NASA Heat Shield Tech Contributes to America’s Space Industry

The Varda Space Industries W-5 capsule returned to Earth in Koonibba in South Australia on Jan. 29, 2026, with the protection of a heat shield made of C-PICA, a cutting-edge material licensed from NASA and manufactured by Varda. The capsule’s successful return marks the first time a capsule protected entirely by Varda-made C-PICA has come back to Earth. via NASA https://ift.tt/8w7vIx1

Full Moon over Artemis II

A full moon is seen shining over NASA’s SLS (Space Launch System) and Orion spacecraft, atop the mobile launcher in the early hours of February 1, 2026. via NASA https://ift.tt/FIzXaGf

NASA's Orion Spacecraft at Launch Pad

NASA's Orion spacecraft sits atop the agency's SLS (Space Launch System) rocket at the launch pad after rollout on Jan. 17, 2026. via NASA https://ift.tt/YnLFUs2

Goldstone’s DSS-15 Antenna and the Milky Way

Deep Space Station 15 (DSS-15), one of the 112-foot (34-meter) antennas at the Goldstone Deep Space Communications Complex near Barstow, California, looks skyward, with the stars of the Milky Way overhead, in September 2025. via NASA https://ift.tt/jrLgEBo

Webb Zooms into Helix Nebula

A new image from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope of a portion of the Helix Nebula highlights comet-like knots, fierce stellar winds, and layers of gas shed off by a dying star interacting with its surrounding environment. Webb’s image also shows the stark transition between the hottest gas to the coolest gas as the shell expands out from the central white dwarf. via NASA https://ift.tt/pHVCYNg

Chandra, Webb Catch Twinkling Lights

This stellar landscape is reminiscent of a winter vista in a view from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope (red, green, and blue). Chandra data (red, green and blue) punctuate the scene with bursts of colored lights representing high-energy activity from the active stars. via NASA https://ift.tt/DkpljOU

NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope Finds Crystal-Spewing Protostar

NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope’s 2024 NIRCam image shows protostar EC 53 circled. Researchers using new data from Webb’s MIRI proved that crystalline silicates form in the hottest part of the disk of gas and dust surrounding the star — and may be shot to the system’s edges. via NASA https://ift.tt/eEuS5bC