NASA, International Partners Advance Work on Space Crops
NASA, CSA (Canadian Space Agency), and the German Aerospace Center signed a joint statement of intent to begin coordinated, preparatory work toward an Earth-based demonstrator to learn how to grow crops on the Moon, which will be essential to helping astronauts go farther and stay longer in space.
The Lunar Agriculture Module-Ground Test Demonstrator aims to develop the technologies needed to grow space crops and study how they perform under atmospheres and controlled environments similar to those expected during missions at Moon Base. Through Moon Base, NASA and its partners will build the infrastructure to support an enduring human presence near the Moon’s South Pole, advancing science and technology while preparing for future human missions to Mars.
Space crops will provide deep space crews with whole-food nutrition and increase dietary variety. They can also absorb carbon dioxide, produce oxygen, and recycle water. These capabilities will become increasingly important as human missions extend farther from our home planet.
Horticulture scientist Blake Costine adjusts moisture sensors for the Advanced Plant Imaging project at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center on April 17, 2023. In this project, hyperspectral cameras are used to assess plant health. The activity is taking place inside the Plant Production Area at the Florida spaceport’s Space Station Processing Facility.
APOD: 2026 September 30 – Arp 78: Peculiar Galaxy in Aries
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Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.
Arp 78: Peculiar Galaxy in Aries
Explanation:Peculiar spiral galaxy Arp 78 is found within the boundaries of the head strong constellation Aries. Some 100 million light-years beyond the stars and nebulae of our Milky Way galaxy, the island universe is an enormous 200,000 light-years across. Also known as NGC 772, it sports a prominent, outer spiral arm in this detailed cosmic portrait. Tracking along sweeping dust lanes and lined with young blue star clusters, Arp 78’s overdeveloped spiral arm is pumped-up by galactic-scale gravitational tides. Interactions with its brightest companion galaxy, the more compact NGC 770 seen directly below the larger spiral, are likely responsible. Embedded in faint star streams revealed in the deep telescopic exposure, NGC 770’s fuzzy, elliptical appearance contrasts nicely with spiky foreground Milky Way stars.
APOD’s email for image submissions has changed. Please see: APOD Submissions. Tomorrow’s picture: a harvest
The northeastern and central Pacific basins are busy with tropical cyclone activity in this image acquired with NASA’s EPIC (Earth Polychromatic Imaging Camera) on the DSCOVR (Deep Space Climate Observatory) satellite on September 27, 2026. A band of clouds and thunderstorms associated with the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) is visible near the center of the image.
NASA Earth Observatory/Lauren Dauphin
The 2026 tropical cyclone season in the northeastern and central Pacific basins has been busy. By September 28, the number of named storms in the region had grown to 20, of which nine had reached hurricane strength. For comparison, the 1991-2020 average by that date is 13.5 named storms with 7.4 hurricanes.
An image from NASA’s EPIC (Earth Polychromatic Imaging Camera) on the DSCOVR (Deep Space Climate Observatory) satellite, acquired on September 27, shows the basin again rife with powerful storms. Hurricane Nolo near Hawaii and Hurricane Polo off the Baja California peninsula were lashing land with high winds, storm surge, and heavy rain. On either side of Polo, Tropical Storm Rachel and Post-Tropical Cyclone Odalys were contributing to treacherous conditions along the Mexican coast and in the southwestern U.S., respectively.
Hurricane Polo (below) made landfall in Baja California Sur around 11 p.m. local time on September 28 (06:00 Universal Time on September 29). Before encountering land, the storm had undergone extreme rapid intensification while churning over the unusually warm ocean surface, catapulting to category 5 status on September 22. Polo waned in intensity on its approach to the coast and likely made landfall as a category 2 storm, according to the National Hurricane Center (NHC).
Hurricane Polo approaches the coast of Baja California Sur in this image acquired with the VIIRS (Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite) on the Suomi NPP satellite at 2:20 p.m. local time (21:20 Universal Time) on September 28, 2026.
NASA Earth Observatory/Lauren Dauphin
Polo then continued across the peninsula and the Gulf of California and made a second landfall, near Guaymas, as a further weakened system around midday on September 29. The NHC warned of dangerous winds and storm surge, as well as heavy rains capable of triggering flooding and mudslides in parts of Baja California Sur and Sonora.
The hurricane’s effects were expected to be even more widespread. Polo and its remnants, combined with moisture from Post-Tropical Cyclone Odalys, were likely to push over the southwestern U.S. and southern Plains over several days, forecasters said, fueling yet more heavy rain and flood risk. Next in the train of storms, Tropical Storm Rachel was tracking parallel to the southwest Mexico coast, where the NHC forecast strong winds and dangerous surf and rip current conditions.
Meanwhile, the third hurricane of the season to pass close to Hawaii was delivering yet another deluge to the islands. Hurricane Nolo, though it did not make landfall, dropped more than 12 inches (30 centimeters) of rain on parts of Maui and the Island of Hawaiʻi. The storm flooded roads, toppled trees, and triggered landslides, according to news reports, but the Island of Hawaiʻi was spared some of the more severe effects wrought by Hurricane Lala in mid-August.
As of September 28, the accumulated cyclone energy in the Northeast Pacific was more than twice the norm, according to data from Colorado State University. Scientists expect an increase in tropical cyclone activity in this ocean basin during an El Niño, which has been underway since June. Warm water in the equatorial Pacific and low wind shear in the region, both typical El Niño patterns, encourage tropical storms to develop and strengthen.
The NASA Disasters Program, in coordination with FEMA, is supporting the State of Hawaii’s response to Hurricane Nolo. The team will be posting maps and data products on its open-access mapping portal as new information becomes available.
NASA Opens 2027 Human Lander Challenge for Lunar Communications
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NASA Opens 2027 Human Lander Challenge for Lunar Communications
NASA’s 2027 Human Lander Challenge is seeking ideas from college and university students to help address one of the most critical needs for sustained lunar exploration: reliable communications.
As NASA prepares for long-term human presence on the Moon through the Artemis and Moon Base programs, communications systems will be just as important as spacecraft and rockets. A resilient communications system will connect astronauts, rovers, habitats, landers, mission support teams on Earth, and more. Reliable communications are essential for ensuring safety, coordinating complex operations, and enabling timely decision-making in the harsh and remote lunar environment.
“Reliable communications will be at the heart of our ability to explore and operate on the Moon,” said Jeremy Del Greco, Human Landing System program communications integration lead at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. “As Artemis and Moon Base missions expand our presence beyond Earth, we will need dependable connections across the lunar surface and beyond. The 2027 Human Lander Challenge gives students the opportunity to help shape the communications capabilities of tomorrow and support future lunar exploration.”
The 2027 competition invites United States-based collegiate teams and their faculty advisers to develop innovative, systems-level solutions to better understand, establish, and optimize lunar communications for landers and surface operations that can be implemented within three to five years.
Teams should submit a non-binding notice of intent by Thursday, Oct. 15, if they would like to participate. Proposal packages, including a five to seven-page proposal and a two-minute video, are due March 4, 2027.
While teams may propose solutions outside of the focus areas, NASA has identified three main categories to advance future lunar communications capabilities:
Hardware:
Space-rated wireless networks and electronics
Antenna signal propagation, modeling, and environmental mitigation
Software:
Data efficiency and link optimization
Network management and scheduling
Architecture
Surface communications system architecture
Orbital communications system architecture
Based on proposal package evaluations in phase 1, up to 12 finalist teams will be selected to receive $9,000 and advance to phase 2 of the competition, which includes a final design review in Huntsville, Alabama, home of NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, June 21–24, 2027. The top three teams from phase 2 will share a total prize of $18,000.
The Human Lander Challenge is administered by the National Institute of Aerospace on behalf of the agency and supports NASA’s efforts to foster innovative solutions to a variety of areas for long-duration human spaceflight plans at the Moon. The Human Lander Challenge is sponsored by the agency’s Human Spaceflight Mission Directorate’s Human Landing System Program Office.
Through the Artemis program, NASA will send astronauts to explore the Moon for scientific discovery, economic benefits, and to build the foundation for the first crewed missions to Mars – for the benefit of all.
For more information on NASA’s Human Lander Challenge and how to participate, visit:
NASA Awards Orbital Safety Analysis Support Services Contract
NASA has awarded a contract to Omitron Inc. for the acquisition of orbital safety analysis services, which provide for critical protection of NASA spaceflight assets and astronaut lives.
This indefinite-delivery contract is valued at approximately $23.5 million over a five-year period of performance and entails conjunction assessment screening services for all NASA uncrewed spacecraft, support of human spaceflight activities, and orbital safety analysis support to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Office of Space Commerce.
The work will take place at Omitron’s location in Beltsville, Maryland, NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren in Virginia, and Peterson Space Force Base in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
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