| In this week’s newsletter, find out where and when to watch the launch of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-12 to the International Space Station; discover the next steps for the Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe as it begins its primary science mission to explore and map the boundaries of our heliosphere; and learn how NASA will study the Moon, and the astronauts going there for the Artemis II mission, in the latest episode of NASA’s Curious Universe podcast. Plus, more stories you might have missed. |
| HUMANS IN SPACE Launch Coverage of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-12  |
| Beginning Sunday, Feb. 8, NASA will stream live coverage of the upcoming prelaunch, launch, and docking activities for the agency’s SpaceX Crew-12 mission to the International Space Station. The SpaceX Dragon spacecraft will carry NASA astronauts Jessica Meir and Jack Hathaway, European Space Agency astronaut Sophie Adenot, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev to the orbiting laboratory for a long-duration science expedition. Liftoff is targeted for no earlier than 6:01 a.m. EST on Wednesday, Feb. 11, from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. MISSION COVERAGE SCHEDULE |
 | ARTEMIS Artemis II Targets March Launch On Tuesday, NASA engineers concluded a wet dress rehearsal for the agency’s Artemis II test flight. The rehearsal was a prelaunch test to fuel the Space Launch System rocket, designed to identify any issues and resolve them before attempting a launch. To allow teams to review the data and conduct a second wet dress rehearsal, the agency is now targeting March as the earliest possible launch opportunity. ARTEMIS II BLOG |
| THE SOLAR SYSTEM The Sun’s Influence The Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe, or IMAP, began its primary science mission on Feb. 1 to explore and map the boundaries of our heliosphere—the protective bubble created by the solar wind that encapsulates our solar system. IMAP will chart a comprehensive picture of what’s roiling in space, from high-energy particles originating at the Sun to remnants of exploded stars in interstellar space. IMAP MISSION BLOG |  |
 THE SOLAR SYSTEM A Smaller Jupiter Data from the Juno mission has revealed that the solar system’s largest planet, Jupiter, is slightly smaller and more “squashed” than previously believed. By analyzing radio occultation data from 13 flybys of Jupiter and incorporating the effects of zonal winds, mission scientists have determined that Jupiter is about 5 miles narrower at the equator and 15 miles flatter at the poles. LEARN MORE |  EARTH Tracking Glacial Change For the first time, scientists have created a comprehensive global dataset revealing how the world’s glaciers speed up and slow down with the seasons. Published in Science in November 2025, the study analyzed over 36 million satellite image pairs—including decades of Landsat data—to track the seasonal “pulse” of every major glacier on Earth.LEARN MORE |
| More NASA News |
 | In December 2025, the SPHEREx mission turned its infrared gaze on interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS, adding to the deep pool of information NASA has gathered on what is only the third such object to be discovered passing through our solar system. In a new research note, mission scientists describe the detection of organic molecules, such as methanol, cyanide, and methane. |
 | This week, NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory, which watches the Sun constantly, captured images of strong solar flares–powerful bursts of energy that can impact radio communications, electric power grids, and navigation signals and pose risks to spacecraft and astronauts. |
 | In the latest episode of the Small Steps, Giant Leaps podcast, aerospace engineer Jennifer Lu shares how working with a variety of teams—including circus performers before coming to NASA—has helped her see the bigger picture. |
| Do You Know? |
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| NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen are now preparing for their flight to the Moon on Artemis II, but let’s go back to when these four were first selected as astronaut candidates. Wiseman and Hansen were chosen to be part of the agency’s Astronaut Group 20 in 2009, and Glover and Koch were chosen for Astronaut Group 21 in 2013. As a tradition, each astronaut group is given a nickname by the preceding group. |
| What is the nickname that Group 20 gave Group 21? A. The Flying Escargot B. The Rocket Rookies C. The Eight Balls D. The Penguins |
| Find out the answer in next week’s NASA newsletter! |
 | Last week, we asked how many golf balls are on the Moon. The answer? Two. On Feb. 6, 1971, Apollo 14 Mission Commander Alan Shepard took a moment to hit a couple of golf balls—one-handed—on the lunar surface. This epic tee-off is immortalized in video, with commentary from crewmate Edgar Mitchell and capsule communicator Fred Haise. |
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During Artemis II, four astronauts will see the lunar surface as few humans have—and possibly, parts of the Moon’s far side that no one has seen before. In the latest episode of NASA’s Curious Universe podcast, learn what lunar science questions NASA hopes to answer with lunar geologist Kelsey Young, and how studying human health on Artemis II will prepare us for exploration deeper into space with associate chief scientist of NASA’s Human Research Program Jancy McPhee.
Four astronauts will venture around the Moon on Artemis II, the first crewed mission on NASA’s path to establishing a long-term presence at the Moon for science and exploration through Artemis. The approximately 10-day flight will help confirm systems and hardware needed for early human lunar exploration missions.
RETURN TO THE MOON
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