Blog

NASA, Northrop Grumman, and SpaceX are targeting no earlier than 8:49 a.m. EDT on Wednesday, April 8, for the next launch delivering science investigations, supplies, and equipment to the International Space Station.

Posted April 4, 2026

Artemis

Artemis 2

Earth's Moon

Goddard Space Flight Center

Johnson Space Center

Johnson's Mission Control Center

Lunar Science

Planetary Science Division

Science Mission Directorate

The Solar System

Meet NASA’s New Artemis II Science Officers

NASA’s first Artemis II science officers—Kelsey Young, Trevor Graff, and Angela Garcia—are pioneering a new era of mission operations by integrating advanced lunar science directly into Mission Control. Their work will shape how future Artemis crews observe, analyze, and deepen our understanding of the Moon.

Posted April 3, 2026

NASA History

Virgil I. Grissom

Virgil I. “Gus” Grissom

Today marks the 100th anniversary of the birth of Virgil I. “Gus” Grissom, born April 3, 1926, in Mitchell, Indiana. As one of NASA’s first seven astronauts, he became America’s second astronaut to fly in space when he launched aboard the Liberty Bell 7 spacecraft on July 21, 1961, just weeks after Alan Shepard’s historic […]

Posted April 3, 2026

Artemis

Artemis 2

Earth

Hello, World

NASA astronaut and Artemis II Commander Reid Wiseman took this picture of Earth from the Orion spacecraft’s window after completing the translunar injection burn. There are two auroras (top right and bottom left) and zodiacal light (bottom right) is visible as the Earth eclipses the Sun. This and another photo of Earth are the first […]

Posted April 3, 2026

Earth Observatory

Goddard Space Flight Center

Sea Ice

Terra

Barents Sea Tied to Low Arctic Sea Ice

Patches of open water in the region contributed to low sea ice extent across the Arctic in March 2026, which tied with the lowest maximum observed in the satellite record.

Posted April 3, 2026

Artemis 2

Artemis

Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate

Humans in Space

Missions

Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle

NASA’s Artemis II Mission Leaves Earth Orbit for Flight around Moon

For the first time in more than 50 years, astronauts on a NASA mission are bound to fly around the Moon after successfully completing a key burn of Orion’s main engine. With the approximately six-minute firing of the spacecraft’s service module engine on Thursday, known as the translunar injection burn, Orion and its crew of […]

Posted April 3, 2026

Artemis

Artemis 2

Kennedy Space Center

Artemis II Astronauts Launch to Moon

NASA’s Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft lift off in this April 1, 2026, image. NASA’s Artemis II mission will take NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, and CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy on an approximately 10-day journey around the Moon and back aboard their Orion spacecraft.

Posted April 2, 2026

Earth

Earth Observatory

Landsat 9

Natural Disasters

Volcanoes

Réunion Island Lava Reaches the Sea

The February 2026 eruption at Piton de la Fournaise has lasted longer and produced a larger volume of lava than recent eruptions from this frequently active volcano.

Posted April 2, 2026

Artemis

Artemis 2

Humans in Space

Marshall Space Flight Center

Missions

Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle

Space Launch System (SLS)

Liftoff! NASA Launches Astronauts on Historic Artemis Moon Mission

Spurred by American ingenuity, astronauts on NASA’s Artemis II mission are in flight, preparing for the first crewed lunar flyby in more than 50 years. NASA’s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket lifted off from Launch Pad 39B at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 6:35 p.m. EDT Wednesday, sending four astronauts aboard the […]

Posted April 2, 2026

Air Quality

Dust Storms

Earth Observatory

NOAA-21 (JPSS-2)

Terra