NASA

ST. LOUIS — Capella Space, the synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellite company known for capturing high-resolution images of Earth in all weather and lighting conditions, is preparing for a major pivot — one that could redefine how Earth-observation data is delivered and secured.Earlier this month, IonQ, a Maryland-based quantum computing firm, announced its intent to acquire Capella in an all-stock deal valued at nearly $318 million. The acquisition is expected to close in the second half of 2025, pending regulatory approval. Capella will operate as a wholly owned subsidiary of IonQ but continue to run and upgrade its SAR satellite constellation.IonQ CEO Niccolo de Masi, a physicist and entrepreneur, took the company public in 2021 through a merger with a special purpose acquisiti...

HOUSTON, TEXAS (APRIL 28, 2025) – Since the start of the 2024-25 school year, nearly 2,000 high school teams and 5,000 students from more than 80 countries collaborated across oceans and time zones to develop viable solutions to global challenges in the field of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM). Competing for first place titles as “Pete Conrad Scholars,” the top 31 student teams convened at Space Center Houston for the Conrad Challenge Innovation Summit and EXPO finals sponsored by Equinor. Founded in 2007 by Nancy Conrad in honor of her late husband, NASA astronaut Charles “Pete” Conrad, the Challenge inspires students to design today’s solutions for tomorrow’s challenges, carrying forward his legacy for innovation and exploration. Nancy Conrad, ...

ALTThis computer-simulated image shows a supermassive black hole at the core of a galaxy. The black region in the center represents the black hole’s event horizon, beyond which no light can escape the massive object’s gravitational grip. The black hole’s powerful gravity distorts space around it like a funhouse mirror. Light from background stars is stretched and smeared as it skims by the black hole.You might wonder — if this Tumblr post is about invisible things, what’s with all the pictures? Even though we can’t see these things with our eyes or even our telescopes, we can still learn about them by studying how they affect their surroundings. Then, we can use what we know to make visualizations that represent our understanding.When you think of the invisible, you might first picture som...

Space Center Houston’s annual Planet Earth Celebration brings people and space together to recognize how extraordinary our planet is—and to explore simple, meaningful ways to protect it.  The origins of Planet Earth Celebration The Planet Earth Celebration traces its roots to the iconic Earthrise photo taken by Apollo 8 astronauts in 1968, showing our planet rising above the Moon’s horizon. This striking image—the first color photo of Earth from space—inspired a sense of global unity and urgency around protecting our fragile planet. It played a pivotal role in launching the environmental movement and led to the first Earth Day in 1970, when millions of people rallied for change. Today, the celebration continues to raise awareness and inspire action to preserve Earth’s uni...