NASA EPIC API Failing with 503 Service Unavailable

Description:
When accessing the NASA EPIC API endpoint using the following URL:

https://api.nasa.gov/EPIC/api/natural?api_key=YOUR_API_KEY

the application consistently returns a 503 Service Unavailable error with the message:

"upstream connect error or disconnect/reset before headers. retried and the latest reset reason: remote connection failure, transport failure reason: delayed connect error: Connection refused"

Expected Result:
The API should return the latest EPIC natural color image metadata in valid JSON format without errors.

Actual Result:
The API responds with HTTP 503 Service Unavailable, preventing access to EPIC data.

Impact:
This issue prevents developers and applications from retrieving real-time EPIC Earth imagery data. Projects relying on EPIC for visualization, research, or educational purposes are affected.

Suggested Action:
Investigate the root cause of the 503 error on the EPIC API servers. Review backend connectivity, load balancing, or availability issues. Apply the necessary fixes to restore stable API functionality.

Priority: High

Start by reproducing the request to https://api.nasa.gov/EPIC/api/natural with a valid API key and confirm the HTTP 503 response and connection-refused message. The issue names no repository files or tests; done means the endpoint again returns valid JSON containing the latest EPIC natural-color image metadata.