Space News for Thursday, May 21, 2026

In this episode, we aggregate and summarize today's top space news stories. Enjoy!(00:10) Podcast Introduction(00:21) LatConnect 60 announces accelerated growth investment round to build AUKUS-aligned Highest Resolution SWIR Satellite constellation(00:56) Space Force eyes 2027 demonstrations of in-space refueling and satellite servicing(01:33) SpaceX files for IPO(02:17) Pentagon Enforces Commercial Satellite Blackout Over Middle East War Zone(02:52) Poland Just Made Sovereign SAR the European Default(03:17) SmallSat Europe Speaker Focus: John Rood, Momentus(03:47) Varda Space Industries W-6 Capsule Touches Down in South Australia(04:23) ESA and Spain Establish Formal Framework for Sovereign Satellite Connectivity(04:56) Lunar Robots: NASA Spotlights Moon Base at 2026 FIRST Robotics Competition(05:42) New Eruption in the Bismarck Sea(06:17) NASA TechLeap Prize: Robotically Manipulated Payload Challenge(07:00) Starship Flight 12: Welcome to the Show Block 3 and Pad 2(07:29) Dems Warn Golden Dome Will Accelerate the Nuclear Arms Race(08:17) NASA-Funded Research May Create Chinese Security Risk, Report Says(09:04) Scientists find a hidden route to the moon that saves fuel(09:39) SpaceX stacks Starship V3 rocket, completes major fueling test ahead of debut launch(10:22) US military test-launches nuclear-capable ICBM from California (photos)(11:06) Where did Neptune's mysterious moon Nereid come from? It may be the only survivor of the planet's violent history(11:41) NASA's Psyche spacecraft returns unfamiliar views of a familiar world