NASA Explained: History, Programs and What the Agency Does Today
Updated November 2, 2026.
NASA is the space agency of the United States, and it is the best known in the world. The law that created it was signed on July 29, 1958. The agency began operating on October 1 of that same year, with headquarters in Washington. Its headquarters is in Washington, D.C., in a building named for Mary W. Jackson. Since December 2025, the administrator has been Jared Isaacman, according to Wikipedia.
How NASA began
The agency was born after Sputnik 1, the Soviet satellite launched in 1957, and the space race weighed on the decision in Congress. NASA’s early story is tied to the Soviet one. It was a contest.
The first crewed program was Project Mercury, and on February 20, 1962, John Glenn made the first American orbital flight in the Friendship 7 capsule. The sixth and last Mercury mission flew in May 1963. Project Gemini came next. It taught the skills needed to reach the Moon.
Apollo and the space shuttle
The Apollo program put the first humans on the lunar surface with Apollo 11 in 1969. It ended with Apollo 17 in 1972. No one has walked on the Moon since.
The space shuttle flew from 1981, starting with STS-1, until 2011, when STS-135 landed on July 21. It was a partly reusable spacecraft. The Hubble telescope went up on one of them in 1990, aboard Discovery on mission STS-31.
What NASA does now
NASA leads the Artemis program, which sent four astronauts around the Moon in April 2026. It builds the Orion capsule and the Space Launch System rocket. It also runs the Commercial Crew program, which since 2011 has hired private companies to fly astronauts to the International Space Station.
On the science side, it operates the James Webb Space Telescope, launched in 2021, and the Perseverance rover, which is exploring Mars.
Budget and structure
NASA’s Wikipedia page lists a budget of $24.4 billion for fiscal year 2026, with a downward indicator and no explanation. The agency has ten field centers, including Johnson and Kennedy, as well as Marshall. The same page gives conflicting numbers for the total number of employees, so I do not quote one.
| Date | Milestone |
|---|---|
| July 29, 1958 | Law creating NASA is signed |
| February 20, 1962 | John Glenn makes the first American orbital flight |
| 1969 | Apollo 11 puts the first humans on the Moon |
| 1981 to 2011 | Space shuttle era, from STS-1 to STS-135 |
| April 1 to 10, 2026 | Artemis II flies around the Moon |
Frequently asked questions
What does NASA stand for?
National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
When was NASA created?
In 1958. The law was signed on July 29, and the agency began operating on October 1 of the same year.
Who runs NASA?
Jared Isaacman, the administrator since December 2025, according to Wikipedia.
When did humans first land on the Moon?
With Apollo 11, in 1969. The Apollo program ended in 1972 with Apollo 17.
What is NASA’s main program today?
Artemis, which aims to return astronauts to the Moon. Artemis II flew around the Moon in April 2026.
Read next: The Hubble Space Telescope: What It Is and What Changed After 1990 and Reusable Rockets: How They Work and Who Has Landed One.
Sources: NASA, Wikipedia; Artemis program, Wikipedia.
Featured image: NASA, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
