NASA's New Flying Lab Takes Shape with Fresh Paint Job

NASA has been busy preparing its new Boeing B777-200ER flying laboratory for takeoff, and one of the final steps was giving it a fresh coat of paint. The plane's new livery features the iconic NASA logo on its fuselage, wings, and tailfin, as well as a map of the world near the rear.

The Boeing B777-200ER is a replacement for NASA's 157-foot-long Douglas DC-8 jetliner, which retired in 2024 after over 35 years of service. The new plane will be used for high-altitude scientific investigations and will have the capability to house up to 100 onboard operators for up to 18 hours of continuous flight at a maximum altitude of 43,000 feet.

The B777-200ER has undergone extensive upgrades, including updates to its communications and data arrays, operator facilities, power sources, and more. When it enters service in 2027, the plane will have a payload of 75,000 pounds of scientific equipment dedicated to a wide range of earth sciences.