Blue Origin Continues to Make Space More Accessible to the Public with its Latest Suborbital Flight...

Blue Origin

New Shepard Completes 37th Mission (News Release - December 20)

Blue Origin successfully launched the 37th flight of the New Shepard program. The crew included: Michaela (Michi) Benthaus, Joey Hyde, Hans Koenigsmann, Neal Milch, Adonis Pouroulis and Jason Stansell. This mission marked the first time a wheelchair user has flown above the Kármán Line, the internationally-recognized boundary of space. Including the latest crew, New Shepard has now flown 92 people (86 individuals) into space.

“NS-37 marks our ninth flight of the year and sets the stage for an increase in New Shepard flight rate in 2026 and beyond,” said Phil Joyce, Senior Vice President of New Shepard. “This crew exemplifies the breadth and diversity of people who can now experience spaceflight, from engineers and scientists to entrepreneurs, teachers and investors from all over the world. Each brings their unique perspective and passion for exploration. Michi's flight is particularly meaningful, demonstrating that space is for everyone, and we are proud to help her achieve this dream.”

New Shepard was designed with accessibility in mind. The vehicle is autonomous and features elevator access on the launch tower, making spaceflight accessible to a wider range of people. Including the latest flight, New Shepard has flown astronauts who are wheelchair users, hard of hearing, have limited mobility or limb differences, have low vision, or are legally blind.

Key mission statistics:

Official Launch Time: 8:15:00 AM CST / 14:15:00 UTC

Booster Apogee: 346,386 ft AGL / 350,033 ft MSL (106 km AGL / 107 km MSL)

Crew Capsule Apogee: 346,775 ft AGL / 350,422 ft MSL (106 km AGL / 107 km MSL)

Crew Capsule Landing Time: 8:25:26 AM CDT / 14:25:26 UTC

Mission Elapsed Time: 10 minutes, 26 seconds

Source: Blue Origin

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Space is for everyone. pic.twitter.com/OUs4V2LURA

— Blue Origin (@blueorigin) December 20, 2025

Orion's First Astronauts Conduct Their Countdown Demonstration Test for Next Year's Moon Mission...

NASA / Jim Ross

Artemis II Crew Rehearse Launch Day Demonstration (News Release)

The four astronauts set to fly around the Moon during NASA’s Artemis II test flight depart the Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, during a dress rehearsal for launch day on December 20, 2025. From left are CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen, NASA astronauts Victor Glover, Reid Wiseman and Christina Koch.

The launch day rehearsal, called a countdown demonstration test, simulated the launch day timeline, including the crew suiting up in their spacesuits and climbing in and out of their Orion spacecraft. Because the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket upon which they will launch is not yet at the launch pad, the crew boarded Orion inside Kennedy’s Vehicle Assembly Building, where engineers are conducting final preparations on the spacecraft, rocket and ground systems.

Through Artemis, NASA will send astronauts to explore the Moon for scientific discovery, economic benefits, and build the foundation for the first crewed missions to Mars.

Source: NASA.Gov

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NASA / Glenn Benson


NASA / Glenn Benson

The Crew Access Arm is being lifted onto NASA's Mobile Launcher 2 for SLS Block 1B! Also Artemis II Countdown Demonstration Test is today in the VAB @NASASpaceflight https://t.co/MuLjv5pXk0 pic.twitter.com/rPRX8DYnPE

— Rough Riders Show (@RoughRidersShow) December 20, 2025

The U.S. Space Program Has a New Leader...

NASA / Bill Ingalls

Jared Isaacman Sworn In as NASA Administrator (Photo Release - December 18)

U.S District Judge Timothy Kelly, left, swears in Jared Isaacman, right, as the 15th administrator of NASA - as Isaacman’s parents, Donald and Sandra Marie, join on Thursday, December 18, 2025, at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building in Washington.

Source: NASA.Gov

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SpaceX


SpaceX

Photos of the Day: The Exterior of Space Shuttle Endeavour's New Home is Complete!

Earlier today, I drove down to the California Science Center near downtown Los Angeles to check up on the current status of space shuttle Endeavour's permanent home, the Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center. As you can see from these images, the exterior of the new building is complete!

While the Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center now looks like the gorgeous renderings that were released when construction on the exhibit commenced three years ago, it will still take at least a year to fill the Center with the scores of flight artifacts that will accompany Endeavour's Space Shuttle Stack inside the $425-million structure. The orbiter's new home, as currently scheduled, is set to open either in late 2026 or 2027.

Stay tuned!


Richard T. Par


Richard T. Par


Richard T. Par


Richard T. Par


Richard T. Par


Richard T. Par


Richard T. Par

NASA's First Korean-American Astronaut (Who's Also a Former Navy SEAL and Harvard Medical Doctor) Is Back on Earth...

NASA / Bill Ingalls

Soyuz Crew Lands Ending Eight-Month Space Research Journey (News Release)

At 12:03 a.m. EST (10:03 a.m. local time), the Soyuz MS-27 spacecraft made a parachute-assisted landing on the steppe of Kazakhstan, southeast of the town of Dzhezkazgan.

NASA astronaut Jonny Kim and Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Ryzhikov and Alexey Zubritsky orbited Earth 3,920 times and traveled nearly 104 million miles over the course of their 245-day mission. The Soyuz MS-27 spacecraft launched and docked with the space station on April 8.

This was Kim’s first spaceflight, where he served as flight engineer for Expedition 72 and 73. This was also Zubritsky's first trip to the space station. Ryzhikov has now logged a total of 603 days in space during three trips to the orbital complex, ranking him 13th of all time.

The three crew members will fly by helicopter to Karaganda, Kazakhstan, where recovery teams are based. Kim will board a NASA aircraft and return to Houston, while Ryzhikov and Zubritsky will depart for their training base in Star City, Russia.

Source: NASA.Gov

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NASA / Bill Ingalls

NASA Preps KSC Ground Systems for the Second Launch of SLS...

NASA / Frank Michaux

Artemis II CAA Artemis Logo Painting (Photo Release - December 4)

From left, Sean McCrary and Katie Mortensen, mechanical engineering technicians, paint NASA’s Artemis logo on the White Room connected to the crew access arm and Mobile Launcher inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida - on Thursday, December 4, 2025.

The White Room is the area where Artemis II crew members Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen will enter the Orion spacecraft ahead of launch from Launch Complex 39B at NASA Kennedy in early 2026.

Source: NASA.Gov

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NASA / Frank Michaux

More Snapshots of Special Decals on the Second SLS Rocket...

NASA / Frank Michaux

Artemis II A250 Logo Painting Image Feature (Photo Release - December 4)

Technicians with NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems Program complete installation of the America 250 emblem on the twin SLS (Space Launch System) solid rocket boosters for the Artemis II mission inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida - on Thursday, December 4, 2025.

The SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft will carry NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen on a 10-day mission around the Moon and back in early 2026, from Launch Complex 39B at NASA Kennedy.

America 250 commemorates the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, with NASA celebrating the “Spirit of Innovation” theme to inspire future generations.

Source: NASA.Gov

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NASA / Frank Michaux


NASA / Frank Michaux

Looking Ahead to Orion's Fourth Moon Mission...

NASA

NASA Selects 2 Instruments for Artemis IV Lunar Surface Science (News Release)

NASA has selected two science instruments designed for astronauts to deploy on the surface of the Moon during the Artemis IV mission to the lunar south polar region. The instruments will improve our knowledge of the lunar environment to support NASA’s further exploration of the Moon and beyond to Mars.

“The Apollo Era taught us that the further humanity is from Earth, the more dependent we are on science to protect and sustain human life on other planets,” said Nicky Fox, associate administrator, Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “By deploying these two science instruments on the lunar surface, our proving ground, NASA is leading the world in the creation of humanity’s interplanetary survival guide to ensure the health and safety of our spacecraft and human explorers as we begin our epic journey back to the Moon and onward to Mars.”

After his voyage to the Moon’s surface during Apollo 17, astronaut Gene Cernan acknowledged the challenge that lunar dust presents to long-term lunar exploration. Moon dust sticks to everything it touches and is very abrasive. The knowledge gained from the DUSTER (DUst and plaSma environmenT survEyoR) investigation will help mitigate hazards to human health and exploration.

Consisting of a set of instruments mounted on a small autonomous rover, DUSTER will characterize dust and plasma around the landing site.

These measurements will advance understanding of the Moon’s natural dust and plasma environment and how that environment responds to human presence, including any disturbance during crew exploration activities and lander liftoff. The DUSTER instrument suite is led by Xu Wang of the University of Colorado Boulder. The contract is for $24.8 million over a period of three years.

Data from the SPSS (South Pole Seismic Station) will enable scientists to characterize the lunar interior structure to better understand the geologic processes that affect planetary bodies. The seismometer will help determine the current rate at which the Moon is struck by meteorite impacts, monitor the real-time seismic environment and how it can affect operations for astronauts, and determine properties of the Moon’s deep interior. The crew will additionally perform an active-source experiment using a “thumper” that creates seismic energy to survey the shallow structure around the landing site.

The SPSS instrument is led by Mark Panning of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. The award is for $25 million over a period of three years.

"These two scientific investigations will be emplaced by human explorers on the Moon to achieve science goals that have been identified as strategically important by both NASA and the larger scientific community", said Joel Kearns, deputy associate administrator for exploration, Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters. “We are excited to integrate these instrument teams into the Artemis IV Science Team.”

The two payloads were selected for further development to fly on Artemis IV; however, final manifesting decisions about the mission will be determined at a later date.

Through Artemis, NASA will address high-priority science questions, focusing on those that are best accomplished by on-site human explorers on and around the Moon and by using the unique attributes of the lunar environment, aided by robotic surface and orbiting systems. The Artemis missions will send astronauts to explore the Moon for scientific discovery, economic benefits and build the foundation for the first crewed missions to Mars.

Source: NASA.Gov

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LASP / CU Boulder / Lunar Outpost


NASA / JPL - Caltech

The Second SLS Rocket Will Sport a Special Decal to Mark a Major U.S. Milestone Next Year...

NASA / Ben Smegelsky

America 250 Logo Painting on Artemis II SRB (Photo Release)

Technicians with NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems unveil on Monday, December 1, 2025, the America 250 logo on the twin SLS (Space Launch System) solid rocket boosters for the Artemis II mission inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

The SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft will carry NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen on a 10-day mission around the Moon and back in early 2026 - from Launch Complex 39B at NASA Kennedy.

America 250 commemorates the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, with NASA celebrating the “Spirit of Innovation” theme to inspire future generations.

Source: NASA.Gov