NASA Minute Jan. 30, 2026

This week, Administrator Jared Isaacman wrapped up his NASA Roadshow, teams at Kennedy Space Center are closing in on another key milestone for the Artemis II mission and America’s return to the Moon, and preparations are underway for NASA’s SpaceX Crew-12 mission.

What is said in the film

It's an exciting and historic time here at NASA. From leadership visits and launch preparations to new technologies and research milestones. Here's this week's NASA minute. This week, Administrator Jared Isaacman wrapped up his NASA Roadshow, visiting our centers across the nation. Administrator Isaacman has spent the last couple of weeks listening, learning, and seeing firsthand the work happening on the ground across NASA as a whole.

Just weeks into his tenure, those conversations are helping shape the priorities for the path ahead. They're guiding how NASA will move faster, sharpen our focus, and deliver on the missions the nation is counting on — grounded in the expertise, discipline, and pride of the workforce. at Kennedy Space Center, teams are closing in on another key milestone for the Artemis II mission and America's return to the Moon. At Launch Complex 39-B, engineers are preparing the Space Launch System rocket, Orion spacecraft, and ground systems for an upcoming wet dress rehearsal — a critical prelaunch test that simulates launch day operations. During the rehearsal, teams will load over 700,000 gallons of cryogenic propellants, or frozen fuel, run through countdown procedures, and practice safely standing down the vehicle, helping ensure the rocket and ground systems are ready for flight.

After completing these tests and preparations, NASA teams will take time to assess the readiness of every system before announcing a target launch date, so stay tuned! Preparations are underway for NASA's SpaceX Crew-12 mission. This week, the four astronauts entered their two-week preflight quarantine at Johnson Space Center in preparation for their mission aboard the International Space Station. The crew will soon travel to Kennedy Space Center to complete final prelaunch operations. NASA is targeting the earliest launch opportunity at 6 a.

m. on February 11th, from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. Stay tuned for more updates. This week, we released NASA Spinoff 2026, showcasing more than 40 examples of NASA innovations now driving progress across industries here on Earth. For nearly 50 years, the publication has documented more than 2,400 technologies — from medical monitoring and food safety to cellphone cameras and 3D-printed homes — that have strengthened the American industry, fueled entrepreneurship, and improved everyday life.

NASA and GE Aerospace recently completed a successful ground test of a hybrid aircraft engine, marking a major step toward the future of commercial aviation. The test marked the first time an integrated hybrid aircraft engine ran as a complete system, moving the technology closer to real-world use as the industry looks to cut fuel use and costs. At Ames Research Center in Silicon Valley, NASA has brought its most powerful supercomputer ever online, a new system called Athena. This supercomputer significantly boost the agency's computing power — allowing researchers to run faster, more detailed simulations with greater efficiency. This capability is critical to NASA's work, from modeling rocket launches and analyzing massive scientific datasets to designing the next generation of aircraft.

This powerful new tool will support innovative missions and world-class research. That's the latest from NASA, where teams are always preparing for what's next. See you next week!

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