NASA Minute: July 3, 2026

This Fourth of July weekend, NASA is joining the celebration of America’s 250th birthday — and continuing the work that will write the next chapter of American space exploration. Here’s what’s new in your NASA Minute.

What is said in the film

This Fourth of July weekend, NASA is joining the celebration of America’s 250th birthday — and continuing the work that will write the next chapter of American space exploration. Here’s what’s new in your NASA Minute. If you're celebrating America's 250th birthday in Washington this weekend, stop by NASA's booth at the Great American State Fair. The NASA Pavilion features interactive exhibits showcasing the future of American space exploration, including Artemis, Moon Base, the X-59, astronaut gear, and hands-on activities for visitors of all ages. And keep an eye on the skies for some exciting surprises from NASA at the Freedom 250 celebrations this weekend.

We’ll see you on the National Mall! NASA is continuing to build the foundation for America’s Moon Base. This week, the agency announced that Astrobotic, Firefly Aerospace, and Intuitive Machines will deliver four new robotic missions to the lunar surface starting in 2028. The missions will carry NASA science and technology payloads to improve navigation, study the lunar environment, and prepare for long-term operations on the Moon. NASA is also helping strengthen the industrial base behind America's future in space.

On Monday, NASA and the U. S. Small Business Administration signed an agreement establishing NASA’s Office of Strategic Capital, which will help unlock private investment for the small businesses developing the critical technologies and supply chains needed for future missions to the Moon and Mars. And at the same time, NASA is continuing to strengthen the workforce behind America’s future in space. This week, 120 new civil servants were sworn in at Stennis Space Center to help build NASA’s in-house expertise, improve mission agility, and support the President’s National Space Policy.

On Tuesday, NASA astronauts Chris Williams and Jessica Meir completed a spacewalk to repair one of the International Space Station's most important robotic systems. Working for more than seven hours in space, the pair replaced a wrist joint on the Canadarm2 robotic arm, restoring a critical capability used to support maintenance, visiting spacecraft, and scientific research aboard the orbiting laboratory. This week, a rocket launched from a plane kicked off a NASA mission to extend the life of a space observatory. Launching on a Pegasus XL rocket from beneath Northrop Grumman’s Stargazer aircraft over the Pacific Ocean, Katalyst Space’s LINK spacecraft began its mission to save NASA’s Swift Observatory. Over the coming months, the spacecraft will attempt to rendezvous with and raise the observatory into a higher orbit, extending its lifespan so that it can continue to study the universe.

America's story has always been one of exploration— and the next chapter is already being written. Happy Independence Day, and we'll see you next time on the NASA Minute.

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