NASA’s Artemis II moon mission launched from Cape Canaveral, reigniting the US’s push to return humans to the lunar surface after 50 years.
On February 15, 2026, NASA's Crew-12 mission successfully docked at the International Space Station (ISS), restoring the full seven-member crew after a month operating with a skeleton team due to a medical evacuation in January. The crew includes Americans Jessica Meir and Jack Hathaway, French astronaut Sophie Adenot, and Russian cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev. They will conduct scientific experiments during an eight-month mission aboard the aging ISS, scheduled for deorbit in 2030.
The NOIRLab has released a detailed image of the sombrero galaxy, revealing its extensive stellar halo and star streams from past collisions. Meanwhile, astronomers have observed interstellar comet C/2025 R3 Pan-STARRS, which is passing through the solar system for the first time in 170,000 years, and the upcoming Lyrid meteor shower is expected to peak tonight, offering spectacular skywatching opportunities.