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NASA Wallops Supports First Rocket Lab HASTE Launch of 2026

2026-03-05 17:13

A Rocket Lab HASTE rocket lifts off at night from NASA's Wallops Island, with bright orange and white flames illuminating billowing clouds of smoke against a black sky. Launch structure towers are visible on either side of the rocket.

A Rocket Lab HASTE rocket launches into the night sky from Launch Complex 2 at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia on Feb. 27, 2026

NASA/Danielle Johnson

NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility supported a Rocket Lab HASTE suborbital launch from the company’s Launch Complex 2 in Virginia on Feb. 27, 2026. The mission, called Cassowary Vex, supported a flight of a hypersonic test platform for the Department of War’s Defense Innovation Unit.

The NASA Wallops launch range supported by providing services such as tracking, telemetry, and range safety to ensure a safe and successful mission. NASA Wallops plays a key role in enabling national security missions at its launch range for commercial partners and other government agencies.

Image Credit: NASA/ Danielle Johnson

A long exposure photograph of a HASTE launch, which is a white streak against a black sky with a blurry white circular that is the Moon in the left corner.

A February 27, 2026 nighttime launch of a Rocket Lab HASTE rocket from NASA’s Wallops Island.

NASA/Danielle Johnson

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Last Updated

Mar 05, 2026

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Total Lunar Eclipse

2026-03-05 16:27

A mostly red full Moon against the black background of the night sky.

NASA/Michael DeMocker

The Moon appears red during a total lunar eclipse over New Orleans, home of NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility, on March 3, 2026. This “blood moon” occurs during a total lunar eclipse, as Earth lines up between the Moon and the Sun. When this happens, the only light that reaches the Moon’s surface is from the edges of Earth’s atmosphere. The air molecules from Earth’s atmosphere scatter out most of the blue light. The remaining light reflects onto the Moon’s surface with a red glow, making the Moon appear red in the night sky. This is the same effect that turns the sky pink, orange, and red at sunrise and sunset.

Image credit: NASA/Michael DeMocker

A Little Town with a Long Name

2026-03-05 05:01

The long-named town in Wales appears as a gray patch amidst a bucolic image with green farmland bordering the Menai Strait. Two bridges mark an area known for treacherous whirlpools.

April 9, 2025

On the southeastern coast of Anglesey, an island off the coast of mainland Wales, lies a little town with a big name. Following a Welsh tradition of naming towns after churches and nearby geographic features, Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch roughly translates to “St. Mary’s Church in the hollow of white hazel near a rapid whirlpool and the Church of St. Tysilio near the red cave.”

Though Wales has many towns with long names, the unusual length of this one is intentional. The settlement, now home to about 3,000 people, was once called Llanfairpwllgwyngyll, but a local resident pushed for the longer version of the name in the 1860s as part of an effort to promote tourism and give its train station the longest name in Britain. Locals usually use a short version of the name—either Llanfairpwll or Llanfair PG.

The OLI (Operational Land Imager) on Landsat 8 captured this image of the town on April 9, 2025. The image below shows a wider view of the same area. The whirlpool mentioned in the name likely refers to a section of the Menai Strait between the Menai Suspension Bridge and Britannia Bridge known as the Swellies. The area is known for having exceptionally treacherous waters because of its complex bathymetry and because tides enter the strait from both ends at different times, creating strong swirling currents. Menai Suspension Bridge, often described as the first modern suspension bridge, was completed in 1826.

A wider view of the same area shows how the Strait of Menai connects to the open ocean to the north and south of Anglesey island. The right side of the image transitions to hillier terrain with less farmland.

April 9, 2025

Llanddaniel Fab, a village nearby, is the hometown of NASA luminary Tecwyn Roberts. Roberts was a shy boy who grew up without electricity but went on to become one of NASA’s first flight dynamics officers. He is credited with helping to conceptualize NASA’s Deep Space Network, helping design Mission Control at Johnson Space Center, and leading the development of key systems used to communicate with Apollo astronauts.

Llanfairpwll’s full name, with 58 characters, is still shorter than the ceremonial 168-character name for Bangkok, according to the Guinness Book of World Records. However, Llanfairpwll’s full name is said to be the longest one-word place name in Europe and among the longest in the world.

Neighboring planets also boast some lengthy place names. Among the contenders on these other worlds: Schiaparelli crater on Mars, Nantosuelta valley on Venus, and Tchaikovsky crater on Mercury. But even these are less than half the length of the Welsh town’s name. The International Astronomical Union working group responsible for naming planetary features recommends that the first consideration for potential names is that they be “simple, clear, and unambiguous.”

NASA Earth Observatory images by Lauren Dauphin, using Landsat data from the U.S. Geological Survey. Story by Adam Voiland.

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April 9, 2025

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References & Resources

BBC (2019, July 18) The Welshman behind Nasa’s Apollo 11 moon landing mission. Accessed March 4, 2026.
BBC (2015, March 4) Welsh place names. Accessed March 4, 2026.
Comerford Way (2016, May 1) I know what Llanfair PG means, but can I pronounce the longest name in Wales? Accessed March 4, 2026.
HistoryHit (2022, March 30) Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch. Accessed March 4, 2026.
History Points (2012) NASA space officer’s school, Llanddaniel-fab. Accessed March 4, 2026.
History Extra (2019, July 18) NASA’s unknown Welsh hero: the story of Tecwyn Roberts. Accessed March 4, 2026.
NASA (2019, November 5) Goddard Honors an Apollo-era Pioneer, His Legacy. Accessed March 4, 2026.
The Travel (2025, April 27) The Longest Town Name In The World Doesn’t Actually Hold The Guinness World Record For The Longest Place Name. Accessed March 4, 2026.
University of Southampton (2019, July 17) Rocket Man: Welsh hero of NASA’s moon landings. Accessed March 4, 2026.
USGS Astrogeology Science Center Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. Accessed March 4, 2026.
Yahoo (2015, September 12) Here’s the story behind the 58-letter town name in Wales that everyone is talking about. Accessed March 4, 2026.

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High-Speed Flight Project Overview

2026-03-05 01:05

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Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater)

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NASA Langley

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Contact the High-Speed Flight Project by email at larc-htp-inquiries@mail.nasa.gov

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Mar 04, 2026

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Jim Banke

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About Advanced Air Vehicles Program (AAVP)

2026-03-04 19:00

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A sky full of contrails, the letters AAVP, and four vehicles: the X-59, a transonic truss-braced wing, a hypersonic vehicle, and a vertical lift vehicle with four rotors.

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NASA’s Advanced Air Vehicles Program (AAVP) studies, evaluates, and develops technologies and capabilities for new aircraft systems and explores far-future concepts for revolutionary air travel improvements. AAVP develops technologies for all flight regimes from hover to hypersonic to enable safe, new aircraft that are faster, quieter, and more fuel efficient.

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