NASA's Artemis III SLS Rocket Core Stage Arrives at Kennedy Space Center
https://www.nasa.gov/mission/artemis-iii/
https://www.nasa.gov/nasas-barge-pegasus/
Date: April 28, 2026
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NASA's Artemis III SLS Rocket Core Stage Arrives at Kennedy Space Center
United Launch Alliance Atlas V Rocket Launches Amazon Leo 6 Satellite Mission
A United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket carrying the Leo 6 Mission for Amazon lifts off from Space Launch Complex-41 on April 27, 2026, at 8:53 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) via Cape Canaveral, Florida.
ULA Atlas V launched another 29 operational commercial satellites for the Amazon Leo constellation, bringing the total number of Leo satellites launched by ULA to 168.
There are two remaining Amazon Leo missions on the Atlas V rocket.
ULA’s next launch is the Atlas V Amazon Leo 7 mission. This launch is planned for May 22, 2026, from Cape Canaveral.
ULA website: www.ulalaunch.com
SpaceX Falcon Heavy Rocket Side Booster Landings: ViaSat-3 F3 Satellite Launch
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. 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 Rocket Liftoff: ViaSat-3 F3 Communications Satellite
A SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket launched the ViaSat-3 F3 Mission on Wednesday morning, April 29, 2026, from Launch Complex 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center on Merritt Island, Florida.
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.
Far Away Spiral Galaxy NGC 4911 in The Coma Cluster | Hubble Space Telescope
A long-exposure Hubble Space Telescope image shows a majestic face-on spiral galaxy located deep within the Coma Cluster of galaxies. It lies 320 million light-years away in the northern constellation Coma Berenices. The galaxy, known as NGC 4911, contains rich lanes of dust and gas near its center. These are silhouetted against glowing newborn star clusters and iridescent pink clouds of hydrogen. This indicates ongoing star formation. Hubble has also captured the outer spiral arms of NGC 4911, along with thousands of other galaxies of varying sizes. The high resolution of Hubble's cameras, paired with considerably long exposures, made it possible to observe these faint details.
NGC 4911 and other spirals near the center of the cluster are being transformed by the gravitational tug of their neighbors. In the case of NGC 4911, wispy arcs of the galaxy's outer spiral arms are being pulled and distorted by forces from a companion galaxy (NGC 4911A), to the upper right. The resultant stripped material will eventually be dispersed throughout the core of the Coma Cluster, where it will fuel the intergalactic populations of stars and star clusters.
The Coma Cluster is home to almost 1,000 galaxies, making it one of the densest collections of galaxies in the nearby universe. It continues to transform galaxies at the present epoch, due to the interactions of close-proximity galaxy systems within the dense cluster. Vigorous star formation is triggered in such collisions.
Galaxies in this cluster are so densely packed that they undergo frequent interactions and collisions. When galaxies of nearly equal masses merge, they form elliptical galaxies. Merging is more likely to occur in the center of the cluster where the density of galaxies is higher, giving rise to more elliptical galaxies.
This natural-color Hubble image combines data obtained in 2006, 2007, and 2009 from the Wide Field Planetary Camera 2 and the Advanced Camera for Surveys and required 28 hours of exposure time.
#NASA #ESA #Hubble #Astronomy #Space #Science #Stars #Galaxies #NGC4911 #SpiralGalaxies #NGC4911A #ComaBerenicesConstellation #ComaCluster #Cosmos #Universe #HST #HubbleSpaceTelescope #GSFC #STScI #UnitedStates #Europe #STEM #Education
United Launch Alliance Atlas V Rocket Launches Amazon Leo 6 Mission
A United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket carrying the Leo 6 Mission for Amazon lifts off from Space Launch Complex-41 on April 27, 2026, at 8:53 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) via Cape Canaveral, Florida.
ULA Atlas V launched another 29 operational commercial satellites for the Amazon Leo constellation, bringing the total number of Leo satellites launched by ULA to 168.
There are two remaining Amazon Leo missions on the Atlas V rocket.
ULA’s next launch is the Atlas V Amazon Leo 7 mission. This launch is planned for May 22, 2026, from Cape Canaveral.
ULA website: www.ulalaunch.com
NASA's SpaceX Crew-13: Training in California | International Space Station
Member of NASA's SpaceX Crew-13 Mission are pictured during training at SpaceX headquarters in Hawthorne, California. Four crew members from three space agencies will launch no earlier than mid-September 2026 to the International Space Station for a long-duration science expedition.
NASA astronauts Jessica Watkins and Luke Delaney will serve as spacecraft commander and pilot, respectively. They will be joined by the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) astronaut Joshua Kutryk and Roscosmos cosmonaut Sergey Teteryatnikov of Russia that will serve as mission specialists. After arriving at the orbiting laboratory, Crew-13 will become members of the space station’s Expedition 75.
This flight is the 13th crew rotation with SpaceX to the space station as part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program (CCP). NASA is advancing the launch date of Crew-13 from November to help increase the frequency of U.S. crew rotation missions to the space station. The crew will conduct scientific investigations and technology demonstrations to help prepare humans for future exploration missions to the Moon and Mars, and benefit people on Earth.
This will be the second flight to the space station for Watkins. She was selected as a NASA astronaut in 2017. Watkins grew up in Lafayette, Colorado, and earned an undergraduate degree in geological and environmental sciences from Stanford University, as well as a doctorate in geology from the University of California, Los Angeles. As a geologist, she studied the Martian surface and was a member of the Curiosity rover science team at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. Watkins first launched to the space station as a crew member aboard NASA’s SpaceX Crew-4 mission, spending a total of 170 days in space across Expeditions 67/68 in 2022. She will be the first NASA astronaut to launch aboard a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft twice.
Selected as a NASA astronaut in 2021, Delaney earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering at the University of North Florida and a master’s degree in aerospace engineering at the Naval Postgraduate School. The Florida native is a distinguished naval aviator. As a test pilot, Delaney evaluated developmental aircraft systems and served as a test pilot instructor. He also worked as a research pilot at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, where he supported airborne science missions. This is the first spaceflight for Delaney.
The Crew-13 mission also is the first spaceflight for Kutryk. Prior to his selection as a CSA astronaut in 2017, he served as a CF-18 pilot. A native of Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta, Kutryk also worked as an experimental and operational test pilot at the Aerospace Engineering Test Establishment in Cold Lake, Alberta. Kutryk received a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the Royal Military College of Canada in Kingston, Ontario, and he is a distinguished graduate of the United States Air Force Test Pilot school in Edwards, California. He has master’s degrees in space studies, flight test engineering, and defense studies.
Crew-13 will be Teteryatnikov’s first trip to the orbiting laboratory. He graduated from the Naval Academy, St. Petersburg, Russia, in 2011 as an engineer specializing in ship power plant operations. Before his selection as a test cosmonaut, Teteryatnikov served in various naval engineering roles, including undersea vessels and specialized engine room operations. He was selected for the Gagarin Research and Test Cosmonaut Training Center Cosmonaut Corps in 2021 and has served as a test cosmonaut since 2023.
For more than 25 years, people have lived and worked continuously aboard the International Space Station, advancing scientific knowledge and making research breakthroughs that are not possible on Earth. The space station helps NASA understand and overcome the challenges of human spaceflight, expand commercial opportunities in low Earth orbit, and build on the foundation for long-duration missions to the Moon, as part of the Artemis program, and to Mars.
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: SpaceX
Image Date: April 17, 2026
Mysterious Distant "Little Red Dots" Detected | NASA Chandra & Webb Telescopes
A newly discovered object may be a key to unlocking the true nature of a mysterious class of sources that astronomers have found in the early universe in recent years. Shortly after NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope started its science observations, reports of a new class of mysterious objects emerged. Astronomers found small, red objects that are about 12 billion light-years from Earth or farther that became known as “little red dots,” or LRDs.
Many scientists think LRDs are supermassive black holes embedded in clouds of dense gas that mask typical light signatures—including x-rays—that astronomers usually use to identify them. This would make them distinct from typical growing supermassive black holes that are not embedded in dense gas, allowing bright ultraviolet light and x-rays from material orbiting the black holes to escape.
Because of this and their potential similarities to stellar atmospheres, astronomers have called this the “black hole star” scenario for LRDs.
This new object discovered by Chandra is exciting because it is the first LRD that is known to give off x-rays. Because of that, the astronomers that found this object nicknamed it the “x-ray dot.”
Located about 11.8 billion light-years from Earth, the x-ray dot may provide a crucial bridge between black hole stars and typical growing supermassive black holes. It exhibits most of the features of an LRD, including being small, red, and located at a vast distance, but it glows in x-ray light, unlike other LRDs.
Finding a little red dot that does gives researchers important new insight into what could power them. The researchers suggest that the x-ray dot represents a transition phase from an LRD to a typical growing supermassive black hole. As the black hole star consumes its surrounding gas, patchy holes in the clouds of gas appear. This allows x-rays from material falling onto the black hole to poke through that are observed by Chandra. Eventually all the gas is consumed, and the black hole star ceases to exist.
The astronomers were only able to find this x-ray emitting little red dot by comparing new surveys from James Webb with deep observations from Chandra. They will continue to combine the data from these two powerful observatories to look for more examples of this behavior to hopefully help further unravel the mysteries surrounding little red dots.
#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #NASAWebb #LittleRedDots #LRDs #XRayDots #BlackHoles #BlackHoleStars #UrsaMajorConstellation #Astrophysics #Cosmos #Universe #NASAChandra #XrayAstronomy #JWST #InfraredAstronomy #UnfoldTheUniverse #ESA #Europe #CSA #Canada #GSFC #STScI #CXC #UnitedStates #STEM #Education
Astronaut Christina Koch’s Memorable International Space Station Moments: Part 4
During the longest-ever single spaceflight by a female astronaut, NASA astronaut Christina Koch also completed six spacewalks. Here, Koch recalls the biggest surprise of the mission and the most memorable item she received on a cargo flight.
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/
#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 III SLS Rocket Core Stage Arrival at Kennedy Space Center
Learn more: https://www.nasa.gov/mission/artemis-iii/
The Universe Needs Your Eyes! Hubble's Citizen Scientists | NASA Goddard
Since its launch in April 1990, NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope has captured more than 1.7 million observations of the universe. That enormous archive of images and data opens the door not only for professional astronomers, but also for anyone who is interested, including citizen scientists that volunteer their time to help make real scientific discoveries!
Because Hubble produces such detailed images, many of these projects focus on our keen eyesight and ability to pick out subtle characteristics from an image. Researchers can ask volunteers to help spot features that computers might overlook, delicate shapes, or patterns.
Hubble’s discoveries are not just made by scientists in labs or observatories, they are made by people everywhere. Anyone can help, these volunteers do not need a background in science. Students, hobbyists, anyone with curiosity, and time, all contributing to genuine science. Even you can help!
The universe often reveals its secrets only when we look closely, together.
NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory Tests Next-Generation Electric Thruster for Mars
Known as a magnetoplasmadynamic (MPD) thruster, the thruster runs on lithium metal vapor and is capable of reaching power levels far beyond today’s electric propulsion systems.
During a recent test at JPL’s Electric Propulsion Lab, the thruster achieved power levels of up to 120 kilowatts, more than 25 times that of the highest-power electric thrusters on any current NASA spacecraft.
The JPL team has been developing the thruster for the past 2½ years under NASA’s Space Nuclear Propulsion project, based at the agency’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. The test took place on Feb. 24, 2026, and its results will assist upcoming tests.
While much more development is needed before the technology can be used in space, this milestone marks an important step toward nuclear electric propulsion systems that could reduce travel time to Mars and lower risk for astronauts on long-duration missions.
NASA Artemis II Moon Mission Launch: New Views | Kennedy Space Center
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 at 8:07 p.m. 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. Upon arrival, the crew was welcomed by and reunited with their families, friends, and agency workforce. The crew then began their postflight reconditioning, medical and human performance evaluations, and lunar science debriefs.
Learn more about NASA's Artemis II Mission:
https://www.nasa.gov/mission/artemis-ii/
#NASA #Space #Science #Earth #Moon #ArtemisProgram #ArtemisII #OrionSpacecraft #SLS #CrewedMissions #Astronauts #ReidWiseman #VictorGlover #ChristinaKoch #JeremyHansen #DeepSpace #HumanSpaceflight #SolarSystem #SpaceExploration #NASAKennedy #KSC #MerrittIsland #Florida #UnitedStates #STEM #Education
Spiral Galaxy NGC 4394 in Coma Berenices | Hubble Space Telescope
Discovered in 1784 by the German–British astronomer William Herschel, NGC 4394 is a barred spiral galaxy situated about 55 million light-years from Earth. The galaxy lies in the constellation of Coma Berenices (Berenice's Hair), and is considered to be a member of the Virgo Cluster.
NGC 4394 is the archetypal barred spiral galaxy with bright spiral arms emerging from the ends of a bar that cuts through the galaxy’s central bulge. These arms are peppered with young blue stars, dark filaments of cosmic dust, and bright, fuzzy regions of active star formation. At the center of NGC 4394 lies a region of ionized gas known as a LINER. LINERs are active regions that display a characteristic set of emission lines in their spectra—mostly weakly ionized atoms of oxygen, nitrogen, and sulphur.
Although LINER galaxies are relatively common, it is still unclear where the energy comes from to ionize the gas. In most cases it is thought to be the influence of a black hole at the center of the galaxy, but it could also be the result of a high level of star formation. In the case of NGC 4394, it is likely that gravitational interaction with a nearby neighbor has caused gas to flow into the galaxy’s central region, providing a new reservoir of material to fuel the black hole or to make new stars.
Algerian Earth Art | International Space Station
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.
Astronaut Christina Koch’s Memorable International Space Station Moments: Part 3
During the longest-ever single spaceflight by a female astronaut, NASA astronaut Christina Koch completed six spacewalks. Of all the memorable moments on her mission to the International Space Station, Koch has a soft spot for a few from her time spent outside the station.
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/