Space News for Saturday, August 15, 2026

In this episode, we aggregate and summarize today's top space news stories. Enjoy!
(00:10) Podcast Introduction
(00:21) U.S. Space Force adds second surveillance sensor to Japanese constellation
(00:58) Wallops gears up for an increase in launches
(01:33) Spire and PlanetiQ win NOAA radio-occultation contracts
(02:03) Cheaper launch has moved the spacecraft bottleneck. Mass is out, surface area is in.
(02:41) Blue Origin outlines plans for second Cape Canaveral launch pad
(03:26) Novaspace Projects $3 Billion Cumulative In-Orbit Servicing Market Over the Next Decade
(04:14) Silicon Valley Space Week Speaker Focus: Joseph Yaffe, Cowboy Space Corporation
(04:51) Volunteer Develops Machine-Learning Tool to Identify Rare Clouds
(05:27) Rocket Lab advances via series of announcements
(06:19) The New Middle Ground in Spacecraft Development
(06:55) Exclusive: Reflect Orbital Responds to its Critics
(07:32) NASA Opens Call on Moon Base Health Research
(08:40) 'Strap yourself in and feel the Gs': NASA announces 'Max Power' aerospace expo
(09:21) Is empty space really empty? This magnetic star may finally solve a 90-year-old mystery
(10:05) Cards Against Humanity wants to erect a monument to 'honor' Elon Musk
(10:47) Will the new moon race turn Earth's nearest neighbor into a dumping ground?
(11:27) US Space Force gives Rocket Lab $397 million to build threat-tracking 'Flatellites'