This Week In Space podcast: Episode 208 — Lander, Lander, Who's Got a Lander

On Episode 208 of This Week In Space , Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik talk with Space.com's Mike Wall about the risks and realities of the new space race to the moon. Lander, lander... who's got a lander? With NASA planning orbital tests of the Artemis landers in 2027 and a crewed landing in 2028, the pressure is on for SpaceX and Blue Origin to make good on their Human Landing System contracts. Who’s actually going to put American astronauts back on the Moon first? This week’s episode digs into the high-stakes race between the companies, surfacing new details and doubts about whether either lander will be ready in time. Both have to fly into Earth orbit, refuel multiple times, and perform robotic test landings on the moon (in addition to the Artemis III rendezvous and docking tests) before NASA can land astronauts on the moon — and they need to get it all done by 2028. Article continues below Download or subscribe to this show at: https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-space . Get episodes ad-free with Club TWiT at https://twit.tv/clubtwit Space news of the week Model Falcon 9! 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. …