NASA

February 19, 2025 4:22 PM

Webb Telescope provides unprecedented view of our Milky Way’s supermassive black hole

NASA's James Webb Space Telescope is providing the best look yet at the chaotic events unfolding around the supermassive black hole at the center of our Milky Way galaxy, observing a steady flickering of light punctuated by occasional bright flares as material is drawn inward by its enormous gravitational pull. Webb, which was launched in 2021 and began collecting data in 2022, is enabling astronomers to observe the region around the black hole - called Sagittarius A*, or Sgr A* - for extended ...

January 31, 2025 11:44 AM

Sunita Williams sets new spacewalking record during 92nd US spacewalk

NASA astronaut Sunita "Suni" Williams achieved a historic milestone on January 30, 2025, by breaking the spacewalking record previously held by former astronaut Peggy Whitson. The International Space Station (ISS) shared the news on X: "NASA astronaut Suni Williams just surpassed former astronaut Peggy Whitson's total spacewalking time of 60 hours and 21 minutes today. Suni is still outside in the vacuum of space removing radio communications hardware." Williams, during this remarkable spacewa...

January 30, 2025 8:41 PM

Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla to pilot Axiom-4 mission to International Space Station

ISRO astronaut and Indian Air Force (IAF) officer Shubhanshu Shukla will serve as the pilot for Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4), which is set to travel to the International Space Station (ISS) from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida no earlier than spring 2025, the US space agency announced on Thursday. Shukla will make history as the first Indian astronaut to visit the orbiting laboratory aboard a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft. A serving officer in the IAF, he has also been selected as an astronaut for ...

January 29, 2025 3:26 PM

Trump, Musk suggest sped-up return of NASA astronauts, but details scarce

President Donald Trump said Tuesday night he had asked Elon Musk's SpaceX to return two NASA astronauts from the International Space Station, who were already scheduled to fly back on a SpaceX capsule in March. Musk earlier on Tuesday said Trump had asked him to return the two astronauts "as soon as possible," suggesting a change to NASA's current plan for a late March return. "We will do so," Musk said. "I have just asked Elon Musk and @SpaceX to 'go get' the 2 brave astronauts who have been ...

December 27, 2024 4:24 PM

NASA confirms Parker Solar Probe safe after record-breaking solar flyby

NASA confirmed on Friday that its Parker Solar Probe is "safe" after becoming the first human-made object in history to fly dangerously close to the Sun. The US space agency stated that the probe, which made its record-setting close approach of just 6.1 million kilometers (3.8 million miles) from the solar surface on December 24, transmitted a beacon tone on Friday to confirm its health following the flyby. During its closest approach, known as the perihelion, the spacecraft was not in contact...

December 19, 2024 11:05 AM

Ambassador Kwatra, US Deputy Secy Campbell meet Indian Astronauts, discuss space sector, defence space cooperation

Indian Ambassador to the U.S. Vinay Mohan Kwatra, along with U.S. Deputy Secretary Kurt Campbell and Principal Deputy National Security Advisor Jon Finer, visited NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston on Wednesday and met with representatives from NASA and ISRO, including two Indian astronauts undergoing training at the facility. These astronauts are preparing for a proposed mission to the International Space Station (ISS) scheduled for 2025, which will mark a significant milestone in India-...

October 25, 2024 3:14 PM

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-8 astronauts return safely to Earth

Space X's Crew-8 astronauts returned to Earth on the Dragon spacecraft from the International Space Station on Friday (October 25). The spacecraft carrying NASA astronauts Matt Dominick, Mike Barratt, Jeanette Epps and Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin splashed down off the Florida coast at approximately 3:29 a.m. ET (07:29 GMT). According to NASA, the astronauts conducted new scientific research to advance human exploration beyond low Earth orbit and benefit human life on Earth. (Reute...

October 23, 2024 4:21 PM

Moon sample talks show space engagement by rivals US and China

NASA and Chinese officials are engaged in talks to let American scientists analyze rocks retrieved by China from the moon's far side, according to the head of the U.S. space agency, as Washington pursues improved communication with Beijing on issues involving space. China in June became the first country to collect rock samples from the permanently dark side of the moon's surface, a demonstration of its growing prowess in space. Chinese officials offered the material to the world's scientists f...

October 16, 2024 8:29 PM

Prada and Axiom Space aim for the moon with new astronaut suit

Italian luxury group Prada and Houston-based startup Axiom Space unveiled on Wednesday the design of a spacesuit that will be used for NASA's Artemis 3 mission to the moon that is planned for 2026. In its outward appearance, the spacesuit does not stray too far from what astronauts have worn in the past. It is the familiar bulky white suit, with added red trim and grey patches on the knees and elbows. The new Axiom Extravehicular Mobility Unit (AxEMU), as the suit is known, was showcased at th...

October 14, 2024 3:12 PM

NASA spacecraft to study whether Jupiter’s moon Europa can harbor life

NASA is set to launch a spacecraft to Jupiter's moon Europa, considered one of our solar system's most promising spots to search for life beyond Earth, to learn whether this ice-encased world believed to harbor a vast underground ocean is habitable. The U.S. space agency's robotic solar-powered Europa Clipper spacecraft will be launched on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket from the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, carrying nine scientific instruments. After traveling 1.8 billion miles (2.9 bi...