Artemis II passes critical fueling test & Boeing Starliner safety investigation results - Space News (Feb 20, 2026)
February 20, 20263m 57s
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Show Notes
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Today's topics: Artemis II passes critical fueling test - NASA successfully completed the second wet dress rehearsal for Artemis II on February 19th, loading over 700,000 gallons of propellant without major hydrogen leaks, positioning the mission for a potential March 6th launch. Boeing Starliner safety investigation results - An independent investigation into Boeing's Starliner crewed flight test revealed multiple technical and management failures classified as a Type A mishap, prompting NASA to halt further crewed flights until significant corrections are made. SpaceX completes dual Starlink launches - SpaceX executed successful Starlink launches and booster landings, continuing to expand its satellite megaconstellation toward providing global broadband internet coverage. Private space stations advancing in 2026 - NASA selected Vast for the sixth private astronaut mission to the ISS launching in summer 2027, advancing the commercial space economy as the agency prepares for ISS transition and lunar exploration. Six-planet alignment visible this month - A rare six-planet alignment will occur on February 28th, with Mercury, Venus, Saturn, Jupiter, Uranus, and Neptune visible in Earth's evening sky for skywatchers.
Episode Transcript
Artemis II passes critical fueling test
Let's start with some genuine progress on the lunar front. NASA's Artemis II mission passed a critical test yesterday. Engineers successfully loaded over seven hundred thousand gallons of supercold propellant into the Space Launch System rocket at Kennedy Space Center without experiencing the hydrogen leaks that plagued earlier attempts. This is the second time they've run through this full fueling procedure, and this time it went cleanly. The Artemis II crew, which includes NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, along with Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen, are now preparing to enter quarantine. If everything continues on schedule, they could launch as early as March sixth to fly around the Moon and back. This mission would be the first crewed lunar journey since Apollo seventeen in nineteen seventy-two—that's over fifty years ago. The crew will travel farther from Earth than any humans in history.
Boeing Starliner safety investigation results
Now, shifting gears to some troubling news in the commercial space sector. NASA released an independent investigation yesterday into Boeing's Starliner spacecraft following its crewed test flight last year. The report doesn't pull any punches. Investigators found a troubling mix of hardware failures, qualification gaps, and what they call leadership missteps. NASA officially classified the flight as a Type A mishap—the most serious category. While the astronauts eventually made it home safely, the investigation revealed that better decisions could have made the outcome very different. NASA administrator Jared Isaacman was direct about the agency's role, saying the pressure to ensure the success of having two independent crew vehicles led to decisions that exceeded reasonable bounds. Boeing will need to make significant corrections before NASA flies another crew on Starliner.
SpaceX completes dual Starlink launches
On the launch front, SpaceX has been busy. They executed a successful Starlink mission launch yesterday from Cape Canaveral, and a Falcon Nine booster made another impressive landing on a droneship in the Bahamas—marking only the second time SpaceX has pulled off that particular feat. Meanwhile, they have another Starlink launch scheduled for today. These continuous launches are steadily building out the Starlink constellation toward providing near-global broadband coverage.
Private space stations advancing in 2026
Looking at the commercial space economy more broadly, NASA announced this week that it selected Vast Space for the sixth private astronaut mission to the International Space Station, targeted for summer twenty twenty-seven. This continues NASA's push toward commercializing low Earth orbit and preparing for the inevitable transition away from the ISS when it eventually reaches the end of its operational life.
Six-planet alignment visible this month
Finally, if you enjoy stargazing, here's something to mark on your calendar. Toward the end of this month, specifically on February twenty-eighth, six planets will align in Earth's evening sky. You'll be able to see Mercury, Venus, Saturn, and Jupiter with your naked eye if you have decent viewing conditions. You'll need binoculars or a telescope for Uranus and Neptune. The best viewing window is about thirty minutes after sunset, looking toward the western sky. Venus will be the easiest to spot—it'll be the brightest by far.
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Today's topics: Artemis II passes critical fueling test - NASA successfully completed the second wet dress rehearsal for Artemis II on February 19th, loading over 700,000 gallons of propellant without major hydrogen leaks, positioning the mission for a potential March 6th launch. Boeing Starliner safety investigation results - An independent investigation into Boeing's Starliner crewed flight test revealed multiple technical and management failures classified as a Type A mishap, prompting NASA to halt further crewed flights until significant corrections are made. SpaceX completes dual Starlink launches - SpaceX executed successful Starlink launches and booster landings, continuing to expand its satellite megaconstellation toward providing global broadband internet coverage. Private space stations advancing in 2026 - NASA selected Vast for the sixth private astronaut mission to the ISS launching in summer 2027, advancing the commercial space economy as the agency prepares for ISS transition and lunar exploration. Six-planet alignment visible this month - A rare six-planet alignment will occur on February 28th, with Mercury, Venus, Saturn, Jupiter, Uranus, and Neptune visible in Earth's evening sky for skywatchers.
Episode Transcript
Artemis II passes critical fueling test
Let's start with some genuine progress on the lunar front. NASA's Artemis II mission passed a critical test yesterday. Engineers successfully loaded over seven hundred thousand gallons of supercold propellant into the Space Launch System rocket at Kennedy Space Center without experiencing the hydrogen leaks that plagued earlier attempts. This is the second time they've run through this full fueling procedure, and this time it went cleanly. The Artemis II crew, which includes NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, along with Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen, are now preparing to enter quarantine. If everything continues on schedule, they could launch as early as March sixth to fly around the Moon and back. This mission would be the first crewed lunar journey since Apollo seventeen in nineteen seventy-two—that's over fifty years ago. The crew will travel farther from Earth than any humans in history.
Boeing Starliner safety investigation results
Now, shifting gears to some troubling news in the commercial space sector. NASA released an independent investigation yesterday into Boeing's Starliner spacecraft following its crewed test flight last year. The report doesn't pull any punches. Investigators found a troubling mix of hardware failures, qualification gaps, and what they call leadership missteps. NASA officially classified the flight as a Type A mishap—the most serious category. While the astronauts eventually made it home safely, the investigation revealed that better decisions could have made the outcome very different. NASA administrator Jared Isaacman was direct about the agency's role, saying the pressure to ensure the success of having two independent crew vehicles led to decisions that exceeded reasonable bounds. Boeing will need to make significant corrections before NASA flies another crew on Starliner.
SpaceX completes dual Starlink launches
On the launch front, SpaceX has been busy. They executed a successful Starlink mission launch yesterday from Cape Canaveral, and a Falcon Nine booster made another impressive landing on a droneship in the Bahamas—marking only the second time SpaceX has pulled off that particular feat. Meanwhile, they have another Starlink launch scheduled for today. These continuous launches are steadily building out the Starlink constellation toward providing near-global broadband coverage.
Private space stations advancing in 2026
Looking at the commercial space economy more broadly, NASA announced this week that it selected Vast Space for the sixth private astronaut mission to the International Space Station, targeted for summer twenty twenty-seven. This continues NASA's push toward commercializing low Earth orbit and preparing for the inevitable transition away from the ISS when it eventually reaches the end of its operational life.
Six-planet alignment visible this month
Finally, if you enjoy stargazing, here's something to mark on your calendar. Toward the end of this month, specifically on February twenty-eighth, six planets will align in Earth's evening sky. You'll be able to see Mercury, Venus, Saturn, and Jupiter with your naked eye if you have decent viewing conditions. You'll need binoculars or a telescope for Uranus and Neptune. The best viewing window is about thirty minutes after sunset, looking toward the western sky. Venus will be the easiest to spot—it'll be the brightest by far.
Subscribe to edition specific feeds:
- Space news
* Apple Podcast English
* Spotify English
* RSS English Spanish French
- Top news
* Apple Podcast English Spanish French
* Spotify English Spanish French
* RSS English Spanish French
- Tech news
* Apple Podcast English Spanish French
* Spotify English Spanish Spanish
* RSS English Spanish French
- Hacker news
* Apple Podcast English Spanish French
* Spotify English Spanish French
* RSS English Spanish French
- AI news
* Apple Podcast English Spanish French
* Spotify English Spanish French
* RSS English Spanish French
Visit our website at https://theautomateddaily.com/
Send feedback to [email protected]
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X (Twitter)