The Sun emitted a strong solar flare, peaking at 11:38 a.m. ET on May 13, 2025. NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory, which watches the Sun constantly, captured an image of the event. Solar flares are powerful bursts of energy. Flares and solar eruptions can impact radio communications, electric power grids, navigation signals, and pose risks to spacecraft and astronauts. […]
The second test flight of NASA’s 2025 New Zealand Super Pressure Balloon Campaign was safely terminated at 1:30 a.m., Tuesday, May 13 (U.S. Eastern Time) over Argentina. The mission remained in flight for 9 days, 6 hours, and 36 minutes. Balloon operators from NASA’s Columbia Scientific Balloon Facility (CSBF) in Palestine, Texas, sent flight termination commands […]
This week begins with a focus on cargo stowage inside SpaceX’s Dragon cargo spacecraft and health research aboard the International Space Station. The Expedition 73 crew members also scheduled in time for maintenance and agricultural work.
As instrument commissioning and calibration checks continue for NASA’s newly launched PUNCH (Polarimeter to Unify the Corona and Heliosphere) mission, its four spacecraft continue to deliver new images — including its first rainbow-colored view of the sky and the first images taken by two of its instruments. The goal of PUNCH is to reveal new details of […]
NASA’s IMAP (Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe) spacecraft arrived May 10 for processing at the Astrotech Space Operations Facility near the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The mission will study how the Sun shapes the boundaries of the heliosphere, the bubble around our solar system. A semitrailer transported the spacecraft from NASA’s Marshall Space […]
Friday’s schedule aboard the International Space Station included maintenance and tech demonstration set up for the Expedition 73 crew.
Precision sounding rockets are scheduled to launch from NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia during a window extending from May 11-18, 2025. No real-time launch status updates will be available. The launch will not be livestreamed, and updates will not be provided during the countdown. The rocket launch may be visible from the Chesapeake Bay region.
Four days into flight, NASA’s second super pressure balloon launched during the agency’s New Zealand campaign remains near the country floating in a wind pattern circulating around and over the country’s North Island.
The test flight is predicted to remain over land for about five more hours before catching zonal winds that will carry it eastward along its typical trajectory around the Southern Hemisphere’s mid-latitudes.
Before any land overflight occurs, a thorough assessment is made of the balloon’s health and the forecast trajectory is analyzed from a safety perspective before beginning the overflight.
“We are very proud of all the hard work the team has invested to get us this far,” said Andrew Hamilton, deputy chief of NASA’s Balloon Program Office at the agency’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. “The balloon has been performing well, and we are continuing to gather more data and information on the performance of the balloon system. New Zealand is an ideal location for this kind of mission, allowing us to have extended time in the stratosphere as we circle the globe.”
If weather permits, the balloon may be visible from the ground, particularly at sunrise and sunset. NASA invites the public to track the balloon’s path in real-time here.
Biotechnology work and health research was the main focus on Thursday aboard the International Space Station. Five Expedition 73 crew members also scheduled some time for training and additional experiment cleanup duties.
A full day of experiment preparations and health research topped Wednesday’s Expedition 73 schedule aboard the International Space Station. The crew expanded on agricultural and pharmaceutical work that began earlier in the week and continued to study how spaceflight affects the human body.
