TWiS 212: Kabooms, Starship, and a Moon Base - What New Glenn’s Explosion Means for NASA’s Moon Base

What a wild week in space news! We were all set to discuss Starship Test Flight 12 and NASA's recent press conference updating their lunar base plans, when on Thursday night, Blue Origin lost a New Glenn rocket on the pad during a static test. The explosion appears to have severely damaged the launch structure, LC36, along with the loss of the rocket. Fortunately, there were no casualties. But this does throw NASA's schedule for returning American astronauts to the moon into question, given that the agency had recently signaled their choice of Blue Origin's Blue Moon lander for Artemis 4 in 2028. It's now a toss-up between the US and China, with the competition hotter--and closer--than ever. And of course, we'll still discuss Starship and the latest lunar base plans! Space.com's Mike Wall joins us.

Headlines:
• Blue Origin's New Glenn Rocket Explodes During Static Fire Test
• Manhattanhenge Aligns City Streets with the Sunset

Main Topic: NASA's Artemis Moon Base and Lunar Exploration Plans
• SpaceX Starship Flight 12 Performance and Booster Mishap Investigation
• Starship's Role in Artemis and Competitive Moon Race with China
• Moon Base Contract Awards: Landers, Rovers, and Robotics
• National Security and Legal Implications of Lunar "Territory"
• China's Push for a 2030 Lunar Landing and US Response Strategy

Hosts: Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik

Guest: Mike Wall

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