Space News for Saturday, February 14, 2026

In this episode, we aggregate and summarize today's top space news stories. Enjoy!(00:10) Podcast Introduction(00:23) A new book captures the forces shaping space: China, the moon and industry(01:05) Senate committee advances FCC satellite licensing bill after changes(01:37) Startup bets on new approach to space-based missile defense(02:03) Crew-12 launches to ISS(03:01) Vast wins ISS private astronaut mission(03:50) Viasat Report Signals Industrial “Rush” Toward Direct-to-Device (D2D) Connectivity(04:25) Crew-12 Launches(05:17) Axiom Space Raises $350M to Fuel Station, Suit Development(06:07) SpaceX Crew-12 astronauts have a Valentine's Day date with the space station today. Watch the docking live(06:30) 'The beacons were lit!' Scientists name merging supermassive black holes after 'Lord of the Rings' locations(06:59) A mystery object is dimming a distant star. Could it be a massive exoplanet, or a 'failed star'?(07:42) Artemis 2 rocket photobombs SpaceX Crew-12 | Space photo of the day for Feb. 13, 2026(08:25) If the Winter Olympics went interplanetary, where else could you ski in the solar system?