NASA (United States of America) (Washington Dulles) has acquired a 19.8-year-old B777-200ER as a replacement for its flying DC-8-72 science laboratory, N871NA (msn 46082), Scramble.nl has reported.

N744LG (msn 32892), which was ordered by and operated by JAL - Japan Airlines (JL, Tokyo Haneda) between 2003 and 2020, was ferried from storage at Victorville to Joint Base Langley-Eustis (Hampton, VA) on December 15, 2022. The aircraft will undergo extensive cabin modifications at NASA's Langley Research Center prior to its deployment.

"[The B777] will replace the DC-8 in the next few years once necessary modifications and maintenance are completed. Specific timing of this has not yet been determined," NASA told ch-aviation in an e-mailed statement.

The agency had earmarked USD30 million for the acquisition of a replacement for the 53.7-year-old DC-8 which was also acquired second-hand, having flown for Alitalia and Braniff International Airways (1928) between 1969 and 1983. The B777 was bought via Logistic Air with the US FAA register showing it as owned by the Nevadan company.

the NASA Airborne Science Laboratory is used on a wide range of research missions around the world. It is currently based out of Palmdale Regional, the site of the NASA Armstrong Flight Research Centre but has recently operated missions out of Sal Amilcar Cabral International and Jacksonville Cecil Field, FL, Flightradar24 ADS-B data shows.