As part of NASA’s ongoing Inspiration Tour, NASA astronaut Christina Koch will highlight America’s strengths in space exploration and aeronautics innovation at the Philadelphia Eagles vs. Los Angeles Rams game in Philadelphia on Sunday, Oct. 4. A self-proclaimed Philadelphia sports…

NASA is seeking leaders for one of the most esteemed positions on Earth for human spaceflight: flight director in mission control at the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. This role is critical to advancing American leadership in space exploration,…

Lunar scientists Juliane Gross and Aaron Regberg share never-before-heard recordings from the Artemis II crew as they observed the far side of the Moon. Episode 439

Editor’s note: This release was updated on Oct. 2, 2026, to correct the full names of the DISCO and GIMLI payloads. NASA selected three new scientific investigations and their payload suites to advance our knowledge of the Moon and help…

NASA’s 2027 Human Lander Challenge is seeking ideas from college and university students to help address one of the most critical needs for sustained lunar exploration: reliable communications. As NASA prepares for long-term human presence on the Moon through the…

The Republic of Albania signed the Artemis Accords Monday during a ceremony hosted by NASA at the agency’s headquarters in Washington, joining the coalition of like‑minded nations committed to the responsible and transparent exploration of space. “It is my privilege…

The Solar TErrestrial RElations Observatory (STEREO) mission was launched to help us see the Sun from a new viewpoint. This article explains how this mission and others like it revolutionize our understanding of the Earth-Sun system.

Editors’ Note: This advisory was updated on Sept. 17, 2026, to reflect current pre-game details. As part of NASA’s new Inspiration Tour, Reid Wiseman, NASA astronaut and commander of the agency’s Artemis II mission, will highlight America’s strengths in space…

Planning crewed missions to the Moon and Mars involves preparing for the medical realities of long-duration space travel. Factors like cosmic radiation, microgravity, and distance from Earth create unique health considerations for astronauts. To anticipate these needs ahead of time,…

NASA astronaut Randy Bresnik (left) and ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Luca Parmitano view progress on the solid rocket booster integration in High Bay 3 inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Wednesday, Sept.…

The Republic of Djibouti became the 72nd nation and eighth African country to sign the Artemis Accords during a ceremony Monday at NASA Headquarters in Washington. The Artemis Accords are the first set of practical principles aimed at enhancing transparency,…

The science from every Moon rock sample, lunar dataset, and discovery produced through NASA’s Artemis program will be shared by the agency with the global scientific community. That commitment is upheld by all 71 countries that have signed the Artemis…

The crew of NASA’s Artemis II mission – NASA astronauts Christina Koch, Victor Glover, and Reid Wiseman and CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen – visited Huntsville, Alabama, Sept. 1, 2026, where they met with the NASA workforce at…

Explore fun facts about the Orion spacecraft.

The Orion Program, managed by NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, is a broad national and international collaboration. Multiple NASA centers, international partners, and industry contractors contribute to the spacecraft, from building hardware to supporting mission operations.

The Orion Program conducted rigorous testing of the spacecraft, from element-level testing with test articles for the crew module, service module, LAS, parachute system, and other supporting systems—including both flight tests and ground tests—to integrated testing of the full spacecraft that have…

The Orion primary flight computers have over 750,000 lines of code that operate all the spacecraft systems, including power, communications, guidance, navigation, control, thermal management, instrumentation, and propulsion.

Orion’s launch abort system, also known as the LAS, is designed to carry the crew to safety in the event of an emergency during launch or ascent atop NASA’s SLS rocket. It can activate within milliseconds to pull the spacecraft away from…

Orion’s European Service Module is provided by ESA (European Space Agency) and built by lead contractor Airbus. It is the powerhouse that fuels and propels the Orion spacecraft in space.  

The crew module is the pressurized part of the Orion spacecraft, sometimes referred to as the capsule, where crew members live and work on their journey to the Moon and back to Earth. It is the only portion of Orion that returns to…

Orion has been specially designed and tested to make sure astronauts can live and work safely in the capsule during multi-week Artemis missions. Countless details inside and outside the spacecraft are meticulously thought through to ensure that astronauts are protected…

During a ceremony hosted by NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman at the agency’s headquarters in Washington on Monday, the Republic of Türkiye signed the Artemis Accords, joining the growing international coalition of like-minded nations dedicated to peaceful, transparent space exploration. “It…

From left to right: NASA astronauts Victor Glover and Christina Koch, CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen, and NASA astronaut Reid Wiseman receive the Congressional Space Medal of Honor from President Donald J. Trump on Aug. 28, 2026, for…

EDITOR’S NOTE: This story, originally published in December, was revised Aug. 26, 2026 with an update on a new phase of testing, including video from a recent test run and new images. EDITOR’S NOTE: This story was corrected Sept. 2,…

President Donald J. Trump will award each of NASA’s Artemis II crew members the Congressional Space Medal of Honor at 11 a.m. EDT on Friday, Aug. 28, during a ceremony at the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. NASA astronauts…