NASA's Boeing 777 displays new livery in this photograph from 11 August 2026. The B777 was acquired to replace and expand the capabilities of NASA's DC-8, which was retired in 2024.
The B777, which will begin operations from NASA's Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia in 2027, will be a unique flying laboratory with global reach that will enable data collection for NASA projects. According to the agency, the aircraft will be used for sensor development, satellite sensor calibration, data product validation and field studies.
The research aims to better understand Earth system processes to improve models and decision-making, NASA stated.
