Planetary Radio

Let The Planetary Society’s weekly podcast take you to the outer reaches of the Solar System and beyond. Host Sarah Al-Ahmed visits with scientists, engineers, mission leaders, astronauts, advocates, and writers who provide their unique and exciting perspectives on the exploration of our universe. New episodes are published every Wednesday.

We are proud to feature Planetary Radio: Space Policy Edition on the first Friday of every month. The Planetary Society's Chief of Space Policy Casey Dreier dives deep into the policy and politics behind what we do and where we go in space.

You can also enjoy Planetary Radio: Book Club Edition every month. Hosted by the creator of Planetary Radio and The Planetary Society's Senior Communications Adviser, Mat Kaplan, the Book Club Edition podcast features discussions with authors of space-themed books

Latest Episodes

Space Policy Edition #3: Plutonium-238, Europa via SLS, Cost of the Next Mars Rover Rises

In our third episode, we debate the risks and rewards of tying the future of a Europa mission to the fate of NASA's massive Space Launch System rocket. Also, NASA just announced that the next Mars rover will cost $2.4 billion—$900 million more than initially thought. But the mission is not considered over budget. Why not? Lastly, the U.S. just generated 50 grams of Plutonium-238, the largest amount in nearly thirty years. We celebrate the successful effort to create this critically important, though highly toxic, power source for deep space spacecraft.

Interstellar Dreams Turn Real

Philip Lubin and his former student Travis Brashears have had quite a year. Their bold plan to send tiny probes to nearby stars is now supported by NASA and the Breakthrough Starshot $100 million dollar initiative. Hear their amazing story.

Anatomy of a Rover—Getting Down to Mars

It takes a lot of terrific components to create a successful spacecraft like Curiosity, the Mars Science Laboratory. We’ll visit JPL to learn about the Terminal Descent Sensor radar that will once again help land a rover on the Red Planet.

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Online & On the Air

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Sarah Al-Ahmed portrait
Planetary Radio Host Sarah Al-Ahmed is the host of Planetary Radio, The Planetary Society’s renowned, weekly space podcast and radio program.Image: The Planetary Society