A NASA video (above) reveals in great detail how its upcoming Artemis II mission is expected to play out. The space agency released the animation last year, but seeing that the Artemis II astronauts could be heading to the moon as early as February 6,

What everyone agrees on is that NASA needs a new spacecraft capable of relaying communications from Mars to Earth. This issue has become especially acute with the recent loss of NASA’s MAVEN spacecraft. NASA’s best communications relay remains the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, which has now been there for 20 years.

"What makes the event even more extraordinary is that it did not involve a single volcano, but multiple active sources."

New simulations performed on a NASA supercomputer are providing scientists with the most comprehensive look yet into the maelstrom of interacting magnetic structures around city-sized neutron stars in the moments before they crash.

The agency has bumped up the wet dress rehearsal to increase its chances of launching within the February window, but could an Arctic blast interfere?

NASA is moving into a new phase of space exploration, with major progress across human spaceflight, science missions, and advanced technology. In just one year, the agency has launched multiple crewed and science missions,

NASA's space shuttle Challenger completed 10 missions before it broke apart during a launch in 1986, killing seven astronauts.

How well Artemis II manages its risks — untested hardware, deep-space distance, and limited escape options — will shape NASA's plans for future lunar landings and, potentially, human missions to Mars. A serious failure could revive long-standing questions about whether the dangers of deep space still justify sending people there.