NASA

This is a season where our thoughts turn to others and many exchange gifts with friends and family. For astronomers, our universe is the gift that keeps on giving. We’ve learned so much about it, but every question we answer leads to new things we want to know. Stars, galaxies, planets, black holes … there are endless wonders to study.In honor of this time of year, let’s count our way through some of our favorite gifts from astronomy.Our first astronomical gift is … one planet EarthSo far, there is only one planet that we’ve found that has everything needed to support life as we know it — Earth. Even though we’ve discovered over 5,200 planets outside our solar system, none are quite like home. But the search continues with the help of missions like our Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite...

WASHINGTON — Space Systems Command, the primary acquisition and space development arm of the U.S. Space Force, is moving to hire contracting and procurement specialists as it tries to recover from the loss of hundreds of civilian professionals last year following broader federal staffing reductions under the Trump administration. Those reductions, driven by voluntary early retirement and deferred resignation programs, hit particularly hard in acquisition and contracting roles just as the Pentagon is pushing the military services to move faster and adopt new procurement approaches. Space Force leaders now say the resulting workforce gap is emerging as a central constraint on their ability to execute modernization plans. The Space Systems Command, as well as the entire Department o...

Each January, the space community pauses to reflect on the bravery, sacrifice, and legacy of those who have given their lives in the pursuit of space exploration on NASA’s Day of Remembrance.This day falls near the anniversaries of some of NASA’s most profound tragedies — moments that reshaped the agency’s approach to safety, innovation, and human spaceflight. In 2026, NASA will observe the Day of Remembrance on January 22. Remembering the Fallen The Day of Remembrance honors all who were lost in the line of duty, with recognition to the crews of Apollo 1, Space Shuttle Challenger, and Space Shuttle Columbia — three pivotal missions that ended in tragedy but also prompted deep reflection and progress: Apollo 1 (1967): During a pre-launch test on January 27, a cabin fire...

After 167 days in space, the crew members of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-11 mission will hold a news conference at 2:15 p.m. EST, Wednesday, Jan. 21, at the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston to discuss their science expedition aboard the International Space Station. NASA astronauts Zena Cardman and Mike Fincke, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Kimiya Yui, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov will answer questions about their mission. The crew members returned to Earth on Jan. 15, splashing down off the coast of San Diego, and arrived in Houston on Friday, where they will undergo standard postflight reconditioning and evaluations. NASA will provide live coverage on the agency’s YouTube channel. Learn how to watch NASA content through a variety of additional online platfor...

Our Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is now fully assembled! Once it passes final tests, it will move to our Kennedy Space Center in Florida for launch preparations this summer. Roman is slated to launch by May 2027, but the team is on track for launch as early as fall 2026.ALTNASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope in the largest clean room at the agency’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md.The observatory is named after Dr. Nancy Grace Roman, NASA’s first chief astronomer who made cosmic vistas readily accessible to all by paving the way for telescopes based in space. The Roman Space Telescope will build on her legacy by sending back a flood of incredible celestial images and data.A SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket will send the observatory to its final destination a million miles ...