Thousands gathered over several days in early November to experience MAX POWER – NASA’s first exhibition of America’s superiority in space, aeronautics, and technology on and around the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The multi-day, family-friendly event honored the nation’s 250th anniversary and served as a culmination of the agency’s Inspiration Tour.
Among the many highlights, NASA welcomed President Donald J. Trump to MAX POWER, which featured flyovers and a skydive from NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman, and announced a new X-plane, astronaut candidate recruitment, a student Moon Base challenge, and discussed the agency’s latest lunar exploration plans.
“It was a great week at NASA Kennedy, where we were joined by the President and federal, state, international, and industry leaders,” said Isaacman. “During our nation’s 250th birthday, the year of Artemis II’s voyage around the Moon, we were thrilled to invite the public out to see the rockets, the landers, the rovers, and the technology that will return astronauts to the lunar surface and build the base, not to mention witness a wonderful airshow that included NASA research aircraft and was headlined by the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds.”
Through multiple park experiences, NASA and external collaborators at UP.Summit, Air Dot Show, Purpose Entertainment, and Delaware North each hosted a variety of private and public events Nov. 4-8. Teams showcased the newest aircraft, rovers, autonomous vehicles, and technologies defining the future of air and space. Astronauts, scientists, engineers, pilots, and subject matter experts were on hand for a variety of moderated discussions, appearances, and more.
Some of the key announcements made at MAX POWER included:
- NASA opened astronaut applications through Thursday, Dec. 3, seeking future explorers to fly Artemis and low Earth orbit missions, and help build humanity’s first lunar outpost.
- NASA also challenged students to a $1 million competition to design innovative solutions for the Moon Base, giving participants an opportunity to develop necessary skills for careers in the space industry while helping advance new concepts for Moon Base technologies.
- Agency leadership announced numerous awards, task orders, and selections involving 12 companies to advance development of the Moon Base, marking significant progress toward establishing humanity’s first permanent presence on the lunar surface. The announcements spanned transportation, technology, and science initiatives, including moving forward with development of PROMISE, NASA’s nuclear-powered lunar rover.
- Isaacman unveiled the agency’s newest X-plane, the X-70 Fractal, an experimental aircraft which could revolutionize crewed flight with its maneuverability and flight-control technology.
While guests journeyed between three park locations on the ground at NASA Kennedy’s historic Shuttle Landing Facility, T-38s, F-5s, and an ER-2 sped overhead during four flyovers, several of which were piloted by Isaacman. Some guests also were invited to a black-tie gala featuring agency leadership remarks and panel discussions with Apollo and Artemis astronauts.
NASA’s Artemis III crew members also took to the stage during the astronaut announcement, previewing their test flight in low Earth orbit in 2027. NASA astronauts Randy Bresnik, Frank Rubio, and Andre Douglas, as well as ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Luca Parmitano all will fly aboard Orion, will launch on the SLS (Space Launch System), to test docking and rendezvous capabilities with the Blue Origin Blue Moon lander and SpaceX Starship lunar lander test articles, respectively, laying the groundwork to land astronauts on the Moon in 2028.
Finally, while this expo was the first for NASA, there is much more to come. As part of a public/private partnership, NASA and its partners also announced CAPEWEEK: The Great American Aerospace and Technology Expo at Kennedy. The new annual expo will debut March 27 through April 2, 2028, at Kennedy’s Shuttle Landing Facility, with a footprint expected to ultimately grow upward of 500,000 people.
“It was an educational and inspirational event, with a student Moon Base science challenge, a call for more NASA astronauts, and the unveiling of a new X-plane,” said Isaacman. “All credit goes to the NASA workforce and our partners, doing the work each day to bring the NASA missions to reality, and events like this so successful. So much so that we are doing it again, only bigger. CAPEWEEK begins in 2028.”
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Source: NASA