NASA announced the Massachusetts Institute of Technology project, Exploration-Class Lunar Integrated Power SystEm, as the first place winner for the 2026 Revolutionary Aerospace Systems Concepts – Academic Linkage (RASC-AL) competition, which challenges students to bridge gaps in aerospace technology by innovating new system concepts and prototypes. Another team from the same university won second place overall for their project, Mars Exploration Layered Infrastructure for Operations, Research, and Advancement, while Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University took third place with the Mars […]
Category: Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate
NASA’s Artemis II Moon Mission Research Continues on Earth
Since NASA’s Artemis II crew members safely splashed down in the Pacific Ocean on April 10 after their record-setting mission around the Moon, science teams have been busy collecting more data and combing through observations collected on the test flight. Results from these science investigations will help support safe human exploration of deep space and […]
NASA Testing Wastewater Treatment Facility for Future Moon Base
A mobile wastewater treatment system built at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida that can help prepare for long-duration missions on the Moon and Mars departed the spaceport and arrived at the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks. Graduate students at the university will test the technology under conditions designed to closely mimic the […]
NASA Announces Realignment to Accelerate Mission Delivery
Editor’s Note: This advisory was updated May 22, 2026 to include a retirement. NASA announced Friday an agencywide realignment to increase mission focus and move out on the National Space Policy. These changes position the agency to better deliver on the nation’s highest‑priority objectives with speed and efficiency. During the Ignition event in late March, […]
NASA to Provide Update on Moon Base Strategy, Missions
NASA will host a news conference at 2 p.m. EDT, Tuesday, May 26, to share Moon Base plans and highlight progress toward a sustained presence on the lunar surface. The media briefing will take place at the agency’s Headquarters in Washington. Leadership will discuss program progress, including new industry partners and mission plans. Subject matter […]
NASA Draws on Industry for Mars Telecommunications Network
On Thursday, NASA issued a Request for Proposal (RFP), seeking industry collaboration for the Mars Telecommunications Network. Reliable, high bandwidth communications is necessary to relay science data, high-definition imagery, and critical information during Mars missions. The network will use high-performance Mars telecommunications orbiters at the Red Planet to support future surface, orbital, and human exploration. […]
New NASA Technology Mimics Extreme Cold of the Lunar Night
As NASA looks to explore the Moon, Mars, and beyond, researchers must develop materials capable of withstanding the extreme temperatures found in space and on other planets and their moons. In frigid conditions, rubber can shatter like glass, circuit boards may fail, and electrical connections can freeze and fracture. Gaining a deeper understanding of how […]
Liquid Lifeline: NASA Tech Could Create IV Fluid In Space
On every crewed mission, NASA packs pouches of a potentially life-saving liquid in its cargo, known as IV (or intravenous) fluid. A simple mix of sodium chloride and purified water, it can treat up to 30% of medical conditions in flight, resolving things like dehydration, burns, and more. Crewed missions beyond low Earth orbit into […]
- Advanced Air Vehicles Program
- Aeronautics
- Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate
- Ames Research Center
- Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate
- General
- High-Speed Flight
- High-Tech Computing
- Space Technology Mission Directorate
- Subsonic Vehicle Technologies and Tools
- Transformational Tools Technologies
- Transformative Aeronautics Concepts Program
NASA Releases Powerful LAVA Software to US Aerospace Industry
For years, NASA engineers have turned to a tool called the Launch, Ascent, and Vehicle Aerodynamics (LAVA) framework to solve airflow challenges that could mean the difference between mission success or failure. When engineers need to know how a spacecraft will navigate re-entry or whether a new aircraft wing design will create enough lift, they […]
What Are Ames’ Contributions to Artemis II?
NASA successfully sent four astronauts around the Moon for the first time in more than 50 years, setting the stage for future lunar landing missions. As the agency continues to push the bounds of space exploration, NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley provided essential support in preparing for the mission. Artemis II was the first crewed test flight under NASA’s […]