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Lala skirts south of the Island of Hawaiʻi as a category 1 hurricane in the right image, acquired by the VIIRS (Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite) on the Suomi NPP satellite on August 15, 2026, at about 1:45 p.m. Hawaii Standard Time (23:45 Universal Time). The storm decreased in intensity while tracking northwest and was a tropical storm when the VIIRS on the NOAA-20 satellite captured the left image about 24 hours later. NASA Earth Observatory images by Lauren Dauphin.

The Island of Hawaiʻi narrowly avoided a direct landfall by Hurricane Lala in mid-August 2026. The storm nonetheless delivered serious damage as it passed just south of the island on August 15 (above, right) as a category 1 storm on the Saffir-Simpson wind scale.

Lala brought rainfall totals exceeding 20 inches (50 centimeters) to parts of the island, causing flash flooding and ongoing mudflow risks. The highest rainfall total for the storm—43.55 inches (110.6 centimeters) as of the morning of August 17—was recorded at Laupāhoehoe, on the coast northwest of Hilo. Lala downed trees, damaged bridges, and knocked homes off their foundations. Coastal areas were pummeled by large waves, while the summit of Mauna Kea, over 13,000 feet (4,000 meters) above sea level, experienced blizzard conditions.

By early afternoon on August 16, when the other image (left) was acquired, the storm had tracked northwest, roughly parallel to the island chain, and was southwest of Kauaʻi. Lala had decreased in intensity to a tropical storm, with sustained winds of 65 miles (105 kilometers) per hour, according to the National Hurricane Center.

While the Island of Hawaiʻi took the brunt of the storm, other islands also saw destructive effects. Strong winds caused widespread power outages, with more than 220,000 customers statewide without power as of the afternoon of August 16, according to news reports. Across the islands, wind and rain damaged infrastructure, and floodwaters and debris rendered roads impassable.

It has been an active tropical cyclone season in the Eastern Pacific so far in 2026, meteorologists note, consistent with what scientists expect during an El Niño, which has been underway as of mid-June. Warm water in the equatorial Pacific—the hallmark of El Niño—and the moisture and energy it transfers to the atmosphere help fuel nascent tropical storms. Lack of wind shear, another typical El Niño pattern in this region, also encourages tropical storms to develop and strengthen. The Atlantic hurricane season, in contrast, has been relatively calm, as greater wind shear over the Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea during an El Niño inhibits hurricane formation by dissipating the upward motion of heat.

NASA Earth Observatory images by Lauren Dauphin, using VIIRS data from NASA EOSDIS LANCE, GIBS/Worldview, and the Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS). Story by Lindsey Doermann.

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References & Resources

• AccuWeather (2026, August 17) Lala’s recent close encounter with Hawaii continues to cause trouble Monday. Accessed August 17, 2026.
• Colorado State University (2026, August 17) Northern Hemisphere Tropical Cyclone Activity for 2026. Accessed August 17, 2026.
• Honolulu Civil Beat (2026, August 16) Lala’s Wrath: Homes Swept Away, Some Power Outages May Last Months. Accessed August 17, 2026.
• National Hurricane Center (2026, August 17) Hurricane LALA Advisory Archive. Accessed August 17, 2026.
• Yale Climate Connections (2026, August 12) Tropical Storm Lala heads toward Hawaii; life-threatening floods possible. Accessed August 17, 2026.

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A smoke-infused pyrocumulonimbus (pyroCb) rises from the Widemouth 2 fire in Utah in these images captured by the MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) on NASA’s Aqua satellite. The left image is natural color; the right image is false color, revealing cloud-top brightness temperatures below -40°C, a commonly used threshold for identifying pyroCbs. NASA Earth Observatory images by Michala Garrison.

Scientists have long known that volcanoes can launch large quantities of particles into the stratosphere. In the past few decades, it has become clear that wildfires do this, too, by generating towering, smoke-infused pyrocumulonimbus (pyroCb) clouds.

The largest pyroCbs are stunning weather-making features that generate massive thunderheads capable of unleashing lightning, hail, and heavy rain. A growing body of research shows that pyroCbs can also leave an outsized imprint on the upper atmosphere by channeling pulses of particles and gases into the stratosphere’s mostly dry, cloudless confines. Once there, smoke can spread widely and linger for months or years, sometimes circling the globe and likely influencing the ozone layer and Earth’s energy budget.

Understanding these enigmatic and dangerous clouds is why a team of atmospheric scientists—part of a NASA mission called INSPYRE (INjected Smoke and PYRocumulonimbus Experiment)—is spending the summer chasing them with NASA’s ER-2 aircraft, NSF/NCAR’s GV, and a suite of truck-based sensors. The team completed one of its first sampling runs of the summer on August 3, 2026, when the GV flew through a high-altitude pulse of smoke from the Widemouth 2 fire, one of Utah’s largest so far this year.

Lightning ignited the fire on July 27, 2026, but it remained relatively small until August 2, when it more than doubled in size amid intense winds and hot, dry conditions. That afternoon, soon after it had produced two pyroCb bursts, the MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) on NASA’s Aqua satellite captured this image (above), showing a chimney of high-altitude cloud and smoke casting a shadow on low-altitude smoke below.

These bursts propelled clouds high enough that Aqua measured cloud-top brightness temperatures well below −40°C, a common threshold for identifying pyroCbs and a sign that the cloud tops were bubbling to the top of the troposphere and sometimes into the stratosphere. The brightness temperature measurements “reveal two discrete pulses of pyroCb action,” said Michael Fromm, a scientist at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory. “The westernmost is the youngest pulse and stands out in the visible imagery by virtue of its shadow.”

Though relatively routine and minor, this pyroCb event followed a pre-dawn pyroCb from the same fire, imaged by the NOAA weather satellite GOES-West. “Morning pyroCbs are much more unusual,” Fromm said, because they don’t benefit from daytime heating that helps fuel convection. In this case, however, there appeared to be enough atmospheric instability and water vapor in the air to allow for pyroCb development. 

Multiple pyroCbs in a single day could have added unwanted complexity for forecasters and fire officials battling the blaze and organizing evacuations, said David Peterson, INSPYRE’s principal investigator. “Minimizing that sort of uncertainty for fire forecasters is a big part of the reason we’re out here studying this,” he added.

Remote sensing experts like Peterson and Fromm routinely study pyroCbs from afar with satellites, but it’s less common for pilots to chase and sample smoke plumes just hours after they form. In this case, the GV aircraft, on the ground in Colorado when the Widemouth 2 fire blew up, made a beeline for a high-altitude smoke plume as it drifted over New Mexico on August 3. The instruments on the plane sampled smoke at roughly 12 kilometers (8 miles) above the surface, collecting data at a height that isn’t typically incorporated into forecast models.

During that mission, a scientist on board captured this image (above) of a pyrocumulus (pyroCu) billowing up over the Widemouth 2 fire. While not as tall or energetic as pyroCbs, pyroCus are precursor clouds that share many of the same characteristics. Here, heat from the fire is fueling strong convective updrafts, forming a towering cloud with puffy overshooting tops that poke into the upper troposphere as lower-altitude smoke drifts below.

Satellites excel at identifying pyroCbs by measuring the temperature of the cloud tops that form above smoke plumes. Using this technique, researchers have established that wildfires produce about 70 pyroCbs per year, many in dense forests of Canada and Russia, though plenty also occur in grasslands and savannas in the United States and Australia. So far in 2026, Fromm and colleagues have identified at least 13 in the continental United States.

Since one of the first pyroCbs appeared in the scientific literature in the early 2000s, scientists have cataloged well over 700 events, and they now believe that wildfires may contribute up to 25 percent of the black carbon and organic aerosols in the lower stratosphere. The sheer frequency of pyroCbs means that the total mass of particles they inject over the course of a wildfire season may rival that of large volcanic eruptions.

Still, many questions about the enigmatic clouds remain unanswered. It isn’t clear what vegetation is most likely to fuel pyroCbs, why some form more lightning than others, why they form in only a small fraction of fires, and how to accurately forecast them.

“Whether it be their dangerous manifestations on the ground or their long-lasting imprint on the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere,” Fromm said, “pyroCbs continue to surprise us.”

NASA Earth Observatory images by Michala Garrison, using MODIS data from NASA EOSDIS LANCE and GIBS/Worldview. Photo by Bernadett Weinzierl/University of Vienna. Story by Adam Voiland.

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References & Resources

• CIRA CSU, via Instagram  (2026, August 3) Yesterday, the Widemouth 2 Fire in central Utah exploded. Accessed August 13, 2026.
• Denver 7, via Instagram (2026, July 28) Have you ever seen a smoke-filled cloud above a wildfire? Accessed August 13, 2026.
• The Economist (2026, August 9) NASA takes aim at fire storms. Accessed August 13, 2026.
• Fromm, M., et al. (2022) Understanding the critical elements of the pyrocumulonimbus storm sparked by high-intensity wildland fire. Communications Earth & Environment, 3, 243.
• InciWeb (2026) Widemouth 2 Fire. Accessed August 13, 2026.
• Katich, J.M. (2023) Pyrocumulonimbus affect average stratospheric aerosol composition. Science, 379(6634), 815-820.
• NASA (2026) INSPYRE. Accessed August 13, 2026.
• NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (2026, July 20) New NASA Earth Missions Gear Up to Start Science Flights. Accessed August 13, 2026.
• NASA Airborne Science Program (2026) Earth Science Observation Platforms. Accessed August 13, 2026.
• NASA Earth Observatory (2021, July 30) A Summer of Fire-Breathing Smoke Storms. Accessed August 13, 2026.
• NASA Earth Observatory (2020, January 10) Explosive Fire Activity in Australia. Accessed August 13, 2026.
• Peterson, D., et al. (2025) Worldwide inventory reveals the frequency and variability of pyrocumulonimbus and stratospheric smoke plumes during 2013–2023. Climate and Atmospheric Science, 8(325).
• The University of Utah (2026, August 6) Utah’s historic fire season of 2026. Accessed August 13, 2026.
• U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (2026, June 2) NRL Leads NASA Wildfire Research Mission to Better Predict Pyrocumulonimbus Storm Hazards. Accessed August 13, 2026.
• U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (2025, June 25) Fiery Storms: How Wildfires Create “Dirty Thunderstorms” and Impact Weather. Accessed August 13, 2026.
• The Weather Channel (2026, August 10) Meet the scientists who are flying into fire-breathing thunderstorms, and learn why they are doing it. Accessed August 13, 2026.
• Western Fire Chiefs (2026) Widemouth 2. Accessed August 13, 2026.
• World Meteorological Organization, Flammagenitus. Accessed August 13, 2026.

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The barren lunar landscape has some important resources, such as water and minerals like iron and titanium, but extracting and processing them will require special equipment. Where those resources can be found will dictate where to land and how to mine them. To help with that, Lunar Station Corp. is using a wealth of NASA data in multiple computer models.

“With 60 years of lunar data available to us, we help our clients understand the environmental factors for any given location on the Moon,” said Blair DeWitt, CEO of Lunar Station. Combining disparate data from different sensors used by NASA and other space agencies is a critical first step. One NASA resource the Cambridge, Massachusetts-based company used to build terrain maps is the Ames Stereo Pipeline. The open-source code automatically processes images captured from satellites, robotic rovers, historical images, and more to create a 3D model revealing features such as rock placement and elevation.

But the availability of in-situ lunar water resources at any location is largely unknown, according to Gerry Sanders, in-situ resource utilization system capability lead at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. To begin to fill that gap, the Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite was designed to crash its uppers stage into the Moon’s South Pole in 2009. The examination of the resulting plume revealed the presence of water ice.

Lunar Station is building on that work and more to help commercial space companies with mission planning, which includes scientific research for mining operations. The MoonHacker program uses proprietary geospatial analytics platform and advanced algorithms to fuse all the lunar data in NASA’s Planetary Data System to help identify indicators for shallow pits of lunar water.

“We can find sites for landing pads, for cultivating the best paths for roving, and inform our clients about communications. If you can’t see Earth at a given location like in the polar regions or the far side of the Moon, you have to come up with a relay strategy,” said DeWitt. “We can do this in part thanks to NASA data.”

In MoonHacker’s Radiation Simulator, an electronic version of a company’s rover or satellite, called a digital twin, can be subjected to the radiation en route or at the mission site to determine the protection required.

These innovations exemplify the purpose of NASA’s Technology Transfer program within the Research and Technology Mission Directorate, which uses space-based solutions to improve life on Earth. For 50 years, NASA has documented the everyday benefits of space technology through the agency’s Spinoff publication. 

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NASA has declared “wrenches down” on the first completed payload designed for Artemis astronauts to deploy on the Moon’s surface. Engineers working on NASA’s Lunar Environment Monitoring Station, or LEMS, have completed hardware development and testing and the payload is ready for its permanent home near the lunar South Pole. With the hardware complete, LEMS is ready to support one of the Artemis program’s core goals: enabling sustained lunar science and exploration.

The LEMS instrument package contains two highly sensitive seismometers that will monitor ground vibrations from moonquakes and meteorite impacts, providing scientists with insights into the Moon’s interior and the seismic hazards astronauts might encounter at the surface. Its modular design allows the system to be adapted or expanded to host new instruments in the future, creating a reusable platform that can evolve as scientific priorities grow.

The payload will remain in a clean room at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, where it was built, until it is assigned to an Artemis mission for deployment to the lunar surface.

“The completion of the LEMS scientific instrument is a major step in a new era of lunar surface science. Innovative science experiments will uncover, measure, and reveal the Moon’s secrets while astronauts open new frontiers for discovery,” said Joel Kearns, deputy associate administrator for exploration, Science Mission Directorate, NASA Headquarters in Washington. “And, behind the scenes, countless teams across NASA and our partners are pushing the boundaries of what surface instruments can do, building the tools that will make future exploration possible and safer.”

The LEMS payload builds on a legacy of lunar seismic tracking. Apollo astronauts deployed a network of seismometers on the Moon’s nearside equatorial region between 1969 and 1972. Those instruments operated until 1977, recording about 13,000 moonquakes and other ground vibrations that helped scientists begin to understand the composition of the Moon’s interior. For decades, researchers have hoped to spread more seismometers, updated with new technologies, across the lunar surface.

Now, LEMS will carry the first seismometers to be deployed by future astronauts to listen for faint ground vibrations, collecting new clues to the Moon’s internal structure and ongoing seismic activity. The sensors will be the most compact, sensitive, and energy-efficient seismometers ever built for planetary exploration.

LEMS itself is about the size of a small suitcase, weighing 11 pounds in the Moon’s low-gravity environment. It will carry not just these seismic sensors, but everything it needs to function independently of humans after deployment. LEMS is built to manage its own power production via a lightweight, flexible solar array that conforms to the shape of the LEMS unit. It also will manage its operational activities to ensure continuous data collection based on a preset plan, and monthly data transmission to Earth. The payload will do all this while maintaining a stable internal temperature throughout the massive day-to-night temperature swings of the South Pole region.

“When we conceived of LEMS, we weren’t just thinking about the next mission, we were thinking about the next generation of lunar exploration,” said Mehdi Benna, a University of Maryland Baltimore County scientist who leads LEMS from NASA Goddard. “Our vision was to create a scientific buoy for the Moon. Like an ocean buoy on Earth, LEMS is designed to be easy to build, adaptable to different scientific objectives, and capable of operating independently for years.”

Before any surface science could happen, Benna and his team had to ensure that LEMS could survive the trip to the Moon and the harsh environment of its surface. Over the past five months, LEMS and its components have been subjected to a demanding series of environmental and operational tests. Engineers verified LEMS can endure the violent shaking of launch, the journey to the lunar surface, and the Moon’s temperature and radiation environment. The team also showed that the instrument package’s mechanical and electrical design is safe for astronaut handling.

The LEMS payload was built to operate through the lunar night, which lasts two Earth weeks, without external power assistance or a heat source. Past lunar surface instruments relied on radioisotope heaters for warmth and power. But LEMS instead will withstand temperatures that dip to minus 400 degrees Fahrenheit in some areas by using advanced insulation materials, low-thermal-conductivity cables that minimize heat loss, and a thermal regulator that conducts heat away during the day to prevent overheating and helps retain heat at night.

These innovations reduce mass and power needs, setting the stage for lighter, energy-efficient instruments that can operate continuously at future Artemis landing sites and the NASA-led Moon Base.

The LEMS payload is led by University of Maryland Baltimore County and University of Maryland College Park. Technical implementation is led by NASA Goddard. The University of Arizona, in partnership with Silicon Audio, Inc., supplied LEMS’ two state-of-the-art seismometers. Morehead State University in Kentucky provided LEMS’ telecommunication system and will operate the instrument on the surface. Washington University in St. Louis will manage the instrument’s data processing and dissemination to the larger scientific community.

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NASA Delivers Navigation System for Commercial Lunar Relay

NASA delivered the NavCube3-mini payload on July 13 to Intuitive Machines for integration into Altus-1, the company’s first lunar relay satellite, marking an important milestone in the development of future lunar communications and navigation services. The lunar relays are designed to enable communications and navigation for astronauts and rovers operating at the agency’s future Moon Base.

About half the size of a shoebox and weighing just 3.5 pounds, NavCube3-mini is a compact but powerful navigation receiver designed to use signals from Earth-based GPS and Galileo Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) at lunar distances. Operating on less than 20 watts of power, roughly the same as a laptop computer, it can determine a spacecraft’s precise position far beyond Earth orbit. The compact payload builds on a series of navigation technology advancements developed at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, each extending GPS navigation to new record-breaking distances from Earth.

The payload will fly aboard Intuitive Machines’ Altus-1 lunar relay satellite, the first of a planned network of lunar relay satellites being developed under the company’s Near Space Network Services contract with NASA. The relays will provide communications and navigation support for missions operating at the Moon, including the challenging lunar South Pole region, where Artemis astronauts will land in 2028, and where direct communications with Earth can be difficult. By extending communications coverage and improving navigation services, the relay network will help realize NASA’s vision for a sustained human presence on the lunar surface.

Before being shipped to Intuitive Machines, NavCube3-mini underwent an extensive environmental and performance test campaign at NASA Goddard to verify it is ready for spaceflight. The environmental testing included vibration testing to simulate launch conditions, thermal vacuum testing in the extreme temperatures and vacuum of space, and electromagnetic compatibility testing to ensure the payload can operate reliably alongside other spacecraft systems without causing or experiencing electromagnetic interference. Performance testing was conducted before and after each environmental test using high-fidelity simulations of the GPS and Galileo signals the NavCube will encounter in lunar orbit, verifying functionality and performance throughout the testing campaign. 

NavCube3-mini will serve as a key technology demonstration aboard Altus-1, validating the use of GNSS-based navigation in the lunar region and providing valuable performance data to support the development of future lunar navigation infrastructure. This technology is part of NASA’s broader strategy to develop communications and navigation services that work across both commercial providers and NASA’s networks. These capabilities are designed to support a growing lunar ecosystem that includes orbiters, landers, rovers, and, eventually, astronauts living and working on the Moon.

The delivery of NavCube3-mini marks another step toward building the communications and navigation infrastructure needed for long-term lunar exploration. Through partnerships with commercial providers like Intuitive Machines, NASA is building a more connected and capable lunar environment. As activity around the Moon continues to grow, these capabilities will enable lunar spacecraft and explorers to operate more safely, efficiently, and autonomously.

About the Author

Katherine Schauer

Katherine Schauer is a writer for the Space Communications and Navigation (SCaN) Program office and covers emerging technologies, commercialization efforts, exploration activities, and more.

Source: www.nasa.gov

From left, Expedition 75 flight engineers Anil Menon of NASA (partially obscured and wearing the spacesuit with a red stripe on the legs) and Sophie Adenot of ESA (European Space Agency) work together during a six‑hour and 23‑minute spacewalk outside the International Space Station on Aug. 18, 2026. The pair will finish installing a high-speed communications antenna on Aug. 25, 2026.

Watch the spacewalk live.

Image credit: NASA

Source: www.nasa.gov

NASA will provide coverage as two astronauts step outside the International Space Station on Tuesday, Sept. 1, to replace a spacecraft navigational aid and complete several maintenance tasks in support of space station operations.

Watch live coverage beginning at 7 a.m. EDT. The spacewalk is expected to start at approximately 8:30 a.m. and last about six and a half hours. NASA’s spacewalk coverage will stream through a variety of platforms. Learn where to watch online:

https://nasa.gov/live

During U.S. spacewalk 99, NASA astronaut Jessica Meir and ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Sophie Adenot will replace a retroreflector on the forward port of the space station’s Harmony module to support spacecraft navigation during rendezvous and docking operations. After installing the reflector, the crew will work to install jumper cables for the data-relay systems, prepare the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer’s radiator for future maintenance, and replace a high-definition camera on the station’s truss.

Adenot will serve as spacewalk crew member 1 and will wear a suit with red stripes. Meir will serve as crew member 2 and will wear an unmarked suit.

This will be Meir’s seventh spacewalk and Adenot’s third. Meir will move into third all-time for total spacewalks among women at NASA, trailing Peggy Whitson (10) and Suni Williams (9). The excursion also marks the 284th spacewalk supporting space station assembly, maintenance, and upgrades.

To learn more about International Space Station research, operations, and its crews, visit:

https://www.nasa.gov/station

-end-

Jimi Russell
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1100
[email protected]

Sandra Jones / Anna Schneider
Johnson Space Center, Houston 
281-483-5111
[email protected] / [email protected] 

Source: www.nasa.gov

After nearly a decade of service to NASA, including an eight-month science expedition aboard the International Space Station, astronaut Jonny Kim’s last day at the agency is Thursday. He will continue serving as lieutenant commander in the U.S. Navy.

Kim launched to the space station in April 2025 aboard the Soyuz MS‑27 spacecraft to conduct scientific research as a flight engineer during Expeditions 72/73. During the mission, he orbited Earth 3,920 times, traveled nearly 104 million miles, and contributed to a broad range of scientific investigations spanning technology development, Earth science, biology, and human research critical for future exploration.

“Jonny Kim represents the very best of NASA, a person who continually pushed the boundaries of exploration while inspiring countless others,” said NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman. “His contributions aboard the International Space Station advanced critical science that will shape NASA’s future missions for decades to come. We are grateful for his dedication to our nation and to the pursuit of knowledge, and we wish him success as he continues his service in the U.S. Navy.”

Serving as the U.S. Operating Segment lead for the second half of Expedition 73, Kim oversaw operations across the station’s international modules. During the expedition, the station achieved a historic milestone when every available docking port was occupied for the first time in 25 years. He also commanded the Canadarm2 robotic arm during the first capture of Northrop Grumman’s new Cygnus XL spacecraft, securing 11,000 pounds of supplies for the station. Kim and his Roscosmos crewmates landed safely in Kazakhstan in December 2025.

“Jonny has been an integral part of the agency, and his immeasurable impact will be felt for generations to come,” said Vanessa Wyche, director of NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. “From advancing groundbreaking science to inspiring the next generation, Jonny has been an incredible source of inspiration to our nation. His exceptional talent, determination, and grit will leave a lasting legacy at NASA.”

Kim was selected as a NASA astronaut in 2017 and completed two years of astronaut candidate training, which included instruction in space station systems, Russian language, robotics, T‑38 flight operations, geology, survival training, and spacewalk preparation.

He later supported station operations as a capsule communicator, or capcom, in NASA’s Mission Control Center at Johnson. Kim also contributed to Artemis program development through his work in the astronaut exploration branch, leading the astronaut crew operations branch, and serving as increment lead for Expedition 65. His experiences as a Navy SEAL, physician, and naval aviator provided unique perspectives in mission operations and crew support.

“Jonny approached every assignment with humility, precision, and steadfast commitment to the mission,” said Scott Tingle, chief of the Astronaut Office at NASA Johnson. “His combination of medical training, operational experience, and engineering insight strengthened our team and contributed to advancements in exploration and space station operations.”

Born in Los Angeles, Kim enlisted in the U.S. Navy after graduating high school in 2002. He trained as a hospital corpsman and completed Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL training before joining SEAL Team Three. Over the course of more than 100 combat operations, he served as a medic, sniper, navigator, and point man, earning the Silver Star, Bronze Star with Combat “V,” and numerous additional commendations.

He earned a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from the University of San Diego and a doctor of medicine from Harvard Medical School. He completed his internship at Massachusetts General Hospital and Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. Kim became a dual-designated naval aviator and flight surgeon, completing flight training at Naval Air Stations Corpus Christi in Texas and Whiting Field in Florida, and aerospace medical training at the Naval Aerospace Medical Institute at Naval Air Station Pensacola.

Kim is returning to active duty to finish out the remainder of his military career within naval aviation training.

“Contributing to space exploration and serving NASA has been the honor of a lifetime,” said Kim. “Throughout my career, I’ve learned that beyond the missions, the training, and the hardware, success always comes down to the people. They are our greatest asset, and leading with love and empathy is how we achieve the impossible. I look forward to carrying my commitment to service, my enduring love for space and technology, and the hard-earned lessons of this past decade into my next chapter to make a meaningful impact on humanity’s future.”

To learn more about NASA’s astronauts and human space exploration, visit:

https://www.nasa.gov/astronauts

-end-

Jimi Russell
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1100
[email protected]

Anna Schneider
Johnson Space Center, Houston
281-483-5111
[email protected]

Source: www.nasa.gov

President Donald J. Trump awarded NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, and CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen with the Congressional Space Medal of Honor Friday for their service during the Artemis II mission. He presented the awards during a ceremony at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, honoring the first medal recipients since 2023.

NASA’s historic Artemis II mission launched on April 1, and splashed down safely in the Pacific Ocean on April 10. The crew members were the first astronauts to launch on the agency’s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket, flying aboard NASA’s Orion spacecraft, which the crew named Integrity. During their record-setting mission, the astronauts traveled 252,756 miles from Earth, farther than any humans have traveled before, surpassing a previous record set by Apollo 13 astronauts in 1970. In total, they flew 695,081 miles, including a lunar flyby.

“We gather on these historic grounds to celebrate the immense courage of four intrepid space heroes whose sense of daring and adventure led them further from Earth than anyone has ever traveled ever before,” said President Trump. “Today we’re proudly awarding the Congressional Space Medal of Honor to the remarkable crew of Artemis II. These astronauts did not do it alone. I want to salute all of the engineers, and scientists, launch and landing specialists, everyone at NASA who helped make this mission a great success.”

The Congressional Space Medal of Honor was authorized by Congress in 1969 to recognize an astronaut who in the performance of duties has distinguished himself or herself by exceptionally brave and meritorious efforts, and contributions to the welfare of the nation and humanity. There now are 34 recipients of the award since the beginning of the space program, including the crews of Apollo 1, Challenger, and Columbia who received the award posthumously.

“President Trump’s leadership has put America back on a path to lead the world in space, from creating the Artemis program to giving NASA the resources and mandate to win this new space race,” said NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman. “The Artemis II crew answered that call with extraordinary skill and courage, showing the world the Moon again and what American leadership and exploration look like at their best. Their achievement was made possible by the exceptional NASA workforce, alongside our industry and international partners, who showed once again what can be accomplished when we commit to big, bold endeavors. We will build on this success as we return to the lunar surface and establish an enduring presence on the Moon.”

The first crewed mission under NASA’s Artemis program paved the way for the 2027 Artemis III test flight in low Earth orbit to demonstrate rendezvous and docking capabilities between Orion and commercial human landing systems, and the Artemis IV mission in 2028, which will return American astronauts to the lunar surface.

“It was the honor of my lifetime to fly on Integrity around the Moon with Victor, Christina, and Jeremy. Having President Trump here at the agency’s Johnson Space Center to honor NASA and my crew underscores the significance of what our teams accomplished,” said Wiseman, who served as commander of the mission. “I can’t wait to see my friends continue this legacy on Artemis III.”

Glover served as pilot of the Orion spacecraft.

“Piloting Orion for the first time in space was a profound honor, made possible because of the years of hard work, dedication, and expertise by countless individuals dedicating their time and talents to the mission,” said Glover. “We share this recognition with the thousands of people who launched us around the Moon and brought us safely back to Earth.”

Koch served as a mission specialist.

“The response to our mission here on Earth was beyond anything we ever imagined and all we ever hoped for. We are grateful every time we hear from people who followed along with our journey. As team members on this shared mission, we accept this award to honor those who made it happen, from factory floors to clean rooms and mission control rooms,” said Koch.

Hansen also served as a mission specialist.

“It is a privilege to receive the Congressional Space Medal of Honor alongside my Artemis II crewmates,” said Hansen. “I share this recognition with the dedicated teams in Canada, the United States, and our international partners who made the mission possible. Artemis II showed what we can accomplish for humanity when we set ambitious goals and work together. For Canada, the mission and the Artemis program as a whole are about much more than just going back to the Moon. It is about the pursuit of excellence and collaboration.”

As part of a Golden Age of innovation and exploration, NASA will send Artemis astronauts on a series of challenging missions to explore more of the Moon and establish a Moon Base on the lunar surface for long-term exploration. These missions will set the stage for sending the first astronauts — Americans — to Mars. Learn more:

https://www.nasa.gov/artemis

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Bethany Stevens / Cheryl Warner
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1600
[email protected] / [email protected]

Brandi Dean / Chelsey Ballarte
Johnson Space Center, Houston
281-483-5111
[email protected] / [email protected]

Source: www.nasa.gov