NASA has given one of its T-38 astronaut training jets a striking new look, the first redesign in decades, to highlight its role in the Artemis Moon missions. The updated livery features a black-and-white base with blue and red stripes, along with the Artemis program logo and Moon imagery on the rear fuselage. The design was proposed by Sean Brady, a T-38 project pilot, who emphasized its dual purpose: preserving the jets’ iconic "white rocket" identity while signaling NASA’s lunar ambitions.
The T-38s have served as astronaut trainers since the 1960s, including for Apollo crews, and remain critical for preparing astronauts for Artemis flights. The new livery replaces the jets’ traditional white and blue scheme with a bold, forward-looking aesthetic that ties directly to NASA’s Moon-to-Mars goals.
The redesign coincides with the agency’s push to return astronauts to the lunar surface, with the first crewed Artemis mission targeting a 2025 launch. While only one jet has received the new treatment so far, NASA plans to roll out the livery to its entire T-38 fleet in the coming months.
