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NASA’s SPHEREx Observatory Completes First Cosmic Map Like No Other
6 min read
Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) This panoramic view of SPHEREx’s first all-sky map shows how the sky looks to the telescope. It transitions between observations of colors emitted by hot hydrogen gas (blue) and cosmic dust (red), and those primarily emitted by stars.Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Launched in March, NASA’s SPHEREx space telescope has completed its first infrared map of the entire sky in 102 colors. While not visible to the human eye, these 102 infrared wavelengths of light are prevalent in the cosmos, and observing the entire sky this way enables scientists to answer big questions, including how a dramatic event that occurred in the first billionth of a trillionth of a trillionth of a second after the big bang influenced the 3D distribution of hundreds of millions of galaxies in our universe. In addition, scientists will use the data to study how galaxies have changed over the universe’s nearly 14 billion-year history and learn about the distribution of key ingredients for life in our own galaxy.
“It’s incredible how much information SPHEREx has collected in just six months — information that will be especially valuable when used alongside our other missions’ data to better understand our universe,” said Shawn Domagal-Goldman, director of the Astrophysics Division at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “We essentially have 102 new maps of the entire sky, each one in a different wavelength and containing unique information about the objects it sees. I think every astronomer is going to find something of value here, as NASA’s missions enable the world to answer fundamental questions about how the universe got its start, and how it changed to eventually create a home for us in it.”
Circling Earth about 14½ times a day, SPHEREx (which stands for Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionization, and Ices Explorer) travels from north to south, passing over the poles. Each day it takes about 3,600 images along one circular strip of the sky, and as the days pass and the planet moves around the Sun, SPHEREx’s field of view shifts as well. After six months, the observatory has looked out into space in every direction, capturing the entire sky in 360 degrees.
Managed by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, the mission began mapping the sky in May and completed its first all-sky mosaic in December. It will complete three additional all-sky scans during its two-year primary mission, and merging those maps together will increase the sensitivity of the measurements. The entire dataset is freely available to scientists and the public.
“SPHEREx is a mid-sized astrophysics mission delivering big science,” said JPL Director Dave Gallagher. “It’s a phenomenal example of how we turn bold ideas into reality, and in doing so, unlock enormous potential for discovery.”
NASA’s SPHEREx has mapped the entire sky in 102 infrared colors, which are invisible to the human eye but can be used to reveal different features of the cosmos. This image features a selection of colors emitted primarily by stars (blue, green, and white), hot hydrogen gas (blue), and cosmic dust (red). NASA/JPL-Caltech This SPHEREx image shows a selection of the infrared colors primarily emitted by stars and galaxies. The space telescope is observing hundreds of millions of distant galaxies across the sky. Its multiwavelength view will help astronomers measure the distance to those galaxies. NASA/JPL-Caltech The infrared colors emitted primarily by dust (red) and hot gas (blue), key ingredients for forming new stars and planets, are seen in this SPHEREx image. Though these clouds of material cover a massive portion of the sky, they are invisible in most wavelengths of light, including those the human eye can detect. NASA/JPL-Caltech Superpowered telescopeEach of the 102 colors detected by SPHEREx represents a wavelength of infrared light, and each wavelength provides unique information about the galaxies, stars, planet-forming regions, and other cosmic features therein. For example, dense clouds of dust in our galaxy where stars and planets form radiate brightly in certain wavelengths but emit no light (and are therefore totally invisible) in others. The process of separating the light from a source into its component wavelengths is called spectroscopy.
And while a handful of previous missions has also mapped the entire sky, such as NASA’s Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, none have done so in nearly as many colors as SPHEREx. By contrast, NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope can do spectroscopy with significantly more wavelengths of light than SPHEREx, but with a field of view thousands of times smaller. The combination of colors and such a wide field of view is why SPHEREx is so powerful.
“The superpower of SPHEREx is that it captures the whole sky in 102 colors about every six months. That’s an amazing amount of information to gather in a short amount of time,” said Beth Fabinsky, the SPHEREx project manager at JPL. “I think this makes us the mantis shrimp of telescopes, because we have an amazing multicolor visual detection system and we can also see a very wide swath of our surroundings.”
To accomplish this feat, SPHEREx uses six detectors, each paired with a specially designed filter that contains a gradient of 17 colors. That means every image taken with those six detectors contains 102 colors (six times 17). It also means that every all-sky map that SPHEREx produces is really 102 maps, each in a different color.
The observatory will use those colors to measure the distance to hundreds of millions of galaxies. Though the positions of most of those galaxies have already been mapped in two dimensions by other observatories, SPHEREx’s map will be in 3D, enabling scientists to measure subtle variations in the way galaxies are clustered and distributed across the universe.
Each frame of this movie shows the entire sky in a different infrared wavelength, indicated by the color bar in the top right corner. Taken by NASA’s SPHEREx observatory, the maps illustrate how viewing the universe in different wavelengths of light can reveal unique cosmic features.Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Those measurements will offer insights into an event that took place in the first billionth of a trillionth of a trillionth of a second after the big bang. In this moment, called inflation, the universe expanded by a trillion-trillionfold. Nothing like it has occurred in the universe since, and scientists want to understand it better. The SPHEREx mission’s approach is one way to help in that effort.
More about SPHERExThe SPHEREx mission is managed by JPL for NASA’s Astrophysics Division within the Science Mission Directorate in Washington. The telescope and the spacecraft bus were built by BAE Systems. The science analysis of the SPHEREx data is being conducted by a team of scientists at 10 institutions across the U.S., and in South Korea and Taiwan. Data is processed and archived at IPAC at Caltech in Pasadena, which manages JPL for NASA. The mission’s principal investigator is based at Caltech with a joint JPL appointment. The SPHEREx dataset is publicly available.
For more information about the SPHEREx mission visit:
https://science.nasa.gov/mission/spherex/
News Media Contacts
Calla Cofield
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.
626-808-2469
calla.e.cofield@jpl.nasa.gov
2025-144
Share Details Last Updated Dec 18, 2025 Related Terms Explore More 5 min read NASA’s Hubble Sees Asteroids Colliding at Nearby Star for First TimeLike a game of cosmic bumper cars, scientists think the early days of our solar…
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NASA’s SPHEREx Observatory Completes First Cosmic Map Like No Other
6 min read
Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) This panoramic view of SPHEREx’s first all-sky map shows how the sky looks to the telescope. It transitions between observations of colors emitted by hot hydrogen gas (blue) and cosmic dust (red), and those primarily emitted by stars.Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Launched in March, NASA’s SPHEREx space telescope has completed its first infrared map of the entire sky in 102 colors. While not visible to the human eye, these 102 infrared wavelengths of light are prevalent in the cosmos, and observing the entire sky this way enables scientists to answer big questions, including how a dramatic event that occurred in the first billionth of a trillionth of a trillionth of a second after the big bang influenced the 3D distribution of hundreds of millions of galaxies in our universe. In addition, scientists will use the data to study how galaxies have changed over the universe’s nearly 14 billion-year history and learn about the distribution of key ingredients for life in our own galaxy.
“It’s incredible how much information SPHEREx has collected in just six months — information that will be especially valuable when used alongside our other missions’ data to better understand our universe,” said Shawn Domagal-Goldman, director of the Astrophysics Division at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “We essentially have 102 new maps of the entire sky, each one in a different wavelength and containing unique information about the objects it sees. I think every astronomer is going to find something of value here, as NASA’s missions enable the world to answer fundamental questions about how the universe got its start, and how it changed to eventually create a home for us in it.”
Circling Earth about 14½ times a day, SPHEREx (which stands for Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionization, and Ices Explorer) travels from north to south, passing over the poles. Each day it takes about 3,600 images along one circular strip of the sky, and as the days pass and the planet moves around the Sun, SPHEREx’s field of view shifts as well. After six months, the observatory has looked out into space in every direction, capturing the entire sky in 360 degrees.
Managed by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, the mission began mapping the sky in May and completed its first all-sky mosaic in December. It will complete three additional all-sky scans during its two-year primary mission, and merging those maps together will increase the sensitivity of the measurements. The entire dataset is freely available to scientists and the public.
“SPHEREx is a mid-sized astrophysics mission delivering big science,” said JPL Director Dave Gallagher. “It’s a phenomenal example of how we turn bold ideas into reality, and in doing so, unlock enormous potential for discovery.”
NASA’s SPHEREx has mapped the entire sky in 102 infrared colors, which are invisible to the human eye but can be used to reveal different features of the cosmos. This image features a selection of colors emitted primarily by stars (blue, green, and white), hot hydrogen gas (blue), and cosmic dust (red). NASA/JPL-Caltech This SPHEREx image shows a selection of the infrared colors primarily emitted by stars and galaxies. The space telescope is observing hundreds of millions of distant galaxies across the sky. Its multiwavelength view will help astronomers measure the distance to those galaxies. NASA/JPL-Caltech The infrared colors emitted primarily by dust (red) and hot gas (blue), key ingredients for forming new stars and planets, are seen in this SPHEREx image. Though these clouds of material cover a massive portion of the sky, they are invisible in most wavelengths of light, including those the human eye can detect. NASA/JPL-Caltech Superpowered telescopeEach of the 102 colors detected by SPHEREx represents a wavelength of infrared light, and each wavelength provides unique information about the galaxies, stars, planet-forming regions, and other cosmic features therein. For example, dense clouds of dust in our galaxy where stars and planets form radiate brightly in certain wavelengths but emit no light (and are therefore totally invisible) in others. The process of separating the light from a source into its component wavelengths is called spectroscopy.
And while a handful of previous missions has also mapped the entire sky, such as NASA’s Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, none have done so in nearly as many colors as SPHEREx. By contrast, NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope can do spectroscopy with significantly more wavelengths of light than SPHEREx, but with a field of view thousands of times smaller. The combination of colors and such a wide field of view is why SPHEREx is so powerful.
“The superpower of SPHEREx is that it captures the whole sky in 102 colors about every six months. That’s an amazing amount of information to gather in a short amount of time,” said Beth Fabinsky, the SPHEREx project manager at JPL. “I think this makes us the mantis shrimp of telescopes, because we have an amazing multicolor visual detection system and we can also see a very wide swath of our surroundings.”
To accomplish this feat, SPHEREx uses six detectors, each paired with a specially designed filter that contains a gradient of 17 colors. That means every image taken with those six detectors contains 102 colors (six times 17). It also means that every all-sky map that SPHEREx produces is really 102 maps, each in a different color.
The observatory will use those colors to measure the distance to hundreds of millions of galaxies. Though the positions of most of those galaxies have already been mapped in two dimensions by other observatories, SPHEREx’s map will be in 3D, enabling scientists to measure subtle variations in the way galaxies are clustered and distributed across the universe.
Each frame of this movie shows the entire sky in a different infrared wavelength, indicated by the color bar in the top right corner. Taken by NASA’s SPHEREx observatory, the maps illustrate how viewing the universe in different wavelengths of light can reveal unique cosmic features.Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Those measurements will offer insights into an event that took place in the first billionth of a trillionth of a trillionth of a second after the big bang. In this moment, called inflation, the universe expanded by a trillion-trillionfold. Nothing like it has occurred in the universe since, and scientists want to understand it better. The SPHEREx mission’s approach is one way to help in that effort.
More about SPHERExThe SPHEREx mission is managed by JPL for NASA’s Astrophysics Division within the Science Mission Directorate in Washington. The telescope and the spacecraft bus were built by BAE Systems. The science analysis of the SPHEREx data is being conducted by a team of scientists at 10 institutions across the U.S., and in South Korea and Taiwan. Data is processed and archived at IPAC at Caltech in Pasadena, which manages JPL for NASA. The mission’s principal investigator is based at Caltech with a joint JPL appointment. The SPHEREx dataset is publicly available.
For more information about the SPHEREx mission visit:
https://science.nasa.gov/mission/spherex/
News Media Contacts
Calla Cofield
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.
626-808-2469
calla.e.cofield@jpl.nasa.gov
2025-144
Share Details Last Updated Dec 18, 2025 Related Terms Explore More 5 min read NASA’s Hubble Sees Asteroids Colliding at Nearby Star for First TimeLike a game of cosmic bumper cars, scientists think the early days of our solar…
Article 14 hours ago 4 min read NASA’s Fermi Spots Young Star Cluster Blowing Gamma-Ray BubblesFor the first time, astronomers using NASA’s Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope have traced a budding…
Article 18 hours ago 6 min read NASA’s Perseverance Mars Rover Ready to Roll for Miles in Years Ahead Article 2 days ago Keep Exploring Discover Related TopicsSPHEREx
Big Bang and the Evolution of the UniversePrecisely measure the cosmological parameters governing the evolution of the universe and test the inflation hypothesis of the Big Bang…
GalaxiesGalaxies consist of stars, planets, and vast clouds of gas and dust, all bound together by gravity. The largest contain…
Astrobiology
NASA Welcomes 15th Administrator Jared Isaacman
Jared Isaacman was sworn in Thursday as NASA’s 15th administrator by District Judge Timothy J. Kelly. The oath was taken during a ceremony held at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building in Washington.
As NASA administrator, Isaacman will lead the agency in bold pursuit of exploration, innovation, and scientific discovery.
“I am deeply honored to be sworn in as NASA administrator,” said Isaacman. “NASA’s mission is as imperative and urgent as ever — to push the boundaries of human exploration, ignite the orbital economy, drive scientific discovery, and innovate for the benefit of all of humanity. I look forward to serving under President Trump’s leadership and restoring a mission-first culture at NASA — focused on achieving ambitious goals, to return American astronauts to the Moon, establish an enduring presence on the lunar surface, and laying the groundwork to deliver on President Trump’s vision of planting the Stars and Stripes on Mars.”
Isaacman, nominated by President Donald J. Trump on Nov. 4th, was confirmed to serve as NASA administrator by the U.S. Senate on Dec. 17. Isaacman is expected to address the workforce this week.
Jared “Rook” Isaacman is the 15th administrator of NASA, a pilot, astronaut, seasoned entrepreneur, philanthropist, and pioneer in commercial spaceflight. Read Isaacman’s official biography online.
Official portrait of NASA Administrator Jared IsaacmanCredit: NASA/Bill Ingalls
For more about NASA’s mission, visit:
-end-
Bethany Stevens / George Alderman
Headquarters, Washington
(771) 216-2606
bethany.c.stevens@nasa.gov / george.a.alderman@nasa.gov
NASA Welcomes 15th Administrator Jared Isaacman
Jared Isaacman was sworn in Thursday as NASA’s 15th administrator by District Judge Timothy J. Kelly. The oath was taken during a ceremony held at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building in Washington.
As NASA administrator, Isaacman will lead the agency in bold pursuit of exploration, innovation, and scientific discovery.
“I am deeply honored to be sworn in as NASA administrator,” said Isaacman. “NASA’s mission is as imperative and urgent as ever — to push the boundaries of human exploration, ignite the orbital economy, drive scientific discovery, and innovate for the benefit of all of humanity. I look forward to serving under President Trump’s leadership and restoring a mission-first culture at NASA — focused on achieving ambitious goals, to return American astronauts to the Moon, establish an enduring presence on the lunar surface, and laying the groundwork to deliver on President Trump’s vision of planting the Stars and Stripes on Mars.”
Isaacman, nominated by President Donald J. Trump on Nov. 4th, was confirmed to serve as NASA administrator by the U.S. Senate on Dec. 17. Isaacman is expected to address the workforce this week.
Jared “Rook” Isaacman is the 15th administrator of NASA, a pilot, astronaut, seasoned entrepreneur, philanthropist, and pioneer in commercial spaceflight. Read Isaacman’s official biography online.
Official portrait of NASA Administrator Jared IsaacmanCredit: NASA/Bill IngallsFor more about NASA’s mission, visit:
-end-
Bethany Stevens / George Alderman
Headquarters, Washington
(771) 216-2606
bethany.c.stevens@nasa.gov / george.a.alderman@nasa.gov
The JWST Found A Jekyll-and-Hyde Galaxy In The Early Universe
In a glimpse of the early universe, astronomers have observed a galaxy as it appeared just 800 million years after the Big Bang – a cosmic Jekyll and Hyde that looks like any other galaxy when viewed in visible and even ultraviolet light but transforms into a cosmic beast when observed at infrared wavelengths. This object, dubbed Virgil, is forcing astronomers to reconsider their understanding of how supermassive black holes grew in the infant universe.
Closure of US institute will do immense harm to climate research
Closure of US institute will do immense harm to climate research
A Look Back at NASA Stennis in 2025
5 min read
Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater)In 2025, NASA’s Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, marked a year of progress by supporting NASA’s Artemis campaign, celebrating historic milestones, and continuing its role as a trusted propulsion test partner at America’s largest rocket propulsion test site.
“For more than six decades, NASA Stennis has proudly represented the Gulf Coast region and America in advancing our nation’s space exploration goals,” said NASA Stennis Director John Bailey. “This year, we continued our progress forward as we near the launch of Artemis II, while honoring milestones that have brought our center to this point.”
Supporting ArtemisAs NASA prepares for the launch of Artemis II in early 2026, with the first crewed mission to the Moon in over 50 years, NASA Stennis continues its frontline work.
Every RS-25 engine used to help launch NASA’s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket to the Moon is tested in south Mississippi.
NASA Stennis teams provided data to lead engines contractor L3Harris Technologies by successfully testing two new production RS-25 flight engines.
NASA tested RS-25 engine No. 20001 at the Fred Haise Test Stand in June, and RS-25 engine No. 20002 in November. Each engine fired for 500 seconds, reaching 111% of its rated power, while simulating launch conditions.
Teams at NASA’s Stennis Space Center deliver, lift, and install the first new production RS-25 engine on the Fred Haise Test Stand on Feb. 18, 2025.NASA/Danny Nowlin Teams at NASA’s Stennis Space Center deliver, lift, and install the first new production RS-25 engine on the Fred Haise Test Stand on Feb. 18, 2025.NASA/Danny Nowlin Teams at NASA’s Stennis Space Center deliver, lift, and install the first new production RS-25 engine on the Fred Haise Test Stand on Feb. 18, 2025.NASA/Danny Nowlin Teams at NASA’s Stennis Space Center deliver, lift, and install the first new production RS-25 engine on the Fred Haise Test Stand on Feb. 18, 2025.NASA/Danny Nowlin Teams at NASA’s Stennis Space Center deliver, lift, and install the first new production RS-25 engine on the Fred Haise Test Stand on Feb. 18, 2025.NASA/Danny Nowlin Teams at NASA’s Stennis Space Center deliver, lift, and install the first new production RS-25 engine on the Fred Haise Test Stand on Feb. 18, 2025.NASA/Danny Nowlin NASA tests RS-25 engine No. 20001 on June 20, 2025, at the Fred Haise Test Stand at NASA’s Stennis Space Center at Bay St. Louis, Mississippi.NASA/Danny Nowlin Supporting Commercial PropulsionThe commercial aerospace industry is growing, and NASA Stennis is a secure location providing support for it. Companies that have conducted work at NASA Stennis include Blue Origin, Boeing, Evolution Space; Launcher, a Vast company; Relativity Space and Rolls-Royce.
Three companies – Relativity Space, Rocket Lab, and Evolution Space – have established, or continue progress to establish, production and/or test operations at NASA Stennis.
Infrastructure upgrades and planning efforts across the test complex are laying the foundation for future propulsion test projects as well.
“As the commercial space industry continues to accelerate their development, NASA Stennis is adapting to meet their propulsion testing needs,” said Joe Schuyler, director of the NASA Stennis Engineering and Test Directorate. “We are proud that our proven experience makes us a trusted partner.”
Honoring the Past In 2025, NASA Stennis honored a defining era of space shuttle main engine testing. An image shows the first space shuttle main engine installed on May 8, 1975, at the Fred Haise Test Stand (formerly A-1).NASA
While NASA Stennis operates as the nation’s largest rocket propulsion test site, the NASA Stennis Federal City also is home to more than 50 federal, state, academic, and commercial tenants.
This year marked the birth of the federal city concept 55 years ago. The unique operating approach serves as a model of government efficiency and a powerful economic engine for the Gulf Coast region.
Meanwhile, the 50th anniversary of space shuttle main engine testing honored a defining era for NASA Stennis.
From May 1975 to July 2009, NASA Stennis tested space shuttle main engines that enabled 135 shuttle missions and notable space milestones, like deployment of the Hubble Space Telescope and construction of the International Space Station.
Both the federal city model and the decades of propulsion excellence continue to inform work at NASA Stennis.
Engineering the FutureInnovation extended beyond the test stands. The versatile testing environment at NASA Stennis is uniquely positioned to support unmanned systems testing across air, land, and water. With restricted airspace, a closed canal system, and vast protected terrain, the site offers a safe, flexible environment for range operations.
In addition to physical infrastructure, NASA Stennis progressed in digital innovation with the release of its first open-source software tool to streamline propulsion test data collection and collaboration across NASA and industry. The peer review tool is designed to facilitate more efficient and collaborative creation of systems applications, such as those used in frontline government and propulsion test work.
U.S. Naval Research Laboratory personnel conduct a field experiment involving an unmanned aerial system at NASA Stennis in March 2024.NASA/Danny Nowlin U.S. Naval Research laboratory personnel conduct tests on The Blue Boat made by Blue Robotics, an unmanned surface vessel, at NOAA’s National Data Buoy Center basin at NASA Stennis on Dec. 19, 2024. NASA/Danny Nowlin NASA software engineer Brandon Carver updates how the main data acquisition software processes information on March 5, 2025, at NASA’s Stennis Space Center, where he has contributed to the creation of the center’s first-ever open-source software.NASA/Danny Nowlin Syncom Space Services software engineer Shane Cravens, the chief architect behind the first-ever open-source software at NASA’s Stennis Space Center, verifies operation of the site’s data acquisition hardware.NASA/Danny Nowlin Community and Inspiration
NASA Stennis connected with communities in creative ways in 2025.
During Super Bowl week, NASA Stennis representatives inspired future explorers by bringing Artemis mission displays and hands-on activities to families at the Audubon Aquarium in New Orleans.
In March, NASA Stennis supported the third annual FIRST Robotics Magnolia Regional as a lead sponsor with employees and interns volunteering at the event. The competition in Laurel, Mississippi, brought together 37 teams from eight U.S. states (Alabama, California, Florida, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, and Tennessee) and Mexico. The FIRST (For the Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Robotics event joined NASA’s Robotics Alliance Project to combine the excitement of sport with the rigors of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) in field games using industrial-sized robots.
That same spirit of hands-on learning continues at INFINITY Science Center, the official visitor center of NASA Stennis. A new interactive exhibit has provided visitors a chance to become a test conductor and simulate RS-25 engine tests for the engines that will help power NASA’s Artemis missions.
A pair of young visitors to INFINITY Science Center carry out the steps of a simulated RS-25 engine hot fire on Dec. 19, 2024. The engine test simulator exhibit provided by NASA’s Stennis Space Center takes users through the hot fire process just as real engineers do at NASA Stennis.NASA/Danny Nowlin NASA Stennis representatives inspire the Artemis Generation at the Audubon Aquarium in New Orleans on Feb. 7-8, 2025, with activities and displays highlighting space exploration, including NASA’s Artemis missions to the Moon.NASA/Danny Nowlin NASA Stennis representatives inspire the Artemis Generation at the Audubon Aquarium in New Orleans on Feb. 7-8, 2025, with activities and displays highlighting space exploration, including NASA’s Artemis missions to the Moon.NASA/Danny Nowlin NASA serves as a lead sponsor, along with NASA Stennis employees and interns volunteering, for the third annual FIRST Robotics Magnolia Regional Competition on March 14, 2025. The event in Laurel, Mississippi, welcomed 37 teams from eight states (Alabama, California, Florida, Louisiana, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, and Tennessee) and one team from Mexico. The FIRST (For the Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Robotics event joined NASA’s Robotics Alliance Project to combine the excitement of sport with the rigors of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) in field games using industrial-sized robots.NASA/Danny Nowlin NASA serves as a lead sponsor, along with NASA Stennis employees and interns volunteering, for the third annual FIRST Robotics Magnolia Regional Competition on March 14, 2025. The event in Laurel, Mississippi, welcomed 37 teams from eight states (Alabama, California, Florida, Louisiana, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, and Tennessee) and one team from Mexico. The FIRST (For the Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Robotics event joined NASA’s Robotics Alliance Project to combine the excitement of sport with the rigors of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) in field games using industrial-sized robots.NASA/Danny Nowlin A Winter WonderlandHancock County, where NASA Stennis is located, received five to seven inches of snow on Jan. 21, 2025, according to the National Weather Service. It marked the most snow Hancock County, Mississippi, has received in 61 years. The Dec. 31, 1963, snowfall holds the record at 10 inches of snow for Bay St. Louis, Mississippi.
A series of cell phone and stationary camera images record snowfall at NASA’s Stennis Space Center on Jan. 21, 2025.NASA/Stennis A series of cell phone and stationary camera images record snowfall at NASA’s Stennis Space Center on Jan. 21, 2025.NASA/Stennis A series of cell phone and stationary camera images record snowfall at NASA’s Stennis Space Center on Jan. 21, 2025.NASA/Stennis A series of cell phone and stationary camera images record snowfall at NASA’s Stennis Space Center on Jan. 21, 2025.NASA/Stennis A series of cell phone and stationary camera images record snowfall at NASA’s Stennis Space Center on Jan. 21, 2025.NASA/Stennis A series of cell phone and stationary camera images record snowfall at NASA’s Stennis Space Center on Jan. 21, 2025.NASA/Stennis A series of cell phone and stationary camera images record snowfall at NASA’s Stennis Space Center on Jan. 21, 2025.NASA/Stennis A series of cell phone and stationary camera images record snowfall at NASA’s Stennis Space Center on Jan. 21, 2025.NASA/Stennis A series of cell phone and stationary camera images record snowfall at NASA’s Stennis Space Center on Jan. 21, 2025.NASA/Stennis Looking AheadAll in all, the year closes with members of the NASA Stennis team focused on what is to come.
“As we close out 2025, NASA Stennis looks forward to the next chapter of our center as NASA sends astronauts to the Moon to prepare for future human exploration of Mars through the agency’s Artemis campaign,” said NASA Stennis Deputy Director Christine Powell. “We are ready for what’s next.”
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A Look Back at NASA Stennis in 2025
5 min read
Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater)In 2025, NASA’s Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, marked a year of progress by supporting NASA’s Artemis campaign, celebrating historic milestones, and continuing its role as a trusted propulsion test partner at America’s largest rocket propulsion test site.
“For more than six decades, NASA Stennis has proudly represented the Gulf Coast region and America in advancing our nation’s space exploration goals,” said NASA Stennis Director John Bailey. “This year, we continued our progress forward as we near the launch of Artemis II, while honoring milestones that have brought our center to this point.”
Supporting ArtemisAs NASA prepares for the launch of Artemis II in early 2026, with the first crewed mission to the Moon in over 50 years, NASA Stennis continues its frontline work.
Every RS-25 engine used to help launch NASA’s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket to the Moon is tested in south Mississippi.
NASA Stennis teams provided data to lead engines contractor L3Harris Technologies by successfully testing two new production RS-25 flight engines.
NASA tested RS-25 engine No. 20001 at the Fred Haise Test Stand in June, and RS-25 engine No. 20002 in November. Each engine fired for 500 seconds, reaching 111% of its rated power, while simulating launch conditions.
Teams at NASA’s Stennis Space Center deliver, lift, and install the first new production RS-25 engine on the Fred Haise Test Stand on Feb. 18, 2025.NASA/Danny Nowlin Teams at NASA’s Stennis Space Center deliver, lift, and install the first new production RS-25 engine on the Fred Haise Test Stand on Feb. 18, 2025.NASA/Danny Nowlin Teams at NASA’s Stennis Space Center deliver, lift, and install the first new production RS-25 engine on the Fred Haise Test Stand on Feb. 18, 2025.NASA/Danny Nowlin Teams at NASA’s Stennis Space Center deliver, lift, and install the first new production RS-25 engine on the Fred Haise Test Stand on Feb. 18, 2025.NASA/Danny Nowlin Teams at NASA’s Stennis Space Center deliver, lift, and install the first new production RS-25 engine on the Fred Haise Test Stand on Feb. 18, 2025.NASA/Danny Nowlin Teams at NASA’s Stennis Space Center deliver, lift, and install the first new production RS-25 engine on the Fred Haise Test Stand on Feb. 18, 2025.NASA/Danny Nowlin NASA tests RS-25 engine No. 20001 on June 20, 2025, at the Fred Haise Test Stand at NASA’s Stennis Space Center at Bay St. Louis, Mississippi.NASA/Danny Nowlin Supporting Commercial PropulsionThe commercial aerospace industry is growing, and NASA Stennis is a secure location providing support for it. Companies that have conducted work at NASA Stennis include Blue Origin, Boeing, Evolution Space; Launcher, a Vast company; Relativity Space and Rolls-Royce.
Three companies – Relativity Space, Rocket Lab, and Evolution Space – have established, or continue progress to establish, production and/or test operations at NASA Stennis.
Infrastructure upgrades and planning efforts across the test complex are laying the foundation for future propulsion test projects as well.
“As the commercial space industry continues to accelerate their development, NASA Stennis is adapting to meet their propulsion testing needs,” said Joe Schuyler, director of the NASA Stennis Engineering and Test Directorate. “We are proud that our proven experience makes us a trusted partner.”
Honoring the Past In 2025, NASA Stennis honored a defining era of space shuttle main engine testing. An image shows the first space shuttle main engine installed on May 8, 1975, at the Fred Haise Test Stand (formerly A-1).NASAWhile NASA Stennis operates as the nation’s largest rocket propulsion test site, the NASA Stennis Federal City also is home to more than 50 federal, state, academic, and commercial tenants.
This year marked the birth of the federal city concept 55 years ago. The unique operating approach serves as a model of government efficiency and a powerful economic engine for the Gulf Coast region.
Meanwhile, the 50th anniversary of space shuttle main engine testing honored a defining era for NASA Stennis.
From May 1975 to July 2009, NASA Stennis tested space shuttle main engines that enabled 135 shuttle missions and notable space milestones, like deployment of the Hubble Space Telescope and construction of the International Space Station.
Both the federal city model and the decades of propulsion excellence continue to inform work at NASA Stennis.
Engineering the FutureInnovation extended beyond the test stands. The versatile testing environment at NASA Stennis is uniquely positioned to support unmanned systems testing across air, land, and water. With restricted airspace, a closed canal system, and vast protected terrain, the site offers a safe, flexible environment for range operations.
In addition to physical infrastructure, NASA Stennis progressed in digital innovation with the release of its first open-source software tool to streamline propulsion test data collection and collaboration across NASA and industry. The peer review tool is designed to facilitate more efficient and collaborative creation of systems applications, such as those used in frontline government and propulsion test work.
U.S. Naval Research Laboratory personnel conduct a field experiment involving an unmanned aerial system at NASA Stennis in March 2024.NASA/Danny Nowlin U.S. Naval Research laboratory personnel conduct tests on The Blue Boat made by Blue Robotics, an unmanned surface vessel, at NOAA’s National Data Buoy Center basin at NASA Stennis on Dec. 19, 2024. NASA/Danny Nowlin NASA software engineer Brandon Carver updates how the main data acquisition software processes information on March 5, 2025, at NASA’s Stennis Space Center, where he has contributed to the creation of the center’s first-ever open-source software.NASA/Danny Nowlin Syncom Space Services software engineer Shane Cravens, the chief architect behind the first-ever open-source software at NASA’s Stennis Space Center, verifies operation of the site’s data acquisition hardware.NASA/Danny Nowlin Community and InspirationNASA Stennis connected with communities in creative ways in 2025.
During Super Bowl week, NASA Stennis representatives inspired future explorers by bringing Artemis mission displays and hands-on activities to families at the Audubon Aquarium in New Orleans.
In March, NASA Stennis supported the third annual FIRST Robotics Magnolia Regional as a lead sponsor with employees and interns volunteering at the event. The competition in Laurel, Mississippi, brought together 37 teams from eight U.S. states (Alabama, California, Florida, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, and Tennessee) and Mexico. The FIRST (For the Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Robotics event joined NASA’s Robotics Alliance Project to combine the excitement of sport with the rigors of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) in field games using industrial-sized robots.
That same spirit of hands-on learning continues at INFINITY Science Center, the official visitor center of NASA Stennis. A new interactive exhibit has provided visitors a chance to become a test conductor and simulate RS-25 engine tests for the engines that will help power NASA’s Artemis missions.
A pair of young visitors to INFINITY Science Center carry out the steps of a simulated RS-25 engine hot fire on Dec. 19, 2024. The engine test simulator exhibit provided by NASA’s Stennis Space Center takes users through the hot fire process just as real engineers do at NASA Stennis.NASA/Danny Nowlin NASA Stennis representatives inspire the Artemis Generation at the Audubon Aquarium in New Orleans on Feb. 7-8, 2025, with activities and displays highlighting space exploration, including NASA’s Artemis missions to the Moon.NASA/Danny Nowlin NASA Stennis representatives inspire the Artemis Generation at the Audubon Aquarium in New Orleans on Feb. 7-8, 2025, with activities and displays highlighting space exploration, including NASA’s Artemis missions to the Moon.NASA/Danny Nowlin NASA serves as a lead sponsor, along with NASA Stennis employees and interns volunteering, for the third annual FIRST Robotics Magnolia Regional Competition on March 14, 2025. The event in Laurel, Mississippi, welcomed 37 teams from eight states (Alabama, California, Florida, Louisiana, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, and Tennessee) and one team from Mexico. The FIRST (For the Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Robotics event joined NASA’s Robotics Alliance Project to combine the excitement of sport with the rigors of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) in field games using industrial-sized robots.NASA/Danny Nowlin NASA serves as a lead sponsor, along with NASA Stennis employees and interns volunteering, for the third annual FIRST Robotics Magnolia Regional Competition on March 14, 2025. The event in Laurel, Mississippi, welcomed 37 teams from eight states (Alabama, California, Florida, Louisiana, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, and Tennessee) and one team from Mexico. The FIRST (For the Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Robotics event joined NASA’s Robotics Alliance Project to combine the excitement of sport with the rigors of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) in field games using industrial-sized robots.NASA/Danny Nowlin A Winter WonderlandHancock County, where NASA Stennis is located, received five to seven inches of snow on Jan. 21, 2025, according to the National Weather Service. It marked the most snow Hancock County, Mississippi, has received in 61 years. The Dec. 31, 1963, snowfall holds the record at 10 inches of snow for Bay St. Louis, Mississippi.
A series of cell phone and stationary camera images record snowfall at NASA’s Stennis Space Center on Jan. 21, 2025.NASA/Stennis A series of cell phone and stationary camera images record snowfall at NASA’s Stennis Space Center on Jan. 21, 2025.NASA/Stennis A series of cell phone and stationary camera images record snowfall at NASA’s Stennis Space Center on Jan. 21, 2025.NASA/Stennis A series of cell phone and stationary camera images record snowfall at NASA’s Stennis Space Center on Jan. 21, 2025.NASA/Stennis A series of cell phone and stationary camera images record snowfall at NASA’s Stennis Space Center on Jan. 21, 2025.NASA/Stennis A series of cell phone and stationary camera images record snowfall at NASA’s Stennis Space Center on Jan. 21, 2025.NASA/Stennis A series of cell phone and stationary camera images record snowfall at NASA’s Stennis Space Center on Jan. 21, 2025.NASA/Stennis A series of cell phone and stationary camera images record snowfall at NASA’s Stennis Space Center on Jan. 21, 2025.NASA/Stennis A series of cell phone and stationary camera images record snowfall at NASA’s Stennis Space Center on Jan. 21, 2025.NASA/Stennis Looking AheadAll in all, the year closes with members of the NASA Stennis team focused on what is to come.
“As we close out 2025, NASA Stennis looks forward to the next chapter of our center as NASA sends astronauts to the Moon to prepare for future human exploration of Mars through the agency’s Artemis campaign,” said NASA Stennis Deputy Director Christine Powell. “We are ready for what’s next.”
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With new technologies comes new discoveries. Or so Spider Man’s Uncle Ben might have said if he was an astronomer. Or a scientist more generally - but in astronomy that saying is more true than many other disciplines, as many discoveries are entirely dependent on the technology - the telescope, imager, or processing algorithm, used to collect data on them. A new piece of technology, the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, is exciting scientists enough that they are even starting to predict what kind of discoveries it might make. One such type of discovery, described in a pre-print paper on arXiv by Vito Saggese of the Italian National Institute for Astrophysics and his co-authors on the Roman Galactic Exoplanet Survey Project Infrastructure Team, is the discovery of many more multiplantery exoplanet systems an astronomical phenomena Roman is well placed to detect - microlensing.
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Hi ya! Hyha
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Written by Margaret Deahn, Ph.D. student at Purdue University
NASA’s Mars 2020 rover is currently trekking towards exciting new terrain. After roughly four months of climbing up and over the rim of Jezero crater, the rover is taking a charming tour of the plains just beyond the western crater rim, fittingly named “Lac de Charmes.” This area just beyond Jezero’s rim will be the prime place to search for pre-Jezero ancient bedrock and Jezero impactites — rocks produced or affected by the impact event that created Jezero crater.
The formation of a complex crater like Jezero is, well… complex. Scientists who study impact craters like to split the formation process into three stages: contact & compression (when the impactor hits), excavation (when materials are thrown out of the crater), and modification (when gravity causes everything to collapse). This process happens incredibly fast, fracturing the impacted rock and even melting some of the target material. Sometimes on Earth, the classic “bowl” shaped crater has been completely weathered and unrecognizable, so geologists are able to identify craters by the remnants of their impactites. Just when you thought it couldn’t get any more complicated — Jezero crater’s rim is located on the rim of another, even bigger basin called Isidis. That means there is an opportunity to have impactites from both cratering events exposed in and just around the rim — some of which could be several billions of years old! We may have already encountered one of these blocks on our trek towards Lac de Charmes. In the foreground of this image taken by the Mastcam-Z instrument on the rover, there is a potential impactite called a “megablock” that the team has named “Hyha.” We can actually see this block from orbit, it is that large! The team is excited to continue exploring these ancient rocks as we take our next steps off Jezero’s rim.
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Hi ya! Hyha
- Perseverance Home
- Science
- News and Features
- Multimedia
- Mars Missions
- Mars Home
Written by Margaret Deahn, Ph.D. student at Purdue University
NASA’s Mars 2020 rover is currently trekking towards exciting new terrain. After roughly four months of climbing up and over the rim of Jezero crater, the rover is taking a charming tour of the plains just beyond the western crater rim, fittingly named “Lac de Charmes.” This area just beyond Jezero’s rim will be the prime place to search for pre-Jezero ancient bedrock and Jezero impactites — rocks produced or affected by the impact event that created Jezero crater.
The formation of a complex crater like Jezero is, well… complex. Scientists who study impact craters like to split the formation process into three stages: contact & compression (when the impactor hits), excavation (when materials are thrown out of the crater), and modification (when gravity causes everything to collapse). This process happens incredibly fast, fracturing the impacted rock and even melting some of the target material. Sometimes on Earth, the classic “bowl” shaped crater has been completely weathered and unrecognizable, so geologists are able to identify craters by the remnants of their impactites. Just when you thought it couldn’t get any more complicated — Jezero crater’s rim is located on the rim of another, even bigger basin called Isidis. That means there is an opportunity to have impactites from both cratering events exposed in and just around the rim — some of which could be several billions of years old! We may have already encountered one of these blocks on our trek towards Lac de Charmes. In the foreground of this image taken by the Mastcam-Z instrument on the rover, there is a potential impactite called a “megablock” that the team has named “Hyha.” We can actually see this block from orbit, it is that large! The team is excited to continue exploring these ancient rocks as we take our next steps off Jezero’s rim.
-
Want to read more posts from the Perseverance team?
-
Want to learn more about Perseverance’s science instruments?
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1 week ago
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Article
1 week ago
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Rover Basics
Each robotic explorer sent to the Red Planet has its own unique capabilities driven by science. Many attributes of a…
Mars Exploration: Science Goals
The key to understanding the past, present or future potential for life on Mars can be found in NASA’s four…
Mars Perseverance Rover
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