Space News for Friday, February 20, 2026

In this episode, we aggregate and summarize today's top space news stories. Enjoy!(00:10) Podcast Introduction(00:22) Starliner investigation identifies flawed NASA decision making(00:53) Creating new demand in the nascent orbital economy(01:40) EarthDaily in Orbit: From First Launch to Commercial Operations(02:13) Golden Dome will fail without software-defined warfare(02:43) Moon mission fueling test concludes with no major problems(03:01) Independent report sharply criticizes NASA management, Boeing for troubled Starliner flight(03:23) SpaceX launches second Falcon 9 rocket to return to a landing in The Bahamas(04:15) MDA Space Establishes 49North to Secure Multi-Billion Canadian Defense Pipeline(04:34) Orbital Infrastructure: The Engineering Hurdles of Upper Stage Reusability(04:56) Geopolitical Analysis: China Challenges SpaceX Dominance with Massive LEO Governance Strategy(05:59) NBN Co Unveils LEO Wholesale Pricing to Protect Market Share from Starlink(06:41) Ovzon Reports Record 2025 Results Driven by NATO and Defense Breakthroughs(07:26) Winds Whip Up Fires and Dust on the Southern Plains(08:09) NASA Investigates How People Respond to Air Taxi Noise(08:45) NASA Releases Report on Starliner Crewed Flight Test Investigation(09:48) NASA to Provide Starliner Crew Flight Test Review Findings Today(10:26) Award-Winning NASA Camera Revolutionizes How We See the Invisible(10:56) Second SLS WDR appears to go as planned(11:37) Inside Finland’s Rapid Rise as a Space Powerhouse(11:55) NASA: Agency ‘Failed’ Starliner Astronauts(12:33) NASA Authorization Could Kick Start Space Nuclear Power(13:24) US Chamber Fighting For Licensing, ITAR Reform in 2026(14:19) Supermassive serial killers: Astronomers discover how black holes 'kill off' neighboring galaxies(14:49) The James Webb Space Telescope just mapped auroras on Uranus in 3D for the 1st time, and scientists are thrilled(15:38) 'We almost did have a really terrible day.' NASA now says Boeing's 1st Starliner astronaut flight was a 'Type A mishap'(16:19) Scientists measure air pollution from reentering SpaceX rocket in real-time: 'It's never been done before'(17:09) Hubble telescope discovers rare galaxy that is 99% dark matter