This Week in Space (Audio)

TWiS 221: Starship Can Float? - Roman Space Telescope Ready to Launch!

July 31, 2026·57 min
Episode Description from the Publisher

Rod Pyle is out this week, so Rick Jenet of the National Space Society joins Tariq Malik this week to talk about SpaceX's Starship Flight 13, which deployed new Starlink V3 satellites and stunned viewers when the ship survived reentry intact enough to float in the ocean for days afterward. They also discuss NASA's Roman Space Telescope, now just a month from launch, and an in-progress emergency effort to save the ailing Swift Space Observatory using a servicing spacecraft that is itself now experiencing technical trouble. Finally, they look into Boeing's continued Starliner delays and India's first successful private orbital launch via Skyroot Aerospace's Vikram-1 rocket. Tune in! Headlines: SpaceX Starship Flight 13 Splashdown and Recovery Efforts Starlink V3 Satellite Deployment Updates SpaceX Wins $1.6 Billion Space Force Contract NASA's Roman Space Telescope Countdown and Origin Story Urgent Swift Space Observatory Rescue Mission Faces Technical Setbacks Boeing Starliner Faces More Delays and Uncertainty India's First Commercial Rocket Launch Enters Global Market Artemis II Astronaut Questions South Pole as Lunar Landing Target Astronomers Detect Possible First-Ever Exomoon Upcoming SpaceX Falcon 9 Impact Experiment on the Moon Preview: August Almost Total Solar Eclipse and Night Sky Events Host: Tariq Malik Co-Host: Fredrick (Rick) Jenet Download or subscribe to This Week in Space at https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-space. Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free audio and video feeds, a members-only Discord, and exclusive content. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit

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