NRL-DC follows OPM's operating status.
The status for Friday, January 30, 2026, is
Open with Option for Unscheduled Leave or Unscheduled Telework.
For more details, please refer to the OPM Current Status website.
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NRL NEWS


Breakthroughs in Testing Solid-Fuel Ramjets Advance Research
By Jameson Crabtree, U.S. Naval Research Laboratory Corporate Communications | Jan. 28, 2026
Scientists at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory are developing the next generation of solid-fuel ramjet (SFRJ) propulsion, addressing one of the field’s most persistent challenges: understanding and predicting what happens inside an operating combustor
Naval Research Lab Space Station Study Reveals Key Challenges and Opportunities for Microbial Biomanufacturing in Space
By Jameson Crabtree, U.S. Naval Research Laboratory Corporate Communications | Jan. 26, 2026
Scientists at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) have completed a spaceflight biology investigation aboard the International Space Station (ISS) that reveals how microgravity fundamentally alters microbial metabolism, limiting the efficiency of biological manufacturing processes critical to future long-duration space missions. The findings were recently published in the journal npj Microgravity.
U.S. Naval Research Laboratory Advances Laser Technology for Fusion Energy Applications Through BETHE Program
By Jameson Crabtree, U.S. Naval Research Laboratory Corporate Communications | Jan. 21, 2026
Scientists in the Plasma Division at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) are building on a multi-year research effort that demonstrated the potential of an advanced laser technology that could help enable future inertial fusion energy power plants.
Naval Research Lab Sharpens Navy’s Sights with a Domain-Centric Path for Smarter Sensing
By Nicholas E. M. Pasquini, U.S. Naval Research Laboratory Corporate Communications | Jan. 7, 2026
The U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) launched a remote sensing experiment to sharpen artificial intelligence (AI) applications in hyperspectral imaging across the Department of the Navy and broader scientific community.
U.S. Naval Research Laboratory Confirms First Known Triple Radio Active Galactic Nucleus
By Jameson Crabtree | Dec. 17, 2025
Scientists at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) and collaborating institutions have confirmed the first-known case of three radio-emitting active galactic nuclei (AGN) within a single ongoing galaxy merger.
Naval Research Lab Diver Earns Office of Naval Research 2025 Sailor of the Year
By Nicholas E. M. Pasquini, U.S. Naval Research Laboratory Corporate Communications | Dec. 15, 2025
The Office of Naval Research (ONR) named U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) Petty Officer 1st Class and Navy Diver Mitchell Apgar as the 2025 ONR Sailor of the Year (SOY).
Naval Research Laboratory Engineer Receives Prestigious Department of the Navy Award
By Nicholas E. M. Pasquini, U.S. Naval Research Laboratory Corporate Communications | Dec. 12, 2025
U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) Engineer Shannon McGarry, Ph.D., received the Department of the Navy (DON) 2025 G. Dennis White Early Career Human Systems Integration (HSI) Practitioner Award for contributions and unwavering commitment embodying the essential qualities critical to the advancement of the HSI discipline, ensuring the safety and effectiveness of systems delivered to our warfighters.
Naval Research Laboratory Scientists Uncover Electric Field Link That Triggers Magnetic Reconnection in Space
By Jameson Crabtree, U.S. Naval Research Laboratory Corporate Communications | Dec. 11, 2025
Scientists at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) have identified a previously overlooked electric field mechanism in Earth’s magnetotail that could help predict when disruptive space weather events are about to occur.
NRL’s Satellite Operations Service is Ready for the Space Force Enterprise
By Nicholas E. M. Pasquini, U.S. Naval Research Laboratory Corporate Communications | Dec. 9, 2025
The U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) Spacecraft Engineering Department recently developed the Transmit/Receive Enterprise (TREx) service with sponsorship from the Space Development Agency, Space Rapid Capabilities Office, and Space Systems Command to provide software development and mission operations for sponsoring organizations across the space community.
U.S. Naval Research Laboratory Develops Anatomically Accurate Rat Brain Phantom for Traumatic Brain Injury Research
By Jameson Crabtree | Dec. 8, 2025
Researchers at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL), in collaboration with Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU), have developed the first anatomically accurate rat brain phantom capable of measuring traumatic brain injury (TBI) impacts in real time. The breakthrough model replicates the mechanical properties of brain tissue while embedding a piezoelectric sensor that converts impact forces directly into measurable electrical signals, offering unprecedented insight into how blast waves and impacts propagate through the brain.

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