Space News for Saturday, February 14, 2026

In this episode, we aggregate and summarize today's top space news stories. Enjoy!<br>(00:10) Podcast Introduction<br>(00:23) A new book captures the forces shaping space: China, the moon and industry<br>(01:05) Senate committee advances FCC satellite licensing bill after changes<br>(01:37) Startup bets on new approach to space-based missile defense<br>(02:03) Crew-12 launches to ISS<br>(03:01) Vast wins ISS private astronaut mission<br>(03:50) Viasat Report Signals Industrial “Rush” Toward Direct-to-Device (D2D) Connectivity<br>(04:25) Crew-12 Launches<br>(05:17) Axiom Space Raises $350M to Fuel Station, Suit Development<br>(06:07) SpaceX Crew-12 astronauts have a Valentine's Day date with the space station today. Watch the docking live<br>(06:30) 'The beacons were lit!' Scientists name merging supermassive black holes after 'Lord of the Rings' locations<br>(06:59) A mystery object is dimming a distant star. Could it be a massive exoplanet, or a 'failed star'?<br>(07:42) Artemis 2 rocket photobombs SpaceX Crew-12 | Space photo of the day for Feb. 13, 2026<br>(08:25) If the Winter Olympics went interplanetary, where else could you ski in the solar system?<br>