Site • RSS • Apple PodcastsDescription (podcaster-provided):
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 policy and NASA budgets • Artemis/Orion lunar missions, launch updates, crew operations • lunar landers, SLS/Starship, Moon bases • U.S.–China space competition, geopolitics • planetary science missions (Titan Dragonfly) • communicating alien-life discoveries, public trust • AI/robotics vs human exploration • space headlines and telescope discoveriesThis podcast is a weekly conversation about current space news and the science, technology, and politics shaping the “new space age.” The hosts blend headline-driven updates—covering major launches, spacecraft testing, telescope discoveries, and planetary science—with longer discussions that unpack the implications behind the week’s biggest developments.
A recurring focus is NASA’s human exploration agenda, especially the Artemis program. Across the episodes, the show traces mission preparation and in-flight milestones, discusses hardware and operational realities of crewed flight, and examines shifting program architectures involving SLS/Orion, lunar landers, the status of the Gateway concept, and proposals for sustained lunar activity. The podcast also treats space exploration as a policy arena, digging into budget proposals, congressional dynamics, and how funding instability could affect scientific missions, institutions, and long-term planning. Advocacy and public engagement around space priorities also feature prominently.
Beyond NASA, the podcast explores the broader ecosystem of civil, commercial, and international space efforts. Discussions include emerging launch systems, the role of private companies in exploration and discovery, and geopolitical competition—particularly U.S.-China dynamics, international partnerships, and questions around lunar governance, safety zones, and cislunar security.
Scientific and societal questions are woven throughout. Topics range from robotic exploration and mission management to upcoming planetary missions like rotorcraft exploration of Titan. The show also tackles how humanity might respond to evidence of extraterrestrial life, including communication challenges, misinformation, ethics, and cultural or religious impacts, as well as debates about the evolving balance between astronauts and advanced robotics and AI in future Mars exploration.
| Episodes: |
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 |
TWiS 204: A New NASA - Artemis 2 Firsthand, and Isaacman Shakes up NASA!2026-Apr-03 62 minutes |
TWiS 203: China Rising - With Dr. Namrata Goswami2026-Mar-27 56 minutes |
TWiS 202: Artemis Imminent - Artemis II Back on the Pad!2026-Mar-20 63 minutes |
TWiS 201: Born to Explore - With Jay Gallentine2026-Mar-13 70 minutes |
TWiS 200: Our 200th Episode Listener Special! - We're Talking to You!2026-Mar-06 79 minutes |
TWiS 199: The Obsolete Astronaut? - And a New Report on Crewed Mars Missions2026-Feb-27 61 minutes |