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The new space age is upon us, and This Week in Space leaves no topic untouched. Every Friday, join Editor-in-Chief of Ad Astra magazine, Rod Pyle and Managing Editor of Space.com, Tariq Malik as they explore everything related to the cosmos. You can join Club TWiT for $10 per month and get ad-free audio and video feeds for all our shows plus everything else the club offers...or get just this podcast ad-free for $5 per month.Themes and summary (AI-generated based on podcaster-provided show and episode descriptions):
➤ Spaceflight news roundups • Artemis lunar missions, landers, Starship, New Glenn • NASA leadership, budgets, center cutbacks • ISS events, crew issues • China/Russia programs • Mars exploration • Space policy • Space science • Sci‑fi/Star Trek and space moviesThis podcast is a weekly conversation about the “new space age,” blending timely news analysis with longer discussions about the people, technologies, science, and politics shaping spaceflight and space research. Across episodes, the hosts track major human-spaceflight programs and milestones, with frequent attention to NASA’s Artemis plans, lunar landers and spacesuits, the Orion spacecraft, and the operational realities of the International Space Station, including crew health contingencies and station anniversaries. Commercial space is a recurring focus, particularly how companies such as SpaceX and Blue Origin influence launch cadence, lunar ambitions, and future private space stations, alongside coverage of other vehicles and programs like Starliner, Dream Chaser, and emerging reusable rockets abroad.
Policy, budgets, and leadership changes also form a prominent throughline. The show examines how congressional decisions, administration priorities, and agency leadership affect missions, science portfolios, and workforce stability at NASA centers. International competition and cooperation appear in that context as well, including China’s lunar and orbital plans, US–China and US–Russia tensions, and the broader geopolitics of returning astronauts to the Moon.
Beyond programmatics, the podcast regularly dives into planetary science and astronomy, using new findings—such as evidence about the Moon’s ancient environment or notable comet developments—to explain what scientists think is happening and why it matters for exploration and resources. Some conversations feature interviews with influential figures associated with Mars advocacy, commercial space infrastructure, or NASA science leadership, emphasizing historical context and how past decisions shaped today’s strategies.
Intermixed with the hard-news and technical material are culture-facing segments that connect space to public imagination, including explorations of science fiction’s relationship to real aerospace history and occasional themed discussions of space in film and popular media. Overall, listeners can expect a mix of headlines, deep dives, and expert perspectives spanning engineering, science, industry, and space policy.
| Episodes: |
TWiS 193: A History of Tomorrow - A Conversation with Former NASA Chief Historian, Dr. Roger Launius2026-Jan-17 57 minutes |
TWiS 192: Space, 2026! - What's Coming in Spaceflight This Year2026-Jan-09 59 minutes |
TWiS 191: Mars Throwback - The Pioneering Work of Dr. Robert Zubrin2025-Dec-28 53 minutes |
TWiS 190: Holiday Special 2025 - A Look Back at 2025 in Space!2025-Dec-19 63 minutes |
TWiS 189: Privatizing Orbit - The Pioneering Work of Jeffrey Manber2025-Dec-12 73 minutes |
TWiS 188: A New NASA Leader Rises? - Trump's NASA Chief Pick Jared Isaacman Meets Congress Again2025-Dec-05 58 minutes |
TWiS 187: An Inspired Enterprise - A History of Star Trek with Glen Swanson2025-Nov-21 68 minutes |
TWiS 186: Snow on the Moon? - With Dr. Jim Green, Former NASA Chief Scientist2025-Nov-14 73 minutes |
TWiS 185: Gutting Goddard - Dismantling a NASA Center2025-Nov-07 57 minutes |
TWiS 184: Space is Scary! - Halloween Movies About Space2025-Oct-31 74 minutes |