Space News for Wednesday, August 05, 2026

In this episode, we aggregate and summarize today's top space news stories. Enjoy!(00:10) Podcast Introduction(00:24) Neuraspace raises $18 million to expand sovereign space awareness(01:33) Voyager seeks relaxed requirements in NASA commercial space station RFP(01:48) SpaceX to begin Starship orbital flights(02:27) Rocket Lab, STR win Space Force contracts for airborne-target tracking(03:21) SpaceX launches 24 Starlink satellites on Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg SFB(04:10) ICEYE Appoints Former JPMorgan Managing Director Christos Kolimenakis as CEO of ICEYE UAE(04:41) AST SpaceMobile Commences Direct-to-Cellular Operations in Japan Alongside Rakuten(04:59) Rocket Lab Outlines Commercial Innovation Strategy to Challenge SpaceX Market Dominance(05:27) Take Root Bio and Heriot-Watt University Spin Space Recycled-Life Systems into Terrestrial Biofuel Production(06:10) IBSAT Becomes Authorized Amazon Leo Distributor Across Spain and Portugal(06:41) August 2026 Satellite Puzzler(07:15) NASA Provides Updates on Moon Base Cargo Landers, Tech Demonstrations(08:15) Crew-13 pilot reflects on career, training, and upcoming science ahead of flight to ISS(08:38) While SpaceX recovers Ship 40, Ship 41 prepares for testing ahead of Flight 14(09:20) FL Governor Candidate Launches Space Race Policy(10:05) Xona Clears Final Regulatory Hurdle for PNT Constellation(10:54) Kreios Taps Kongsberg NanoAvionics for 2028 VLEO Demo(11:45) SpaceX wants to launch next Starship this month (and catch it, too), Elon Musk says in 1st earnings call since historic IPO(12:28) SpaceX launches 3 giant BlueBird direct-to-cell satellites on Falcon 9 rocket(13:13) 'A very busy mission': SpaceX on track to launch 4 astronauts to the ISS on Sept. 12(14:06) A 9,000-pound SpaceX rocket will crash into the moon tonight. Will you be able to see it?