NASA is getting ready to send four astronauts around the Moon with Artemis II, laying the foundation for sustainable missions to the lunar surface and paving the way for human exploration on Mars. As the agency considers deep space endeavors that could last months or years, it must develop ways to feed astronauts beyond sending supplies from Earth.

That is why NASA is launching the Deep Space Food Challenge: Mars to Table, a new global competition inviting chefs, innovators, culinary experts, higher-education students, and citizen scientists to design a complete, Earth-independent food system for long-duration space missions.

“In the future, exploration missions will grow in both duration and distance from Earth. This will make the critical question of feeding our astronauts more complex, requiring innovative solutions to allow for long-term human exploration of space,” said Greg Stover, acting associate administrator of NASA’s Space Technology Missions Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “Opening the door to ideas from beyond the agency strengthens NASA’s ability to operate farther from Earth with greater independence.”

Mars to Table builds on NASA’s first Deep Space Food Challenge by seeking to integrate multiple food production and preparation methods into a holistic, self-sustaining system designed for use on Mars. This new challenge is open now until July 31 to the global public and carries a prize purse of up to $750,000.

“Future crews on the Moon and Mars will need food systems that are nutritious, sustainable, and fully independent from Earth,” said Jarah Meador, program executive for NASA’s Prizes, Challenges, and Crowdsourcing Program at NASA Headquarters. “Food will play a pivotal role in the overall health and happiness of future deep space explorers. The Mars to Table Challenge is about bringing all those pieces together into one comprehensive design.”

Solvers are tasked with creating a complete meal plan suitable for astronauts living on Mars, using a NASA-created mission scenario as their guide. Each team will design a full food system concept, including a detailed operations plan and system design layout that supports a surface mission. Teams must consider every detail – from nutritional balance and taste to safety, usability, and integration with NASA’s Environmental Control and Life Support Systems.

Participants in the Mars to Table Challenge are also encouraged to address food security on Earth. Innovative growth systems designed for space could make fresh food production possible in harsh, remote, or resource-limited areas, such as research stations located at Earth’s poles or in rural areas with limited access to traditional supply chains.

“This challenge isn’t just about feeding astronauts; it’s about feeding people anywhere,” said Jennifer Edmunson, acting program manager for NASA’s Centennial Challenges at NASA’s Marshall Spaceflight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. “Novel meals that are compact, shelf-stable, and nutrient-rich could expand culinary options for groups like military personnel or disaster relief responders. By solving for Mars and future planetary expeditions, we can also find solutions for Earth.”

NASA’s Centennial Challenges have a 20-year legacy of engaging the public to solve complex problems that benefit NASA’s broader initiatives. Past challenges have spurred advances in robotics, additive manufacturing, power and energy, textiles, chemistry, and biology.

Mars to Table is a collaborative, cross-program Centennial Challenge with support from NASA’s Division of Biological and Physical Sciences, Heliophysics Division, Planetary Science Program, Human Research Program, and Mars Campaign Office. Subject matter experts at the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston and Kennedy Space Center in Florida support the challenge. This challenge is part of the Prizes, Challenges and Crowdsourcing program within NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate. NASA has partnered with the Methuselah Foundation and contracted Floor23 Digital to support the administration and management of this challenge. 

To learn more about the challenge, including timelines, submission requirements, and future webinar dates, visit:

https://www.deepspacefood.org/marstotable

By Savannah Bullard

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NASA has identified a list of 32 technology shortfalls and invites you to give input on your critical technology needs using this feedback mechanism. Whether you’re part of the space technology community or an interested member of the public, your input is invaluable. By registering and providing your feedback, you could help inform of national space technology priorities. NASA will analyze and aggregate the rankings to produce priority lists for each stakeholder group, which will be made publicly available for continued collaboration.

This prioritization framework will guide the Space Technology Mission Directorate’s evaluation of current development efforts to identify necessary adjustments within its existing portfolios. The shortfall prioritization process may inspire new investments or spark innovative partnerships with stakeholders. This initiative also has the potential to unlock emerging commercial opportunities and accelerate growth in the U.S. space economy.

Understanding and prioritizing the most important and impactful efforts allows STMD to appropriately direct available resources to best support mission needs for NASA and the nation.

Open Date: January 12, 2026

Close Date: February 20, 2026

For more information, visit: https://www.spacetechpriorities.org/

As NASA prepares for long-duration missions to the Moon that will pave the way for human exploration on Mars, the agency is tapping into America’s expanding space economy to help guide its strategic technology investments. This initiative, led by NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate invites collaboration from U.S. industry leaders, academic institutions, and other government agencies to help prioritize critical technology development needs – known as shortfalls – identified for future science and exploration missions. 

“NASA wants to hear directly from the nation’s brightest minds to drive solutions for our greatest technology needs as we lead America’s exploration through the solar system,” said Greg Stover, acting associate administrator for NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD) at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “As we pursue collaboration with industry to support our most ambitious missions and increase agility, prioritizing NASA’s technology efforts ensures the most efficient and impactful progress for the agency and its stakeholders.” 

Until Friday, Feb. 20, NASA will collect input from the aerospace community on consolidated technology shortfalls, such as developing infrastructure and capabilities for long-term operations in the lunar and Martian environments. Technology stakeholders will participate in virtual meetings, provide feedback, and submit their shortfall ranking to the agency.

This effort builds on NASA’s first shortfall ranking exercise in 2024 which asked participants to rank 187 civil space shortfalls, resulting in an integrated list of technology priorities. Based on the invaluable feedback provided by stakeholders in the first exercise, NASA has streamlined the process by consolidating the shortfalls into 32 broader, integrated categories, each addressing specific needs to provide further definition and context. This restructuring maintains the original content’s depth while creating a more efficient and accessible feedback mechanism for participants. 

NASA will analyze and aggregate the rankings to produce priority lists for each stakeholder group, which will be made publicly available for continued collaboration. This prioritization framework will guide NASA’s evaluation of current technology development efforts to identify necessary adjustments within its existing portfolios.

The shortfall prioritization process may inspire new investments within NASA or spark innovative partnerships with external stakeholders. This initiative also has the potential to unlock emerging commercial opportunities and accelerate growth in the U.S. space economy.

As NASA nears its next mission to the Moon, prioritizing the most important and impactful efforts helps NASA appropriately direct available resources to best support mission needs for the agency and the nation. To maintain this collaborative approach, STMD plans to conduct feedback sessions and workshops every three years with industry, academia, and other government agencies, creating a dynamic process that continuously incorporates stakeholder insights and end-user perspectives.

The agency remains committed to refining this engagement framework, ensuring it delivers maximum value to all participants while advancing America’s leadership in space exploration and technology development.

To review the list of technology shortfalls and add input to NASA Space Technology’s prioritization effort, visit:

https://www.nasa.gov/spacetechpriorities

By: Jasmine Hopkins

NASA’s DiskSat technology demonstration mission will test the performance of a new small spacecraft platform designed to expand the capabilities of current small spacecraft. By demonstrating the advantages of a flat, disk-shaped architecture over the conventional CubeSat design, DiskSat aims to enable lower-cost space missions, broaden scientific opportunities, and increase overall access to space.

At 12:03 a.m. EST on Thursday, Dec. 18, DiskSat launched aboard a Rocket Lab Electron rocket from the company’s Launch Complex 2 on Wallops Island, Virginia.

The demonstration will evaluate the performance of the DiskSat spacecraft themselves and a specialized dispenser mechanism. The dispenser is engineered to securely contain four DiskSat spacecraft during launch, then sequentially deploy them into low Earth orbit where they will perform maneuvers. Each DiskSat is a circular, flat spacecraft 40 inches (one meter) in diameter and one inch (two-and-a-half centimeters) thick – similar to a small coffee table. Each has an electric propulsion system to allow for orbit changes and maintenance. The DiskSat design is also conducive to operations in very low Earth orbit, which can offer sharper Earth imaging and sensing capabilities as well as lower latency communications solutions.

DiskSat boosts U.S. innovation and commercial space opportunities while providing mission designers new flexibility, enabling them to pursue and achieve NASA’s goals faster and more affordably. DiskSats offer an alternative platform that could significantly expand the scope of future small spacecraft missions for NASA, the commercial space industry, other government agencies, and academia. The DiskSat demonstration also supports NASA’s long-term plans for sustained exploration at the Moon and Mars as well as advancing our ability to study and better understand our home planet.

The Aerospace Corporation, headquartered in Chantilly, Virginia, is leading the design and development of the DiskSat concept as well as the DiskSat spacecraft. NASA’s Small Spacecraft & Distributed Systems program within the agency’s Space Technology Mission Directorate funded the development of the DiskSat technology and demonstration mission. The program is based at NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley. The DiskSat launch and in-orbit operations are funded by the U.S. Space Force’s Rocket Systems Launch Program (RSLP) and Department of War Space Test Program (STP), respectively. Rocket Lab USA, Inc., of Long Beach, California is providing launch services. NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility, the agency’s only owned and operated launch range, enabled the mission providing services such as tracking, telemetry, and range safety to ensure a safe and successful mission.

Members of the news media interested in covering this topic should reach out to the NASA Ames newsroom. 

NASA is working with commercial partners to create high-performing, reliable propulsion systems that will help small spacecraft safely maneuver in orbit, reach intended destinations across the solar system, and accomplish mission operations.   

Two new micropropulsion technologies are being tested in space onboard a CubeSat called DUPLEX (Dual Propulsion Experiment) that deployed into low Earth orbit from the International Space Station on Dec. 2. The CubeSat is fitted with two thruster systems that use spools of polymer fibers to provide performance levels of propulsion comparable to existing systems but with greater safety during assembly and more affordability.  

One of the propulsion technologies is a fiber-fed pulsed plasma thruster system which employs an electric pulse to vaporize Teflon material and uses the resulting ions to deliver strong, efficient thrust while using very little fuel. The other propulsion technology is a monofilament vaporization propulsion system – inspired by 3D printers – which heats and vaporizes a common polymer material known as Delrin to create continuous thrust. 

On orbit, DUPLEX will test its advanced propulsion systems by raising and lowering its orbit over two years, demonstrating the systems’ capabilities to maintain a vehicle’s orbit over time. Micropropulsion solutions enable a variety of cost-efficient capabilities necessary for operators in a bustling low Earth orbit economy, including maintaining and adjusting orbits to avoid debris or nearby spacecraft, and coordinating maneuvers between spacecraft to perform maintenance, inspections, and other critical activities. The systems tested on DUPLEX can also make spacecraft capable of lower cost extended missions in areas that are farther from Earth, such as the Moon and Mars. 

Technologies like those demonstrated onboard DUPLEX open the door for U.S. industry to provide efficient, affordable spacecraft systems for various space-based applications, building a stronger orbital economy to meet the needs of NASA and the nation. 

The DUPLEX spacecraft was developed by Champaign-Urbana Aerospace in Illinois. NASA’s Small Spacecraft and Distributed Systems program at the agency’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley supported the development, with funding from the Small Business Innovation Research program and a 2019 Tipping Point industry partnership award through the agency’s Space Technology Mission Directorate.  

With a second Trump Administration at the helm in 2025, NASA marked significant progress toward the Artemis II test flight early next year, which is the first crewed mission around the Moon in more than 50 years, as well as built upon its momentum toward a human return to the lunar surface in preparation to send the first astronauts — Americans — to Mars.

As part of the agency’s Golden Age of innovation and exploration, NASA and its partners landed two robotic science missions on the Moon; garnered more signatories for the Artemis Accords with 59 nations now agreeing to safe, transparent, and responsible lunar exploration; as well as advanced a variety of medical and technological experiments for long-duration space missions like hand-held X-ray equipment and navigation capabilities.

NASA also led a variety of science discoveries, including launching a joint satellite mission with India to regularly monitor Earth’s land and ice-covered surfaces, as well as identifying and tracking the third interstellar object in our solar system; achieved 25 continuous years of human presence aboard the International Space Station; and, for the first time, flew a test flight of the agency’s X-59 supersonic plane that will help revolutionize air travel.

Sean Duffy, named by President Trump, is serving as the acting administrator while NASA awaits confirmation of Jared Isaacman to lead the agency. Isaacman’s nomination hearing took place in early December, and his nomination was passed out of committee with bipartisan support. The full Senate will consider Isaacman’s nomination soon. President Trump also nominated Matt Anderson to serve as deputy administrator, and Greg Autry to serve as chief financial officer, both of whom are awaiting confirmation hearings. NASA named Amit Kshatriya to associate administrator, the agency’s highest-ranking civil servant position.

Key accomplishments by NASA in 2025 include:

Astronauts exploring Moon, Mars is on horizon

Under Artemis, NASA will send astronauts on increasingly difficult missions to explore more of the Moon for scientific discovery, economic benefits, and to build upon our foundation for the first crewed mission to Mars. The Artemis II test flight is the first flight with crew under NASA’s Artemis campaign and is slated to launch in early 2026. The mission will help confirm systems and hardware for future lunar missions, including Artemis III’s astronaut lunar landing.

NASA also introduced 10 new astronaut candidates in September, selected from more than 8,000 applicants. The class is undertaking nearly two years of training for future missions to low Earth orbit, the Moon, and Mars. 

Progress to send the first crews around the Moon and on the lunar surface under Artemis includes:

• NASA completed stacking of its Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft for Artemis II. Teams integrated elements manufactured across the country at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, including the rocket’s boosters and core stage, as well as Orion’s stage adapter and launch abort system, to name a few.
• Ahead of America’s 250th birthday next year, the SLS rocket’s twin-pair of solid rocket boosters showcases the America 250 emblem.
• The Artemis II crew participated in more than 30 mission simulations alongside teams on the ground, ensuring the crew and launch, flight, and recovery teams are prepared for any situation that may arise during the test flight. Soon, crew will don their survival suits and get strapped into Orion during a countdown demonstration test, serving as a dress rehearsal for launch day.
• The agency worked with the Department of War to conduct a week-long underway recovery test in preparation to safely collect the Artemis II astronauts after they splashdown following their mission.
• To support later missions, teams conducted a booster firing test for future rocket generations, verified new RS-25 engines, test-fired a new hybrid rocket motor to help engineering teams better understand the physics of rocket exhaust and lunar landers, as well using various mockups to test landing capabilities in various lighting conditions. Teams also conducted human-in-the-loop testing in Japan with JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) with a rover mockup from their agency.
• NASA also continued work with Axiom Space, to develop and test the company’s spacesuit, including completing a test run at the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory at NASA Johnson ahead of using the suit for Artemis training. The spacesuit will be worn by Artemis astronauts during the Artemis III mission to the lunar South Pole.
• On the Moon, future crew will use a lunar terrain vehicle, or LTV, to travel away from their landing zone. NASA previously awarded three companies feasibility studies for developing LTV, followed by a request for proposals earlier this year. The agency is expected to make an award soon to develop, deliver, and demonstrate LTV on the lunar surface later this decade. The agency also selected two science instruments that will be included on the LTV to study the Moon’s surface composition and scout for potential resources.
• For operations around the Moon, NASA and its partners continued to develop Gateway to support missions between lunar orbit and the Moon’s surface. Construction and production of the first two elements, a power and propulsion system and habitation element, each progressed, as did development and testing of potential science and technology demonstrations operated from Gateway. International partners also continued work that may contribute technology to support those elements, as well as additional habitation capabilities and an airlock.
• This past year, NASA’s Lunar Surface Innovation Consortium team collaborated with over 3,900 members from academia, industry, and government on key lunar surface capabilities. Members from across the U.S. and 71 countries participated in two biannual meetings, three lunar surface workshops, and monthly topic meetings, resulting in 10 studies, four reports, and nine conference presentations. 

Building on previous missions and planning for the future, NASA will conduct more science and technology demonstrations on and around the Moon than ever before. Work toward effort included:

• Selected a suite of science studies for the Artemis II mission, including studies that focus on astronauts’ health.
• Launched two CLPS (Commercial Lunar Payload Services) flights with NASA as a key customer, including Firefly’s Blue Ghost Mission One, which landed on the Moon March 2, and Intuitive Machines’ Nova C lunar lander, which touched down on March 6.
  • Experiments and tech demos aboard these flights included an electrodynamic dust shield, lunar navigation system, high-performance computing, collection of more than 9,000 first-of-a-kind images of the lunar lander’s engine plumes, and more.
• For future CLPS flights, NASA awarded Blue Origin a task order with an option to deliver the agency’s VIPER (Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover) to the lunar South Pole in late 2027, as well as awarded Firefly another flight, slated for 2030.
• Teams studied regolith (lunar dirt and rocks) in a simulated lunar gravity environment and tested how solid materials catch fire in space.
• The agency’s 55-pound CubeSat in lunar orbit, CAPSTONE, exceeded 1,000 days in space, serving as a testbed for autonomous navigation and in-space communications.
• Published findings from this Artemis I experiment highlighting why green algae may be a very good deep space travel companion.

Technological and scientific steps toward humanity’s next giant leap on the Red Planet include:

• Launched a pair of spacecraft, known as ESCAPADE, on a mission to Mars, arriving in September 2027, to study how its magnetic environment is impacted by the Sun. This data will better inform our understanding of space weather, which is important to help minimize the effects of radiation for future missions with crew.
• NASA announced Steve Sinacore, from the agency’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, to lead the nation’s fission surface power efforts.
• Selected participants for a second yearlong ground-based simulation of a human mission to Mars, which began in October, as well as tested a new deep space inflatable habitat concept.
• Completed the agency’s Deep Space Optical Communications experiment, which exceeded all of its technical goals after two years. This type of laser communications has the potential to support high-bandwidth connections for long duration crewed missions in deep space.
• NASA completed its fourth Entry Descent and Landing technology test in three months, accelerating innovation to achieve precision landings on Mars’ thin atmosphere and rugged terrain. 
• Other research to support long-duration missions in deep space include how fluids behave in space, farming space crops, and quantum research.

Through the Artemis Accords, seven new nations have joined the United States, led by NASA and the U.S. Department of State, in a voluntary commitment to the safe, transparent, and responsible exploration of the Moon, Mars, and beyond. With nearly 60 signatories, more countries are expected to sign in the coming months and years. 

• New nations joining America, a founding member in 2020, in signing the accords this year included Bangladesh, Finland, Norway, and Senegal, as well as Hungary, Malaysia, and the Philippines.
• A NASA delegation participated in the 76th International Astronautical Congress in Sydney, Australia. During the congress, NASA co-chaired the Artemis Accords Principals’ Meeting, bringing together dozens of nations furthering discussions on their implementation. 

Finally, NASA engaged the public to join its missions to the Moon and Mars through a variety of activities. The agency sought names from people around the world to fly their name on a SD card aboard Orion during the Artemis II mission. NASA also sponsored a global challenge to design the spacecraft’s zero gravity indicator, announcing 25 finalists this year for the mascot design. Artemis II crew members are expected to announce a winner soon.

NASA’s gold standard science benefits humanity

In addition to conducting science at the Moon and Mars to further human exploration in the solar system, the agency continues its quest in the search for life, and its scientific work defends the planet from asteroids, advances wildfire monitoring from its satellites, studies the Sun, and more.

• Garnering significant interest this year, NASA has coordinated a solar system-wide observation campaign to follow comet 3I/ATLAS, the third known interstellar object to pass through our solar system. To date, 12 NASA spacecraft and space-based telescopes have captured and processed imagery of the comet since its discovery in the summer.

Astrobiology

• A Perseverance sample found on Mars potentially contain biosignatures, a substance or structure that might have a biological origin but requires additional data and studying before any conclusions can be reached about the absence or presence of life.
• NASA’s Curiosity rover on Mars found the largest organic compounds on the Red Planet to date.
• Teams also are working to develop technologies for the Habitable Worlds Observatory, and the agency now has tallied 6,000 exoplanets.
• Samples from asteroid Bennu revealed sugars, amino acids, and other life-building molecules.

Planetary Defense

• In defense of Earth and protecting humanity, NASA has continued to monitor a near-Earth object that triggered potential impact notifications.
• Scientists have worked to calculate more precise impact models, noting the asteroid, which poses no significant threat to Earth, has only a 0.0004% chance of hitting our planet. An international satellite determined NASA’s DART (Double Asteroid Redirect Test) released 35.5 million pounds of dust and rock from the mission’s impact in 2022.
• Other data collection and missions helped inform knowledge of geomagnetic storms, flooding in Texas, tsunami waves in real-time, improved hurricane forecasting and ocean monitoring, high-resolution water resources for farmers and ranchers, and more.
• NASA also advanced wildfire detection, improved lunar reflectance calibration, and studied heat-trapping processes. 

Heliophysics

• In addition to the ESCAPADE mission, NASA also launched five other heliophysics missions to study the Sun and space weather, including PUNCH, EZIE, TRACERS, IMAP, and the Carruthers Geocorona Observatory. 

In addition to launching the NISAR mission, here are other key science moments:

• Completion of NASA’s next flagship observatory, the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, is done, with final testing underway. The telescope will help answer questions about dark energy and exoplanets and will be ready to launch as early as fall of 2026.
• The agency’s newest operating flagship telescope, James Webb Space Telescope, now in its third year, continued to transform our understanding of the universe, and Hubble celebrated its 35th year with a 2.5-gigapixel Andromeda galaxy mosaic.
• Juno found a massive, hyper-energetic volcano on Jupiter’s moon Io.
• NASA’s Parker Solar Probe team shared new images of the Sun’s atmosphere, taken closer to the star than ever captured before.
• Lucy completed a successful rehearsal flyby of the asteroid Donaldjohanson.
• The agency’s SPHEREx space telescope is creating the first full-sky map in 102 infrared colors.
• NASA space telescopes including Chandra X-ray Observatory, IXPE, Fermi, Swift, and NuSTAR continued to reveal secrets in the universe from record-setting black holes to the first observations of the cosmos’ most magnetic objects.

25 years of continuous presence in low Earth orbit

In 2025, the International Space Station celebrated 25 years of continuous human presence, a milestone achievement underscoring its role as a beacon of global cooperation in space. The orbital laboratory supported thousands of hours of groundbreaking research in microgravity in 2025, advancing commercial space development and preparing for future human exploration of the Moon and Mars.

• For the first time, all eight docking ports were occupied by visiting spacecraft to close out the year, demonstrating the strength of NASA’s commercial and international partnerships. Twenty-five people from six countries lived and worked aboard the station this year. In all, 12 spacecraft visited the space station in 2025, including seven cargo missions delivering more than 50,000 pounds of science, tools, and critical supplies to the orbital complex.  

Research aboard the International Space Station continues to benefit life on Earth and support deep space exploration.

• Several studies with Crew-10 and Crew 11 aimed at understanding how the human body adapts to spaceflight, including a new study to assess astronauts’ performance, decision making, and piloting capabilities during simulated lunar landings. 
• In September, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved an early-stage cancer treatment, supported by research aboard the space station, that could reduce costs and shorten treatment times for patients.
• Scientists also published findings in peer-reviewed journals on topics such as astronaut piloting performance after long missions, the use of biologically derived materials to shield against space radiation, robotic telesurgery in space, and how spaceflight affects stem cells, all advancing our understanding of human physiology in space and on Earth.
• Researchers 3D-printed medical implants with potential to support nerve repair; advanced work toward large-scale, in-space semiconductor manufacturing; and researched the production of medical components with increased stability and biocompatibility that could improve medication delivery.

Additional notable space operations accomplishments included:

• NASA’s SpaceX Crew-9 astronauts Nick Hague, Suni Williams, and Butch Wilmore returned in March after a long-duration mission, including more than eight months for Williams and Wilmore. The trio completed more than 150 scientific experiments and 900 hours of research during the stay aboard the orbiting laboratory. Williams also conducted two spacewalks, setting a new female spacewalking record with 62 hours, 6 minutes, and ranking her fourth all-time in spacewalk duration. 
• NASA astronaut Don Pettit returned in April with Roscosmos cosmonauts Alexey Ovchinin and Ivan Vagner, concluding a seven-month mission. Pettit, who turned 70 the day of his return, completed 400 hours of research during his flight, and has now logged 590 days in space across four missions. 
• SpaceX Dragon cargo missions 32 and 33 launched in April and August, delivering more than 11,700 pounds of cargo, while SpaceX 33 tested a new capability to help maintain the altitude of station.  
• Axiom Mission 4, the fourth private astronaut mission to the space station, concluded in July, furthering NASA’s efforts to support and advance commercial operations in low Earth orbit. 
• NASA SpaceX Crew-11 mission launched in August with NASA astronauts Zena Cardman and Mike Fincke, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Kimiya Yui, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov aboard. The crew remains aboard the space station where they are conducting long-duration research to support deep space exploration and benefit life on Earth. 
• NASA’s SpaceX Crew-10 mission completed more than 600 hours of research before returning in August, when they became the first crewed SpaceX mission for NASA to splash down in the Pacific Ocean.  
• In September, the first Northrop Grumman Cygnus XL spacecraft arrived, delivering more than 11,000 pounds of cargo, including research supporting Artemis and Mars exploration. 
• NASA Glenn researchers tested handheld X-ray devices that could help astronauts quickly check for injuries or equipment problems during future space missions. 
• For nearly six years, NASA’s BioNutrients project has studied how to produce essential nutrients to support astronaut health during deep space missions, where food and vitamins have limited shelf lives. With its third experiment now aboard the International Space Station, the research continues to advance preparations for long-duration spaceflight.
• NASA astronaut Chris Williams arrived with Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Kud-Sverchkov and Sergei Mikaev for an eight-month science mission aboard the station. Following their arrival, NASA astronaut Jonny Kim returned home, concluding his own eight-month mission. 

NASA has worked with commercial companies to advance development of privately owned and operated space stations in low Earth orbit from which the agency, along with other customers, can purchase services and stimulate the growth of commercial activities in microgravity. This work is done in advance of the International Space Station’s retirement in 2030.

Among the many achievements made by our partners, recent advancements include:

• Axiom Space has completed critical design review, machining activities, and the final welds, moving to testing for the primary structure of Axiom Station’s first module.
• Starlab completed five development and design milestones focused on reviews of its preliminary design and safety, as well as spacecraft mockup and procurement plans.
• Completed testing of the trace contaminant control system for Vast’s Haven-1 space station using facilities at NASA Marshall, confirming the system can maintain a safe and healthy atmosphere.
• Blue Origin’s Orbital Reef completed a human-in-the-loop testing milestone using individual participants or small groups to perform day-in-the-life walkthroughs in life-sized mockups of major station components. 
• The agency also continues to support the design and development of space stations and technologies through agreements with Northrop Grumman, Sierra Space, SpaceX, Special Aerospace Services, and ThinkOrbital.

Pioneering aviation research 

This year saw a major triumph for NASA’s aviation researchers, as its X-59 one-of-a-kind quiet supersonic aircraft made its historic first flight Oct 28. NASA test pilot Nils Larson flew the X-59 for 67 minutes up to an altitude of about 12,000 feet and an approximate top speed of 230 mph, precisely as planned. The flight capped off a year of engine testing including afterburner testing, taxi testing, and simulated flights from the ground — all to make sure first flight went safely and smoothly. The X-59 team will now focus on preparing for a series of flight tests where the aircraft will operate at higher altitudes and supersonic speeds. This flight test phase will ensure the X-59 meets performance and safety expectations. NASA’s Quesst mission also began testing the technologies that they will use to measure the X-59’s unique shock waves and study its acoustics during future mission phases.  

Researchers also made other major strides to further aviation technologies that will benefit the public and first responders, including live flight testing of a new portable airspace management system with the potential to greatly improve air traffic awareness during wildland fire operations.  

During the past year, the agency’s aeronautics researchers also: 

• Conducted live flight testing with aircraft performing simulated wildland fire response using NASA’s new portable airspace management system known as Advanced Capabilities for Emergency Response Operations (ACERO) project. 
• Used NASA’s Transonic Dynamics Tunnel in Virginia to test the performance of rotors designed for NASA’s Dragonfly rotorcraft, which will explore Saturn’s moon, Titan. 
• Performed wind tunnel tests to see how icing could affect longer, thinner wings on future airliners and to evaluate a tiltwing design likely to see wide usage in advanced air mobility vehicles. 
• Tested NASA-designed ultralight aerogel antennas that could be embedded into aircraft skin for more aerodynamic, reliable, satellite communications. 
• Worked to advance the airborne transportation of people and goods, including a collaboration with the Department of War to advance capabilities for long-distance cargo drones; a partnership to test a tool for remotely piloted urban air transportation; flight tests with partners exploring large-scale drone cargo flights; and work with ResilienX to enhance preflight planning for safer future skies. 
• Performed research to help with the integration of air taxis and similar future aircraft, such as producing real-world data to help understand their flight dynamics; dropping a full-scale fuselage model to test its materials upon impact; collecting to evaluate strategies for urban airspace integration; investigating passenger comfort; and testing 5G-based aviation network technology to boost air taxi connectivity. Evaluated a system that would help prevent collisions between air taxis and other future aircraft in urban environments.  
• Made advances to unsteady pressure sensitive paint wind tunnel technology, allowing it to measure air pressure on miniature aircraft and rocket models 10,000 times faster with 1,000 times higher resolution. 
• Collected data on mixed reality systems that allow users to interact with physical flight simulators while wearing virtual reality headsets.  
• Developed the GlennICE tool for U.S. researchers and aircraft developers to integrate icing-related considerations into aircraft design. 
• Supported research for safer and smoother airline and airport operations, including; developing a preflight rerouting tool to actively curb commercial airline delays and save fuel; demonstrating a unique air traffic management concept for safer aircraft operate at higher altitudes; and hosting technology testing to make runway taxiing safer and more efficient.
• Adapted technology that can measure temperature and strain on high-speed air vehicles for hypersonic flights at speeds greater than Mach 5. 
• Provided funding for 14 university teams to build innovative new compact emergency response aircraft; issued new awards for university teams to participate in real-world aviation challenges, including the program’s first to a community college. NASA also named winners in the 2025 Gateways to Blue Skies competition, as well as selected new student teams for the University Leadership Initiative. 

Technologies that advance exploration, support growing space economies

From spinoff technologies on Earth to accelerating development of technologies in low Earth orbit and at the Moon and Mars, NASA develops, demonstrates, and transfer new space technologies that benefit the agency, private companies, and other government agencies and missions.

Accomplishments by NASA and our partners in 2025 included:

• NASA and Teledyne Energy Systems Inc. demonstrated a next-generation fuel cell system aboard a Blue Origin New Shepard mission, proving it can deliver reliable power in the microgravity environment of space. 
• Varda Space Industries licensed cutting-edge heatshield material from NASA, allowing it to be produced commercially for the company’s capsule containing a platform to process pharmaceuticals in microgravity. Through this commercial collaboration NASA is making entry system materials more readily available to the U.S. space economy and advancing the industries that depend on it. 
• The maiden flight of UP Aerospace’s Spyder hypersonic launch system demonstrated the U.S. commercial space industry’s capacity to test large payloads (up to 400 pounds) at five times the speed of sound. NASA’s support of Spyder’s development helped ensure the availability of fast-turnaround, lower cost testing services for U.S. government projects focused on space exploration and national security.  
• The NASA Integrated Rotating Detonation Engine System completed a test series for its first rotating detonation rocket engine technology thrust chamber assembly unit.
• NASA successfully completed its automated space traffic coordination objectives between the agency’s four Starling spacecraft and SpaceX’s Starlink constellation. The Starling demonstration matured autonomous decision-making capabilities for spacecraft swarms using Distributed Spacecraft Autonomy software, developed by NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley.  
• NASA announced an industry partnership to design the Fly Foundational Robots mission to demonstrate use of Motiv Space Systems’ robotic arm aboard a hosted orbital flight test with Astro Digital. 
• The third spacecraft in the R5 (Realizing Rapid, Reduced-cost high-Risk Research) demonstration series launched aboard SpaceX’s Transporter-15 mission. This series of small satellites leverage terrestrial commercial off-the-shelf hardware to enable affordable, rapid orbital flight tests of rendezvous and proximity operations payloads. 
• Pieces of webbing material, known as Zylon, which comprise the straps of NASA’s HIAD (Hypersonic Inflatable Aerodynamic Decelerator) aeroshell, launched to low Earth orbit aboard the Space Force’s X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle for a trip that will help researchers characterize how the material responds to long-duration exposure to the harsh vacuum of space. 
• The DUPLEX CubeSat developed by CU Aerospace deployed from the International Space Station to demonstrate two commercial micro-propulsion technologies for affordable small spacecraft propulsion systems. 

Harnessing NASA’s brand power in real life, online

As one of the most recognized global brands and most followed on social media, NASA amplified its reach through force-multiplying engagement activities that generate excitement and support for the agency’s missions and help foster a Golden Age of innovators and explorers.

From collaborations with sport organizations and players to partnerships with world-renowned brands, these activities provide low-cost, high-impact avenues to engage an ever-expanding audience and reinforce NASA’s position as the world’s premier space agency. Engagement highlights from 2025 include: 

• Second Lady Usha Vance also kicked off her summer reading challenge at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, encouraging youth to seek adventure, imagination, and discovery in books, a sentiment close to NASA and everyone the agency inspires.
• Reached nearly 5 million people through participation in hybrid and in-person events across the agency, including the White House’s Summer Reading Challenge, Open Sauce 2025, the Expedition 71 and 72 postflight visits, featuring NASA astronauts recently returned from missions aboard the space station, and more. 
• Participated in a variety of space policy conferences to include Space Symposium and the International Aeronautical Congress highlighting America’s leadership in human exploration to the Moon and Mars, responsible exploration under the Artemis Accords, and support for the commercial space sector.

In 2025, NASA also consolidated its social media accounts to improve clarity, compliance, and strategic alignment. After streamlining the number of active accounts, the agency grew its total following on these accounts by more than eight million, reaching nearly 367 million followers. 

 
Other digital highlights included:

• In 2025, NASA expanded access to its NASA+ streaming service by launching a free, ad-supported channel on Prime Video and announcing a new partnership with Netflix to stream live programming, including rocket launches and spacewalks, making its missions more accessible to global audiences and inspiring the next generation of explorers. As of November 2025, viewers have streamed more than 7.7 million minutes of NASA content on the Prime Video FAST channel.
• NASA’s SpaceX Crew-9 return from the space station drew over 2.5 million live viewers, making it the agency’s most-watched event of 2025.
• NASA aired live broadcasts for 17 launches in 2025, which have a combined 3.7 million views while live. NASA’s SpaceX Crew-10 and NISAR launches have the most views on YouTube, while crewed launches (Crew-10, Crew-11, and Axiom Mission 4) were the most-viewed while the broadcast was live. 
• The agency’s YouTube livestreams in 2025 surpassed 18.8 million total live views. The agency’s YouTube channel has more than 50.4 million total views for the year. 
• The agency’s podcasts were downloaded more than 2 million times in 2025 by more than 750,000 listeners.
• Increased content production nearly tenfold for its science-focused website in Spanish, Ciencia de la NASA, and grew the website’s page views by 24% and visitor numbers by 25%. NASA’s Spanish language social media accounts experienced a 17% growth in followers in 2025.
• The number of subscribers to NASA’s flagship and Spanish newsletters total more than 4.6 million. 
• NASA earned a spot on The Webby 30, a curated list celebrating 30 companies and organizations that have shaped the digital landscape. 
• More than 2.9 million viewers watched 38,400 hours of NASA’s on-demand streaming service NASA+ in 2025. November marked two years since NASA+ debuted. 
• Premiered “Planetary Defenders,” a new documentary that follows the dedicated team behind asteroid detection and planetary defense. The film debuted at an event at the agency’s headquarters with digital creators, interagency and international partners, and now is streaming on NASA+, YouTube, and X. In its first 24 hours, it saw 25,000 views on YouTube – 75% above average – and reached 4 million impressions on X.  
• “Cosmic Dawn,” a feature-length documentary following the creation of the James Webb Space Telescope, was released this year. The film has been viewed 1.6 million times on the agency’s YouTube channel.

Among agency awards:

• NASA’s broadcast of the April 8, 2024, total solar eclipse won multiple Emmy Awards.
• Received six Webby Awards and six People’s Voice Awards across platforms — recognition of America’s excellence in digital engagement and public communication. 

Learn more about NASA’s missions online at:

https://www.nasa.gov

-end-

Bethany Stevens / Cheryl Warner
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1600
bethany.c.stevens@nasa.gov / cheryl.m.warner@nasa.gov