Most people don't think of spaceflight when talking about the United Nations, but the UN, through its Office of Outer Space Affairs, or UNOOSA, has been pivotal in securing agreements on space poilicy and behavioral norms. This week, we speak with Aarti Holla-Maini, the director of UNOOSA, and Dr. Rick Jenet, the executive director of Expanding Frontiers and the National Space Society's representative to the UN, about the importance of this office. It's a wide-ranging discussion of the intersection of international space efforts and the intersection with commercial space as we expand activities into Earth orbit, the moon, and beyond.

Headlines:

• SpaceX Crew-12 Launch Sends New Astronauts to the ISS
• Vast Joins Commercial Flights to the ISS, Prepares for Private Space Stations
• Axiom and Vast Face Off in Commercial LEO Station Race
• International Collaboration Ramps Up for Future of Space Policy

Main Topic: Inside UNOOSA—The United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs

• Dr. Rick Janet Explains the Role of COPUOS and UNOOSA in Global Space Governance
• Aarti Holla-Maini Shares Her Path to Leading UNOOSA and Her Vision for Its Future
• Distinguishing UNOOSA (the office) from COPUOS (the committee)
• UNOOSA's Expanding Mission: Capacity Building, Disaster Response, Space Law, and Sustainability
• The Importance of Neutral Convening, Capacity Building, and Industry Input
• Growing Need for Space Sustainability, Debris Mitigation, and New Regulatory Focus
• Anticipating Lunar Activity: Resource Use, Transparency, and Non-Appropriation Principle
• Engaging Commercial Space Actors While Maintaining Member State Authority
• Megaconstellations: Building New Norms for Responsible Behavior in Orbit
• Future UNOOSA Goals: Coordinating Space Traffic, Centralizing Satellite Data Access, and Fostering Global Partnerships

Hosts: Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik

Guests: Fredrick (Rick) Jenet and Aarti Holla-Maini

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Amanda Silberling of TechCrunch joins Mikah Sargent this week on Tech News Weekly! A Stanford graduate built a matchmaking algorithm that's sweeping across the Stanford campus. Is social media "clinically addictive"? Discord announced an age-verification process that sparked privacy concerns among users. And the Virtual Boy is back?

• Amanda talks about an AI-powered dating app that was developed by a Stanford graduate and how dating for young adults is becoming more driven by tech.
• Mikah talks about the social media addiction trial and comments made by Instagram's CEO, Adam Mosseri.
• Emma Roth of The Verge joins the show to talk about Discord's age verification mandate that has sparked huge user privacy concerns, especially following a data breach the company suffered last year.
• And Scott Stein of CNET stops by to share his thoughts and time with Nintendo's revival of Virtual Boy as a replica accessory for the Nintendo Switch and Switch 2.

Hosts: Mikah Sargent and Amanda Silberling

Guests: Emma Roth and Scott Stein

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Speaker drivers haven't changed much in the last 100 years, but they have certain drawbacks, especially in small form factors such as earbuds. A company called SonicEdge is developing a new type of driver that takes a completely different approach. CEO and co-founder Moti Margalit talks about his company's innovations with Scott Wilkinson.

Host: Scott Wilkinson

Guest: Moti Margalit

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