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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):
➤ Space news and analysis • Artemis program, Moon landers, Moon bases • SpaceX Starship and Blue Origin New Glenn/Blue Moon • Mars missions and atmospheric loss • Space policy, budgets, geopolitics • Life-support and extraterrestrial-life communicationThis podcast is a weekly conversation about spaceflight, planetary science, and the policy and business forces shaping the current “new space age.” The hosts track major developments across NASA and commercial providers, with frequent focus on the Artemis program, the practical challenges of returning astronauts to the Moon, and how schedules, contracts, and hardware readiness can be affected by launch mishaps, budget proposals, and shifting agency plans. Discussion often compares approaches and capabilities across companies such as SpaceX and Blue Origin, including topics like orbital refueling, human landing systems, and the longer-term aim of sustained lunar surface infrastructure.
Beyond near-term lunar plans, the show also examines Mars exploration and broader planetary science, highlighting missions designed to answer fundamental questions such as how Mars lost its atmosphere and what that implies for future robotic and human exploration. Episodes regularly incorporate recent headlines—ranging from space telescope discoveries to UFO-file releases and notable skywatching events—while using them as jumping-off points for deeper context.
Interviews with scientists, industry leaders, and space-policy experts are a recurring format. These conversations can span technical mission design and commercial partnerships, emerging concepts in life support and space-based food sustainability, and the geopolitical and legal dimensions of activity in cislunar space, including U.S.–China competition and debates over resource rights and “exclusion zones.” The podcast also touches on how space intersects with society, including public trust in science and the challenges of communicating high-impact discoveries such as extraterrestrial life, as well as the civic engagement of astronauts after leaving government service.
| Episodes: |
TWiS 214: Moon Man - With Former NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine2026-Jun-12 69 minutes |
TWiS 213: Live From ISDC With Gerry Griffin - NASA Flight Director Breaks Down the Realities of Spaceflight2026-Jun-05 82 minutes |
TWiS 212: Kabooms, Starship, and a Moon Base - What New Glenn's Explosion Means for NASA's Moon Base2026-May-29 62 minutes |
TWiS 211: Oysters in Space - With Jacob Scoccimerra of Monolith Space2026-May-22 68 minutes |
TWiS 210: ESCAPADES at Mars - Dr. Robert Lillis of the Mars ESCAPADE Mission2026-May-15 57 minutes |
TWiS 209: Astronauts for America - The Best of the Best Speak Out2026-May-08 69 minutes |
TWiS 208: Lander, Lander, Who's Got a Lander - Will SpaceX or Blue Origin Touch Down First?2026-May-01 66 minutes |
TWiS 207: What, This Again? - Attempted Cuts to the NASA Budget2026-Apr-24 61 minutes |
TWiS 206: I Want to Believe - When We Meet the Aliens2026-Apr-17 62 minutes |
TWiS 205: All About Artemis - The Brilliance of Artemis 22026-Apr-10 74 minutes |