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On Episode 219 of This Week In Space, Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik discuss the space headlines for the past few weeks.It's been busy, and some exciting things are happening! A couple of companies are moving into the space solar power arena — something we've long advocated — and that's welcome progress. Starship is set to fly Starship test number 13, and a lot is riding on this — the system is overdue for some proof of concept to keep up with NASA's HLS contract.

An exoplanet spotted a decade ago has shown signs of a potentially habitable atmosphere; there are landslides — big ones — on Pluto, and evidence of "space candy" sugars in an interstellar cloud are in the news. Finally, SpaceX is doubling down on their big defense contracts with a well-funded US Space Force. Join us for all the latest!

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SpaceX's Starship Flight 13 test launch aborts at last second

Meteorite that crashed through New Jersey house could hold the clues to life's origins

Astronomers discover 1st atmosphere around a rocky Earth-like planet in the habitable zone

How NASA's Artemis III Lander Test Will Pave Way for Moon Landings

NASA Taps SpaceX's Starlink to Deliver Artemis III Imagery from Orion

Blue Origin continues work on lunar landers during recovery from New Glenn explosion

SpaceX launches 21 'data transport' satellites for US military

The FCC just gave Reflect Orbital permission to launch its 1st space mirror to orbit. Tens of thousands more could follow

A "disaster waiting to happen"? Industry officials worry about Crew Dragon availability.

Spacecraft Commissioning On Track for Mission to Boost NASA's Swift

Raspberry sugar spotted in interstellar space, a sweet discovery that could reveal clues about life's origins

Defense Innovation Unit - Space Power Beaming

Nature study identifies a new way to spot nuclear weapons in orbit

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Finally, did you know you can launch your own SpaceX rocket? Model rocket maker Estes' stunning scale model of a Falcon 9 rocket that you can pick up now. The launchable model is a detailed recreation of the Falcon 9 and retails for $149.99. You can save 10% by using the code IN-COLLECTSPACE at checkout, courtesy of our partners collectSPACE.com.

This Week in Space covers the new space age. Every Friday we take a deep dive into a fascinating topic. What's happening with the new race to the moon and other planets? When will SpaceX really send people to Mars?

Join Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik from Space.com as they tackle those questions and more each week on Friday afternoons. You can subscribe today on your favorite podcatcher.