NASA Accelerates Space Exploration and Earth Science, Highlights Mission Accomplishments in 2024

NASA deepened commercial and international partnerships

(NASA) – With a look back at 2024, NASA is celebrating its many innovative and inspiring accomplishments this year, including, for the first time, landing new science and technology on the Moon with an American company, pushing the boundaries of exploration by launching a new mission to study Jupiter’s icy moon Europa; maintaining 24 years of continuous human exploration off the Earth aboard the International Space Station, and unveiling the first look at its supersonic quiet aircraft for the benefit of humanity.

The agency also shared the wonder of a total eclipse with millions of Americans, conducted the final flight of its Ingenuity helicopter on the Red Planet, demonstrated the first laser communications capability in deep space, tested the next generation solar sail in space, made new scientific discoveries with its James Webb Space Telescope, completed a year-long Mars simulation on Earth with crew, announced the newest class of Artemis Generation astronauts, and much more.

“In 2024, NASA made leap after giant leap to explore, discover, and inspire – all while bringing real, tangible, and substantial benefits to the American people and to all of humanity,” said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson.

“We deepened the commercial and international partnerships that will help NASA lead humanity back to the Moon and then to the red sands of Mars. We launched new missions to study our solar system and our universe in captivating new ways. We observed our changing Earth through our eyes in the sky – our ever-growing fleet of satellites and instruments – and shared that data with all of humanity. And we opened the doors to new possibilities in aviation, new breakthroughs on the International Space Station, and new wonders in space travel.”

Through its Moon to Mars exploration approach, the agency continued moving forward with its Artemis campaign, including progress toward its first mission around the Moon with crew in more than 50 years and advancing plans to explore more of the Moon than ever before. So far in 2024, 15 countries signed the Artemis Accords, committing to the safe, transparent, and responsible exploration of space with the United States.

As part of efforts to monitor climate change, the agency launched multiple satellites to study our changing planet and opened its second Earth Information Center to provide data to a wider audience.

With the release of its latest Economic Impact Report, NASA underscored the agency’s $75.6 billion impact on the U.S. economy, value to society, and return on investment for taxpayers.

“To invest in NASA is to invest in American workers, American innovation, the American economy, and American economic competitiveness. Through continued investments in our workforce and our infrastructure, NASA will continue to propel American leadership on Earth, in the skies, and in the stars,” said Nelson.

Key 2024 agency highlights across its mission areas include:

Preparing for Moon, Mars

This year, NASA made strides toward the Artemis Generation of scientific discovery on the Moon while validating operations and systems to prepare for human missions to Mars. The agency advanced toward Artemis II, the first crewed flight under Artemis:

■ NASA announced results of its Orion heat shield investigation and updated its timelines for Artemis II and III.

■ Teams delivered the core stage and launch vehicle stage adapter of the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket from NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida and began stacking the rocket’s booster segments.

■ Engineers carried out a series of tests of the mobile launcher and systems at NASA Kennedy’s Launch Pad 39B ahead of the test flight and added an emergency egress system to keep crew and other personnel at the launch pad safe in the case of an emergency.

■ NASA performed key integrated testing of the Orion spacecraft that will send four astronauts around the Moon and bring them home, including testing inside an altitude chamber simulating the vacuum conditions of deep space.

■ The crew and other teams performed key training activities to prepare for flight, including practicing recovery operations at sea, as well as launch countdown and mission simulations.

■ In February, the first Moon landing through the agency’s CLPS (Commercial Lunar Payload Services) initiative brought NASA science to the lunar surface on Intuitive Machines’ Nova-C lander, successfully capturing data that will help us better understand the Moon’s environment and improve landing precision and safety.

■ In August, NASA announced that a new set of NASA science experiments and technology demonstrations will arrive at the lunar South Pole in 2027 following the agency’s latest CLPS initiative delivery award.

■ To return valuable samples from Mars to Earth, NASA sought innovative designs and announced a new strategy review team to assess various design studies to reduce cost, risk, and complexity.

■ NASA’s MAVEN (Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN) spacecraft celebrated 10 years of exploration of the Red Planet’s upper atmosphere.

■ After three years, NASA’s Ingenuity Mars Helicopter ended its mission in January, with dozens more flights than planned.

■ In September, the NASA Space Communications and Navigation team awarded a contract to Intuitive Machines to support the agency’s lunar relay systems as part of the Near Space Network, operated by NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.

■ NASA identified an updated set of nine potential landing regions near the lunar South Pole for its Artemis III mission.

■ Capturing the current state of the Moon to Mars architecture, NASA released the second revision of its Architecture Definition Document.

■ NASA formalized two international agreements for key Artemis elements, including with the United Arab Emirates for the Gateway airlock module, and with Japan to provide a pressurized rover for the lunar surface.

■ Astronauts, scientists, and engineers took part in testing key technologies and evaluating hardware needed to work at the Moon, including simulating moonwalks in geologically Moon-like areas of Arizona, practiced integration between the crew and mission controllers, participated in human factors testing for Gateway, and evaluated the developmental hardware.

■ NASA worked collaboratively with SpaceX and Blue Origin on their human lunar landers for Artemis missions, exercising an option under existing contracts to develop cargo variants of their human landers.

■ In August, as part of its commitment to a robust, sustainable lunar exploration program for the benefit of all, NASA announced it issued a Request for Information to seek interest from American companies and institutions in conducting a mission using the agency’s VIPER (Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover) Moon rover.

■ The agency selected three companies to advance capabilities for a lunar terrain vehicle that Artemis astronauts will use to travel around the lunar surface.

■ NASA completed a critical design review on the second mobile launcher, which will launch the more powerful Block 1B version of the SLS rocket.

Engineers at NASA Kennedy continued outfitting the Artemis III and IV Orion crew modules and received the European-built Orion service module for Artemis III; they also received several sections of the Artemis III and IV SLS core stages, and upgraded High Bay 2 in the Vehicle Assembly Building.

NASA completed its second RS-25 certification test series at NASA’s Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, setting the stage for production of new engines to help power future Artemis missions to the Moon and beyond.

The CHAPEA (Crew Health and Performance Exploration Analog) 1 crew completed a 378-day mission in a ground-based Mars habitat at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.

Observing, Learning About Earth

NASA collects data about our home planet from space and on land, helping understand how our climate on Earth is changing. Some of the agency’s key accomplishments in Earth science this year include:

■ After launching into space in February, NASA’s PACE (Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem) satellite mission is successfully transmitting first-of-their-kind measurements of ocean health, air quality, and the effects of a changing climate.

■ Using the agency’s TEMPO (Tropospheric Emissions: Monitoring of Pollution) instrument, NASA made available new near-real time data providing air pollution observations at unprecedented resolutions – down to the scale of individual neighborhoods.

■ Launched in May and June, NASA’s PREFIRE (Polar Radiant Energy in the Far-Infrared Experiment) CubeSats started collecting data on the amount of heat in the form of far-infrared radiation that the Arctic and Antarctic environments emit to space.

■ NASA rolled out the Disaster Response Coordination System, a new resource that delivers up-to-date information on fires, earthquakes, landslides, floods, tornadoes, hurricanes, and other extreme events to emergency managers.

■ The agency partnered with the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History to open the Earth Information Center exhibit.

Exploring Our Solar System, Universe

NASA’s Europa Clipper embarked Oct. 14 on its long voyage to Jupiter, where it will investigate Europa, a moon with an enormous subsurface ocean that may have conditions to support life. NASA collaborated with multiple partners on content and social media related to the launch, including engagements with the National Hockey League, U.S. Figure Skating, 7-Eleven, e.l.f., Girl Scouts, Crayola, Library of Congress, and others. NASA’s 2024 space exploration milestones also include:

■ NASA’s groundbreaking James Webb Space Telescope marked more than two years in space, transforming our view of the universe as designed, by studying the most distant galaxies ever observed, while raising exciting new questions about the atmospheres of planets outside our solar system.

■ As part of an asteroid sample exchange, NASA officially transferred to JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) a portion of the asteroid Bennu sample collected by the agency’s OSIRIS-Rex (Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, and Security-Regolith Explorer) mission in a ceremony on Aug. 22.

■ After surviving multiple challenges this year, NASA’s Voyager mission continues to collect data on the furthest reaches of our Sun’s influences.

■ NASA selected a new space telescope for development that will survey ultraviolet light across the entire sky, called UVEX (UltraViolet Explorer).

■ This year, all remaining major components were delivered to NASA Goddard to begin the integration phase for the agency’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope.

■ NASA developed, tested, and launched the patch kit that astronauts will use to repair the agency’s NICER (Neutron star Interior Composition Explorer) telescope on the International Space Station.

■ The agency continued preparing the SPHEREx (Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionization and Ices Explorer) mission to launch by April 2025.

■ To manage the maturation of technologies necessary to develop the Habitable Worlds Observatory telescope, NASA established a project office at NASA Goddard.

■ NASA and partners declared that the Sun reached solar maximum in 2024, a period of heightened solar activity when space weather becomes more frequent.

■ The Solar and Heliospheric Observatory, a joint mission between ESA (European Space Agency) and NASA, discovered its 5,000th comet in March.

■ NASA’s Sounding Rocket Program provided low-cost access to space for scientific research, technology development, and educational missions. NASA launched 14 sounding rocket missions in 2024. Scientists announced findings from a sounding rocket launched in 2022 that confirmed the existence of a long-sought global electric field at Earth.

■ The agency established a new class of astrophysics missions, called Astrophysics Probe Explorers, designed to fill a gap between NASA’s flagship and smaller-scale missions.

Living, Conducting Research in Space

In 2024, a total of 25 people lived and worked aboard the International Space Station, helping to complete science for the benefit of humanity, open access to space to more people, and support exploration to the Moon in preparation for Mars. A total of 14 spacecraft visited the microgravity laboratory in 2024, including eight commercial resupply missions from Northrop Grumman and SpaceX, as well as international partner missions, delivering more than 40,000 pounds of science investigations, tools, and critical supplies to the space station. NASA also helped safely return the uncrewed Boeing Starliner spacecraft to Earth, concluding a three-month flight test to the International Space Station. In addition:

■ In March, NASA welcomed its newest class of Artemis Generation astronauts in a graduation ceremony. The agency also sought new astronaut candidates, and more 8,000 people applied.

■ NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli, ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Andreas Mogensen, and JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Satoshi Furukawa returned to Earth at the conclusion of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-7 mission aboard the International Space Station. The three crew members, along with Roscosmos cosmonaut Konstantin Borisov, splashed down in March off the coast of Pensacola, Florida, completing a six-and-a-half-month mission contributing to hundreds of experiments and technology demonstrations.

■ In June, NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams safely arrived at the space station aboard Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft following launch of their flight test. With Starliner’s arrival, it was the first time in station history three different spacecraft that carried crew to station were docked at the same time. Starliner returned uncrewed in September following a decision by NASA. Wilmore and Williams, now serving as part of the agency’s Crew-9 mission, will return to Earth in February 2025.

■ NASA astronaut Don Pettit, accompanied by Roscosmos cosmonauts Alexey Ovchinin and Ivan Vagner, arrived at the orbital laboratory in September to begin a six-month mission.

■ Completing a six-month research mission in September, NASA astronaut Tracy C. Dyson returned to Earth with Roscosmos cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai Chub aboard the Soyuz MS-25 spacecraft.

■ NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov launched on the agency’s SpaceX Crew-9 mission to the space station.

■ Concluding a nearly eight-month science mission, NASA’s SpaceX Crew-8 mission safely returned to Earth, splashing down on Oct. 25, off the coast of Pensacola, Florida.

■ NASA and Axiom Space successfully completed the third private astronaut mission to the space station in February, following an 18-day mission, where the crew conducted 30 experiments, public outreach, and commercial activities in microgravity.

■ The agency announced SpaceX was selected to develop and deliver the U.S. Deorbit Vehicle, which will safely move the space station out of orbit and into a remote area of an ocean at the end of its operations.

■ NASA and SpaceX monitored operations as the company’s Dragon spacecraft performed its first demonstration of reboost capabilities for the space station.

■ NASA concluded the final mission of its Spacecraft Fire Safety Experiment, or Saffire, putting a blazing end to an eight-year series of investigations looking at  fire’s behavior in space.

■ A robotic surgical tool aboard space station was successfully controlled remotely by surgeons on Earth. The Robotic Surgery Tech Demo tested the performance of a small robot to evaluate the effects of microgravity and time delays between space and ground.

■ The first successful metal 3D print was conducted aboard the space station, depositing a small s-curve in liquified stainless steel for the Metal 3D Printer investigation to test additive manufacturing of small metal parts in microgravity for equipment maintenance on future long-duration missions.

■ In 2024, 17 NASA Biological and Physical Science research payloads were delivered to the orbital laboratory, spanning quantum, plant biology, and physical sciences investigations.

More than 825,000 photos of Earth were taken from the space station in 2024, contributing to research tracking how our planet’s landscapes change over time. Expedition 71 produced over 630,000 images, the most taken during a single mission. More than 5.3 million photos have been taken from the space station, providing imagery for urban light studies, studies of lightning flashes, and 14 natural disaster events in 2024 alone.

Imagining Future Flight

NASA researchers worked to advance innovations that will transform U.S. aviation, furthering the Sustainable Flight National Partnership and other efforts to help the country reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050. NASA also unveiled its X-59 quiet supersonic aircraft, the centerpiece of its Quesst mission to make quiet overland supersonic flight a reality. NASA aeronautics initiatives also worked to bring air taxis, delivery drones, and other revolutionary technology closer to deployment to benefit the U.S. public and industry. Over the past year, the agency:

■ Began testing the quiet supersonic X-59’s engine ahead of its first flight.

■ Made further progress in research areas of Quesst mission, including ground recording station testing and advancement and structural tests on the aircraft.

■ Publicly unveiled the X-59 in January, providing the first look at this unique aircraft.

■ Tested a wind-tunnel model of the X-66, an experimental aircraft designed to reduce the carbon footprint.

■ Began building the X-66 simulator that will allow pilots and engineers to run real-life scenarios in a safe environment.

■ Funded new studies looking at the future of sustainable aircraft for the 2050 timeframe and beyond.

■ Built a new simulator to study how passengers may experience air taxi rides. The results will help designers create new aircraft types with passenger comfort in mind.

■ Developed a computer software tool called OVERFLOW to predict aircraft noise and aerodynamic performance. This tool is now being used by several air taxi manufacturers to test how propellers or wings perform.

■ In collaboration with Sikorsky and DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency), flew two helicopters autonomously using NASA-designed collision avoidance software.

■ Designed and flew a camera pod with sensors to help advance computer vision for autonomous aviation.

■ Launched a new science, technology, engineering, and mathematics kit focused on Advanced Air Mobility so students can learn more about air taxis and drones.

■ Continued to reduce traffic and save fuel at major U.S. airports as part of NASA’s to work to improve air travel and make it more sustainable.

■ Worked with partners to demonstrate a first-of-its-kind air traffic management concept for aircraft to safely operate at higher altitudes.

■ Advanced Hybrid-Electric technologies with GE Aerospace under the Hybrid Thermally Efficient Core project.

■ Conducted new ground and flight tests for the Electrified Powertrain Flight Demonstration project, which works to create hybrid electric powertrains for regional and single-aisle aircraft, alongside GE Aerospace and magniX.

■ Collaborated with the Federal Aviation Administration and police and fire departments to strategize on integrating public safety drones into the national airspace.

■ Launched a new science, technology, engineering, and mathematics kit focused on Advanced Air Mobility so students can learn more about air taxis and drones.

Improving Life on Earth, in Space with Technology

NASA develops essential technologies to drive exploration and the space economy. In 2024, NASA leveraged partnerships to advance technologies and test new capabilities to help the agency develop a sustainable presence on the lunar surface and beyond, while benefiting life on our home planet and in low Earth orbit. The following are 2024 space technology advancements:

■ Deployed NASA’s Advanced Composite Solar Sail System in space, marking a successful test of its composite boom technology.

■ Performed record-breaking laser communications with NASA’s Deep Space Optical Communications technology demonstration by sending a laser signal from Earth to NASA’s Psyche spacecraft about 290 million miles away.

■ NASA’s Advanced Composite Solar Sail System and Deep Space Optical Communications were named among TIME’s Inventions of 2024, along with the agency’s Europa Clipper spacecraft.

■ Supported 84 tests of technology payloads via 38 flights with six U.S. commercial flight providers through NASA’s Flight Opportunities Program.

■ Enabled the first NASA-supported researcher to fly with their payload aboard a commercial suborbital rocket.

■ Advanced critical capabilities for autonomous networks of small spacecraft with NASA’s Starling demonstration, the first satellite swarm to autonomously distribute information and operations data between spacecraft.

■ Demonstrated space-age fuel gauge technology, known as a Radio Frequency Mass Gauge, on Intuitive Machines’ Nova-C lunar lander, to develop technology to accurately measure spacecraft fuel levels.

Performed an in-space tank to tank transfer of cryogenic propellent (liquid oxygen) on the third flight test of SpaceX’s Starship.

■ Licensed a new 3-D printed superalloy, dubbed GRX-810, to four American companies to make stronger, more durable airplane and spacecraft parts.

■ Manufactured 3D-printed, liquid oxygen/hydrogen thrust chamber hardware as part of NASA’s Rapid Analysis and Manufacturing Propulsion Technology project, which earned the agency’s 2024 “Invention of The Year” award for its contributions to NASA and commercial industry’s deep space exploration goals.

■ Pioneered quantum discovery using the Cold Atom Lab, including producing the first dual-species Bose-Einstein Condensates in space, the first dual-species atom interferometers in space, and demonstrating the first ultra-cool quantum sensor for the first time in space.

■ Announced two new consortia to carry out ground-based research investigations and conduct activities for NASA’s Biological and Physical Sciences Space Biology Program, totaling $5 million.

■ Awarded $4.25 million across the finales of three major NASA Centennial Challenges, including Break the Ice, Watts on the Moon, and Deep Space Food to support NASA’s Artemis missions and future journeys into deep space.

■ Launched a collaborative process to capture the aerospace community’s most pervasive technical challenges, resulting in a ranked list of 187 civil space shortfalls to help guide future technology development projects, investments, and technology roadmaps.

Growing Global Partnerships

Through the Artemis Accords, almost 50 nations have joined the United States, led by NASA with the U.S. State Department, in a voluntary commitment to engage in the safe, transparent, and responsible exploration of the Moon, Mars, and beyond.

The Artemis Accords represent a robust and diverse group of nation-states, representing all regions of the world, working together for the safe, transparent, and responsible exploration of the Moon, Mars, and beyond with NASA. More countries are expected to sign the Artemis Accords in the weeks and months ahead.