Space News for Friday, February 06, 2026

In this episode, we aggregate and summarize today's top space news stories. Enjoy!(00:10) Podcast Introduction(00:25) China set for in-flight abort test of Mengzhou crew spacecraft(00:53) Tomorrow.io banks $175 million for DeepSky weather constellation(01:22) Pentagon casts Golden Dome as model for faster, risk-tolerant defense buying(02:13) FAA approves Starship launches from LC-39A(02:40) The future of the Space Force in a competitive, congested and contested space environment(03:14) Deep space, dim objects: Why asteroid mining caught the Space Force’s eye(03:31) Satellite servicing startup Starfish taps Quindar for mission operations software(03:48) Qualis, InTrack, and Tektonux Merge to Form Advanced Missile Defense and Space Awareness Platform(04:19) Space Is Hard But It’s Always Sunny in Orbit(04:42) Scotland’s Comprehensive Space Sector Sustainability Assessment(04:59) Vantor Secures $5.3 Million NGA Contract to Deliver AI-Driven Global Terrain Monitoring(05:23) Space Force may be done with R-GPS, but Congress isn’t(05:56) FCC Authorizes Logos Space to Deploy 3,960-Satellite Mega-Constellation for Enterprise Connectivity(06:36) A Winter Blanket Covers North Carolina(07:01) NASA Selects Two Earth System Explorers Missions(07:37) Career Spotlight: Welder (Ages 14-18)(08:18) NASA’s SpaceX Crew-12 to Study Adaptation to Altered Gravity(08:48) Hubble Spots Lens-Shaped Galaxy(09:03) Despite initial setbacks, Chinese spaceflight expected to see exciting 2026(09:37) Univity Adds Direct-to-Device Service in VLEO Constellation(10:07) Astrolight Plans to Demo Space-to-Ground Optical Comms(10:40) Muon Space’s Sat-Backed Growth Strategy for 2026(11:16) Does dark matter actually exist? New theory says it could be gravity behaving strangely(11:45) This supermassive black hole jet is more powerful than the Death Star's laser: 'Planets are going to be destroyed'(12:10) The 10 bleakest space movies of all time(12:45) Astrophotographer captures the 'Flaming Star Nebula' ablaze in deep-space (photo)(13:09) China joins race to develop space-based data centers with 5-year plan(13:41) This week's "Starfleet Academy" episode, "Series Acclimation Mil", is a near-perfect "DS9" sequel(14:07) Now's your best chance to see Mercury all year — Here's what you need to know