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NASA Highlights Low Earth Orbit, Sustainability at Space Conference
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By NASA
Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus spacecraft, atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, soars from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on Aug. 4, 2024, for Northrop Grumman’s 21st Commercial Resupply Services mission for NASA.Credit: SpaceX Media accreditation is open for the next launch to deliver NASA science investigations, supplies, and equipment to the International Space Station. A Northrop Grumman Cygnus spacecraft will launch to the orbital laboratory on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket for NASA.
The mission is known as NASA’s Northrop Grumman Commercial Resupply Services 23, or Northrop Grumman CRS-23. Liftoff is targeted for mid-September from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.
Following launch, astronauts aboard the space station will use the Canadarm2 to grapple Cygnus, and the spacecraft will be installed robotically to the Unity module’s Earth-facing port for cargo unloading. The spacecraft will remain at the space station for more than two months.
Credentialing to cover prelaunch and launch activities is open to U.S. media. The application deadline for U.S. citizens is 11:59 p.m. EDT, Wednesday, Aug. 27. All accreditation requests must be submitted online at:
https://media.ksc.nasa.gov
Credentialed media will receive a confirmation email upon approval. NASA’s media accreditation policy is available online. For questions about accreditation, or to request special logistical support, email: ksc-media-accreditat@mail.nasa.gov. For other questions, please contact NASA’s Kennedy Space Center newsroom at: 321-867-2468.
Para obtener información sobre cobertura en español en el Centro Espacial Kennedy o si desea solicitor entrevistas en español, comuníquese con Antonia Jaramillo o Messod Bendayan a: antonia.jaramillobotero@nasa.gov o messod.c.bendayan@nasa.gov.
This is the 23rd spacecraft built to deliver goods to the International Space Station. In March, NASA and Northrop Grumman moved up the company’s Commercial Resupply Services-23 mission to September following damage to the Cygnus Pressurized Cargo Module during shipping for the company’s Commercial Resupply Services-22 flight.
Each resupply mission to the station delivers scientific investigations in the areas of biology and biotechnology, Earth and space science, physical sciences, and technology development and demonstrations. Cargo resupply from U.S. companies ensures a national capability to deliver scientific research to the space station, increasing NASA’s ability to conduct new investigations aboard humanity’s laboratory in space.
In addition to food, supplies, and equipment for the crew, Cygnus will deliver research, including materials to produce semiconductor crystals in space and equipment to develop improvements for cryogenic fuel tanks. Cygnus also will deliver a specialized UV light system to prevent biofilm growth and supplies to produce pharmaceutical crystals that could treat cancer and other diseases.
The International Space Station is a convergence of science, technology, and human innovation that enables research not possible on Earth. For almost 25 years, humans have continuously lived and worked aboard the International Space Station, advancing scientific knowledge and demonstrating new technologies that enable us to prepare for human exploration of the Moon and Mars.
Learn more about NASA’s commercial resupply missions at:
https://www.nasa.gov/station
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Josh Finch
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1100
joshua.a.finch@nasa.gov
Steven Siceloff
Kennedy Space Center, Fla.
321-876-2468
steven.p.siceloff@nasa.gov
Sandra Jones / Joseph Zakrzewski
Johnson Space Center, Houston
281-483-5111
sandra.p.jones@nasa.gov / joseph.a.zakrzewski@nasa.gov
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Last Updated Aug 18, 2025 EditorJessica TaveauLocationNASA Headquarters Related Terms
Commercial Resupply International Space Station (ISS) ISS Research Northrop Grumman Commercial Resupply View the full article
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By NASA
4 min read
Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater)
NuCLEUS, developed by Interstellar Lab, is an autonomous system that grows microgreens, vegetables, and more for astronauts to eat in space.Interstellar Lab NASA invests in technologies that have the potential to revolutionize space exploration, including the way astronauts live in space. Through the Deep Space Food Challenge, NASA, in partnership with CSA (Canadian Space Agency), sought novel food production systems that could provide long-duration human space exploration missions with safe, nutritious, and tasty food. Three winners selected last summer are now taking their technology to new heights – figuratively and literally – through commercial partnerships.
Interstellar Lab of Merritt Island, Florida, won the challenge’s $750,000 grand prize for its food production system NuCLEUS (Nutritional Closed-Loop Eco-Unit System), by demonstrating an autonomous operation growing microgreens, vegetables, and mushrooms, as well as sustaining insects for use in an astronaut’s diet. To address the requirements of the NASA challenge, NuCLEUS includes an irrigation system that sustains crop growth with minimal human intervention. This end-to-end system supplies fresh ingredients to support astronauts’ health and happiness, with an eye toward what the future of dining on deep space missions to Mars and the Moon may look like.
Since the close of the challenge, Interstellar Lab has partnered with aerospace company Vast to integrate a spinoff of NuCLEUS, called Eden 1.0, on Haven-1, a planned commercial space station. Eden 1.0 is a plant growth unit designed to conduct research on plants in a microgravity environment using functions directly stemming from NuCLEUS.
“The NASA Deep Space Food Challenge was a pivotal catalyst for Interstellar Lab, driving us to refine our NuCLEUS system and directly shaping the development of Eden 1.0, setting the stage for breakthroughs in plant growth research to sustain life both in space and on Earth,” said Barbara Belvisi, founder and CEO of Interstellar Lab.
Fuanyi Fobellah, one of the “Simunauts” from The Ohio State University who tested food production technologies as part of the Deep Space Food Challenge, removes a cooked omelet from the SATED appliance.NASA/Savannah Bullard Team SATED (Safe Appliance, Tidy, Efficient & Delicious) of Boulder, Colorado, earned a $250,000 second prize for its namesake appliance, which creates an artificial gravitational force that presses food ingredients against its heated inner surface for cooking. The technology was developed by Jim Sears, who entered the contest as a one-person team and has since founded the small business SATED Space LLC.
At the challenge finale event, the technology was introduced to the team of world-renowned chef and restaurant owner, José Andrés. The SATED technology is undergoing testing with the José Andrés Group, which could add to existing space food recipes that include lemon cake, pizza, and quiche. The SATED team also is exploring partnerships to expand the list of ingredients compatible with the appliance, such as synthetic cooking oils safe for space.
Delicious food was a top priority in the Deep Space Food Challenge. Sears noted the importance of food that is more than mere sustenance. “When extremely high performance is required, and the situations are demanding, tough, and lonely, the thing that pulls it all together and makes people operate at their best is eating fresh cooked food in community.”
Team Nolux won a $250,000 second-place prize for its Nolux food system that uses artificial photosynthesis to grow ingredients that could be used by astronauts in space.OSU/CFAES/Kenneth Chamberlain Team Nolux, formed from faculty members, graduate, and undergraduate students from the University of California, Riverside, also won a $250,000 second prize for its artificial photosynthesis system. The Nolux system – whose name means “no light” – grows plant and fungal-based foods in a dark chamber using acetate to chemically stimulate photosynthesis without light, a capability that could prove valuable in space with limited access to sunlight.
Some members of the Nolux team are now commercializing select aspects of the technology developed during the challenge. These efforts are being pursued through a newly incorporated company focused on refining the technology and exploring market applications.
A competition inspired by NASA’s Deep Space Food Challenge will open this fall.
Stay tuned for more information: https://www.nasa.gov/prizes-challenges-and-crowdsourcing/centennial-challenges/
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By NASA
Explore Hubble Hubble Home Overview About Hubble The History of Hubble Hubble Timeline Why Have a Telescope in Space? Hubble by the Numbers At the Museum FAQs Impact & Benefits Hubble’s Impact & Benefits Science Impacts Cultural Impact Technology Benefits Impact on Human Spaceflight Astro Community Impacts Science Hubble Science Science Themes Science Highlights Science Behind Discoveries Hubble’s Partners in Science Universe Uncovered AI and Hubble Science Explore the Night Sky Observatory Hubble Observatory Hubble Design Mission Operations Missions to Hubble Hubble vs Webb Team Hubble Team Career Aspirations Hubble Astronauts Multimedia Images Videos Sonifications Podcasts e-Books Online Activities 3D Hubble Models Lithographs Fact Sheets Posters Hubble on the NASA App Glossary News Hubble News Social Media Media Resources More 35th Anniversary Online Activities 2 min read
Hubble Examines Low Brightness, High Interest Galaxy
This NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image features a portion of the spiral galaxy NGC 45. ESA/Hubble & NASA, D. Calzetti, R. Chandar; Acknowledgment: M. H. Özsaraç This NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image zooms in on the feathery spiral arms of the galaxy NGC 45, which lies just 22 million light-years away in the constellation Cetus (the Whale).
The portrait uses data drawn from two complementary observing programs. The first took a broad view of 50 nearby galaxies, leveraging Hubble’s ability to observe ultraviolet through visible into near-infrared light to study star formation in these galaxies. The second program examined many of the same nearby galaxies as the first, narrowing in on a particular wavelength of red light called H-alpha. Star-forming nebulae are powerful producers of H-alpha light, and several of these regions are visible across NGC 45 as bright pink-red patches.
These observing programs aimed to study star formation in galaxies of different sizes, structures, and degrees of isolation — and NGC 45 is a particularly interesting target. Though it may appear to be a regular spiral galaxy, NGC 45 is a remarkable type called a low surface brightness galaxy.
Low surface brightness galaxies are fainter than the night sky itself, making them incredibly difficult to detect. They appear unexpectedly faint because they have relatively few stars for the volume of gas and dark matter they carry. In the decades since astronomers serendipitously discovered the first low surface brightness galaxy in 1986, researchers have learned that 30–60% of all galaxies may fall into this category. Studying these hard-to-detect galaxies is key to understanding how galaxies form and evolve, and Hubble’s sensitive instruments are equal to the task.
Text Credit: ESA/Hubble
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Last Updated Aug 14, 2025 Editor Andrea Gianopoulos Location NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Related Terms
Astrophysics Astrophysics Division Galaxies Galaxies, Stars, & Black Holes Hubble Space Telescope Spiral Galaxies Star-forming Nebulae Stars The Universe Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From Hubble
35 Years of Hubble Images
Hubble’s Night Sky Challenge
Hearing Hubble
3D Hubble Models
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By NASA
Roscosmos cosmonaut Kirill Peskov, left, NASA astronauts Nichole Ayers and Anne McClain, and JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Takuya Onishi are seen inside the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft on the company’s recovery ship shortly after splashdown in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Diego, California, on Aug. 9, 2025.Credit: NASA/Keegan Barber After spending almost five months in space, NASA’s SpaceX Crew-10 astronauts will discuss their science mission aboard the International Space Station during a news conference at 4:15 p.m. EDT, Wednesday, Aug. 20, from the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.
NASA astronauts Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, and JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Takuya Onishi will answer questions about their mission. The crew returned to Earth on Aug. 9.
Live coverage of the news conference will stream on the agency’s YouTube channel. Learn how to watch NASA content through a variety of additional platforms, including social media.
This event is open to media to attend in person or virtually. For in-person, media must contact the NASA Johnson newsroom no later than 12 p.m., Tuesday, Aug. 19, at: jsccommu@mail.nasa.gov or 281-483-5111. Media participating by phone must dial into the news conference no later than 10 minutes prior to the start of the event to ask questions. Questions also may be submitted on social media using #AskNASA. A copy of NASA’s media accreditation policy is available on the agency’s website.
The crew spent 146 days aboard the orbiting laboratory, traveling nearly 62,795,205 million miles and completing 2,368 orbits around Earth. While living and working aboard the station, the crew completed hundreds of science experiments and technology demonstrations. The latest NASA space station news, images, and features are available on Instagram, Facebook, and X.
NASA’s Commercial Crew Program has delivered on its goal of safe, reliable, and cost-effective transportation to and from the International Space Station from the United States through a partnership with American private industry. This partnership is opening access to low Earth orbit and the International Space Station to more people, more science, and more commercial opportunities. For almost 25 years, people have continuously lived and worked aboard the space station, advancing scientific knowledge and demonstrating new technologies that enable us to prepare for human exploration of the Moon as we prepare for Mars.
Learn more about NASA’s Commercial Crew Program at:
https://www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew
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Joshua Finch
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1100
joshua.a.finch@nasa.gov
Courtney Beasley
Johnson Space Center, Houston
281-483-5111
courtney.m.beasley@nasa.gov
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Last Updated Aug 14, 2025 EditorJessica TaveauLocationNASA Headquarters Related Terms
Commercial Crew International Space Station (ISS) ISS Research Johnson Space Center View the full article
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