Today In Space

This week, we're covering what's been trending in Space News for the last 8 days...and EUROPE FINALLY HAS ITS OWN RIDE TO ORBIT! A German company launched a commercial rocket to orbit from Norway — and almost nobody covered it, including SKYE on its first pass.
We also get into NASA's failed rescue of the Swift telescope, and a nuclear-powered spacecraft at the edge of the solar system that's on the chopping block. Space News gathered by our AI Assistant SKYE and reported by your human host Spaceman Alex! I'm Alex G. Orphanos, your space science podcast host and your favorite mad scientist.
Tell me what you think of the SKYE Report, and which segments to dig deeper into. If the New Horizons segment lands with you, the ask at the end is real — it worked last year.
SAVE NEW HORIZONS: https://www.science.org/content/article/nasa-s-new-horizons-mission-may-shut-down-two-instruments-over-lack-funding
WATCH our LIVE Launch Hangout for Roman Space Telescope: https://www.youtube.com/live/V3pipbUu3X0?si=5yUMqzM-kcf6O_2K
Be well, stay safe, and stay curious.
SPREAD LOVE, SPREAD SCIENCE, AND STAY CURIOUS.
THE BOOK The Book of Uncommon-Sense 3D Printing is out now in hardcover and on Kindle: https://ag3dlabs.com/book
MORE TODAY IN SPACE https://todayinspace.net
SKYE is free and it updates every 30 minutes: https://todayinspace.net
Youtube Video: https://youtu.be/QoLvWnAq8sw
CHAPTERS
00:00 Welcome — what SKYE is and what this report does
00:35 The hook: Isar reaches orbit, and how it nearly got missed
01:10 The rundown — Aug 30 to Sep 6, six launches, six successes
01:31 SKYE's trends — lunar at 1.6x, down from last week's 11x
01:54 Roman Space Telescope launches, and our live hangout
02:23 Isar Aerospace — the launch from Andoya, and what ESA said
02:56 The Spectrum vehicle and its payload
03:07 My take — why Europe needs its own launch capability
04:12 How the story got buried, and the fix in SKYE
05:04 SKYE picks — Pallas-1's debut, and the Venus mission still grounded
05:48 What's next — Progress MS-35, MS-33, Long March, USSF-153
06:41 The Swift Observatory and the failed rescue 07:00 The Swift timeline, Aug 9 to Aug 31
07:28 Isaacman and Domagal-Goldman on taking smart risks
08:42 New Horizons — a nuclear spacecraft on the funding chopping block
09:20 What New Horizons is and where it is now 10:56 The ask — call your representatives
12:36 Close
WATCH THIS WEEK
Progress MS-35 docks with the station Friday the 11th at 18:37 UTC, and NASA is carrying it live. https://plus.nasa.gov/scheduled-video/progress-96-cargo-ship-docking/
SOURCES FOR THIS EPISODE
ISAR AEROSPACE ESA — Isar Aerospace achieves first launch to orbit from continental Europe https://www.esa.int/Enabling_Support/Space_Transportation/Boost/Isar_Aerospace_achieves_first_launch_to_orbit_from_continental_Europe
Ars Technica — German company is first in Europe to launch a fully commercial orbital rocket https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/09/german-company-becomes-first-in-europe-to-launch-fully-commercial-orbital-rocket/
Via Satellite — PLD Space, Isar and RFA land ESA Launcher Challenge contracts https://www.satellitetoday.com/launch/2026/08/27/pld-space-isar-aerospace-and-rocket-factory-augsburg-land-esa-contracts-in-launch-challenge/
SWIFT
Via Satellite — Katalyst LINK mission is unable to rescue NASA's Swift observatory https://www.satellitetoday.com/technology/2026/08/19/katalyst-link-mission-is-unable-to-rescue-nasa-swift-observatory/
Space.com — Swift restarts science work after the rescue mission fails https://www.space.com/space-exploration/missions/nasas-doomed-swift-space-telescope-restarts-science-work-after-rescue-mission-fails
NASA — Updates on next steps for the commercial Swift boost mission https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/nasa-updates-next-steps-for-commercial-swift-boost-mission/ NEW HORIZONS Science — New Horizons may shut down two instruments over lack of funding https://www.science.org/content/article/nasa-s-new-horizons-mission-may-shut-down-two-instruments-over-lack-funding
NASA — New Horizons mission page https://science.nasa.gov/mission/new-horizons/
The Planetary Society — You just saved NASA's budget: the FY2026 outcome https://www.planetary.org/articles/advocacy-success-fy2026-nasa-budget
Full list with timestamps is pinned in the comments.
IMAGES: ESA / Isar Aerospace (CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO) · NASA / JHUAPL / SwRI · NASA
#isaraerospace #newhorizons #swift #spacenews #esa #nasa #spacex #spacepodcast #todayinspace

This week, we're covering what's been trending in Space News for the last 10 days...and IT'S ALL ABOUT THE MOON! Starting up a new weekly segment where we gather the biggest stories and launches from the last week, gathered by our AI Assistant SKYE and reported by your human host Spaceman Alex! I'm Alex G. Orphanos, your space science podcast host and your favorite mad scientist.
 
Tell me what you think of the SKYE Report, and which segments to dig deeper into. Don't forget to catch the NASA Roman Telescope mission - join us live Sunday August 30th!
 
LIVE Launch Hangout link for Roman here: https://www.youtube.com/live/V3pipbUu3X0?si=TdaEN9pN-SCkFH-P
 
Be well, stay safe, and stay curious.
 
Youtube ID: IISCwaC_saI

 
THE BOOK The Book of Uncommon-Sense 3D Printing is out now in hardcover and on Kindle: https://ag3dlabs.com/book MORE TODAY IN SPACE https://todayinspace.net - We just updated the site! Check it out
 
SKYE is free and it runs every 30 minutes: https://todayinspace.net
 
CHAPTERS
00:00 A new segment, and why I built SKYE
00:26 todayinspace.net: the mission clock and live space news
01:49 The brief — 514 items, 49 stories, 18 sources, 9/9 launches
02:58 The Moon is trending: 24% of the week, 11x its normal share
03:43 Twenty days from impact to peer-reviewed paper
03:57 Artemis II crew receive the Congressional Space Medal of Honor
05:00 Artemis III: shuttle-veteran RS-25 engines, and the crew
05:31 Zeno Power books a nuclear payload to the Moon
06:22 THE TAKE — the outrage, the fake news, and what we owe the science
09:38 What's next: the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope
10:00 What Roman will actually do
10:40 SpaceX's $100B Louisiana spaceport
11:09 SKYE is the machine. I'm the human.
12:09 Clear skies
 
WATCH ROMAN LAUNCH LIVE
Falcon Heavy from LC-39A, no earlier than 7:26am ET, Sunday August 30. NASA coverage
opens 6:20am ET, post-launch conference 9:30am. We'll be live on Today In Space.
LIVE Launch Hangout link for Roman here: https://www.youtube.com/live/V3pipbUu3X0?si=TdaEN9pN-SCkFH-P
 
SOURCES FOR THIS EPISODE
 
THE LUNAR IMPACT
NASA — LRO images the Falcon 9 crater, learns new details
https://science.nasa.gov/solar-system/moon/nasas-lro-images-falcon-9-crater-on-moon-learns-new-details/
Space.com — A NASA spacecraft spotted the rocket's lunar grave
https://www.space.com/astronomy/moon/a-spacex-rocket-slammed-into-the-moon-this-month-and-a-nasa-spacecraft-has-spotted-its-lunar-grave-photos
arXiv — Energetics, crater scaling, and comparison with LRO observations
https://arxiv.org/abs/2608.22325
 
ARTEMIS
NASA — Artemis II crew to receive the Congressional Space Medal of Honor
https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/nasas-artemis-ii-crew-set-to-receive-congressional-space-medal-of-honor/
NASA — The ceremony
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tGjffGccQig
NASA — Artemis III engine install begins; boosters and crew training advance
https://www.nasa.gov/blogs/missions/2026/08/27/nasa-starts-artemis-iii-engine-install-boosters-crew-training-advance/
NASA — Turkiye and the Artemis Accords
https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/nasa-invites-media-to-turkey-artemis-accords-signing-ceremony/
 
LUNAR SURFACE
Payload — Zeno Power books its first nuclear mission to the Moon
https://payloadspace.com/zeno-power-books-its-first-nuclear-mission-to-the-moon/
 
ROMAN
NASA — Coverage set for the Roman Space Telescope launch
https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/nasa-sets-coverage-for-roman-space-telescope-launch-from-florida/
NASASpaceflight — Launch preview: Falcon Heavy with Roman
https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2026/08/launch-preview-082426/
 
SPACEX
Ars Technica — SpaceX intends to invest up to $100B in a Louisiana spaceport
https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/08/spacex-intends-to-invest-up-to-100-billion-in-massive-louisiana-spaceport/
 
IMAGES: NASA · NASA/GSFC/Arizona State (LRO) · KARI/KASA (Danuri) · Payload · SpaceX
 
#falcon9 #moon #spacenews #artemis #romanspacetelescope #nasa #spacex #lro
#spacepodcast #todayinspace
 
Youtube ID: IISCwaC_saI

There's something human about stargazing. You don't even need to know what you're looking at.
I just got back from Maine and about the most perfect dark skies you could ask for — a Bortle 1 or 2, against the Bortle 6 or 7 we get at Today In Space HQ outside Boston. Dark, clear skies like that makes you wonder what the night sky was to the early humans like the ancient Greeks & their Mythologies.
These deep moments allow for some deep perspective. like what it's like a year since I was laid-off aka "terminated" and why the more AI work I do, the more I want to go do human things. Great summer nights with a dark sky and great company. Who could ask for a better end to the Summer? My advice? Grab 20 minutes and a patch of sky. Even the patch above you.
CHAPTERS
00:00 Welcome — the close of summer, and Maine
00:44 There's something human about stargazing
01:19 The Bortle scale: Bortle 1 in Maine, Bortle 5 at HQ
01:37 Cherry Springs next, with the Space Talkers
01:53 The night sky as humanity's first story map
02:37 How many satellites you can actually see up there
03:01 Mosaic mode: filtering satellite and plane streaks out
03:43 One year since the layoff 05:03 chat3DP — where the build is right now
05:44 The more AI I do, the more human things I want
06:51 The Book of Uncommon-Sense 3D Printing
07:22 I still don't identify as an author
08:00 A dock in Maine, and skies astronomers chase
08:42 How did anyone sleep before cities?
09:10 Greek ancestry, the mythologies, the Odyssey
10:03 What stargazing does to a conversation
10:46 Find the 20 minutes. Look up.
11:03 Clear skies
THE BOOK
The Book of Uncommon-Sense 3D Printing is out now in hardcover and on Kindle: 
https://ag3dlabs.com/book
MORE TODAY IN SPACE 
https://todayinspace.net
We just updated the site! Check it out
I'm Alex G. Orphanos, your favorite mad scientist, wishing you clear skies and great conversations with great people as we build a fantastic future for all of us. Be well, stay safe, and stay curious.
SPREAD LOVE, SPREAD SCIENCE, AND STAY CURIOUS. What's the darkest sky you've ever stood under? Tell me in the comments.
#stargazing #astrophotography #bortlescale #lightpollution #spacepodcast #vaonisvespera #darksky #milkyway #3dprinting #todayinspace
 
Youtube ID vTAoT8x5mfo

The Space Talkers are back for part TWO, for a discussion about how Artemis was created, and some round-table talk about our favorite moments of Artemis II! We get into the space toilet that froze, the mental health protocols behind a crew locked in a capsule for days, the East Coast fireballs, why NASA canceled planned correction burns, and what all of it means for Artemis III. Along the way we talk telescopes, dark skies, Cherry Springs, and how this little community of space people found each other in the first place.
Thank you to Matt, Caitlin, and Andrew for joining us live for this back in June. Whether you are a dedicated space enthusiast or just catching up on current events, this episode is a great one to jump in.
Follow Today In Space for grounded space science, exploration updates, and honest conversations about the future of humanity beyond Earth.
Stay curious. Spread love. Spread science.
Want to buy a copy of my NEW Book? Find your favorite book buy here: https://ag3dlabs.com/book
Support the podcast:
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The Space Talkers joined forces again to breakdown the Artemis II mission. Anything Artemis Program-related means lots of excitement, and so naturally AI, Technology, and Stargazing come up as we unwrap this mission and what it means as we move towards the next Artemis mission (III)
Today in Space brings the team together to recap Artemis II. This discussion is for anyone following NASA moon mission progress. We analyze the key milestones and what the upcoming flight path means for the future of lunar exploration, and what's happening here on Earth in the meantime.
Thank you to Matt, Caitlin, and Andrew for joining us live for this back in June. Whether you are a dedicated space enthusiast or just catching up on current events, this episode is a great one to jump in.
Follow Today In Space for grounded space science, exploration updates, and honest conversations about the future of humanity beyond Earth.
Stay curious. Spread love. Spread science.
Want to buy a copy of my NEW Book? Find your favorite book buy here: https://ag3dlabs.com/book
Support the podcast:
Starship Development Comic Infographic by Alex G Orphanos SPACEMAN COMICS: 
Digital ($2) https://stan.store/AG3Dlabs/p/space-comic-poster-01-by-spaceman-comics
Physical (starting at $23) https://ag3dreplicator.com/products/starship-development-comic-poster-matte-vertical-spacex-inspired-infographic
• Buy a 3D printed gift from our shop - http://ag3dprinting.etsy.com
• Get a free quote on your next 3D printing project at http://ag3d-printing.com
• Today In Space Merch: James Webb Space Telescope Model (3DPrinted) https://ag3dprinting.etsy.com/listing/1839142903
• SpaceX Starship-Inspired Rocket Pen (3DPrinted) https://ag3dprinting.etsy.com/listing/1602850640