Multi-Angle Views: China's Long March-10B Reusable Rocket First Stage Recovery

Multi-Angle Views: China's Long March-10B Reusable Rocket First Stage Recovery

China Media Group released exclusive multi-angle footage on July 10, 2026, of the Long March-10B carrier rocket's launch and recovery, as China achieved its first controlled recovery of a carrier rocket's first stage.

The rocket lifted off from the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site in south China's Hainan Province at 12:15 Friday. About six minutes after stage separation, the first stage returned and was successfully captured by a net system on a seaborne platform—a global first. At the same time, the second stage delivered its payload into the preset orbit.

Developed by the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology (CALT) under the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC), the Long March-10B is a large, two-stage liquid-fueled rocket with a five-meter diameter core.

Standing about 63 meters tall with a takeoff thrust of 890 tons, it has a low Earth orbit payload capacity of 16 tons in reusable mode.

Friday's mission successfully validated several core technologies, including combined configuration optimization, methane autogenous pressurization, and propellant management using baffled tanks. It demonstrated critical first-stage reuse technologies such as multiple engine restarts, high-altitude ignition, adaptability to complex aerothermal environments, high-precision navigation and control, and a sea-based net-capture recovery system.

Looking ahead, the development team plans to continuously optimize the rocket's performance and accelerate the iteration of its reusable technologies, with a targeted first-stage reuse flight scheduled for the end of this year.

The successful maiden flight of the Long March-10B marks the 657th launch of the Long March rocket series.

Video Credit: CCTV
Duration: 3 minutes
Release Date: July 12, 2026

#NASA #Space #Science #China #中国 #LongMarch10 #LongMarch10B #CZ10B #长征十号乙 #RocketFirstStage #LinghangzheDroneShip #ReusableRockets #CASC #中国航天科技集团有限公司 #CALT #中国运载火箭技术研究院 #SpaceTechnology #Satellites #SatelliteConstellations #CX26 #ChinaSatelliteNetworkGroup #SpaceExploration #WSLC #Hainan #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Watch NASA's Space Shuttle Endeavour Conduct Pitch Maneuver over Earth

Watch NASA's Space Shuttle Endeavour Conduct Pitch Maneuver over Earth

NASA astronaut Don Pettit: "POV of the space shuttle pitch maneuver! I filmed this from Endeavour on STS-126. The RPM was standard safety procedure to expose the heat shield to ISS for inspection. My commander was gracious enough to let me put a camera on the window to get this, now one of few such videos!"

STS-126 was the one hundred and twenty-fourth NASA Space Shuttle mission, and twenty-second orbital flight of the Space Shuttle Endeavour (OV-105) to the International Space Station (ISS). The purpose of the mission, referred to as ULF2 by the ISS program, was to deliver equipment and supplies to the station, to service the Solar Alpha Rotary Joints (SARJ), and repair the problem in the starboard SARJ that had limited its use since STS-120. STS-126 launched on November 15, 2008, at 00:55:39 UTC from Launch Pad 39A (LC-39A) at NASA's Kennedy Space Center (KSC) with no delays or issues. Endeavour successfully docked with the station on November 16, 2008. After spending 15 days, 20 hours, 30 minutes, and 30 seconds docked to the station, during which the crew performed four spacewalks, and transferred cargo, the orbiter undocked on November 28, 2008. Due to poor weather at Kennedy Space Center, Endeavour landed at Edwards Air Force Base on November 30, 2008 at 21:25:09 UTC.

Video Credit: NASA/JSC/ D. Pettit
Duration: 40 seconds
Release Date: July 7, 2026

#NASA #Space #Science #Earth #ISS #SpaceShuttleEndeavour #OV105 #STS126 #PitchManeuver #SpaceflightSafety #Astronauts #DonPettit #AstronautVideography #HumanSpaceflight #JSC #UnitedStates #MicrogravityLaboratory #SpaceExploration #SolarSystem #InternationalCooperation #History #STEM #Education #HD #Video

Scenes from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan | International Space Station

Scenes from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan | International Space Station

The Russian Soyuz rocket is rolled out by train to the launch pad, Saturday, July 11, 2026, at Site 31 of the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

A train, with the Soyuz MS-29 patch on it, prepares to roll the Russian Soyuz rocket out to the launch pad, Saturday, July 11, 2026, at Site 31 of the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

A mosaic sign welcomes visitors outside the town of Baikonur, Kazakhstan, Friday, July 10, 2026.

NASA team members and guest arrive at the Krayniy Airport in Baikonur, Kazakhstan, in advance of the launch of Expedition 75 crewmembers: NASA astronaut Anil Menon, Roscosmos cosmonauts Pyotr Dubrov and Anna Kikina Friday, July 10, 2026.

Security teams prepare to support the roll out of the Russian Soyuz rocket by train to the launch pad, Saturday, July 11, 2026, at Site 31 of the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

Camels are seen grazing, Saturday, July 11, 2026, at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

A camel is seen in the road, Saturday, July 11, 2026, at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

A camel is seen in the road, Saturday, July 11, 2026, at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

The Russian Soyuz rocket was rolled out by train to the launch pad on Saturday, July 11, 2026, at Site 31 of the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Expedition 75 crewmembers: NASA astronaut Anil Menon, Roscosmos cosmonauts Pyotr Dubrov and Anna Kikina of Russia are scheduled to launch to the International Space Station on Tuesday, July 14, 2026, at 10:47 a.m. EDT (7:47 p.m. local time) aboard their Soyuz MS-29 spacecraft. The trio will spend about eight months aboard the orbiting laboratory before returning to Earth in spring 2027.

During his expedition, Menon will conduct scientific investigations and technology demonstrations intended to help humans prepare for future exploration missions to the Moon and Mars, and to provide benefits on Earth. Among the hundreds of experiments planned during his mission, he will participate in studies to better understand astronaut vein structure, blood flow, and blood composition in microgravity. He also will test producing intravenous fluids using the space station’s potable water.

The Soyuz MS-29 mission will be his first spaceflight after he was selected as part of NASA’s 2021 astronaut class. A native of Minneapolis, Menon is an emergency medicine physician, mechanical engineer, and colonel in the United States Space Force. He also has served as an expedition flight surgeon supporting the agency’s crew members aboard the space station.

NASA astronaut Anil Menon's Official Biography:

https://www.nasa.gov/people/nasa-astronaut-anil-menon/

https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/menon-anil.pdf

For more than 25 years, people have lived and worked continuously aboard the International Space Station, advancing scientific knowledge and making research breakthroughs not possible on Earth. The space station helps NASA understand and overcome the challenges of human spaceflight, expand commercial opportunities in low Earth orbit, and build on the foundation for long-duration missions to the Moon, as part of the Artemis program, and to Mars.

To learn more about International Space Station research, operations, and its crews, visit: 

https://www.nasa.gov/station

An international partnership of space agencies provides and operates the elements of the International Space Station (ISS). The principals are the space agencies of the United States, Russia, Europe, Japan, and Canada.

Image Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls
Dates: July 10-11, 2026

#NASA #Space #Science #Astronomy #ISS #Earth #SoyuzRocket #SoyuzMS29 #Astronauts #AnilMenon #Cosmonauts #AnnaKikina #PyotrDubrov #Russia #Россия #Roscosmos #Роскосмос #HumanSpaceflight #InternationalCooperation #UnitedStates #MicrogravityLaboratory #Expedition74 #Expedition75 #Baikonur #Kazakhstan #Қазақстан #STEM #Education

Expedition 75 Russian Soyuz Rocket Rollout: Part 4 | International Space Station

Expedition 75 Russian Soyuz Rocket Rollout: Part 4 | International Space Station

Expedition 75 backup crewmembers: Roscosmos cosmonaut Dmitry Petelin (Russia), left, NASA astronuaut Deniz Burnham, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Konstantin Borisov (Russia), right, pose for a group photograph after the Soyuz rocket was rolled out by train to the launch pad, Saturday, July 11, 2026, at Site 31 of the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

The Russian Soyuz rocket is rolled out by train to the launch pad, Saturday, July 11, 2026, at Site 31 of the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Expedition 75 crewmembers: NASA astronaut Anil Menon, Roscosmos cosmonauts Pyotr Dubrov and Anna Kikina of Russia are scheduled to launch to the International Space Station on Tuesday, July 14, 2026, at 10:47 a.m. EDT (7:47 p.m. local time) aboard their Soyuz MS-29 spacecraft. The trio will spend about eight months aboard the orbiting laboratory before returning to Earth in spring 2027.

During his expedition, Menon will conduct scientific investigations and technology demonstrations intended to help humans prepare for future exploration missions to the Moon and Mars, and to provide benefits on Earth. Among the hundreds of experiments planned during his mission, he will participate in studies to better understand astronaut vein structure, blood flow, and blood composition in microgravity. He also will test producing intravenous fluids using the space station’s potable water.

The Soyuz MS-29 mission will be his first spaceflight after he was selected as part of NASA’s 2021 astronaut class. A native of Minneapolis, Menon is an emergency medicine physician, mechanical engineer, and colonel in the United States Space Force. He also has served as an expedition flight surgeon supporting the agency’s crew members aboard the space station.

NASA astronaut Anil Menon's Official Biography:

https://www.nasa.gov/people/nasa-astronaut-anil-menon/

https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/menon-anil.pdf

For more than 25 years, people have lived and worked continuously aboard the International Space Station, advancing scientific knowledge and making research breakthroughs not possible on Earth. The space station helps NASA understand and overcome the challenges of human spaceflight, expand commercial opportunities in low Earth orbit, and build on the foundation for long-duration missions to the Moon, as part of the Artemis program, and to Mars.

To learn more about International Space Station research, operations, and its crews, visit: 

https://www.nasa.gov/station

An international partnership of space agencies provides and operates the elements of the International Space Station (ISS). The principals are the space agencies of the United States, Russia, Europe, Japan, and Canada.

Image Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls
Date: July 11, 2026

#NASA #Space #Science #Astronomy #ISS #Planets #Earth #SoyuzRocket #SoyuzMS29 #Astronauts #AnilMenon #Cosmonauts #AnnaKikina #PyotrDubrov #Russia #Россия #Roscosmos #Роскосмос #HumanSpaceflight #InternationalCooperation #UnitedStates #MicrogravityLaboratory #Expedition74 #Expedition75 #Baikonur #Kazakhstan #Қазақстан #STEM #Education

Expedition 75 Russian Soyuz Rocket Rollout: Part 3 | International Space Station

Expedition 75 Russian Soyuz Rocket Rollout: Part 3 | International Space Station

Expedition 75 backup crewmembers: Roscosmos cosmonaut Konstantin Borisov (Russia), left, NASA astronuaut Deniz Burnham, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Dmitry Petelin (Russia), pose for a group photograph in the flame trench after the Soyuz rocket was raised into position at the Site 31 launch pad of the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, Saturday, July 11, 2026. 

Expedition 75 backup crewmembers: NASA astronuaut Deniz Burnham, left, Roscosmos cosmonauts Konstantin Borisov (Russia), and Dmitry Petelin (Russia), along with Head of Gargarin Cosmonaut Training Center Oleg Kononenko, right, watch from the flame trench as the Soyuz rocket is raised into position at the Site 31 launch pad of the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, Saturday, July 11, 2026. 

The Russian Soyuz rocket is rolled out by train to the launch pad, Saturday, July 11, 2026, at Site 31 of the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Expedition 75 crewmembers: NASA astronaut Anil Menon, Roscosmos cosmonauts Pyotr Dubrov and Anna Kikina of Russia are scheduled to launch to the International Space Station on Tuesday, July 14, 2026, at 10:47 a.m. EDT (7:47 p.m. local time) aboard their Soyuz MS-29 spacecraft. The trio will spend about eight months aboard the orbiting laboratory before returning to Earth in spring 2027.

During his expedition, Menon will conduct scientific investigations and technology demonstrations intended to help humans prepare for future exploration missions to the Moon and Mars, and to provide benefits on Earth. Among the hundreds of experiments planned during his mission, he will participate in studies to better understand astronaut vein structure, blood flow, and blood composition in microgravity. He also will test producing intravenous fluids using the space station’s potable water.

The Soyuz MS-29 mission will be his first spaceflight after he was selected as part of NASA’s 2021 astronaut class. A native of Minneapolis, Menon is an emergency medicine physician, mechanical engineer, and colonel in the United States Space Force. He also has served as an expedition flight surgeon supporting the agency’s crew members aboard the space station.

NASA astronaut Anil Menon's Official Biography:

https://www.nasa.gov/people/nasa-astronaut-anil-menon/

https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/menon-anil.pdf

For more than 25 years, people have lived and worked continuously aboard the International Space Station, advancing scientific knowledge and making research breakthroughs not possible on Earth. The space station helps NASA understand and overcome the challenges of human spaceflight, expand commercial opportunities in low Earth orbit, and build on the foundation for long-duration missions to the Moon, as part of the Artemis program, and to Mars.

To learn more about International Space Station research, operations, and its crews, visit: 

https://www.nasa.gov/station

An international partnership of space agencies provides and operates the elements of the International Space Station (ISS). The principals are the space agencies of the United States, Russia, Europe, Japan, and Canada.

Image Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls
Date: July 11, 2026

#NASA #Space #Science #Astronomy #ISS #Planets #Earth #SoyuzRocket #SoyuzMS29 #Astronauts #AnilMenon #Cosmonauts #AnnaKikina #PyotrDubrov #Russia #Россия #Roscosmos #Роскосмос #HumanSpaceflight #InternationalCooperation #UnitedStates #MicrogravityLaboratory #Expedition74 #Expedition75 #Baikonur #Kazakhstan #Қазақстан #STEM #Education

Expedition 75 Russian Soyuz Rocket Rollout: Part 2 | International Space Station

Expedition 75 Russian Soyuz Rocket Rollout: Part 2 | International Space Station

Expedition 75 backup crewmembers: Roscosmos cosmonaut Dmitry Petelin (Russia), left, NASA astronuaut Deniz Burnham, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Konstantin Borisov (Russia), right, pose for a group photograph.

The Russian Soyuz rocket is rolled out by train to the launch pad, Saturday, July 11, 2026, at Site 31 of the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Expedition 75 crewmembers: NASA astronaut Anil Menon, Roscosmos cosmonauts Pyotr Dubrov and Anna Kikina of Russia are scheduled to launch to the International Space Station on Tuesday, July 14, 2026, at 10:47 a.m. EDT (7:47 p.m. local time) aboard their Soyuz MS-29 spacecraft. The trio will spend about eight months aboard the orbiting laboratory before returning to Earth in spring 2027.

During his expedition, Menon will conduct scientific investigations and technology demonstrations intended to help humans prepare for future exploration missions to the Moon and Mars, and to provide benefits on Earth. Among the hundreds of experiments planned during his mission, he will participate in studies to better understand astronaut vein structure, blood flow, and blood composition in microgravity. He also will test producing intravenous fluids using the space station’s potable water.

The Soyuz MS-29 mission will be his first spaceflight after he was selected as part of NASA’s 2021 astronaut class. A native of Minneapolis, Menon is an emergency medicine physician, mechanical engineer, and colonel in the United States Space Force. He also has served as an expedition flight surgeon supporting the agency’s crew members aboard the space station.

NASA astronaut Anil Menon's Official Biography:

https://www.nasa.gov/people/nasa-astronaut-anil-menon/

https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/menon-anil.pdf

For more than 25 years, people have lived and worked continuously aboard the International Space Station, advancing scientific knowledge and making research breakthroughs not possible on Earth. The space station helps NASA understand and overcome the challenges of human spaceflight, expand commercial opportunities in low Earth orbit, and build on the foundation for long-duration missions to the Moon, as part of the Artemis program, and to Mars.

To learn more about International Space Station research, operations, and its crews, visit: 

https://www.nasa.gov/station

An international partnership of space agencies provides and operates the elements of the International Space Station (ISS). The principals are the space agencies of the United States, Russia, Europe, Japan, and Canada.

Image Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls
Date: July 11, 2026

#NASA #Space #Science #Astronomy #ISS #Planets #Earth #SoyuzRocket #SoyuzMS29 #Astronauts #AnilMenon #Cosmonauts #AnnaKikina #PyotrDubrov #Russia #Россия #Roscosmos #Роскосмос #HumanSpaceflight #InternationalCooperation #UnitedStates #MicrogravityLaboratory #Expedition74 #Expedition75 #Baikonur #Kazakhstan #Қазақстан #STEM #Education

Expedition 75 Russian Soyuz Rocket Rollout: Part 1 | International Space Station

Expedition 75 Russian Soyuz Rocket Rollout: Part 1 | International Space Station

The Russian Soyuz rocket is rolled out by train to the launch pad, Saturday, July 11, 2026, at Site 31 of the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Expedition 75 crewmembers: NASA astronaut Anil Menon, Roscosmos cosmonauts Pyotr Dubrov and Anna Kikina of Russia are scheduled to launch to the International Space Station on Tuesday, July 14, 2026, at 10:47 a.m. EDT (7:47 p.m. local time) aboard their Soyuz MS-29 spacecraft. The trio will spend about eight months aboard the orbiting laboratory before returning to Earth in spring 2027.

During his expedition, Menon will conduct scientific investigations and technology demonstrations intended to help humans prepare for future exploration missions to the Moon and Mars, and to provide benefits on Earth. Among the hundreds of experiments planned during his mission, he will participate in studies to better understand astronaut vein structure, blood flow, and blood composition in microgravity. He also will test producing intravenous fluids using the space station’s potable water.

The Soyuz MS-29 mission will be his first spaceflight after he was selected as part of NASA’s 2021 astronaut class. A native of Minneapolis, Menon is an emergency medicine physician, mechanical engineer, and colonel in the United States Space Force. He also has served as an expedition flight surgeon supporting the agency’s crew members aboard the space station.

NASA astronaut Anil Menon's Official Biography:

https://www.nasa.gov/people/nasa-astronaut-anil-menon/

https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/menon-anil.pdf

For more than 25 years, people have lived and worked continuously aboard the International Space Station, advancing scientific knowledge and making research breakthroughs not possible on Earth. The space station helps NASA understand and overcome the challenges of human spaceflight, expand commercial opportunities in low Earth orbit, and build on the foundation for long-duration missions to the Moon, as part of the Artemis program, and to Mars.

To learn more about International Space Station research, operations, and its crews, visit: 

https://www.nasa.gov/station

An international partnership of space agencies provides and operates the elements of the International Space Station (ISS). The principals are the space agencies of the United States, Russia, Europe, Japan, and Canada.

Image Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls
Date: July 11, 2026

#NASA #Space #Science #Astronomy #ISS #Planets #Earth #SoyuzRocket #SoyuzMS29 #Astronauts #AnilMenon #Cosmonauts #AnnaKikina #PyotrDubrov #Russia #Россия #Roscosmos #Роскосмос #HumanSpaceflight #InternationalCooperation #UnitedStates #MicrogravityLaboratory #Expedition74 #Expedition75 #Baikonur #Kazakhstan #Қазақстан #STEM #Education

Get Your Boarding Pass for NASA's Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope by July 12

Get Your Boarding Pass for NASA's Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope by July 12

The NASA Artemis II astronauts have their Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope boarding passes, do you?!

Sign up to have your name sent on the Roman space telescope before it travels a million miles away!
http://go.nasa.gov/RomanNames

Submission Deadline: July 12, 2026

The telescope is currently scheduled to launch on August 30, 2026. 

The Roman telescope and the discoveries it will support:
https://www.stsci.edu/roman

https://science.nasa.gov/mission/roman-space-telescope/

Dr. Nancy Grace Roman: 
https://science.nasa.gov/people/nancy-roman/

Download the free Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope poster here: 

Print high resolution PDF (144.47 MB) 
https://assets.science.nasa.gov/content/dam/science/missions/rst/science/ROMAN-poster-24x36-2026.pdf

Print high resolution image PNG (45.60 MB)
https://assets.science.nasa.gov/content/dam/science/missions/rst/science/ROMAN-poster2026.png

Smaller image for web view PNG (3.75 MB)
https://assets.science.nasa.gov/content/dam/science/missions/rst/science/ROMAN-poster2026-web.png

Image Credit: NASA

Release Date: July 10, 2026

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #ArtemisIICrew #NASARoman #RomanSpaceTelescope #NancyGraceRomanSpaceTelescope #NancyGraceRoman #Exoplanets #Planets #SolarSystem #Stars #MilkyWayGalaxy #Galaxies #Cosmos #Universe #SpaceTelescopes #NASAGoddard #GSFC #STScI #NASAKennedy #Florida #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

Starship Super Heavy V3: Full Duration 33-Engine Static Fire Test | Starbase Texas

Starship's Super Heavy V3: Full Duration 33-Engine Static Fire Test | Starbase Texas

Full-duration, 33-engine static fire of Starship's Super Heavy V3 ahead of the upcoming 13th flight test.

The 12th flight test of SpaceX's Starship lifted off May 22, 2026, from Pad 2 at Starbase, Texas. Learn about the flight test results and watch a replay of the launch webcast here: 
https://www.spacex.com/launches/starship-flight-12

This was the first flight of the "next generation Starship and Super Heavy vehicles, powered by the next evolution of the Raptor engine." 

Read more about the key upgrades designed to enhance performance and unlock Starship's full capabilities here: https://www.spacex.com/updates/starship-v3

NASA plans to use a lunar lander version of Starship to deliver astronauts and cargo to the Moon during the Artemis IV mission and beyond through the Human Landing System (HLS) Program.

Learn more about Starship:
https://www.spacex.com/vehicles/starship/

Download the Free Starship User Guide (PDF):
https://www.spacex.com/media/starship_users_guide_v1.pdf

Credit: Space Exploration Technologies Corporation (SpaceX)
Duration: 31 seconds
Date: July 10, 2026

#NASA #SpaceX #Space #Earth #Mars #Moon #MoonToMars #ArtemisProgram #ArtemisIII #ArtemisIV #Starship #StarshipV3 #StaticFireEngineTest #ReusableSpacecraft #SuperHeavy #SuperHeavyV3 #ElonMusk #Engineering #SpaceTechnology #HumanSpaceflight #CommercialSpace #SpaceExploration #StarbaseTexas #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video

The Future of Deep Space Exploration | Lockheed Martin

The Future of Deep Space Exploration | Lockheed Martin

Exploring Mars has been apart of our story for decades, from helping land Viking 1 in 1975 on the Red Planet to supporting NASA's next generation of human spaceflight. 

"We're advancing the technologies and capabilities that will push missions farther into deep space. From robotic precursors to crewed missions, each step expands what's possible for the next generation of explorers."

Learn more: https://www.lockheedmartin.com/en-us/capabilities/space/deep-space-exploration.html

Video Credit: Lockheed Martin Space
Duration: 2 minutes
Release Date: July 10, 2026

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #Moon #ArtemisProgram #Planets #Mars #RedPlanet #Viking1 #Astrobiology #Geology #HumanSpaceflight #Robotics #SpaceTechnology #SpaceEngineering #DeepSpace #SpaceExploration #LockheedMartin #LockheedMartinSpace #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #History #Animation #HD #Video

Artemis II Moon Mission Celebrations | Kennedy Space Center

Artemis II Moon Mission Celebrations | Kennedy Space Center

From left, Artemis II NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, along with Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen speak to NASA employees at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida on Tuesday, July 7, 2026.

From left, Artemis II NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, along with Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen speak to employees at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Wednesday, July 8, 2026. 

Artemis II NASA astronaut Victor Glover speaks to agency employees inside the Rocco A. Petrone Launch Control Center at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Tuesday, July 7, 2026.

From left, Artemis II Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen, and NASA astronauts Christina Koch, Victor Glover, and Reid Wiseman speak to NASA employees at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida on Tuesday, July 7, 2026.

From left, Artemis II NASA astronauts Christina Koch, Victor Glover, and Reid Wiseman, along with Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen view the Artemis II Orion spacecraft inside the Multi-Payload Processing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Wednesday, July 8, 2026.

From left, Artemis II NASA astronauts Christina Koch, Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, along with Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen speak to employees inside the Multi-Payload Processing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Wednesday, July 8, 2026. 

From left, Artemis II NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, along with Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen speak to employees at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Wednesday, July 8, 2026.

Artemis II Moon Mission emblem

Between July 7-8, 2026, the Artemis II Moon Mission crew returned to NASA's Kennedy Space Center for their first official visit since the launch of Artemis II on Wednesday, April 1, 2026, to meet with the center’s workforce, to tour facilities, and to view progress on Artemis III prelaunch processing.

NASA's Artemis II Moon Mission took NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Canadian Space Agency (CSA) astronaut Jeremy Hansen on a nearly 10-day journey around the Moon and back to Earth.

The Orion spacecraft successfully splashed down on Friday, April 10, 2026, in the Pacific Ocean following its journey around the Moon.

The first crewed test flight of NASA’s Artemis Program lifted off from Launch Pad 39B at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on April 1, 2026, carrying the first astronauts to travel to the Moon in more than half a century. 

The crew completed a record-setting lunar flyby, taking them 252,756 miles at their farthest distance from Earth and 4,067 miles above the lunar surface at their closest approach.

Under Artemis, NASA will send astronauts on increasingly difficult missions to explore more of the Moon for scientific discovery, economic benefits, and to build on our foundation for the first crewed missions to Mars.

Learn more about NASA's Artemis II Mission:
https://www.nasa.gov/mission/artemis-ii/

Image Credit: NASA/Amber Jean Notvest/Kim Shiflett/Cory Huston
Dates: July 7-8, 2026

#NASA #Space #Science #Earth #Moon #ArtemisProgram #ArtemisII #OrionSpacecraft #Astronauts #ReidWiseman #VictorGlover #ChristinaKoch #JeremyHansen #HumanSpaceflight #SolarSystem #SpaceExploration #CSA #Canada #NASAKennedy #KSC #Florida #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

Noctilucent Clouds over Poland | Earth Science

Noctilucent Clouds over Poland | Earth Science

Astrophotographer Marek Nikodem: "The noctilucent cloud season is continuing. This morning in Poland, there was quite a display, so good that people on their way to work asked me what those strange clouds were."

At high latitudes in the summer months, iridescent clouds form in a part of the atmosphere roughly 50 to 86 kilometers (30 to 54 miles) above the surface of our planet. Their high altitude allows them to reflect sunlight after the Sun has set. These are called noctilucent or polar mesospheric clouds.

Noctilucent clouds (NLCs), or night shining clouds are tenuous cloud-like phenomena in the upper atmosphere. They consist of ice crystals and from the ground are only visible during astronomical twilight. Noctilucent roughly means "night shining" in Latin. They are most often observed during the summer months from latitudes between ±50° and ±70°. Too faint to be seen in daylight, they are visible only when the observer and the lower layers of the atmosphere are in Earth's shadow while these very high clouds are still in sunlight. Recent studies suggest that increased atmospheric methane emissions produce additional water vapor through chemical reactions once the methane molecules reach the mesosphere—creating, or reinforcing existing, noctilucent clouds.

Image Credit: Marek Nikodem

Location: near Szubin, Poland
Marek's website: https://www.instagram.com/marek.nikodem.com
Date: July 8, 2026

#NASA #Space #Science #Sun #Planets #Earth #Weather #Meteorology #Atmosphere #WaterVapor #Clouds #IceCrystals #NoctilucentClouds #PolarMesosphericClouds #Astrophotography #Astrophotographers #MarekNikodem #CitizenScience #Szubin #Poland #Polska #STEM #Education