On The Space Show for Wednesday, 22 April 2026:

Turning Back Time

80 years since the first test launch of a V-2 rocket from American soil:

At 2:47 on the afternoon of Tuesday, 16 April 1946, a captured Nazi V-2 missile ascended into the sky from the U.S. Army's new White Sands Proving Ground in south-central New Mexico. It didn't get very far. The guidance system failed, a fin came off, and the rocket—after reaching an altitude of only 3.4 miles—crashed in the desert.

65 years since Yuri Gagarin became the first human in space:

On 12 April 1961, at 6:07 am UTC, the Vostok 3KA-3 (Vostok 1) spacecraft was launched from Baikonur Cosmodrome. Aboard was Yuri Gagarin, the first human to travel into space.

45 Years since the first flight of the Space Shuttle:

On 12 April 1981, the world's first reusable spacecraft, the Space Shuttle Columbia, was launched from Kennedy Space Centre, beginning the STS-1 mission. Commander John Young & pilot Robert Crippen strapped into the most complex machine ever built, with no test run or uncrewed test flight, and made history.

35 years since the launch of the Gamma-ray Observatory:

On 5 April 1991, the Compton Gamma-ray Observatory (CGRO) was launched aboard the Space Shuttle Atlantis from the Kennedy Space Center.

On The Space Show for Wednesday, 15 April 2026:

2025 International Astronautical Congress (IAC), Sydney:

"If you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go together.”

Part 2 of an astronaut panel discussion marking 25 years of continuous human presence on the International Space Station.

The astronauts are:

• Julie Payette (moderator) — Canadian engineer, scientist and former astronaut who served as the 29th Governor General of Canada from 2017 to 2021.
• Yi So-yeon — South Korean astronaut and biotechnologist who became the first South Korean to fly in space.
• Koichi Wakata — Japanese engineer and an astronaut working for Axiom Space after retiring from JAXA.
• Andreas Mogenson — Danish engineer and ESA astronaut who is best known for being the first Dane to fly in space.
• Alper Gezeravcı — a military pilot and the first Turkish astronaut who flew to the International Space Station with Axiom Mission 3 (Ax-3).
• Andrew Feustel — American/Canadian NASA astronaut and geophysicist who most recently served as commander on the International Space Station for Expedition 55 and 56.

On The Space Show for Wednesday, 8 April 2026:

Space Show News: Artemis II update

2025 International Astronautical Congress (IAC), Sydney:

• Lessons learned at Gilmour Space with Adam Gilmour, CEO and co-founder of Gilmour Space Technologies
• A conversation between the head of the Australian Space Agency (ASA), Enrico Palermo, and the President of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), Dr Hiroshi Yamakawa.
• Part 1 of an astronaut panel discussion marking 25 years of continuous human presence on the International Space Station. The astronauts are:

• • ⁠Julie Payette⁠ (moderator) — Canadian engineer, scientist and former astronaut who served as the 29th Governor General of Canada from 2017 to 2021.
  • ⁠Yi So-yeon ⁠— South Korean astronaut and biotechnologist who became the first South Korean to fly in space.
  • ⁠Koichi Wakata ⁠— Japanese engineer and an astronaut working for Axiom Space after retiring from JAXA.
  • ⁠Andreas Mogenson⁠ — Danish engineer and ESA astronaut who is best known for being the first Dane to fly in space.
  • ⁠Alper Gezeravcı⁠ — a military pilot and the first Turkish astronaut who flew to the International Space Station with Axiom Mission 3 (Ax-3).
  • ⁠Andrew Feustel ⁠ — American/Canadian NASA astronaut and geophysicist who most recently served as commander on the International Space Station for Expedition 55 and 56.