This Week in Space 161: The TWiS Comedy Hour!

It's time for Rod and Tariq to catch up on headlines... and space dad jokes! We're going to update you on the ever-slimming NASA budget, the latest news on the Voyager spacecraft, what's up with the SLS, Orion capsule, and Artemis programs? SpaceX's 9th Starship test flight, AliBaba in orbit, and the end of the universe. And more space jokes than ever for you to choke on.

• Gilmore Space Launch Attempt: Gilmore Space's Ares rocket experienced a payload fairing separation on the pad before launch.
• NASA Budget Cuts & Artemis Program: Proposed budget cuts threaten NASA's Space Launch System (SLS), Orion capsule, and Lunar Gateway, sparking debate about the future of the Artemis program and a potential shift towards commercial solutions.
• Voyager 1 Thrusters: After 21 years of inactivity, Voyager 1 successfully fired its backup thrusters, ensuring continued communication from interstellar space.
• NASA Advisory Groups React: NASA advisory groups, including the Mars Exploration Program Advisory Group, expressed concern over budget cuts and their potential to hinder U.S. leadership in space exploration.
• Texas MARS Act: Texas Senator John Cornyn proposed allocating $1 billion for modernizing the Johnson Space Center.
• Intuitive Machines Update: Intuitive Machines plans to return to the moon in Q1 2026 with Intuitive Machines 3, having identified and addressed the causes of previous landing failures.
• SpaceX Starship Update: Elon Musk will provide an update on SpaceX's Mars plans before the next Starship test flight, frlight 9, addressing challenges like refueling the vehicle in space.
• The End of the Universe: Astrophysicists predict the universe's end, or "heat death", will occur sooner than previously thought, approximately 10 to the power of 78 years from now.
• China's Orbital Computing Sats: China launched its first 12 orbital computing satellites, part of a planned 2,800-satellite constellation designed to shift power-hungry computing and AI capabilities off-planet.
• Starlink Profitability: SpaceX's Starlink satellite internet business has generated $11.8 billion in revenue in 2024, surpassing its space transportation business.
• VIPER Lunar Rover: NASA may be working to save the VIPER lunar prospecting rover mission, which was previously canceled due to lander delays.
• Solar Flare Activity: The sun has unleashed a strong solar flare, an X2.7 magnitude, with the potential for increased auroras on Earth.
• Auroras on Mars: Perseverance rover images reveal the first visible light auroras on Mars from the planet's surface.
• Virgin Galactic Update: Virgin Galactic plans to launch its new Spaceship Delta fleet in early 2026 and resume ticket sales, with prices increases to come.

Hosts: Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik

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