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Rising Waters Swamp Lake Naivasha

2026-06-23 04:01

January 30, 2010

January 26, 2026

The first of a pair of satellite images shows Lake Naivasha with several communities surrounding it in 2010.

Lake Naivasha’s area grew substantially between 2010 (left) and 2026 (right), as seen in these images captured by the TM (Thematic Mapper) on Landsat 5 and OLI (Operational Land Imager) and Landsat 9.

NASA Earth Observatory / Lauren Dauphin

The second image in the pair shows significant encroachment of water on communities, farmland, greenhouses, and infrastructure surrounding the lake by 2026. This image also shows significantly more green mats of water hyacinth in the northern part of the lake.

NASA Earth Observatory / Lauren Dauphin

January 30, 2010

January 26, 2026

Kenya’s Lake Naivasha has long been a place of change and reinvention.

In precolonial times, the nomadic Maasai people used the lake and surrounding grasslands to water and raise cattle during the dry season. The Maasai were eventually displaced by British colonists in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, including a group of free-thinking aristocrats who arrived in large numbers in the 1920s through 1940s. Known as the Happy Valley set, these newcomers cultivated lavish estates and were notorious for reveling in a culture of excess. Their influence faded in the 1950s and 1960s amid scandal and the overthrow of colonial rule, allowing the area to transform into a center of wildlife tourism, flower farming, and geothermal energy production.

Now the lake faces another major change: rapidly fluctuating water levels. The name Naivasha comes from a Maasai word meaning “that which heaves,” an apt description of the freshwater lake over the past 25 years. Satellite altimetry measurements of the lake’s depth indicate an increase of about 7 meters (23 feet) since 2010, roughly the height of a two-story building. Over the same period, Landsat observed a roughly 40 percent increase in the lake’s area, adding 50 square kilometers (19 square miles) of water, equivalent to roughly 15 Central Parks.

A line chart shows that water levels have fluctuated since 2010 but have been trending upward and were near their highest point in 2026. Spikes in water levels are also visible in 2014 and 2021.

Altimeters on Jason-2, Jason-3, and Sentinel-6 measured up to a 7-meter (23-foot) increase in water levels at Lake Naivasha between 2010 and 2026.

NASA Earth Observatory/Lauren Dauphin

The human and economic toll of the rising water levels is considerable, said Mathew Herrnegger, a hydrologist at BOKU University in Vienna, Austria. Homes, flower farms, and roads along the shores have all flooded in recent years, displacing large numbers of people. Lake Oloidien, once a separate lake, has effectively merged with Naivasha, bringing an influx of saline, alkaline water to Naivasha’s freshwater system.

The Landsat images above compare the same area in January 2010 (left) and January 2026 (right), illustrating the scope of the changes. Neighborhoods in the southwestern part of the town of Naivasha have been particularly hard hit. Flooding has been widespread in the neighborhood of Kihoto, with entire town blocks inundated, including police stations, churches, hotels, restaurants, electrical power substations, and sewer systems.

“Increased rainfall is the primary driver,” Herrnegger said. Mean annual rainfall rose by about 30 percent between 2010 and 2020 compared to the preceding decade, with a 318 percent increase in high-intensity rainfall, he said. Because the lake lies in a closed basin and has no surface outflow, it is especially sensitive to even modest changes in the water balance. Herrnegger and colleagues estimate that a 0.4–2.0 percent increase in annual rainfall is sufficient to explain the dramatic rises. “It is a system that, once tipped, responds strongly,” he said.

The flower industry around the lake, which produces hundreds of millions of dollars in exports per year, is losing greenhouses, farmland, packing sheds, and worker housing on a significant scale. In communities such as Sulmac Village, Karagita, and Kasarani, many greenhouses that just a decade ago were set back a kilometer or more from the water now have lakeshore views.

Crescent Island—once a peninsula along the lake’s southern shore near several former Happy Valley estates and country clubs—is now primarily a game sanctuary and wildlife tourism destination. Hundreds of hippos live in the lake, and people, especially commercial fishermen, are encountering them with more frequency as waters rise.

The images also show the expansion of aquatic vegetation, especially water hyacinth. Remote sensing scientists and journalists have documented a rapid proliferation of the plant over the past two decades, which has interfered with fishing and tourism and possibly contributed to the lake’s rising water levels by slowing evaporation.

Other researchers have pointed to tectonic influences changing the rate of groundwater recharge into the lake as a possible contributing factor. In addition, the accumulation of sediment may be filling shallow areas and reshaping the lake floor such that water levels may be rising and increasing the lake extent even though the volume of water held by the lake may be unchanged, explained Jamie Shutler, a professor of earth and environmental science at the University of Exeter in England.

“Given the large number of people who rely on this lake for food and their livelihoods, the change we’re seeing from the satellite imagery combined with the stories of displacement is alarming,” Shutler said. “We need more research to assess exactly how much the volume of water is changing each year and why.”

NASA Earth Observatory images by Lauren Dauphin, using Landsat data from the U.S. Geological Survey and water level data from Global Water Measurements. Story by Adam Voiland.

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References & Resources

Africa is a Country (2026) The human cost of Kenya’s expanding lakes. Accessed June 18, 2026.
Aguta, P., et al. (2018) An Assessment of the Role of Water Hyacinth in the Water Level Changes of Lake Naivasha Using GIS and Remote Sensing. American Journal of Remote Sensing, 6(2), 74-88.
Al Jazeera (2025, November 20) Kenyan lake flood displaces thousands, ruins homes and schools. Accessed June 18, 2026.
AP News (2025, December 22) Scientists and data explain why Kenya’s lakes are rising as thousands face an uncertain future. Accessed June 18, 2026.
Daily Nation (2026, January 7) Sh81bn at risk as climate crisis drowns flower farms. Accessed June 18, 2026.
Freshwater Biological Association (2024, November 13) The sad tale of Lake Naivasha, Kenya; a mountain of underused knowledge. Accessed June 18, 2026.
The Guardian (2022, March 17) A drowning world: Kenya’s quiet slide underwater. Accessed June 18, 2026.
Guto, K.C., et al. (2023) Seasonal variations of water quality parameters and their effect on the phytoplankton along a salinity in the Lake Naivasha-Oloiden. Accessed June 18, 2026.
Herrnegger, M., et al. (2021) Hydroclimatic analysis of rising water levels in the Great Rift Valley Lakes of Kenya. Journal of Hydrology: Regional Studies, 36,100857.
NASA Earth Observatory (2020, September 7) Rising Waters on Kenya’s Great Rift Valley Lakes. Accessed June 18, 2026.
National Geographic (2021, January 21) Human-hippo conflicts are exploding in this pristine patch of Kenya. Accessed June 18, 2026.
Republic of Kenya (2021) Water Levels In Kenya’s Rift Valley. Accessed June 18, 2026.
SEI (2023, May 1) Revisiting the rising Rift Valley lakes: a glimpse into Kihoto’s struggles. Accessed June 18, 2026.
The Standard (2025, December 10) How water hyacinth has paralyzed fishing activities in Lake Naivasha. Accessed June 18, 2026.
Utterly Interesting, The Happy Valley Set: Colonial Debauchery in Kenya’s Highlands. Accessed June 18, 2026.
Walker, D., et al. (2022) Quantifying water storage within the north of Lake Naivasha using sonar remote sensing and Landsat satellite data. Ecohydrology & Hydrobiology, 22(1), 12-20.

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NASA Awards Solutions for Federal Enterprise Procurement Contracts

2026-06-22 21:24

Credit: NASA

NASA will begin processing the awards of multiple contracts for the Solutions for Enterprise‑wide Procurement (SEWP) VI Government-wide Acquisition Contract. The contract provides streamlined access to commercial products and services, including hardware, software, cloud services, cybersecurity tools, engineering and consulting services, and data intensive mission support capabilities.

This competitive acquisition was conducted within three categories: Category A, IT Solutions; Category B, Enterprise-wide IT Service Solutions; and Category C, IT Mission-Based Services.

A full list of SEWP VI awardees and additional program details are available at:

https://www.sewp.nasa.gov

All awards are indefinite‑delivery/indefinite‑quantity contracts with the ability to issue firm‑fixed‑price, labor‑hour, time‑and‑materials, and other pricing arrangement task orders. The effective ordering period is 10 years, beginning Nov. 1, through Oct. 31, 2036, and each contract has a maximum value of $20 billion.

For information about NASA and agency programs, visit:

https://www.nasa.gov

-end-

Jennifer Dooren / Jessica Taveau
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1600
jennifer.m.dooren@nasa.gov / jessica.c.taveau@nasa.gov

NASA Sounding Rocket to Launch Student Experiments

2026-06-22 20:42

3 min read

Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater)

NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia is scheduled to launch a sounding rocket carrying student-developed experiments for the agency’s RockSatX and RockOn programs Wednesday, June 24, between 5:30 and 9:30 a.m. EDT, with a backup day on Thursday, June 25.

In the foreground, a line of people stand at a safe distance away from a sounding rocket launching in the background. The rocket is just off the pad with a plume of fire and smoke underneath.

Students watch as their experiments launch aboard a sounding rocket for the RockSat-X program from NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility Aug. 11, 2022, at 6:09 p.m. EDT. The Terrier-Improved Malemute rocket carried the experiments to an altitude of 99 miles before descending via a parachute and landing in the Atlantic Ocean.

NASA Wallops/Terry Zaperach

The RockSat and RockOn programs provide technical training and hands-on experiences that prepare and equip students to enter the United States aerospace industry. For the first time, NASA will combine both the RockSat and RockOn missions into one rocket, which will carry experiments developed by nearly 250 participants from 38 university and community college teams.

“The challenge was finding ways to fit as many experiments onto one sounding rocket as we could,” said Victoria Stoffel, workforce development lead at NASA Wallops. “The Sounding Rocket Program Office team found creative ways to fit nearly 50 experiments into one rocket. We are grateful to the Wallops teams for making this happen for the students to get the most from this experience.”

The RockOn teams work together to build their experiment onsite, getting hands-on experience putting together a circuit board from scratch and launching it into space. The more advanced RockSat program teams design and build their experiments, going through design reviews modeled on larger NASA missions. Each team can experience what it’s like working on a real NASA mission, from development to launch.

The RockSat student experiments range from taking measurements of weather and radiation in Earth’s upper atmosphere to testing technologies, such as heat shields, space-debris tracking, and robotic servicing, that could help future NASA missions.

The Terrier-Improved Malemute suborbital sounding rocket, which will carry the experiments, is expected to reach an altitude of about 100 miles before descending by parachute into the Atlantic Ocean to be recovered. The launch may be visible in the Chesapeake Bay region.

A visibility map showing the mid-Atlantic region. The map shows how many seconds after that people in the area may be able to see the Terrier-Improved Malemute sounding rocket in the sky.

A launch visibility map for a Terrier-Improved Malemute sounding rocket launching from NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia.

NASA

The Wallops Visitor Center’s launch viewing area will open June 24 at 4:30 a.m. for viewing. A livestream will begin approximately 10 minutes before launch on the Wallops YouTube channel. Launch updates also are available via the facility’s Facebook page.

For more information about NASA’s Sounding Rocket Program, visit:

https://www.nasa.gov/soundingrockets

By Jamie Adkins
NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility, Virginia

List of RockSat Teams

Capital Tech University, Maryland
Clemson University, South Carolina
College of the Canyons, California
Colorado Space Grant Consortium
- University of Colorado Boulder
Escuela de Troquelería y Herramentaje, Puerto Rico
New Jersey Institute of Technology
Northwest Nazarene University, Idaho
Rockets of the Rockies, Colorado
- Red Rocks Community College
- Arapahoe Community College
Temple University, Pennsylvania
Tidewater Community College, Virginia
University of Alabama Huntsville
University of Delaware
University of Hartford, Connecticut
University of Hawaii Community Colleges
University of Kentucky
University of Nebraska Lincoln
University of Puerto Rico
University of Virginia
Virginia Tech
West Virginia Space Flight Design Challenge
- Blue Ridge Community College
- West Virginia Wesleyan College
- West Virginia University
- West Virginia State University
- Marshall University

List of RockOn Teams

University of Delaware
Wilmington University, Delaware
Chief Dull Knife College, Montana
Grambling State University, Louisiana
College of the Canyons, California
Eastern Shore Community College, Virginia
Salisbury University, Maryland
Capitol Technology University, Maryland
College of the Desert, California
Flathead Valley Community College, Montana
Delgado Community College, Louisiana
Des Moines Area Community College, Iowa
Langston University, Oklahoma
University of Kentucky
Saginaw Valley State University, Michigan
Morgan State University, Maryland
Pennsylvania State Harrisburg
Middlesex College, New Jersey
University of Colorado
Wor-Wic Community College, Maryland
Tidewater Community College, Virginia
Montana Technological University
University of Hartford, Connecticut
University of Maryland Eastern Shore

Details

Last Updated

Jun 22, 2026

Editor

Jamie Adkins

Contact

Abbey Interrante

abbey.a.interrante@nasa.gov

Related Terms

NASA Invites Media to Botswana Artemis Accords Signing Ceremony

2026-06-22 19:21

Credit: NASA

The Republic of Botswana will sign the Artemis Accords during a ceremony at 9:30 a.m. EDT Thursday, June 25, at NASA Headquarters in Washington.

NASA Deputy Administrator Matt Anderson will host Botswana’s Minister of Communications and Innovation David Tshere and U.S. Department of State Senior Advisor for Space Gregory Autry for the event.

This event is in person only. Media interested in attending must RSVP no later than 5 p.m. on Wednesday, June 24, to: hq-media@mail.nasa.gov. NASA’s media accreditation policy is online.

In 2020, during the first Trump Administration, the United States, led by NASA and the State Department, joined with seven other founding nations to establish the Artemis Accords, responding to the growing interest in lunar activities by both governments and private companies.

The accords introduced the first set of practical principles aimed at enhancing the safety, transparency, and coordination of civil space exploration on the Moon, Mars, and beyond. Botswana will be the 68th country to sign the Artemis Accords.

Learn more about the Artemis Accords at:

https://www.nasa.gov/artemis-accords

-end-

Camille Gallo / Jennifer Dooren
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1600
camille.m.gallo@nasa.gov / jennifer.m.dooren@nasa.gov

Details

Last Updated

Jun 22, 2026

Location

NASA Headquarters

Related Terms

NASA’s Experimental Fabrication Branch Fuels Aircraft Innovation

2026-06-22 17:47

3 Min Read

NASA’s Experimental Fabrication Branch Fuels Aircraft Innovation

A technician is using a machine to drill pieces of silver metal; there is a light blue liquid coming out of jets next to the drill.

An engineering technician works in the Experimental Fabrication Branch at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, on Thursday, March 14, 2023. The branch transforms engineering concepts into hardware for research aircraft and technology development, supporting advances in aviation safety, efficiency, and sustainability.

Credits: NASA/Steve Freeman

At NASA, innovation begins well before an aircraft takes flight. The Experimental Fabrication Branch at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, transforms engineering concepts into mission‑ready hardware for research aircraft and technology development. This capability helps the agency deliver advancements that benefit the public by improving aviation safety, efficiency, and sustainability.

The branch serves as a full‑service manufacturing, modification, and repair center for NASA Armstrong’s fleet of research and science aircraft. The team specializes in precision machining, sheet‑metal forming, aircraft tubing, welding, additive manufacturing, composite fabrication, and structural repairs and modifications. Their broad expertise allows them to build custom hardware for both aerospace and ground‑based applications.

A man wearing all black and safety googles is working with a fabrication machine. He is holding a round wheel to operate a piece of the machine. In the background there are black tool benches and other tall machines.

Ron Harris, an engineering technician, works in the Experimental Fabrication Branch at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, on Thursday, March 14, 2023. The branch transforms engineering concepts into hardware for research aircraft and technology development, supporting advances in aviation safety, efficiency, and sustainability.

NASA/Steve Freeman

Engineering technicians in the branch bring decades of experience as master fabricators. They design and build unique components, rapid prototypes, and flight‑critical structures that meet NASA’s rigorous safety and performance standards. Whether shaping composite structures by hand or producing precision‑milled parts, the team builds every component with mission success in mind.

Experimental Fabrication supports a wide range of NASA research efforts. When teams at NASA Armstrong designed the AIRVUE (Airborne Instrumentation for Real‑world Video of Urban Environments) sensor pod to support autonomous‑flight research, the fabrication team converted digital designs into a fully functional structure. They ensured the pod met strict safety requirements before deploying it for test flights.

A person positions a cylindrical metal workpiece into the jaws of a lathe chuck. The shiny metal cylinder is partially inserted into the clamping mechanism with visible textured steel jaws and engraved markings. To the right, a cutting tool is mounted on a tooling block, surrounded by flexible blue coolant hoses with orange nozzles. The scene shows the close-up precision required in machining as the operator aligns the metal piece before cutting.

NASA/Steve Freeman

Beyond mission support, the Experimental Fabrication Branch contributes to NASA’s STEM engagement efforts. During local robotics competitions, technicians use mobile fabrication equipment to repair student‑built robots and demonstrate machining and welding techniques. These demonstrations introduce students to NASA’s technical career paths and show how advanced manufacturing supports aerospace research.

The branch uses modern computer-aided design and computer-aided manufacturing tools, including Pro E/Creo, MasterCam, and SolidWorks, to convert digital models into hardware. This early integration of engineering and fabrication helps shorten development timelines and reduce design‑to‑hardware mismatches. Unlike environments where work transitions between multiple contractors, NASA Armstrong includes the fabrication team from early design through final assembly and aircraft installation. This continuous involvement strengthens coordination with engineering teams and flight operations.

A technician stands at a large metal bending machine, carefully positioning a sheet of aluminum on the central die. Viewed from low angle along the machine’s long metal guide rail, the bending arm stretches into the foreground, emphasizing the scale of the equipment. The technician holds the sheet steady near the press brake while monitoring the alignment. Behind the workstation, a control panel with illuminated buttons and a digital display is visible, along with industrial shop equipment in the background.

Alexis Moreno, an engineering technician, works with a fabrication machine in the Experimental Fabrication Branch at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, on Monday, Nov. 6, 2023. The branch transforms engineering concepts into hardware for research aircraft and technology development, supporting advances in aviation safety, efficiency, and sustainability.

NASA/Genaro Vavuris

Recent projects, such as advanced wing‑model fabrication and custom lightweight aircraft floorboards, highlight the branch’s essential role in NASA Armstrong’s mission. Whether supporting experimental aircraft, enabling new technology demonstrations, or guiding students through hands‑on fabrication, the Experimental Fabrication Branch helps advance NASA’s mission for the benefit of all.