NASA is the space agency run by the United States to oversee American space exploration, research and technology. NASA, or the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, was founded in 1958 as a civilian agency for U.S. space exploration. Prior to 1958, the agency's progenitor was known as the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics. NASA develops, builds and launches missions to study the Earth, moon and sun, as well as the entire solar system and beyond. The agency has its headquarters in Washington D.C., with major centers in Florida (the Kennedy Space Center for launches) and Houston (the Johnson Space Center, home of the astronaut corps). Other centers are spread across the country for scientific research, test flights and spacecraft manufacturing. NASA's current chief is Administrator Jim Bridenstine, who is leading the agency's mission of returning astronauts to the moon and sending them on to Mars. See the latest NASA news.
Related Topics: Apollo Program, China Space Program, Incredible Space Tech, International Space Station, Interstellar Travel
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Latest about NASA
Sharp-eyed US-Indian satellite set to launch July 30 to monitor Earth's surface, warn of natural disasters
NISAR, a joint mission of NASA and ISRO set to launch on July 30, will be able to see shifts in the landscape smaller than a centimeter to give warning of potential natural disasters.
SpaceX Crew-11 mission to the ISS: Live updates
Read the latest news about SpaceX's Crew-11 mission to the International Space Station.
Makenzie Lystrup stepping down as director of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center
Makenzie Lystrup will step down as head of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center on Aug. 1. She'll be the second NASA center director to depart in just a two-month span.
NASA scientists sound alarm over threats to science and safety in 'Voyager Declaration'
The signatories warn that political interference and abrupt budget reductions could jeopardize decades of progress in space exploration, aeronautics and climate science.
NASA launching TRACERS mission to protect Earth from space weather July 23: How to watch live
The mission will blast off on a Falcon 9 rocket with three other small satellites that will act as technology demonstrators.
NASA's Roman Space Telescope could discover 100,000 new cosmic explosions: 'We're definitely expecting the unexpected'
Supernovas, kilonovas, gamma-ray bursts... oh my! The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope will uncover 100,000 of these explosions and many more powerful and violent cosmic events.
Space station astronauts bid farewell to private Ax-4 crew | On the ISS this week July 14-18, 2025
The Expedition 73 and Axiom Mission 4 crews wrapped up their time together as science and maintenance activities continued aboard the International Space Station.
'The future for this baby planet doesn’t look great.' Exoplanet is shrinking before the X-ray eyes of NASA's Chandra space telescope
Astronomers have used the Chandra X-ray telescope to observe an exoplanet as it disintegrates because its parent star is bombarding it with radiation.
NASA workers plan 'Moon Day' protest on July 20 to oppose mass layoffs, budget cuts. 'This year has been an utter nightmare that has not stopped.'
Workers from within NASA will protest the space agency leadership's "preemptive over-compliance" of the White House's proposed budget, gutting science and eliminating jobs.
