JPL News
The latest space news from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
NASA Watches Earth’s Weight, Finds Center of Mass
2026-09-16 16:08
Jet Propulsion Laboratory – NASA
Seasonal changes redistribute enough water around Earth to shift the planet’s center of mass back and forth by fractions of an inch relative to its geometric center. NASA scientists are on the case, tracking the...
How 2 US, European Satellites Are Studying Hurricanes During El Niño
2026-09-09 16:00
Jet Propulsion Laboratory – NASA
Last November, NASA and its European partners launched the Sentinel-6B satellite to improve hurricane forecasts, help protect infrastructure, and benefit commercial industries, including shipping. The satellite now is flying 30 seconds behind its predecessor, Sentinel-6...
NASA’s Dark Universe-Seeking Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope Launches
2026-08-30 13:18
Jet Propulsion Laboratory – NASA
Now on a three-month, million-mile journey to its final orbit, NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope will soon reveal the universe’s darkest secrets. The mission launched at 7:26 a.m. EDT Sunday aboard a SpaceX Falcon...
New Next-Gen Dish Adds Muscle to NASA’s Deep Space Network
2026-08-25 22:28
Jet Propulsion Laboratory – NASA
NASA’s Deep Space Network facility in California is marking the addition of a brand new 34-meter-wide (114-foot-wide) radio frequency antenna to the agency’s deep space communications and navigation system. The network uses giant dish antennas...
NASA Sets Coverage for Roman Space Telescope Launch from Florida
2026-08-24 20:44
Jet Propulsion Laboratory – NASA
Coverage plans are ready for NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope prelaunch and launch activities. Roman is NASA’s next-generation observatory designed to explore some of the universe’s biggest mysteries, including dark energy. NASA and SpaceX...
NASA Mission Studies Air Pollution Over Ethiopia
2026-08-17 19:24
Jet Propulsion Laboratory – NASA
A NASA-funded air pollution monitoring network has provided one of the most detailed long-term views yet of the role of black carbon, or soot produced by fires, diesel vehicles, and other combustion sources, in Ethiopia’s...
NASA’s Perseverance Rover Watches Earth Vanish Behind Martian Moon
2026-08-05 15:25
Jet Propulsion Laboratory – NASA
Earth and the Martian moon Phobos dance together in a series of images recently acquired by NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover. Earth appears as a point of light in the Martian sky, disappearing behind the crescent...
NASA Provides Updates on Moon Base Cargo Landers, Tech Demonstrations
2026-08-04 16:14
Jet Propulsion Laboratory – NASA
NASA is making progress in building the Moon Base, which will become a resilient outpost near the Moon’s South Pole for science, technology, and eventual human operations. To advance lunar surface infrastructure development, commercial partners...
NASA’s Roman Telescope to Carry 1.35 Million Names to Deep Space
2026-07-31 14:11
Jet Propulsion Laboratory – NASA
On July 27, technicians at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida installed a memory card containing 1,350,144 names as part of a commemorative plaque on the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope. The names were submitted...
NASA’s Curiosity Mars Rover Discovers Field of Honeycomb Textures
2026-07-29 15:30
Jet Propulsion Laboratory – NASA
As NASA’s Curiosity rover recently began climbing up a Martian valley nicknamed “Valle Grande,” it sent back images that were a familiar sight to mission scientists: honeycomb-like textures called polygonal fractures, each one about 1.5...