May 30, 2025Join us for this jam-packed episode of This Week in Spaceflight as we break down Starship's ninth flight, the first-ever reuse of a Super Heavy booster, and some familiar challenges! Plus, we cover NASA powering up Artemis II and III hardware, Chinese private space companies testing hoppers, Firefly's new rocket name reveal, and a fascinating new lunar contract for Sierra Space. 🌑
June 6, 2025This week’s space roundup is packed! Jared Isaacman’s out as NASA administrator, and budget cuts threaten NASA’s future, while President Trump and Elon Musk squabble on social media. Webb spots the earliest galaxy ever, Hubble and Gaia rethink the Milky Way-Andromeda collision, and NASA’s IMAP arrives at KSC. Plus, ispace’s lunar lander crashes, ISRO’s LVM3 tests, Firefly’s Miranda engine, and Stoke’s Zenith fire up. We also celebrate Falcon 9’s 15-year legacy!🤵 Hosted by Ryan Caton (@dpoddolphinpro)🖋️ Written by Martijn Luinstra, Alejandro Alcantarilla Romera, Martin Smith & Justin Davenport.🎥 Footage from: Max Evans, D Wise, ispace, Google Earth, Stoke Space, Firefly Aerospace, SpaceX, ispace U.S., NASA/CXC/NGST, NASA/JPL, NASA/GSFC, NASA/GSFC/University of Arizona/Locheed Martin, NASA, GSFC/SVS, NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS, Senate Committee on Commerce,Science, and Transportation, The White House, US Air Force, NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, NASA/Johns Hopkins APL, NASA/Princeton/Patrick McPike, Naidu et al., ESA/Webb/NASA & CSA/H. Atek/M. Zamani (ESA/Webb), Gilmour Space, Firefly Aerospace/Northrop Grumman, ISRO, Blue Origin, Rocket Lab, CCTV.✂️ Edited by Ryan Caton (@DPodDolphinPro).💼 Produced by Kevin Michael Reed (@kmreed).
Premieres Jun 13, 2025 This Week in Spaceflight: Axiom 4's Falcon 9 leaks Liquid Oxygen, ongoing ISS atmosphere leak challenges, and Relativity Space’s Terran R makes progress. Across the cosmos, ESA’s Solar Orbiter captures the Sun’s south pole for the first time, NASA’s PUNCH mission reveals stunning solar eruption images, and ESA unveils a new asteroid-hunting telescope. Blue Origin’s Blue Moon Mk2 shines in Neutral Buoyancy Lab tests, while Astrolab’s FLIP pathfinder redefines lunar mobility. Stoke Space crushes it with reusable rocket tank barrels, and ESA celebrates its 50th anniversary by blasting “Blue Danube” into space.🤵 Hosted by Elysia Segal (@elysiasegal)🖋️ Written by Martijn Luinstra, Alejandro Alcantarilla Romera, Martin Smith & Aaron McCrea.🎥 Footage from: Max Evans, John Galloway, NeedPizza, Space Coast Live, NASA, Axiom Space, NASA/ESA, ESA, Blue Origin, SpaceX, Relativity Space, Vienna Tourist Board/Martin Morscher, Vienna Tourist Board/Javier Estrada Gutiérrez, ESA/ATG medialab; Comet image: ESA/Rosetta/Navcam, ESA/NASA/Solar Orbiter/EUI Team/D. Berghmans (ROB) & ESA/Royal Observatory of Belgium, ESA & NASA/Solar Orbiter/PHI/EUI & SPICE Teams, NASA/SwRI, Astrolab, Astrobotic, Stoke Space, Rocket Lab, iQPS, ULA, Russian Ministry of Defence.✂️ Edited by Ryan Caton (@dpoddolphinpro).💼 Produced by Kevin Michael Reed (@kmreed).
Jun 20, 2025Another explosive week in spaceflight—literally! In this week’s This Week in Spaceflight:🚀 SpaceX loses Ship 36 in a dramatic explosion during testing—what went wrong, and how will this impact Flight 10?🌕 China tests the escape system for its new Mengzhou crew capsule as it gears up for a lunar landing mission.🛰️ Europe takes big steps toward reusability, with PLD Space, Themis, and ArianeGroup all pushing forward.🚗 Honda launches a rocket hop test in Japan—yes, that Honda!🌓 Firefly’s Elytra spacecraft will offer commercial lunar imaging services starting in 2026.🔥 Orion rescue tests, FAA licenses for Varda, Rocket Lab’s secret launch, Angara’s debut, and more!🌍 We also cover the latest in space traffic, including Starlink launches, Russian military payloads, and a preview of what’s coming Next Week in Spaceflight, including Blue Origin and Transporter-14.📲 Stay ahead of the launch curve with NSF’s Next Spaceflight App, featuring real-time launch tracking and our new Flight Club simulation tool!⚡ Become a member of NASASpaceflight's channel for exclusive discord access, fast turnaround clips, and other exclusive benefits. Your support helps us continue our 24/7 coverage. Click JOIN above to get started.⚡🤵 Hosted by Elysia Segal (@elysiasegal)🖋️ Written by Martijn Luinstra, Alejandro Alcantarilla Romera, Justin Davenport.🎥 Footage from: Jack Beyer, Max Evans, Jerry Pike, D Wise, Starbase Live, Adrian Beil, CCTV/CNSA, The Exploration Company, CMS, China News Service, NASA, SpaceX, Boeing, CNSA, Honda, NASA, Airbus, Victor Maier, VAST, PLD Space, CNES/REAL DREAM, CNES/PIRAUD Hervé, ESA, Blue Origin, Luxembourg Ministry for the Economy, ESA/Proba-3/ASPIICS/WOW algorithm, ESA/P. Carril, ESA/P. Carril, ESA/NASA/Proba-2/Proba-3/SOHO/SWAP/ASPIICS/LASCO C2/WOW algorithm, Firefly Aerospace, Michael Sparks/USAF/First Air Force, Varda Space Industries, Russian Ministry of Defence, Google Earth.✂️ Edited by Ryan Caton (@dpoddolphinpro).💼 Produced by Kevin Michael Reed (@kmreed).
Premieres Jun 27, 2025🚀 Another wild week across global spaceflight! From NASA’s SLS BOLE booster anomaly to new launches and upcoming missions, here’s your full roundup:✅ SLS BOLE Booster Test Ends in Anomaly: Northrop Grumman’s new solid rocket booster for SLS Block 2 explodes near the end of its first full-scale test. What went wrong, and what does this mean for Artemis IX and beyond?✅ China’s Rocket Surge: Landspace’s ZhuQue-3 stage test, CAS Space’s Kinetica-2 engine firings, and more.✅ ESA Assigns New Astronauts: Sophie Adenot and Raphaël Liégois get ISS flight assignments for 2026.✅ Psyche’s Propulsion Problem Fixed: NASA’s Psyche asteroid mission recovers from its Xenon line issue.✅ HyPrSpace Launching a… Baguette? France’s quirky hybrid rocket program plans mainland launches.✅ ESA’s Biomass Satellite Sends First Images: A breathtaking look at Earth’s carbon-rich forests… and deserts!✅ Global Launch Traffic: Starlink, Axiom-4 crewed flight, ChinaSat-9C, Atlas V for Kuiper, and a Rocket Lab surprise launch.✅ Late-Breaking Stories: HAKUTO-R Moon lander failure update and Vera Rubin Observatory’s first cosmic images.🌍 We also cover the latest in space traffic, including Starlink launches, Russian military payloads, and a preview of 🤵 Hosted by Elysia Segal (@elysiasegal)🖋️ Written by Martijn Luinstra, Alejandro Alcantarilla Romera, Justin Davenport, Aaron McRea.🎥 Footage from: Jack Beyer, Max Evans, Nathan Koga, NASA, LandSpace, SpaceX, Axiom Space/SpaceX, NASA/Axiom Space/SpaceX, HyPrSpace, ESA, Northrop Grumman, Boeing, CCTV, CAS Space, Dassault Aviation, Centre Spatial Guyanais, Leigh Green, Firefly Aerospace, NSF-DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory, ispace, CCTV/CASC, CNSA/CCTV, Rocket Lab, Blue Origin, Gilmour Space.✂️ Edited by Ryan Caton (@dpoddolphinpro).💼 Produced by Kevin Michael Reed (@kmreed).
Jul 4, 2025NASA’s budget just got a major shake-up. In this week’s episode of This Week in Spaceflight, we break down what the so-called “Big Beautiful Bill” means for Artemis, Orion, Gateway, and even the future of Space Shuttle Discovery. Plus, ESA’s reusable rocket project Themis arrives at its launch site, Lockheed Martin wants to beat NASA to Mars Sample Return, and we welcome a new interstellar object to our solar system!Also in this episode:Mobile Launcher 2 reaches its final heightOrion tests autonomous docking and laser communicationsVast’s Haven Demo prepares for orbitA Japanese weather satellite studies VenusSpaceX retires Megan and breaks Starlink booster recordsESA’s PLATO exoplanet telescope comes togetherAnd, as always, your weekly Space Traffic Report and what to watch Next Week in Spaceflight. 🤵 Hosted by Elysia Segal (@elysiasegal)🖋️ Written by Martijn Luinstra, Alejandro Alcantarilla Romera, Martin Smith.🎥 Footage from: Jack Beyer, Max Evans, Space Coast Live, Ryan Caton, NASA/JPL-Caltech, ArianeGroup, Swedish Space Corporation, NASA, SpaceX, CU/LASP EMM/EXI ITF/Kevin M. Gill, Lockheed Martin/NASA, NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU, Chun Wang, The Australian National University, ILOA Hawai’i, Astrolab, ILOA Hawai’i/Astrolab, NASA/JPL, Rocket Lab, Lockheed Martin, NASA Goddard, ESA, VAST, MHI/JAXA, Nishiyama et al. CC-BY-ND, JAXA, Blue Origin, Virgin Galactic, CCTV/CASC, NASA/Roscosmos, Pexels.✂️ Edited by Ryan Caton (@dpoddolphinpro).💼 Produced by Kevin Michael Reed (@kmreed).
July 11, 2025This week in spaceflight, we’ve got a little bit of everything: a political shake-up at NASA, new milestones for US rocket startups, updates on ESA’s push for launch competition, and a busy week of upcoming launches. President Trump appoints Sean Duffy as Acting NASA Administrator just as the agency faces new budget challenges, and just weeks after Congress passed a $10 billion reconciliation bill for NASA.We also cover:Relativity’s Terran R production & test progressStoke Space nearing launchpad readiness at LC-14ULA’s Vulcan restack for its first national security missionBlue Origin integrates tanks for Blue Ring orbital platformFirefly teams up for NASA’s LunaNet relay architectureRocket Lab proposes a Mars Telecommunications OrbiterESA selects five companies for its European Launcher ChallengeProgress MS-31 docks with the ISS while Tianzhou 8 departsStarlink & Kuiper launches are incoming, and Gilmour Space readies ErisPlus, an updated look at the current and next week’s space traffic, including crew movements and satellite deployments.🤵 Hosted by Ryan Caton (@dpoddolphinpro)🖋️ Written by Alejandro Alcantarilla Romera, Martin Smith.🎥 Footage from: Max Evans, D Wise, Joe B, Space Coast Live, US Department of Transportation, US Senate Appropriations Committee, Rocket Factory Augsburg, PLD Space, NASA, Stoke Space, Rocket Lab, Relativity Space, The White House, Polaris Program/John Kraus, US National Archives, United Launch Alliance, Blue Origin, Firefly Aerospace, ESA, Centre Spatial Guyanais, Maiaspace, ArianeGroup, Orbex, Google Earth, US Air Force, Eric Baker, SpaceX, MDA Space, Apple, Roscosmos, CCTV, China Aerospace, Gilmour Space.✂️ Edited by Ryan Caton (@dpoddolphinpro).💼 Produced by Kevin Michael Reed (@kmreed).
