Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Editor’s Note, Jan. 11, 2026: NASA’s Pandora and the NASA-sponsored BlackCAT and SPARCS missions lifted off at 8:44 a.m. EST (5:44 a.m. PST) Sunday, Jan. 11. A new NASA spacecraft called Pandora is awaiting launch ahead of its journey to study the atmospheres of exoplanets, or worlds beyond our solar system, and their stars. Along […]

Posted January 9, 2026

SPHEREx (Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe and Ices Explorer)

Astrophysics

Galaxies

Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Origin & Evolution of the Universe

The Search for Life

The Universe

NASA’s SPHEREx Observatory Completes First Cosmic Map Like No Other

Launched in March, NASA’s SPHEREx space telescope has completed its first infrared map of the entire sky in 102 colors. While not visible to the human eye, these 102 infrared wavelengths of light are prevalent in the cosmos, and observing the entire sky this way enables scientists to answer big questions, including how a dramatic […]

Posted December 18, 2025

Perseverance (Rover)

Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Mars

Mars 2020

The Solar System

NASA’s Perseverance Mars Rover Ready to Roll for Miles in Years Ahead

After nearly five years on Mars, NASA’s Perseverance rover has traveled almost 25 miles (40 kilometers), and the mission team has been busy testing the rover’s durability and gathering new science findings on the way to a new region nicknamed “Lac de Charmes,” where it will be searching for rocks to sample in the coming […]

Posted December 17, 2025

Titan

Astrobiology

Cassini

Deep Space Network

Dragonfly

Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Planetary Science

Planetary Science Division

Saturn

Saturn Moons

NASA Study Suggests Saturn’s Moon Titan May Not Have Global Ocean

A key discovery from NASA’s Cassini mission in 2008 was that Saturn’s largest moon Titan may have a vast water ocean below its hydrocarbon-rich surface. But reanalysis of mission data suggests a more complicated picture: Titan’s interior is more likely composed of ice, with layers of slush and small pockets of warm water that form […]

Posted December 17, 2025

Sentinel-6B

Earth

Earth Science Division

Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Science Mission Directorate

NASA, SpaceX Launch US-European Satellite to Monitor Earth’s Oceans

About the size of a full-size pickup truck, a newly launched satellite by NASA and its partners will provide ocean and atmospheric information to improve hurricane forecasts, help protect infrastructure, and benefit commercial activities, such as shipping.

Posted November 17, 2025

Sentinel-6B

Earth

Earth Science

Earth Science Division

Jason-CS (Continuity of Service) / Sentinel-6

Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Kennedy Space Center

NASA Headquarters

Oceans

Science & Research

Science Mission Directorate

Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich Satellite

NASA Sets Launch Coverage for International Ocean Tracking Mission

NASA will provide live coverage of prelaunch and launch activities for Sentinel-6B, an international mission delivering critical sea level and ocean data to protect coastal infrastructure, improve weather forecasting, and support commercial activities at sea. Launch is targeted at 12:21 a.m. EST, Monday, Nov. 17 (9:21 p.m. PST, Sunday, Nov.

Posted November 14, 2025

NISAR (NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar)

Earth Science Division

Goddard Space Flight Center

Jet Propulsion Laboratory

NASA Headquarters

Science Mission Directorate

NASA-ISRO Satellite Sends First Radar Images of Earth’s Surface

The NISAR (NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar) Earth-observing radar satellite’s first images of our planet’s surface are in, and they offer a glimpse of things to come as the joint mission between NASA and ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation) approaches full science operations later this year.

Posted September 25, 2025

Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Earth

Goddard Space Flight Center

Human Dimensions

Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Water on Earth

Wildfires

NASA Data Powers New Tool to Protect Water Supply After Fires

When wildfires scorch a landscape, the flames are just the beginning. NASA is helping U.S. communities foresee and prepare for what can follow: mudslides, flash flooding, and contaminated water supplies.

Posted September 24, 2025

Deep Space Optical Communications (DSOC)

Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Psyche Mission

Space Communications & Navigation Program

Space Operations Mission Directorate

Space Technology Mission Directorate

Tech Demo Missions

NASA’s Deep Space Communications Demo Exceeds Project Expectations

The project has exceeded all of its technical goals after two years, setting up the foundations of high-speed communications for NASA’s future human missions to Mars.

Posted September 18, 2025

Exoplanets

Exoplanet Discoveries

Gas Giant Exoplanets

Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Kepler / K2

Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope

Neptune-Like Exoplanets

Super-Earth Exoplanets

Terrestrial Exoplanets

TESS (Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite)

The Search for Life

NASA’s Tally of Planets Outside Our Solar System Reaches 6,000

The milestone highlights the accelerating rate of discoveries, just over three decades since the first exoplanets were found. The official number of exoplanets — planets outside our solar system — tracked by NASA has reached 6,000. Confirmed planets are added to the count on a rolling basis by scientists from around the world, so no […]

Posted September 17, 2025