The Space Show

On The Space Show for Wednesday, 30 September 2026: Space Show News: SpaceX Starship Flight 14 Turn Back Time: From 1971 the Luna 19 lunar orbiter, the Vertical 2 sounding rocket, the Intercosmos series of scientific satellites, and the Luna missions; the launch of Japan's Shinsei satellite.  (Inserts courtesy NZBC, RM) Yoghurt on the ISS:  The Space Show in conversation with Elizabeth Charles, De...

On The Space Show for Wednesday, 23 September 2026: Planet Earth - Episode 74   * Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, speaking in Paris at the opening of the International Space Summit, describes Europe's Copernicus Earth observation programme and other space projects.   * European Space Agency (ESA) feature about the Sentinel satellites  * Eric Serra's "The Pa...

On The Space Show for Wednesday, 16 September 2026: Tasmania and Space with Prof. Simon Ellingsen , Dean of Natural Sciences, University of Tasmania: Aurorae Ionosphere VLF radio astronomy Tracking antenna from the Orroral Valley Explorer 50 Halca Cassini-Huygens Juice Kaguya Globalstar   SpaceX  New antenna  Space weather  Space domain awareness  Asteroid observations Future activities.  (Recorde...

On The Space Show for Wednesday, 9 September 2026: Automated space object identification using RMIT's Robotic Optical Observatory (ROO) Telescope An interview at the November 2025 Australian Space Research Conference with Cody Jeynes, an undergraduate student at RMIT University, Melbourne. Roman Space Telescope Descriptions of the Roman's Wide Field Camera and Coronagraph , and the role of...

On The Space Show for Wednesday, 2 September 2026: (Episode artwork credit: NASA/John Kraus) Roman Space Telescope Launched Roman Space Telescope  description and launch; origins of the telescope; commissioning process. (Audio inserts courtesy GSFC, KSC) Soyuz Factory Hit Ukraine strikes the  Soyuz  rocket and  Rassvet  satellite factory. Turn Back Time Luna 18   orbits the Moon ahead of a failed...

On The Space Show for Wednesday, 12 August 2026: The Fellowship of the Telescopes — The Great Space Telescopes: The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is ready for launch Ask NASA: * Who is Nancy Grace Roman? * About the Roman Space Telescope Turn Back Time:   * Gemini 10 and Lunar Orbiter 1

On The Space Show for Wednesday, 26 August 2026: Space Show News:  * Astronomers from the University of Southern Queensland have led research into the discovery of an Earth-sized extrasolar planet , HD 137010 b, likely colder than Mars. Planet HD 137010 b is 150 light-years away from Earth and orbits a Sun-like star .  * Neuman Space demonstrates ND50 propulsion system in orbit  * China’s Chang’e...

On The Space Show for Wednesday, 5 August 2026: Turn Back Time:   * Marking the 15th anniversary of the launch of the Juno spacecraft to Jupiter with a science results briefing from project scientists at the 2025 European Geophysical Union conference. (Courtesy EGU)  Space Show News:  * Swift Reboost Mission in Trouble: A progress report on the progress of the Swift astrophysical satellite reboost...

On The Space Show for Wednesday, 29 July 2026: Space Show News: Astronomers have discovered a galaxy-killing wind that may explain why there are far more massive dead galaxies than expected in the early universe. The Melbourne Space Program student satellite project, ACRUX-2, at Melbourne University - Part 2 Aymeric Fabre, Team Lead, Power System, ACRUX-2, at the Melbourne Space Program, presents...

On The Space Show for Wednesday, 22 July 2026: The Melbourne Space Program student satellite project, ACRUX-2, at Melbourne University.  The Melbourne Space Program has the mission of developing future technology leaders by selecting highly talented university students and delivering an unparalleled learning experience through complex technology projects. The speakers are: Patrick Grave, CEO, Melb...

On The Space Show for Wednesday, 15 July 2026: Remembering Derryn Hinch: Friend of the Space Association of Australia To mark the death of Derryn Hinch in Melbourne at age 82, a playing of the recording of his commentary of the launch of Apollo 11, almost 57 years to the day. Space Show News: Soyuz MS29 launches to the International Space Station Australian Space Industry 2026 – Part 2:  * Cocos I...

On The Space Show for Wednesday, 8 July 2026: Space Show News: Swift Boost Mission Launched NASA has contracted Katalyst Space of Flagstaff, Arizona, to boost the altitude of its sinking Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory . Swift is NASA’s astrophysics multitool, capable of quickly observing a wide range of cosmic objects in visible, ultraviolet, X-ray, and gamma-ray light. Update: On-Orbit Checkouts...

On The Space Show for Wednesday, 1 July 2026: Swift Boost Mission Plans to launch the  LINK  satellite to reboost the  Swift  astrophysics satellite into a higher orbit. Launch delayed until tomorrow. (Inserts courtesy GSFC) NASA has contracted Katalyst Space of Flagstaff, Arizona, to boost the altitude of its sinking Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory . Swift is NASA’s astrophysics multitool, capable...

On The Space Show for Wednesday, 24 June 2026: Conversations at the Australian Space Research Conference:  * Capturing the first signal from Waratah Seed 1, the ride-share payloads aboard, and funding by the New South Wales Government with Patrick Oppel at CUAVA, School of Physics, Sydney University.  * The CUAVA 1, CUAVA 2 and Waratah Seed 1 satellites; funding CUAVA; collision avoidance using mi...

On The Space Show for Wednesday, 17 June 2026: Australian Space Research Conference:  * Iron Making on Mars with Dr Deddy Nababan , Postdoctoral Fellow at CSIRO Mineral Resources and a Swinburne University alum.  * Studying the Sun with balloons launched by a student team with Joseph George, Monash High Altitude Balloon team, Monash University, Clayton.  Artemis Lunar Science: Artemis II — Looking...

On The Space Show for Wednesday, 10 June 2026: Artemis III mission profile and crew unveiled: NASA’s announcement at the Johnson Space Centre, Houston, of the Artemis III mission profile and crew During Artemis III, the agency’s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket will launch the Orion spacecraft and its crew from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida to low Earth orbit. After Orion's systems ar...

On The Space Show for Wednesday, 3 June 2026: The Andy Thomas Space Foundation with the Chair of the Foundation, Peter Nikoloff:  * What the Foundation is and what its aims and activities are .   * The 19th Australian Space Forum being organised for 21-22 July 2026, Adelaide, South Australia.   * The Kids In Space educational programme in primary schools.   * Nova Systems . Space Show News:   * Bl...

On The Space Show for Wednesday, 27 May 2026: Space Show News: Shenzhou 23   The launch of Shenzhou 23 and Hong Kong's involvement. China in Space: China's ten-year plan for space, and the growth of commercial launch services . (Inserts courtesy CGTN)   Turn Back Time: Surveyor 1 The Surveyor 1 soft landing on the Moon, and preparations for the Gemini 9 mission. (Inserts BBC, VOA, NZBC)

On The Space Show for Wednesday, 20 May 2026: Space Show News: Australian Space Industry 2026 — Part 1   * Spiral Blue's first international LiDAR sale to Lodestar in the United Kingdom  * QuantX Labs on TEMPO   * Neuman Space's ND-25 propulsion system on CarbSAR.  Also, a giant sunspot on the far side of the Sun was observed by the Solar Orbiter and the Perseverance Rover on Mars. SMILE and Psych...

On The Space Show for Wednesday, 13 May 2026: Space Show News:  The Australian Federal Budget — An analysis of the space and astronomy sections of the 2026 Federal Budget.  Extraterrestrial Life - Could We Cope?  The US government has released a first batch of 160 previously classified files on alleged UFO sightings and alien life. The files include a 1947 report of "flying discs" and a...

On The Space Show for Wednesday, 5 May 2026: YouGov polls about the Artemis 2 circumlunar mission and Apollo 11 lunar landing One in six Australian adults watched the Artemis II launch live, and many still believe in the value of space exploration. In the wake of the Artemis II launch, new research from YouGov reveals that space exploration continues to capture the imagination of Australians, offe...

On The Space Show for Wednesday, 22 April 2026: Turning Back Time 80 years since the first test launch of a V-2 rocket from American soil: At 2:47 on the afternoon of Tuesday, 16 April 1946, a captured Nazi V-2 missile ascended into the sky from the U.S. Army's new White Sands Proving Ground in south-central New Mexico. It didn't get very far. The guidance system failed, a fin came off, an...

On The Space Show for Wednesday, 15 April 2026: 2025 International Astronautical Congress (IAC), Sydney:  "If you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go together.” Part 2 of an astronaut panel discussion marking 25 years of continuous human presence on the International Space Station.  The astronauts are: Julie Payette (moderator) — Canadian engineer, scientist and former astron...

On The Space Show for Wednesday, 8 April 2026: Space Show News: Artemis II update 2025 International Astronautical Congress (IAC), Sydney: Lessons learned at Gilmour Space with Adam Gilmour, CEO and co-founder of Gilmour Space Technologies A conversation between the head of the Australian Space Agency (ASA), Enrico Palermo, and the President of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), Dr Hir...

On The Space Show for Wednesday, 1 April 2026: Space Show News:  * Artemis II mission poised to launch.  * The Australian National University is providing laser communications support for NASA’s Artemis II Moon mission .  * NASA selects Intuitive Machines to carry  Roo-ve r, Australia's first Moon rover, to the lunar South Pole region in 2030 . Lunar Astronomy Dr Martin Elvis, Senior Astrophysicis...