This week, we're covering what's been trending in Space News for the last 8 days...and EUROPE FINALLY HAS ITS OWN RIDE TO ORBIT! A German company launched a commercial rocket to orbit from Norway — and almost nobody covered it, including SKYE on its first pass.
We also get into NASA's failed rescue of the Swift telescope, and a nuclear-powered spacecraft at the edge of the solar system that's on the chopping block. Space News gathered by our AI Assistant SKYE and reported by your human host Spaceman Alex! I'm Alex G. Orphanos, your space science podcast host and your favorite mad scientist.
Tell me what you think of the SKYE Report, and which segments to dig deeper into. If the New Horizons segment lands with you, the ask at the end is real — it worked last year.
SAVE NEW HORIZONS: https://www.science.org/content/article/nasa-s-new-horizons-mission-may-shut-down-two-instruments-over-lack-funding
WATCH our LIVE Launch Hangout for Roman Space Telescope: https://www.youtube.com/live/V3pipbUu3X0?si=5yUMqzM-kcf6O_2K
Be well, stay safe, and stay curious.
SPREAD LOVE, SPREAD SCIENCE, AND STAY CURIOUS.
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Youtube Video: https://youtu.be/QoLvWnAq8sw
CHAPTERS
00:00 Welcome — what SKYE is and what this report does
00:35 The hook: Isar reaches orbit, and how it nearly got missed
01:10 The rundown — Aug 30 to Sep 6, six launches, six successes
01:31 SKYE's trends — lunar at 1.6x, down from last week's 11x
01:54 Roman Space Telescope launches, and our live hangout
02:23 Isar Aerospace — the launch from Andoya, and what ESA said
02:56 The Spectrum vehicle and its payload
03:07 My take — why Europe needs its own launch capability
04:12 How the story got buried, and the fix in SKYE
05:04 SKYE picks — Pallas-1's debut, and the Venus mission still grounded
05:48 What's next — Progress MS-35, MS-33, Long March, USSF-153
06:41 The Swift Observatory and the failed rescue 07:00 The Swift timeline, Aug 9 to Aug 31
07:28 Isaacman and Domagal-Goldman on taking smart risks
08:42 New Horizons — a nuclear spacecraft on the funding chopping block
09:20 What New Horizons is and where it is now 10:56 The ask — call your representatives
12:36 Close
WATCH THIS WEEK
Progress MS-35 docks with the station Friday the 11th at 18:37 UTC, and NASA is carrying it live. https://plus.nasa.gov/scheduled-video/progress-96-cargo-ship-docking/
SOURCES FOR THIS EPISODE
ISAR AEROSPACE ESA — Isar Aerospace achieves first launch to orbit from continental Europe https://www.esa.int/Enabling_Support/Space_Transportation/Boost/Isar_Aerospace_achieves_first_launch_to_orbit_from_continental_Europe
Ars Technica — German company is first in Europe to launch a fully commercial orbital rocket https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/09/german-company-becomes-first-in-europe-to-launch-fully-commercial-orbital-rocket/
Via Satellite — PLD Space, Isar and RFA land ESA Launcher Challenge contracts https://www.satellitetoday.com/launch/2026/08/27/pld-space-isar-aerospace-and-rocket-factory-augsburg-land-esa-contracts-in-launch-challenge/
SWIFT
Via Satellite — Katalyst LINK mission is unable to rescue NASA's Swift observatory https://www.satellitetoday.com/technology/2026/08/19/katalyst-link-mission-is-unable-to-rescue-nasa-swift-observatory/
Space.com — Swift restarts science work after the rescue mission fails https://www.space.com/space-exploration/missions/nasas-doomed-swift-space-telescope-restarts-science-work-after-rescue-mission-fails
NASA — Updates on next steps for the commercial Swift boost mission https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/nasa-updates-next-steps-for-commercial-swift-boost-mission/ NEW HORIZONS Science — New Horizons may shut down two instruments over lack of funding https://www.science.org/content/article/nasa-s-new-horizons-mission-may-shut-down-two-instruments-over-lack-funding
NASA — New Horizons mission page https://science.nasa.gov/mission/new-horizons/
The Planetary Society — You just saved NASA's budget: the FY2026 outcome https://www.planetary.org/articles/advocacy-success-fy2026-nasa-budget
Full list with timestamps is pinned in the comments.
IMAGES: ESA / Isar Aerospace (CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO) · NASA / JHUAPL / SwRI · NASA
#isaraerospace #newhorizons #swift #spacenews #esa #nasa #spacex #spacepodcast #todayinspace
