protection, meteorological, forestry, geological, emergency, rescue and smart city industries to improve China's global data network coverage.
Expedition#73 Crew Photos | International Space Station
NASA astronaut and Expedition 73 Flight Engineer Jonny Kim poses for a portrait inside the cupola, the International Space Station's "window to the world." The orbital outpost was soaring 265 miles above the Indian Ocean off the coast of Madagascar at the time of this photograph.
NASA astronaut and Expedition 73 Flight Engineer Nichole Ayers swaps hardware that promotes physical science and crystalization research inside the Advanced Space Experiment Processor-4 (ADSEP-4) aboard the International Space Station. The ADSEP-4 is supporting a technology demonstration potentially enabling the synthesis of medications during deep space missions and improving the pharmaceutical industry on Earth.
NASA astronaut and Expedition 73 Flight Engineer Anne McClain works in the Kibo laboratory module's Life Sciences Glovebox processing bacteria samples before viewing them inside a 3D imaging microscope called Extant Life Volumetric Imaging System, or ELVIS. The technology demonstration may enable applications for monitoring water quality, detecting infectious organisms on spacecraft, and researching colloids (suspensions of particles in a liquid) and microorganisms in microgravity.
Station Commander and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) Flight Engineer Takuya Onishi: "We performed a sample exchange for the Solid Combustion Experiment Module (SCEM). From collecting items to cleaning up, it was a nearly three-hour marathon. Once the cartridge is set in the SCEM, the samples are automatically fed into the combustion device, and after the combustion experiment, they are sent to the collection box. We carried out the exchange of that cartridge and collection box."
NASA astronaut and Expedition 73 Flight Engineer Nichole Ayers works in the Kibo laboratory module's Life Sciences Glovebox processing bacteria samples before viewing them inside a 3D imaging microscope called Extant Life Volumetric Imaging System, or ELVIS.
NASA astronaut and Expedition 73 Flight Engineer Jonny Kim swaps hardware that promotes physical science and crystalization research inside the Advanced Space Experiment Processor-4 (ADSEP-4) aboard the International Space Station.
NASA astronaut and Expedition 73 Flight Engineer Nichole Ayers swaps hardware that promotes physical science and crystalization research inside the Advanced Space Experiment Processor-4 (ADSEP-4) aboard the International Space Station.
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.
Flyover of Pluto's Moon Charon | NASA's New Horizons Mission
What if you could fly over Pluto's moon Charon—what might you see? The New Horizons spacecraft did just this in July2015 as it zipped past Pluto and Charon with cameras blazing. The images recorded allowed for a digital reconstruction of much of Charon's surface, further enabling the creation of fictitious flights over Charon created from this data. One such fanciful, minute-long, time-lapse video is shown here with vertical heights and colors of surface features digitally enhanced.
Your journey begins over a wide chasm that divides different types of Charon's landscapes, a chasm that might have formed when Charon froze through. You soon turn north and fly over a colorful depression dubbed Mordor that, one hypothesis holds, is an unusual remnant from an ancient impact. Your voyage continues over an alien landscape rich with never-before-seen craters, mountains, and crevices. The robotic New Horizons spacecraft has too much momentum to ever return to Pluto and Charon and is now headed out of our Solar System.
Video Credit: NASA, JHUAPL, SwRI, P. Schenk & J. Blackwell (LPI)
New View: China LandSpace Zhuque-2E Rocket Launch of Six Commercial Satellites
A new methane-powered rocket developed by China's private firm LandSpace Technology launched commercial six satellites into orbit on Saturday, May 17, 2025, doubling down on a cheap, cleaner fuel that the startup hopes will help it develop reusable rockets.
The Zhuque-2E Y2 carrier rocket blasted off at 12:12 p.m. (0412 GMT) from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China, marking the fifth flight for the Zhuque-2 series, according to a company statement.
Beijing-based LandSpace became the world's first company to launch a methane-liquid oxygen rocket in July 2023, ahead of U.S. rivals including Elon Musk's SpaceX and Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin.
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 commercial space launch firms, like Landspace.
Video Credit: LandSpace Duration: 1 minute Release Date: May 17, 2025
Close-up: 'Candyfloss' Clouds of Large Magellanic Cloud Dwarf Galaxy | Hubble
This NASA/European Space Agency Hubble Space Telescope picture features a sparkling cloudscape from one of the Milky Way’s galactic neighbors, a dwarf galaxy called the Large Magellanic Cloud. Located 160,000 light-years away in the constellations Dorado and Mensa, the Large Magellanic Cloud is the largest of the Milky Way’s many small satellite galaxies.
This view of dusty gas clouds in the Large Magellanic Cloud is possible thanks to Hubble’s cameras, such as the Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3) that was used to collect the observations for this image. WFC3 is equipped with a variety of filters, each lets through only specific wavelengths, or colors, of light. This image combines observations made with five filters, including ones that capture ultraviolet and infrared light that the human eye cannot see.
The wispy gas clouds in this image resemble brightly colored candyfloss. When viewing such a vividly colored cosmic scene, it is natural to wonder whether the colors are ‘real’. After all, Hubble, with its 2.4 meter-wide mirror and advanced scientific instruments, does not bear resemblance to a typical camera! When image-processing specialists combine raw filtered data into a multi-colored image like this one, they assign a color to each filter. Visible-light observations are typically matched to the color that the filter allows through. Shorter wavelengths of light such as ultraviolet are usually colored blue or purple, while longer wavelengths like infrared are typically colored red.
This color scheme closely represents reality while adding new information from the portions of the electromagnetic spectrum that humans cannot see. However, there are endless possible color combinations that can be employed to achieve an especially aesthetically pleasing or scientifically insightful image.
Image Description: A part of a nebula in space. It is made of layers of gas and dust clouds in a range of colors, from blue and green shades to pink, red and black, indicating light emitted by distinct molecules. The background cloud layers are thicker and puffier, though still translucent, and the upper layers are thin and bright at the edges. Behind the clouds are very many small, mostly orange and some blue, stars.
Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA, C. Murray, N. Bartmann (ESA/Hubble)
Close-up: Spiral Galaxy NGC 3511 in The Crater Constellation | Hubble
The stately and inclined spiral galaxy NGC 3511 is the subject of this NASA/European Space Agency Hubble Space Telescope picture. The galaxy is located 43 million light-years away in the constellation Crater (The Cup). From Hubble’s vantage point in orbit around Earth, NGC 3511 is tilted by about 70 degrees, intermediate between face-on galaxies that display picture-perfect spiral arms and edge-on galaxies that reveal only their dense, flattened discs.
Astronomers are studying NGC 3511 as part of a survey of the star formation cycle in nearby galaxies. For this observing program, Hubble will record the appearance of 55 local galaxies using five filters that allow in distinct wavelengths, or colors, of light.
One of these filters allows only a specific wavelength of red light to pass through. Giant clouds of hydrogen gas glow in this red color when energized by ultraviolet light from hot young stars. As this image shows, NGC 3511 contains many of these bright red gas clouds that are curled around clusters of brilliant blue stars. Hubble will help astronomers catalog and measure the ages of these stars. They are typically less than a few million years old and several times more massive than the Sun.
Image Description: A spiral is seen tilted at an angle, as a stormy disc filled with clouds of stars and dust. It is colored more yellowish in the center, and bluer out to the edge of the disc, where the ends of curved spiral arms break away from the disc. Spots of red light scattered through the galaxy mark where stars are actively forming.
Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA, D. Thilker, N. Bartmann (ESA/Hubble)
Spiral Galaxy NGC 3511 in The Crater Constellation | Hubble
The stately and inclined spiral galaxy NGC 3511 is the subject of this NASA/European Space Agency Hubble Space Telescope picture. The galaxy is located 43 million light-years away in the constellation Crater (The Cup). From Hubble’s vantage point in orbit around Earth, NGC 3511 is tilted by about 70 degrees, intermediate between face-on galaxies that display picture-perfect spiral arms and edge-on galaxies that reveal only their dense, flattened discs.
Astronomers are studying NGC 3511 as part of a survey of the star formation cycle in nearby galaxies. For this observing program, Hubble will record the appearance of 55 local galaxies using five filters that allow in distinct wavelengths, or colors, of light.
One of these filters allows only a specific wavelength of red light to pass through. Giant clouds of hydrogen gas glow in this red color when energized by ultraviolet light from hot young stars. As this image shows, NGC 3511 contains many of these bright red gas clouds that are curled around clusters of brilliant blue stars. Hubble will help astronomers catalog and measure the ages of these stars. They are typically less than a few million years old and several times more massive than the Sun.
Image Description: A spiral is seen tilted at an angle, as a stormy disc filled with clouds of stars and dust. It is colored more yellowish in the center, and bluer out to the edge of the disc, where the ends of curved spiral arms break away from the disc. Spots of red light scattered through the galaxy mark where stars are actively forming.
Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA, D. Thilker Release Date: May 19, 2025
Plume from China LandSpace Rocket with 6 Commercial Satellites?: US View
During a geomagnetic storm on May 18, 2025, auroras appeared over more than a dozen American states as far south as New Mexico. There was also something more. A white plume bisected the sky, puzzling observers. Mike Lewinski photographed the display from Crestone, Colorado:
"The aurora was rippling low on the northern horizon when suddenly a bright streak of light, reminiscent of a rocket re-entry, appeared high in the sky and flowed down to the horizon," Lewinski says.
"This plume was not an aurora . . . We believe it is related to a rocket launch in China. About an hour before the plume appeared (5:39 UTC), Chinese launch startup Landspace launched the ZhuQue-2E rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center (4:12 UTC). It carried 6 satellites to orbit including a synthetic aperture radar and multiple space science spacecraft. The white streak may have been a de-orbit burn, or perhaps a circularization burn for the deploying satellites."
ZhuQue-2E is a new type of rocket powered by liquid oxygen and liquid methane. This "methalox" technology was developed by Landspace, and their ZhuQue-2 series of methane rockets are the first to reach orbit ahead of other companies like Elon Musk's SpaceX. Methalox offers several advantages over traditional rocket fuels like kerosene and hydrogen. Methane is more easily stored, burns cleaner, and can be produced on Mars.
Veteran NASA Astronaut Don Pettit: Earth Gravity Rehabilitation
NASA astronaut and Expedition 72 flight engineer Don Pettit: "Undergoing gravity rehab and nearly back to being an earthling. Gravity is good but adapting back to gravity can take awhile. Of the photos I've taken Exp 72 is some of my proudest work! To resume posting soon."
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.
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: Don Pettit Release Date: May 17, 2025
Chinese Scientists Discover a Novel Microbial Species | China Space Station
Chinese researchers have identified a novel microbial strain discovered on the Tiangong Space Station, marking the first time that a previously unknown species has been reported from the country's orbiting space laboratory, the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) announced on Friday, May 16, 2025. Microbes are among the oldest and most diverse forms of life on Earth. A novel microbial species refers to one that has never been previously discovered, studied or named by humans.
The strain, officially named Niallia tiangongensis, was described in a peer-reviewed paper in the peer-reviewed academic journal International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology. The strain is a new variant of a previously known terrestrial bacteria and was found on a cabin in the space station.
Niallia tiangongensis excels at adapting to the space environment. Firstly, the species has an exceptional ability to withstand stress. It regulates the biosynthesis of bacillithiol to effectively manage oxidative stress in space. This mechanism maintains cellular redox balance, allowing the microbe to grow robustly under extreme conditions. Secondly, Niallia tiangongensis exhibits unique traits in biofilm formation and radiation damage repair.
This discovery was made possible through the space station's engineering and aerospace technology experimental program, called China Space Station Habitation Area Microbiome Program (CHAMP). The discovery was announced by researchers from the Shenzhou Space Biotechnology Group and the Beijing Institute of Spacecraft System Engineering. The research team focused on the dynamic changes and safety control of environmental microbes during the long-term operation of the space station.
In May 2023, the Shenzhou-15 astronauts collected microbial samples from the cabin surfaces inside the space station. The samples were stored at low temperatures and later brought back to Earth for analysis.
Through morphological observation, genome sequencing, phylogenetic analysis, and metabolic profiling, researchers confirmed the presence of this new microbial species and that it belongs to the genus Niallia within the family Cytobacillaceae, but is genetically distinct from its closest terrestrial relatives.
Laboratory tests show the Gram-positive, aerobic, spore-forming, rod-shaped strain exhibits structural and functional differences in two types of proteins that may enhance biofilm formation, oxidative stress response and radiation damage repair, supporting its survival in the space environment.
Niallia tiangongensis's survival strategies offer groundbreaking insights for researchers. Its mechanisms for adapting to space conditions can help design targeted microbial control strategies, providing precise intervention ideas for fields such as aerospace, agriculture, industry and medicine. Additionally, its ability to utilize certain organic compounds opens new possibilities for the sustainable use of these substances.
As the space station continues its long-term operations, ongoing studies of microbial active substances, genetic resources and metabolic functions are expected to produce significant results, bringing new opportunities for scientific research and practical applications on Earth.
The paper said it was “essential” to understand the characteristics of microbes during long-term space missions to safeguard the health of astronauts and maintain the functionality of spacecraft.
The authors added that this new strain had ingenious mechanisms for adapting to the extreme space environment—a discovery that could have many real-life implications.
For instance, the strain had a better ability to combat oxidative stress—a condition that leads to cell and tissue damage due to an imbalance in the body—and reverse radiation-induced damage, according to the study.
Decoding its survival mechanism could help scientists design precise and targeted control strategies for microbes—and this could then be used in a number of sectors, including space technology, agriculture and medicine.
The China Manned Space Agency said Tiangong’s operations would produce a “bumper harvest” of research relating to the active substances, genetic resources and metabolic functions of microbes, and that insights gained in orbit could lead to new applications on Earth.
Video Credit: CCTV Duration: 1 minute, 18 seconds Release Date: May 17, 2025
Shenzhou-20: Science Experiments, Emergency Drill | China Space Station
The three astronauts aboard China's Shenzhou-20 spacecraft—Chen Dong, Chen Zhongrui, and Wang Jie—carried out a series of tasks within the Tiangong Space Station last week, including space science experiments, a full-system pressure emergency drill, and equipment inspections and maintenance.
Since their arrival on April 25, 2025, the crew has been actively engaged in research activities in Tiangong Space Station that functions as a national space laboratory.
Last week, the astronauts focused on observing samples for studying the microbial effects on cell tissue culture modules.
In collaboration with ground-based researchers, the Shenzhou-20 crew successfully completed their first full-system pressure emergency drill. The drill simulated an internal pressure loss aboard the space station, with the astronauts and ground personnel working together to complete the emergency response procedure.
The crew also performed an inspection of the low-temperature storage device in the Wentian lab module, which is critical for preserving biological samples. This device ensures the long-term storage of samples, an essential component for space biological science experiments.
In addition to scientific work, the astronauts carried out regular inspections and maintenance on three extravehicular spacesuits. They also checked and adjusted various pieces of equipment onboard.
Maintaining a clean and organized environment is another key responsibility for the crew.
Last week, the crew cleaned the node module of the Tianhe core module and the airlock cabin of the Wentian lab module, organized and transferred supplies, and handled waste storage and disposal.
Physical health and well-being are also a priority. In addition to daily exercise, the astronauts underwent several medical checks, including ECG tests, dynamic electrocardiograms, blood pressure monitoring, and lung function tests. The data gathered from these tests helps ground researchers keep a close watch on the astronauts’ health while they are in orbit.
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: 1 minute, 48 seconds Release Date: May 18, 2025
Rocket Lab Launch in New Zealand: Japan's iQPS Earth Observation Satellite
Rocket Lab USA, Inc. successfully launched its third mission for Japanese customer, Institute for Q-shu Pioneers of Space, Inc. (iQPS). ‘The Sea God Sees’ mission successfully launched on an Electron rocket from Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1 in Mahia, New Zealand at 8:17 p.m. on May 17th, 2025. The mission carried iQPS’ QPS-SAR-10, a synthetic aperture radar (SAR) Earth-imaging satellite, to a 575km low Earth orbit, where it was deployed as part of iQPS’ growing constellation. The mission was launched just weeks’ after Rocket Lab’s previous launch for iQPS was deployed on March 15, 2025— demonstrating frequent, reliable, and dedicated small orbital launch for satellite operators with 100% mission success in 2025.
Today’s mission was the third overall launch for iQPS and the second in a multi-launch contract to launch eight missions for the company in 2025 and 2026. Four more launches are scheduled for launch this year, with the remaining two scheduled for 2026. Rocket Lab’s next mission for iQPS is scheduled to launch in less than a month’s time, from no earlier than June 2025.
Rocket Lab Launch of Japan's iQPS Earth Observation Satellite in New Zealand
Rocket Lab USA, Inc. successfully launched its third mission for Japanese customer, Institute for Q-shu Pioneers of Space, Inc. (iQPS). ‘The Sea God Sees’ mission successfully launched on an Electron rocket from Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1 in Mahia, New Zealand at 8:17 p.m. on May 17th, 2025. The mission carried iQPS’ QPS-SAR-10, a synthetic aperture radar (SAR) Earth-imaging satellite, to a 575km low Earth orbit, where it was deployed as part of iQPS’ growing constellation. The mission was launched just weeks’ after Rocket Lab’s previous launch for iQPS was deployed on March 15, 2025— demonstrating frequent, reliable, and dedicated small orbital launch for satellite operators with 100% mission success in 2025.
Today’s mission was the third overall launch for iQPS and the second in a multi-launch contract to launch eight missions for the company in 2025 and 2026. Four more launches are scheduled for launch this year, with the remaining two scheduled for 2026. Rocket Lab’s next mission for iQPS is scheduled to launch in less than a month’s time, from no earlier than June 2025.
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