Space News for Tuesday, April 21, 2026

In this episode, we aggregate and summarize today's top space news stories. Enjoy!(00:10) Podcast Introduction(00:21) Falcon 9 launches final GPS 3 satellite into orbit for U.S. Space Force(01:11) Artemis spacesuit development risks further delays(01:58) Pentagon officially ends OCX program, citing risk and delays(02:51) Latvia joins the Artemis Accords(03:23) SpaceX to launch final GPS III satellite for the U.S. Space Force(03:39) Blue Origin launches third New Glenn rocket, but payload ends up in wrong orbit(04:19) Meink: Space Force Programs Ready to Execute Once FY27 Budget Lands(04:59) Gen. Stephen Whiting: First USSPACECOM Operational Staff Arrive at Redstone This Week(05:37) Saltzman Rolls Out Space Force Objective Force, Flags CR as Top Risk(06:11) GMV Secures Lead Role in Seven 2025 European Defence Fund Initiatives(06:28) A School of Mud Volcano Islands in Azerbaijan(07:18) NASA on Track for Future Missions with Initial Artemis II Assessments(07:59) NASA Rolls Out Artemis III Moon Rocket Core Stage(08:40) Launch Preview: GPS, Progress, and Starlink missions to launch during busy week(08:59) NASA's Curiosity rover finds building blocks of life on Mars. Scientists aren't sure how they got there(09:27) NASA shuts down Voyager 1 instrument to keep probe exploring interstellar space(10:02) 600 rocket landings! SpaceX notches another milestone during Sunday Starlink launch (video)(10:46) Scientists found a 'bathtub ring' on Mars. Could it be evidence of an ancient Red Planet ocean?(11:23) Astronauts face grip strength challenge in space and on Earth, scientists find(12:01) Pentagon pulls the plug on one of the military's most troubled space programs