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[NASA] NASA Accelerates Space Exploration, Earth Science for All in 2024

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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

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, 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 at 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
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    results of its Orion heat shield investigation and updated its timelines for Artemis II and III.
  • Teams
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    and
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    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
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    of tests of the mobile launcher and systems at NASA Kennedy’s Launch Pad 39B ahead of the test flight and added an
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    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
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    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
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    , as well as launch countdown and mission simulations. 
  • In February, the first Moon landing through the agency’s CLPS (Commercial Lunar Payload Services) initiative
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    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
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    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
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    and announced a new
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    to assess various design studies to reduce cost, risk, and complexity.
  • NASA’s
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    (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
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    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
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    , operated by NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.
  • NASA identified an updated set of nine
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    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
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    .
  • NASA formalized two international agreements for key Artemis elements, including with the United Arab Emirates for the
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    , and with Japan to provide a
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    for the lunar surface.
  • Astronauts, scientists, and engineers took part in testing key technologies and evaluating hardware needed to work at the Moon, including
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    in geologically Moon-like areas of Arizona, practiced integration between the crew and mission controllers, participated in
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    for Gateway, and
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  • NASA worked collaboratively with SpaceX and Blue Origin on their human lunar landers for Artemis missions, exercising an option under existing contracts to develop
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    of their human landers.
  • In August, as part of its commitment to a robust, sustainable lunar exploration program for the benefit of all, NASA
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    it issued a
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    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
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    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
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    , 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
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    the European-built Orion service module for Artemis III; they also received several sections of the Artemis III and IV SLS core stages, and
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    High Bay 2 in the Vehicle Assembly Building.
  • NASA
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    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
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    a 378-day mission in a ground-based Mars habitat at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. 
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A SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket carrying NASA’s Europa Clipper spacecraft lifts off from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 12:06 p.m. EDT on Monday, Oct. 14, 2024. After launch, the spacecraft plans to fly by Mars in February 2025, then back by Earth in December 2026, using the gravity of each planet to increase its momentum. With help of these “gravity assists,” Europa Clipper will achieve the velocity needed to reach Jupiter in April 2030.
Credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett
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NASA newest class of astronauts, selected in 2021, graduate during a ceremony on March 5, 2024, at the at the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.
Credit: NASA
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NASA and Boeing welcomed Starliner back to Earth following the uncrewed spacecraft’s successful landing at 10:01 p.m. MDT Sept. 6, 2024, at the White Sands Space Harbor in New Mexico.
Credit: NASA
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NASA’s X-59 quiet supersonic research aircraft sits on the apron outside Lockheed Martin’s Skunk Works facility at dawn in Palmdale, California. The X-59 is the centerpiece of NASA’s Quesst mission, which seeks to address one of the primary challenges to supersonic flight over land by making sonic booms quieter.
Credit: Lockheed Martin Skunk Works
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Five NASA astronauts wore eye-protecting specs in anticipation of viewing the solar eclipse from the International Space Station’s cupola. The Expedition 70 crewmates had three opportunities on April 8 to view the Moon’s shadow as it tracked across the Earth surface during the eclipse.
Credit: NASA/Loral O’Hara
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This enhanced color view of NASA’s Ingenuity Mars Helicopter was generated using data collected by the Mastcam-Z instrument aboard the agency’s Perseverance Mars rover on Aug. 2, 2023, the 871st Martian day, or sol, of the mission. The image was taken a day before the rotorcraft’s 54th flight.
Credit: NASA
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The CHAPEA crew egress from their simulated Mars mission July 6, 2024, at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. From left: Kelly Haston, Nathan Jones, Anca Selariu, and Ross Brockwell.
Credit: NASA/Josh Valcarcel
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An artist’s concept of NASA’s Advanced Composite Solar Sail System spacecraft in orbit.
Credit: NASA/Aero Animation/Ben Schweighart
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Office of STEM Engagement Deputy Associate Administrator Kris Brown, right, and U.S. Department of Education Deputy Secretary Cindy Marten, left, watch as a student operates a robot during a STEM event to kickoff the 21st Century Community Learning Centers NASA and U.S. Department of Education partnership, Monday, Sept. 23, 2024, at Wheatley Education Campus in Washington. Students engaged in NASA hands-on activities and an engineering design challenge. 
Credit: NASA/Aubrey Gemignani
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On Feb. 22, 2024, Intuitive Machines’ Odysseus lunar lander captures a wide field of view image of Schomberger crater on the Moon approximately 125 miles (200 km) uprange from the intended landing site, at approximately 6 miles (10 km) altitude.
Credit: Intuitive Machines
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NASA’s Artemis II crew members from left to right CSA (********* Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen, and NASA astronauts Christina Koch, Victor Glover, and Reid Wiseman walk in the well deck of the USS San Diego during Underway Recovery Test 11 (URT-11), as NASA’s Exploration Ground System’s Landing and Recovery team and partners from the Department of Defense aboard the ship practice recovery procedures using the Crew Module Test Article off the coast of San Diego, California on Tuesday, Feb. 27, 2024. URT-11 is the eleventh in a series of Artemis recovery tests, and the first time NASA and its partners put their Artemis II recovery procedures to the test with the astronauts.
Credit: NASA/Isaac Watson

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
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    (Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem) satellite mission is successfully transmitting
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    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
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    providing air pollution observations at unprecedented resolutions – down to the scale of individual neighborhoods.
  • Launched in May and
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    , NASA’s
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    (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
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    that delivers
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    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
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    exhibit.

Exploring Our Solar System, Universe

NASA’s

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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
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    ever observed, while raising exciting new questions about the atmospheres of
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    .
  • As part of an
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    , 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
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    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
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    .
  • This year,
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    were delivered to NASA Goddard to begin the integration phase for the agency’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope.
  • NASA
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    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
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    (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
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    telescope, NASA established a project office at NASA Goddard.
  • NASA and partners declared that the
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    in 2024, a ******* 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,
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    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
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    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
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    , 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

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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
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    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
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    , ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut
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    , and JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut
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    returned to Earth at the conclusion of NASA’s SpaceX
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    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
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    demonstrations.
  • In June, NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams safely arrived at the space station aboard Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft following
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    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
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    uncrewed in September following a
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    . 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,
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    at the orbital laboratory in September to begin a six-month mission.
  • Completing a
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    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
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    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
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    to Earth, splashing down on Oct. 25, off the coast of Pensacola, Florida.
  • NASA and Axiom Space
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    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
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    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
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    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
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    , putting a blazing end to an eight-year series of investigations looking at  fire’s behavior in space.
  • A
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    aboard space station was successfully
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    by surgeons on Earth. The
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    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
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    in liquified stainless steel for the
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    investigation to test additive manufacturing of small metal parts in microgravity for equipment maintenance on future long-duration missions.
  • In 2024, 17 NASA
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    research payloads were delivered to the orbital laboratory, spanning quantum, plant biology, and physical sciences investigations.
  • More than 825,000
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    of Earth were taken from the space station in 2024 so far, contributing to research tracking how our planet’s landscapes are changing over time. Expedition 71 produced more than 630,000 images, the most taken during a
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    . In total, 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

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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
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    ahead of its first flight.
  • Made further progress in research areas of Quesst mission, including ground recording station
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    and advancement and
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    on the aircraft.
  • Publicly
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    , providing the first look at this unique aircraft.
  • Tested a wind-tunnel model of the
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    , an experimental aircraft designed to reduce the carbon footprint.
  • Began building the
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    that will allow pilots and engineers to run real-life scenarios in a safe environment.
  • Funded
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    looking at the future of sustainable aircraft for the 2050 timeframe and beyond.
  • Built a
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    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
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    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),
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    using NASA-designed collision avoidance software.
  • Designed and flew a
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    to help advance computer vision for autonomous aviation.
  • Launched a new science, technology, engineering, and mathematics kit focused on
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    so students can learn more about air taxis and drones.
  • Continued to
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    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
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    a first-of-its-kind air traffic management concept for aircraft to safely operate at higher altitudes.
  • Advanced
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    with GE Aerospace under the Hybrid Thermally Efficient Core project.
  • Conducted
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    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
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    into the national airspace.
  • Launched a new
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    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
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    in space, marking a successful test of its composite ***** technology.
  • Performed
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    with NASA’s
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    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
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      , 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
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    .
  • Enabled the first
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    to fly with their payload aboard a commercial suborbital rocket.
  • Advanced critical capabilities for autonomous networks of small spacecraft with NASA’s
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    demonstration, the first satellite swarm to autonomously distribute information and operations data between spacecraft.
  • Demonstrated
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    , 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
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    (liquid oxygen) on the third flight test of SpaceX’s Starship.
  • Licensed a
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    , 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
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    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
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    , 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
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    , totaling $5 million.
  • Awarded $4.25 million across the finales of three major NASA Centennial Challenges, including
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    ,
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    , and
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    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
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    to help guide future technology development projects, investments, and technology roadmaps.

Growing Global Partnerships

Through the

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, 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.

  • During a May workshop with Artemis Accords signatories in Montreal, Canada, NASA led a
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    for 24 countries centered on further defining and implementing key tenets, including considering views on non-interference, interoperability, and scientific data sharing among nations.
  • A NASA delegation participated in the 75th International Astronautical Congress in Milan. During the congress, NASA co-chaired the
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    , which brought together 42 nations furthering discussions on the safe and responsible use of space for the benefit of all.

Celebrating Total Solar Eclipse

During the total solar eclipse on April 8, NASA helped the nation enjoy the event safely and engaged millions of people with in-person events, live online coverage, and citizen science opportunities. NASA also funded scientists around North America to take advantage of this unique position of the Sun, Moon, and Earth to learn more about the Sun and its connection to our home planet. Highlights of the solar celebration include:

  • The space station
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    were among the millions viewing the
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    .
  • NASA
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    with the Indianapolis Motor Speedway,
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    , NCAA Women’s Final Four, Peanuts Worldwide,
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    , Sésamo, LEGO, Barbie, Major League Baseball, Third Rock Radio, Discovery Education, and others on eclipse-inspired products and social posts to support awareness of the eclipse and the importance of safe viewing.
  • More than 50
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    participated in NASA’s Nationwide Eclipse Ballooning Project, with some becoming the first to measure atmospheric gravity waves caused by eclipses.

Building Low Earth Orbit Economy

In August, NASA

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the development of its low Earth orbit microgravity strategy by releasing 42 objectives for stakeholder feedback. The strategy helps to guide the next generation of human presence in low Earth orbit and advance microgravity science, technology, and exploration. NASA is refining the objectives with collected input and will finalize the strategy before the end of the year. Additional advancements include:

  • NASA modified agreements for two funded commercial space station partners that
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    to develop low Earth orbit destinations for the agency and other customers.
  • A NASA-funded commercial space station, Blue Origin’s Orbital Reef,
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    for its critical life support system as part of the agency’s efforts for new destinations in low Earth orbit.
  • A
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    on Sierra Space’s LIFE (Large Integrated Flexible Environment) habitat structure was conducted, an element of a NASA-funded commercial space station.
  • The agency’s
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    , through the second Collaborations for Commercial Space Capabilities initiative and Small Business Innovation Research Ignite initiative, completed safety milestones, successful flight tests, and major technological advancements.
  • As NASA opens access to space by working with private industry, the agency shared its medical expertise,
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    ,
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    , and
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    to aid in developing safe, reliable, innovative, and cost-effective space stations.
  • To address a rapidly changing space operating environment and ensure its preservation for generations to come, NASA released its integrated 
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     in April.
  • The agency tested the
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    spaceplane for the extreme environments of space at NASA’s Neil Armstrong Test Facility in Sandusky, Ohio.
  • NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland
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    from an aircraft to the space station and back for the first time using optical, or laser, communications.

Inspiring Artemis Generation of STEM Students

NASA continues to offer a wide range of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) initiatives and activities, reaching and engaging the next generation of scientists, engineers, and explorers. The agency’s STEM engagements are enhanced through collaborations with partner organizations, the distribution of various grants, and additional strategic activities. Key 2024 STEM highlights include:

  • Awarded nearly $45 million to 21
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    to help build capacity for research, and announced the recipients of grants that will support scientific and technical
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    for more than 20 universities and organizations across the United States.
  • Planted a “
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    ,” a seedling that traveled around the Moon and back aboard the agency’s Artemis I mission in 2022, at the U.S. Capitol in Washington. The event highlighted a
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    with the U.S. Forest Service that invited organizations across the country to host the seedlings.
  • Partnered with
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    ’s
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    to engage students in a game-based learning platform, where players can experience NASA’s discoveries with interactive modules on star formation, planets, and galaxy types, modeled using real James Webb Space Telescope images.
  • Collaborate with the
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    to bring STEM to students during after-school hours under the 21st Century Community Learning Centers program, which aims to reach thousands of students in more than 60 sites across 10 states.
  • Launched
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    , a platform to connect and serve the public by providing agency experts to share their experiences working on agency missions and programs.
  • With more than 55,000 applications for NASA internships across the spring, summer and fall sessions, a new recruitment record, NASA helped
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    make real contributions to space and science missions.
  • Expanded the agency’s
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    to help informal educational institutions like museums, science centers, libraries, and other community organizations bring STEM content to communities, resulting in 42 active awards across 26 states and Puerto Rico.
  • Hosted the 30th
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    , one of NASA’s longest-standing student challenges, with participation from more than 600 students and 72 teams from around the world.

Reaching New, Future Explorers

NASA’s future-forward outreach to current and new audiences is key to providing accessibility to the agency’s scientific discoveries and to growing the future STEM workforce. NASA’s creative and inclusive 2024 strategies to reach the public include:

  • NASA’s on-demand streaming service,
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    , achieved four times the viewership of the agency’s traditional cable channel, marking a major milestone in its ongoing web modernization efforts. As part of the digital transformation, NASA said goodbye to NASA Television, its over-the-air broadcast, streamlining how it delivers the latest space, science, and technology news. NASA+ marked its first year of operation Sept. 23, and visitors have played 1,036,389 hours of programming.
  • April 8, the day of the total solar eclipse, brought in 32 million views to NASA’s websites, more than 15 times additional views than the average this year. On average, NASA websites receive 33.4 million views every month.
  • NASA
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    saw an increase of 4% in followers since 2023, from 391.2 million in 2023 to 406.8 million this year. On average, NASA accounts see close to 25 million engagements each month.
    • Notable live social media events in 2024 included the first-ever
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      Ask Me Anything with the platform’s 23-million member “Explain Like I’m Five” community; the first X Spaces conversation from space; and NASA’s first
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      Live of a launch, which contributed 410,000 of the 6.6 million views of the Boeing Starliner Crew Flight Test launch.
    • NASA
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      launched custom emotes, issued channel points for the first time, and collaborated with an external
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      creator, a how-to conversation with astrophotographers and NASA experts about photographing the Moon.
  • NASA aired live broadcasts for 14 mission launches in 2024. The agency’s official broadcast of the 2024 total solar eclipse and its telescope feed are the top two most-watched livestreams this year on NASA’s
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    .
    • The agency’s
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      livestreams in 2024 surpassed 84.7 million total views.  
    • NASA broadcasts often were enhanced by the presence of well-known athletes, artists, and cultural figures. The solar eclipse broadcast alone featured musician Lance Bass, actor Scarlett Johannson, NFL quarterback Josh Dobbs, and Snoopy.
  • The agency’s
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    surpassed 9.7 million all-time plays on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
  • The NASA
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    was installed more than 2.1 million times in 2024.  
  • The number of subscribers to NASA’s flagship and Spanish
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    total more than 5 million.
  • NASA celebrated the 5th anniversary of the Hidden Figures Way street renaming. The program honored the legacy of Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan, Mary Jackson, and Christine M. Darden, and others who were featured in Margot Shetterly’s book – and the subsequent movie – Hidden Figures, and their commitment to science, justice, and humanity.
  • The agency signed Space Act agreements with the
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    and the
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    to increase engagement and equity for underrepresented students pursuing STEM fields and reduce barriers to agency activities and opportunities.
  • As part of its plans to reach new audiences, NASA continued to focus on developing Spanish-language content. This year, the agency:
    • Launched its second season of the
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      Universo curioso de la NASA.
    • More than doubled the number of yearly posts to its science-focused website in Spanish,
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      , and grew the website’s traffic by five-fold.
    • Produced live broadcasts for the 2024 total solar eclipse and for the launch of the Europa Clipper mission, which reached a combined audience of more than 5 million viewers around the world.
    • Published a
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      about how NASA and ESA (European Space Agency) cooperate to train astronauts.
    • Released an astrobiology
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      and the agency’s economic impact yearly report in Spanish, among other outreach materials.
  • Relaunched the
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    with two space-themed murals in New York’s Hudson Square neighborhood in Manhattan. The vision of the reimagined NASA Art Program is to inspire and engage the Artemis Generation with community murals and art projects for the benefit of humanity.
  • A DC-8 Airborne Science Laboratory Workshop documented and celebrated the important scientific work conducted aboard NASA’s
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    and captured lessons of the past for current and future operators. 
  • The Deep Space Network
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    a Missy Elliott song to space on July 12. 
  • NASA partnered with Crayola Education to develop content for Crayola’s annual Creativity Week held in January, which reached more than 6 million kids from 100 countries. 
  • On the eve of the 55th anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon landing, NASA Johnson
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    one of its central buildings the “Dorothy Vaughan Center in Honor of the Women of Apollo.” Actress Octavia Spencer narrated a video for the event. 
  • NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley hosted social media creators in space, science, and engineering for a behind-the-scenes tour of the center’s world-class facilities.
  • Engaging largely untapped NASA audiences of more than 155,000 in Illinois, Michigan, and Minnesota, NASA’s Glenn launched NASA in the Midwest, an integrated approach to bring awareness to the agency’s connections to the region to large-scale festivals and surrounding community institutions.
  • Reaching 500,000 in-person attendees, NASA Stennis supported the agency’s return to the ESSENCE Festival of Culture in New Orleans.
  • NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia developed a dance engagement program in partnership with the Eastern Shore Ballet Theatre, introducing new audiences to the agency while blending arts and science.
  • NASA participated in more than 3,700 events planned with an estimated reach of more than 17 million worldwide. This was accomplished through in-person, hybrid, and virtual outreach activities and events.
  • The agency’s Virtual Guest Program engaged 277,370 virtual guests across 13 events, with an average of 145 countries, regions, and territories represented per event.

There also were many notable engagements highlighting the intersection of space and sports in 2024, including the Stanley Cup visiting NASA Kennedy for photographs as part of the agency’s growing partnership with the National Hockey League. NASA Glenn also collaborated with The Ohio State University Marching Band for its halftime show during the university’s football game on Sept. 21. A video greeting from astronauts aboard the International Space Station introduced

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, which featured aerospace-themed music and numerous formations including the final formation the NASA Meatball.

For more about NASA’s missions, research, and discoveries, visit:

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-end-

Meira Bernstein / Cheryl Warner
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1600
meira.b*****@*****.tld / *****@*****.tld

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Dec 06, 2024
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