NASA Minute: April 17, 2026

Artemis II is safely home, the X‑59 ramps up flight testing, Cygnus docks with the Space Station, and SPHEREx uncovers mysteries of the universe. Here’s what you need to know in your NASA Minute.

What is said in the film

Artemis II is safely home, and the next chapter is already underway. Here’s what you need to know, in your NASA Minute. Last week, NASA’s Artemis II mission came to an end, as the Orion spacecraft re-entered Earth’s atmosphere and splashed down safely off the coast of San Diego. The crew were all smiles as they boarded the recovery vessel, The USS John P. Murtha, and began their journey home.

The next day, Reid, Victor, Christina, and Jeremy were warmly welcomed home to Houston by their families, fellow astronauts, and other members of the NASA family. It’s a special thing to be a human, It’s a special thing to be on planet Earth. Planet Earth, you are a crew. Thank you. Stay tuned, because we’re already ramping up for Artemis III.

On Thursday at Kennedy Space Center, the mobile launcher platform was rolled back into the Vehicle Assembly Building to prepare it for its next mission. NASA is back in the business of launching missions to the Moon! NASA’s X-59 quiet supersonic jet is ramping up flight testing. Over the past few weeks, teams at Armstrong Flight Research Center have completed nine test flights, with the aircraft now flying wheels-up and pushing higher and faster — approaching the speed of sound. Following a successful launch over the weekend, a Cygnus XL spacecraft was successfully installed to the International Space Station on Monday.

NASA Astronauts Chris Williams and Jack Hathaway used the station’s Canadarm2 robotic arm to grab the spacecraft and install it on the station, bringing over 11,000 pounds of supplies and science experiments to the orbital laboratory. And finally, NASA’s SPHEREx mission is uncovering the origins of water in the universe, mapping interstellar ice across star-forming regions in our galaxy spanning more than 600 light-years. These icy clouds are believed to be the source of water found on planets, comets — and Earth itself. The world should get used to the Golden Age of Space Exploration, because we’re not stopping anytime soon. Thanks for watching, we’ll see you next week.

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