The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is an independent agency of the U.S. federal government responsible for the nation's civil space program and aeronautics and space research. Established in 1958 in response to the Soviet launch of Sputnik, NASA was created to give American space efforts a civilian orientation, emphasizing peaceful applications of space science. NASA has since spearheaded most of America's space exploration programs, including Project Mercury, Project Gemini, the Apollo program, the Skylab space station, and the Space Shuttle.
NASA's work is divided into several mission directorates: Aeronautics Research, Science, Space Technology, and Exploration Systems Development. The agency studies Earth, including its climate, the Sun, the solar system, and the universe. NASA is currently working on the Artemis program, which aims to reestablish a human presence on the Moon for the first time since 1972, with long-term goals of establishing a permanent lunar base and facilitating crewed missions to Mars. Artemis II, which plans to send four astronauts around the Moon, is scheduled for launch in February 2026.