The Space Show

2026.06.10 | Artemis III: Apollo 9 Redux

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 [https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/nasa-marches-toward-artemis-iii-mission-in-2027-names-crew-members/] 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 are checked out, the spacecraft will, for the first time, demonstrate rendezvous and docking capabilities with test versions from one, or both, American commercial human landing systems in development by Blue Origin and SpaceX. Artemis III crew assignments are as follows:  * NASA astronaut Randy Bresnik, Commander  * ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Luca Parmitano, Pilot   * NASA astronaut Andre Douglas, Mission Specialist  * NASA astronaut Frank Rubio, Mission Specialist. The speakers at the announcement include: Jared Isaacman (NASA Administrator), Jeremy Parsons (Acting Assistant Deputy Associate Administrator, Artemis Program Manager), John Couluris (Senior Vice President, Lunar Permanence, Blue Origin), Jessica Jemsen (Integration Vice President, Customer Operations, SpaceX), Nicola Fox (Associate Administrator, Science Mission Directorate, NASA) and Joseph Aschbacher (Director General, ESA). (Inserts courtesy JSC, ESA)  Australian Space Research Conference:  * Space debris; IADC Committee; Australia tracking debris; and impacts with Gillian Altham, Civil Space Monitoring Team, Australian Space Agency, Adelaide.   * Radiation resilience in Trichoplax adhaerens (P53 homologue tumour depressor gene) with Jennifer Tinker, Honours Student at the La Trobe Institute for Molecular Science, La Trobe University, Bundoora.

2026.06.03 | The Andy Thomas Space Foundation

On The Space Show for Wednesday, 3 June 2026: The Andy Thomas Space Foundation [https://andythomas.foundation/] with the Chair of the Foundation, Peter Nikoloff:  * What the Foundation is and what its aims and activities are [https://andythomas.foundation/#about].   * The 19th Australian Space Forum [https://australianspaceforum.com.au/] being organised for 21-22 July 2026, Adelaide, South Australia.   * The Kids In Space [https://andythomas.foundation/the-andy-thomas-space-foundation-education-fund-2024/] educational programme in primary schools.   * Nova Systems [https://www.novasystems.com/au]. Space Show News:   * Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket explodes on the launch pad [https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-05-29/blue-origin-rocket-explodes-during-test-jeff-bezos/106737482] at Cape Canaveral Space Force Base.   * Announcement of contract awards for NASA's Moon Base program [https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/nasa-provides-update-on-moon-base-rovers-landers-missions/]; and how the explosion might affect the Moon Base mission schedule. [https://theconversation.com/nasa-names-artemis-iii-crew-but-a-rocket-explosion-has-thrown-us-moon-plans-into-turmoil-284784#:~:text=On%20May%2028%2C%202026%2C%20Blue,Air%20Force%20Station%20in%20Florida.] (Inserts courtesy 6News, ABC, NASA)

2026.05.27 | China in Space: China's ten-year plan, and the growth of commercial launch services

On The Space Show for Wednesday, 27 May 2026: Space Show News: Shenzhou 23   The launch [https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-05-25/china-launches-shenzhou-23-astronauts-into-space/106718456] of Shenzhou 23 [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shenzhou_23] and Hong Kong's involvement. China in Space: China's ten-year plan for space, and the growth of commercial launch services [https://www.thinkchina.sg/technology/moonshots-market-share-chinas-space-strategy]. (Inserts courtesy CGTN)   Turn Back Time: Surveyor 1 The Surveyor 1 [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surveyor_1] soft landing on the Moon, and preparations for the Gemini 9 mission. (Inserts BBC, VOA, NZBC)

2026.05.20 | Monash High Powered Rocketry: Pushing the boundaries of space technologies

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 Psyche: The China-ESA satellite SMILE (Solar-wind Magnetosphere Ionosphere Link Explorer) has been launched, and the asteroid mission Psyche has had its trajectory changed by passing close to Mars. (Inserts courtesy ESA, JPL)  Monash HPR: Pushing the boundaries of space technologies The Space Show in conversation with Johson Zheng, Project Lead and Bavreet Ubhi, Propulsion Vice Lead, of Monash High Powered Rocketry, Monash University. Monash High Powered Rocketry (or MHPR) [https://www.monashhpr.com/] is a student team at Monash University revolutionising student rocketry in Australia by developing innovative space technologies, fostering collaboration, and igniting passion in future generations through outreach. With a team of over 100 members, MHPR actively competes in both the International Rocket Engineering Competition (IREC) and Australian Universities Rocketry Competition (AURC). The design and manufacturing of almost all components of these rockets is done in-house by students, including all airframe components and many flight computers. Monash HPR is developing, manufacturing and testing a hybrid rocket engine using paraffin and liquid oxygen.  Turn Back Time: The 60th anniversary of the launch of Europa 1 F-4 from Woomera.  Listen or download the full recording of the launch made in Auckland off Radio Australia and 2NR Grafton (40 min 17 s - 38.7 MB)  [https://space.southernfm.com.au/audio/Europa1F4FullRecording.mp3]

2026.05.13 | Extraterrestrial Life — Could We Cope?

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. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_UFO_files]The files include a 1947 report of "flying discs" and a photo of "unidentified phenomena" taken from the Moon's surface during the Apollo 12 lunar mission in 1969. In light of these releases, we’ll first hear comments from President Trump, then a fascinating retrospective discussion, largely philosophical in nature, between the New Zealand astronomer and television presenter Peter Read [https://www.kiwitv.org.nz/people/presenters/read-peter] and Professor Alan Forbes of Wellington's Victoria University on how humanity might cope with the discovery of extraterrestrial life. (Inserts Fox News, WH and NZBC) The Andy Thomas Space Foundation:  [https://andythomas.foundation/] Nicola Sasanelli [https://research-repository.uwa.edu.au/en/persons/nicola-sasanelli/](Adjunct Professor and then Chief Executive Officer, Andy Thomas Space Foundation, Adelaide) on the formation and purposes of the Foundation. (Recorded by The Space Show at a meeting of the Space Association of Australia [https://space.asn.au/], South Melbourne) SMILE [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SMILE_(spacecraft)] A preview of the China-ESA satellite SMILE (or Solar-wind Magnetosphere Ionosphere Link Explorer), which is due to be launched on 19 May 2026. SMILE is a collaborative satellite mission between the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) designed to study how the solar wind interacts with Earth's magnetic shield.