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Anna: Welcome to Astronomy Daily. I'm your host,

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Anna, bringing you the pulse of our cosmic

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frontier. Today, we're diving into a

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constellation of exciting developments that

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showcase humanity's relentless pursuit of the

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stars. The space industry never sleeps,

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and this week proves it. With a flurry of

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activity that spans from Earth's atmosphere

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to the mysterious shores of Titan,

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we've got a packed episode exploring

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breakthroughs that could reshape our

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understanding of the universe and our place

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within it. Let's get into it then.

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First up today, the Federal Aviation

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administration has given SpaceX the green

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light for its next starship launch, providing

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final approval on May 22 for what will be

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the ninth Test flight of this massive

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spacecraft. This comes after a careful review

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of the mishaps that occurred during previous

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launch attempts. For those who haven't been

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following Starship's development journey,

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this approval represents a significant

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milestone in SpaceX's ambitious programme to

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develop the world's largest and most powerful

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rocket system. The FAA's decision

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indicates they're satisfied with SpaceX's

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response to the problems encountered during

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Flight 8 back in March. During that previous

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launch, Starship's upper Stage experienced

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what SpaceX described as an energetic event,

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a technical way of saying something went

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dramatically wrong. This event caused the

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loss of several Raptor engines and ultimately

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resulted in the vehicle losing control m the

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spacecraft eventually re entered Earth's

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atmosphere over the Caribbean. What's

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particularly noteworthy is that this failure

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looked remarkably similar to what happened

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during Flight 7 in January. Despite the

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ongoing mishap investigation into Flight 8

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not being officially closed, the FAA

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determined that SpaceX has satisfactorily

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addressed the causes of the mishap and that

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the vehicle can safely return to flight. This

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approach mirrors what the agency did for

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Flight 8, essentially concluding that the

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launch does not pose a safety risk to the

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public. One significant change for Flight 9

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involves the expansion of aircraft hazard

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areas, or AHAs. These are

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airspace closures designed to prevent any

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debris from a launch failure from potentially

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hitting aircraft. An environmental review

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concluded that these safety zones needed to

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be considerably expanded based on data from

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the previous launches, which suggested a

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higher probability of failure than than

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originally estimated. The numbers here are

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striking. The aha for Flight 9 will extend

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east from SpaceX's Starbase facility in South

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Texas for approximately 1,600

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nautical miles. That's nearly 3,000

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kilometres past the Straits of Florida,

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including the Bahamas and Turks and Caicos

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Islands. By comparison, the

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hazard area for Flight 8 extended for just

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885 nautical miles, or about

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1,640 kilometres.

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Another factor contributing to these expanded

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safety measures is SpaceX's plan to use a

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previously flown super heavy booster on the

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upcoming mission. This marks the first time

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they've attempted to reuse a super heavy

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booster, adding another layer of complexity

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and potential risk to the mission. While

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SpaceX hasn't announced an official launch

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date yet, temporary flight restrictions

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published by the FAA shortly after the

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approval announcement indicate they're

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working toward a launch as soon as May 27th.

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As always with experimental rockets of this

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scale, that date remains fluid and dependent

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on both technical readiness and weather

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conditions. The stakes remain incredibly

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high for Starship as the vehicle

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designed to eventually carry humans to the

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moon as part of NASA's Artemis programme and

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later to M Mars. Each test flight provides

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critical Data that moves SpaceX closer to

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achieving these ambitious goals, but the

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path to creating a fully reusable super heavy

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lift launch system has proven challenging,

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with each test revealing new hurdles to

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overcome.

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And in SpaceX competitor news today, Blue

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Origin is making bold strides in the lunar

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exploration arena, with plans to attempt

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landing an uncrewed prototype of its human

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landing system on the moon's south pole

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before the end of this year. This ambitious

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timeline was revealed by John Colouris, Blue

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Origin's senior vice president of lunar

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permanence, as the company accelerates its

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efforts to become a key player in NASA's

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Artemis programme. Blue Origin's lunar

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lander is one of two systems being developed

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in partnership with NASA to support crewed

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landings on the moon. While SpaceX

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secured the first two flight service

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contracts for NASA's Artemis 3 and 4 missions

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with its Starship variant, Blue Origin system

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has been selected for the Artemis 5 mission,

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establishing a competitive dual provider

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approach to lunar transportation. The

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company's Mark 1 Lander, which is scheduled

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for this year's demonstration mission, boasts

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impressive capabilities. It's designed to

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deliver nearly 3.9 tonnes of payload to

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any location on the lunar surface. This

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capacity significantly outperforms the small

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robotic landers that NASA is developing under

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its commercial Lunar Payload Services

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contracts, which can carry up to about one

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tonne. At the heart of the Mark 1 is

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the BE7 engine, a sophisticated

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propulsion system that runs on liquid oxygen

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and liquid hydrogen. Assembly of the flight

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unit is nearly complete and is expected to be

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shipped to Johnson Space Centre in Houston

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within six weeks for thermal vacuum chamber

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testing. After completing those tests, the

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engine will be transported to Cape Canaveral

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for integration with the lander before

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launching aboard Blue Origin's new Glenn

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rocket. Beyond testing technologies and

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operations for future Mark 2 vehicles, the

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Mark 1 mission will carry scientific payloads

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for both NASA and commercial customers.

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One key NASA experiment will measure BE7

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plume impingement on the lunar surface,

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providing valuable data about how rocket

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exhaust interacts with lunar regolith.

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Colloris also unveiled an updated design

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for the system's transporter module, which is

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a critical component of Blue Origin's lunar

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architecture. This vehicle is designed to

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launch separately on a new Glenn rocket and

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be refuelled in low Earth orbit using

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excess propellant from the rocket's upper

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stage. The transporter would then travel to

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lunar orbit to refuel a waiting Blue Origin

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lander before a crew arrives via NASA's Space

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Launch System and Orion capsule.

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The transporter's capabilities extend beyond

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lunar missions, with the ability to transport

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roughly 110 tonnes from Earth orbit to

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lunar orbit, or up to 33 tonnes to Mars

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orbit. This opens up the solar system,

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Kolluris noted, highlighting the company's

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vision beyond just moon landings, Blue

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Origin is also making significant progress in

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addressing one of the biggest challenges for

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long duration space propellant storage.

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A ground demonstration of zero boil off

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cryogenic propellant storage is currently

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underway in Washington State. By June, the

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company expects to demonstrate consistent

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storage of cryogenic hydrogen and oxygen as

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storable propellants, a technological

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breakthrough that would be the first of its

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kind at this scale. This lunar demonstration

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mission represents a crucial step in Blue

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Origin's journey to becoming a major player

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in deep space exploration, creating a

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competitive landscape that may ultimately

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benefit NASA's ambitious plans to establish

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a sustainable human presence on the moon.

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Next up, let's move on out to Saturn. When it

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descends through the thick golden haze on

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Saturn's moon Titan, NASA's Dragonfly

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rotorcraft will find itself in a world that

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is simultaneously alien and strangely

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familiar. This car sized flying

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vehicle, scheduled to launch no earlier than

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2028, will explore a frigid

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realm where dunes wrap around the equator,

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clouds drift across the skies, rain

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drizzles down and rivers flow, forming

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canyons, lakes and seas. But the

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familiarity ends there. At temperatures of

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-292 degrees Fahrenheit,

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Titan's Dune Sands aren't made of silicate

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grains like on Earth, but of organic

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material. The rivers, lakes and seas don't

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contain water, but liquid methane and ethane.

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This frigid world is laden with organic

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molecules, making it a unique laboratory for

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studying the chemical processes that may have

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led to life on our planet. What makes

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Dragonfly's mission so fascinating is that it

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isn't looking for life itself on Titan. It's

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investigating the chemistry that came before

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biology here on Earth. As Zibby

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Turtle, principal investigator for Dragonfly

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and a planetary scientist at Johns Hopkins

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Applied Physics Laboratory, explains, On

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Titan, scientists can explore the chemical

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processes that may have led to life on Earth

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without life itself Complicating the picture

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on our planet, life has reshaped nearly

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everything, Burying its chemical forebears

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beneath aeons of evolution. Even today's

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simplest microbes Rely on complex chemical

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reactions to exist. The transition from

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simple to complex chemistry before jumping to

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biology Remains one of science's greatest

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mysteries. With many steps still unknown,

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Titan offers a unique opportunity to uncover

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some of these missing pieces. What makes

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Titan so valuable is that it's an untouched

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chemical laboratory where all the ingredients

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for known lifeorganic molecules,

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liquid water and energy sources have

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interacted in the past. Before NASA's

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Cassini Huygens mission, researchers didn't

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fully appreciate just how rich titin is in

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organic molecules. Data revealed a molecular

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smorgasbord ethane, propane,

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acetylene, acetone, vinyl,

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cyanide, benzene and many more compounds.

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These molecules fall to Titan's surface,

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forming thick deposits on the moon's ice

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bedrock. Scientists believe life related

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chemistry could begin there, particularly if

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given some liquid water, such as from an

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asteroid impact. This is why selk crater,

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a 50 mile wide impact site, is a key

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destination for Dragonfly. The impact that

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formed Selkirk melted the icy bedrock,

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Potentially creating a temporary pool that

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could have remained liquid for hundreds to

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thousands of years under an insulating ice

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layer. If natural antifreeze like ammonia

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were mixed in, the pool could have stayed

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unfrozen even longer, Blending water with

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organics and minerals from the impactor to

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form what scientists describe as a primordial

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soup. As Sarah Horst, an atmospheric

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chemist and co investigator on Dragonfly's

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science team, puts it, it's essentially a

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long running chemical experiment. That's why

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Titan is exciting. It's a natural version of

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our origin of life experiments. Except it's

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been running much longer and on a planetary

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scale. Selk Crater represents what

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scientists call a, natural laboratory,

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One that may hold crucial clues to life's

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origins. When researchers try to understand

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how life began on Earth, they face a

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fundamental challenge. Time. For decades,

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scientists have simulated early Earth

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conditions in labs, creating prebiotic soup

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mixtures of water and simple organic

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compounds, Then jump starting reactions with

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electrical shocks to mimic lightning. But

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these experiments typically last weeks,

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months, or at most a few years. The

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melt pools at Salt Crater, however,

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potentially persisted for tens of thousands

270
00:11:10.470 --> 00:11:12.870
of years. While this is still shorter than

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the hundreds of millions of years it took for

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life to emerge on Earth. Models suggest it

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could be sufficient time for critical

274
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chemical processes to unfold. As Horst

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explains, We don't know if Earth life took so

276
00:11:24.590 --> 00:11:26.510
long because conditions had to stabilise or

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because the chemistry itself needed time. But

278
00:11:29.470 --> 00:11:32.069
models show that if you toss Titan's organics

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into water, tens of thousands of years is

280
00:11:34.510 --> 00:11:37.230
plenty of time for chemistry to happen. This

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is why Dragonflies exploration of Selk is so

282
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important. Landing near the crater, the the

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rotorcraft will fly from site to site,

284
00:11:44.390 --> 00:11:46.350
analysing the surface chemistry to

285
00:11:46.350 --> 00:11:48.470
investigate what could be the frozen remains

286
00:11:48.470 --> 00:11:51.230
of prebiotic chemistry in action. The

287
00:11:51.230 --> 00:11:53.510
impact that formed Selk created ideal

288
00:11:53.510 --> 00:11:56.070
conditions for this chemistry, melting water

289
00:11:56.070 --> 00:11:58.349
ice and potentially mixing it with organic

290
00:11:58.349 --> 00:12:00.550
compounds already present on Titan's surface.

291
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The Dragonfly mass spectrometer, or DRAMS,

292
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will be crucial to this investigation.

293
00:12:06.790 --> 00:12:08.830
Developed by NASA's Goddard Space Flight

294
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Centre with a key subsystem from CNS,

295
00:12:11.470 --> 00:12:13.510
DRAMS will search for indicators of complex

296
00:12:13.510 --> 00:12:15.790
chemistry rather than specific molecules.

297
00:12:16.430 --> 00:12:18.630
We're not looking for exact molecules, but

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patterns that suggest complexity, explains

299
00:12:21.310 --> 00:12:24.150
Morgan Cable, a research scientist at NASA's

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Jet Propulsion Laboratory and co investigator

301
00:12:26.750 --> 00:12:29.350
on Dragonfly. On Earth, for instance,

302
00:12:29.350 --> 00:12:31.990
amino acids, fundamental building blocks of

303
00:12:31.990 --> 00:12:34.870
proteins, appear in specific patterns. A

304
00:12:34.870 --> 00:12:36.790
world without life would mainly produce the

305
00:12:36.790 --> 00:12:39.580
simplest amino acids and form fewer complex

306
00:12:39.580 --> 00:12:42.380
ones. Titan itself isn't considered habitable

307
00:12:42.380 --> 00:12:44.820
in the conventional sense. It's far too cold

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00:12:44.820 --> 00:12:46.860
for life's chemistry as we understand it,

309
00:12:46.940 --> 00:12:48.940
with no liquid water on the surface where

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00:12:48.940 --> 00:12:51.780
organics and energy sources exist. But

311
00:12:51.780 --> 00:12:54.060
this is precisely what makes it valuable for

312
00:12:54.060 --> 00:12:56.620
understanding life's origins. If

313
00:12:56.620 --> 00:12:58.660
Dragonfly finds evidence that complex

314
00:12:58.660 --> 00:13:00.700
chemistry did unfold in silk craters,

315
00:13:00.700 --> 00:13:03.380
temporary melt pools, it strengthens the case

316
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that life could emerge relatively easily

317
00:13:05.340 --> 00:13:07.260
given the right ingredients and conditions.

318
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Conversely, if complex chemistry didn't

319
00:13:10.370 --> 00:13:12.290
develop despite favourable conditions and

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00:13:12.290 --> 00:13:14.970
ample time, it might suggest that life's

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00:13:14.970 --> 00:13:17.170
emergence requires additional factors we

322
00:13:17.170 --> 00:13:20.010
haven't yet identified, potentially making it

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00:13:20.010 --> 00:13:21.690
rarer in the universe than we thought.

324
00:13:22.440 --> 00:13:25.330
M Meanwhile, back here on Earth, in

325
00:13:25.330 --> 00:13:27.330
a significant shift from traditional space

326
00:13:27.330 --> 00:13:30.250
business models, Dawn Aerospace has now begun

327
00:13:30.250 --> 00:13:32.760
taking orders for its Aurora spaceplane, a

328
00:13:32.760 --> 00:13:34.690
ah, remarkable vehicle designed to carry

329
00:13:34.690 --> 00:13:37.610
small payloads on suborbital flights. This

330
00:13:37.610 --> 00:13:40.410
New Zealand based company announced on May 22

331
00:13:40.570 --> 00:13:43.090
that the Aurora is capable of carrying six

332
00:13:43.090 --> 00:13:45.930
kilogrammes of payload to an altitude of 100

333
00:13:45.930 --> 00:13:48.490
kilometres, with first deliveries projected

334
00:13:48.490 --> 00:13:51.370
for 2027. What makes Dawn's

335
00:13:51.370 --> 00:13:53.290
approach particularly innovative is their

336
00:13:53.290 --> 00:13:55.730
business model. Rather than operating the

337
00:13:55.730 --> 00:13:57.650
vehicles themselves and selling launch

338
00:13:57.650 --> 00:14:00.490
services, as most space Companies do. Dawn

339
00:14:00.490 --> 00:14:03.090
Aerospace is selling the actual spaceplanes

340
00:14:03.090 --> 00:14:05.380
to customers who will then operate them

341
00:14:05.380 --> 00:14:08.020
independently. This mirrors the commercial

342
00:14:08.020 --> 00:14:10.660
aviation industry, where Boeing and Airbus

343
00:14:10.660 --> 00:14:13.340
don't fly passengers, they sell aircraft to

344
00:14:13.340 --> 00:14:16.180
airlines who handle operations. As Stefan

345
00:14:16.180 --> 00:14:18.300
Powell, Dawn Aerospace's chief executive,

346
00:14:18.540 --> 00:14:21.060
explained during a recent webinar organised

347
00:14:21.060 --> 00:14:23.940
by the Global Spaceport alliance, there are

348
00:14:23.940 --> 00:14:25.740
many out there who would love to have this

349
00:14:25.740 --> 00:14:28.220
capability and be willing to pay for it, but

350
00:14:28.220 --> 00:14:30.770
they simply can't get their hands on it. It's

351
00:14:30.770 --> 00:14:33.530
not for sale. He contrasted this with

352
00:14:33.530 --> 00:14:36.090
commercial aviation's approach, noting that

353
00:14:36.090 --> 00:14:38.450
the airline model presents us with a far more

354
00:14:38.450 --> 00:14:41.010
scalable model for transportation and one

355
00:14:41.010 --> 00:14:43.650
that we would really like to draw on. The

356
00:14:43.650 --> 00:14:45.650
Aurora itself has been in testing for several

357
00:14:45.650 --> 00:14:48.050
years with its Mark 2 version reaching

358
00:14:48.050 --> 00:14:50.250
supersonic speeds for the first time last

359
00:14:50.250 --> 00:14:52.810
November, achieving Mach 1.12

360
00:14:52.970 --> 00:14:55.850
and reaching an altitude of 25.1 kilometres.

361
00:14:56.530 --> 00:14:58.450
But what's particularly noteworthy about this

362
00:14:58.450 --> 00:15:01.090
vehicle is its fundamental design philosophy.

363
00:15:01.650 --> 00:15:03.610
This is an aircraft with the performance of a

364
00:15:03.610 --> 00:15:06.370
rocket, not a rocket with wings, Powell

365
00:15:06.370 --> 00:15:09.250
emphasised. That is to say, reliability,

366
00:15:09.330 --> 00:15:11.929
reusability and ultimately scalability are

367
00:15:11.929 --> 00:15:14.610
not afterthoughts, but baked in from day one.

368
00:15:14.610 --> 00:15:17.290
To enable this airline model, the upcoming

369
00:15:17.290 --> 00:15:19.170
suborbital version of Aurora will feature

370
00:15:19.170 --> 00:15:21.130
increased propellant capacity and engine

371
00:15:21.130 --> 00:15:23.220
thrust, plus reaction control system

372
00:15:23.220 --> 00:15:25.780
thrusters for manoeuvrability outside the

373
00:15:25.780 --> 00:15:28.620
atmosphere. Remarkably, these

374
00:15:28.620 --> 00:15:30.820
enhancements will be incorporated within the

375
00:15:30.820 --> 00:15:32.940
same external dimensions as the previous

376
00:15:33.020 --> 00:15:35.420
version. Maintaining its sleek

377
00:15:35.580 --> 00:15:38.460
aircraft like profile, Dawn

378
00:15:38.460 --> 00:15:41.060
Aerospace expects the first suborbital Aurora

379
00:15:41.060 --> 00:15:42.860
to be ready for flight testing within 18

380
00:15:42.940 --> 00:15:45.100
months, with a test programme lasting

381
00:15:45.100 --> 00:15:47.590
approximately six to nine months. These

382
00:15:47.590 --> 00:15:49.590
flights will begin at lower altitudes, but

383
00:15:49.590 --> 00:15:51.350
rapidly progress to higher ones,

384
00:15:51.590 --> 00:15:53.750
demonstrating the vehicle's full capabilities

385
00:15:53.990 --> 00:15:56.910
before customer deliveries begin. Looking

386
00:15:56.910 --> 00:15:59.430
at Aurora's capabilities in more detail, the

387
00:15:59.430 --> 00:16:01.510
spaceplane offers an impressive flight

388
00:16:01.510 --> 00:16:04.390
profile. On a typical suborbital mission,

389
00:16:04.390 --> 00:16:06.350
Aurora will take off from a conventional

390
00:16:06.350 --> 00:16:08.950
Runway and immediately begin a steep

391
00:16:08.950 --> 00:16:11.750
vertical ascent. It will reach speeds of Mach

392
00:16:11.750 --> 00:16:14.720
3.5, more than three times the speed of sound

393
00:16:14.720 --> 00:16:17.120
and provide approximately three minutes of

394
00:16:17.120 --> 00:16:19.080
true microgravity at the peak of its

395
00:16:19.080 --> 00:16:21.760
trajectory. The entire flight from

396
00:16:21.760 --> 00:16:24.520
takeoff to landing takes just one half an

397
00:16:24.520 --> 00:16:27.120
hour, with most of that time spent gliding

398
00:16:27.120 --> 00:16:29.520
back to a Runway landing after re entry.

399
00:16:30.320 --> 00:16:32.720
Powering this remarkable vehicle is an engine

400
00:16:32.720 --> 00:16:35.120
using 90% hydrogen peroxide and

401
00:16:35.120 --> 00:16:37.360
kerosene D60 propellants.

402
00:16:37.920 --> 00:16:40.760
When fully loaded, the Aurora weighs just 450

403
00:16:40.760 --> 00:16:43.280
kilogrammes and and requires only a 1000

404
00:16:43.280 --> 00:16:45.600
metre Runway for takeoff, making it

405
00:16:45.600 --> 00:16:47.920
accessible to numerous existing airports and

406
00:16:47.920 --> 00:16:50.400
spaceports worldwide. One of

407
00:16:50.400 --> 00:16:52.840
Aurora's Most compelling features is its

408
00:16:52.840 --> 00:16:55.600
rapid reusability. Dawn has already

409
00:16:55.600 --> 00:16:57.480
demonstrated the ability to prepare the

410
00:16:57.480 --> 00:16:59.560
vehicle for another flight within six hours.

411
00:16:59.800 --> 00:17:02.200
And Powell confidently stated that a four

412
00:17:02.200 --> 00:17:04.680
hour turnaround time should be achievable.

413
00:17:05.880 --> 00:17:08.420
That would make the first aircraft ever the

414
00:17:08.420 --> 00:17:10.940
first vehicle of any kind actually to fly

415
00:17:10.940 --> 00:17:13.180
above the Karman line twice in one day, he

416
00:17:13.180 --> 00:17:16.060
noted. On the business side, Dawn

417
00:17:16.060 --> 00:17:18.460
Aerospace is now taking orders for Aurora,

418
00:17:18.460 --> 00:17:20.660
with deliveries starting in 2027.

419
00:17:21.380 --> 00:17:23.500
While the company hasn't publicly disclosed

420
00:17:23.500 --> 00:17:26.420
pricing, Powell suggested that a per flight

421
00:17:26.420 --> 00:17:29.300
operational cost of around $100,000 is

422
00:17:29.300 --> 00:17:31.940
absolutely tenable, with prices

423
00:17:31.940 --> 00:17:33.860
potentially higher for more customised

424
00:17:33.860 --> 00:17:36.730
mission profiles. Each Aurora is

425
00:17:36.730 --> 00:17:39.170
designed for up to 1,000 flights over its

426
00:17:39.170 --> 00:17:41.770
lifetime, with potential revenue per vehicle

427
00:17:41.770 --> 00:17:44.050
reaching approximately $100 million.

428
00:17:44.930 --> 00:17:47.770
The market interest is already evident. Dawn

429
00:17:47.770 --> 00:17:49.650
has secured several customers for test

430
00:17:49.650 --> 00:17:52.130
flights of the mark two Aurora, including

431
00:17:52.210 --> 00:17:54.810
three prestigious universities, Arizona

432
00:17:54.810 --> 00:17:57.810
State, Cal Poly and Johns Hopkins, as

433
00:17:57.810 --> 00:18:00.210
well as ScoutSpace, a company developing

434
00:18:00.210 --> 00:18:02.740
space domain awareness services. Powell

435
00:18:02.740 --> 00:18:04.620
believes there's substantial demand for

436
00:18:04.620 --> 00:18:07.260
suborbital flight even with Aurora's modest

437
00:18:07.260 --> 00:18:09.580
payload capacity, particularly in fields like

438
00:18:09.580 --> 00:18:11.380
microgravity, life sciences research,

439
00:18:11.860 --> 00:18:14.540
semiconductor development and defence payload

440
00:18:14.540 --> 00:18:17.020
testing. This innovative approach has been

441
00:18:17.020 --> 00:18:19.020
enthusiastically welcomed by the Global

442
00:18:19.020 --> 00:18:21.380
Spaceport alliance, whose chairman George

443
00:18:21.380 --> 00:18:24.180
Neild pointed out, With a small reusable

444
00:18:24.180 --> 00:18:26.060
system that can operate from a standard

445
00:18:26.060 --> 00:18:28.540
Runway, there's no reason why any spaceport

446
00:18:28.540 --> 00:18:30.660
with a Runway couldn't provide regular access

447
00:18:30.660 --> 00:18:33.050
to to space. For numerous

448
00:18:33.050 --> 00:18:35.170
underutilised spaceports worldwide,

449
00:18:35.410 --> 00:18:37.770
Aurora could be the catalyst that finally

450
00:18:37.770 --> 00:18:39.610
brings their facilities into regular

451
00:18:39.610 --> 00:18:40.690
operational use.

452
00:18:42.210 --> 00:18:44.530
Finally today, an innovation worth noting.

453
00:18:45.090 --> 00:18:47.250
Multimessenger astronomy represents one of

454
00:18:47.250 --> 00:18:48.890
the most exciting frontiers in our

455
00:18:48.890 --> 00:18:51.730
understanding of the cosmos. It's the science

456
00:18:51.730 --> 00:18:54.290
of capturing different types of signals, both

457
00:18:54.290 --> 00:18:56.940
gravitational and electromagnetic, from the

458
00:18:56.940 --> 00:18:59.860
same cosmic event. But to fully realise this

459
00:18:59.860 --> 00:19:02.620
potential, we need eyes constantly watching

460
00:19:02.620 --> 00:19:05.620
the entire sky. This is where the high

461
00:19:05.620 --> 00:19:08.300
energy Rapid Modular Ensemble of

462
00:19:08.300 --> 00:19:11.260
Satellite's Pathfinder Mission, or Hermes pf,

463
00:19:11.500 --> 00:19:13.940
comes into play. Successfully launched in

464
00:19:13.940 --> 00:19:15.900
March and currently undergoing commissioning,

465
00:19:16.060 --> 00:19:18.540
Hermes PF aims to solve a fundamental

466
00:19:18.540 --> 00:19:21.100
challenge in multi messenger astronomy when

467
00:19:21.100 --> 00:19:23.600
catastrophic cosmic events occur, like black

468
00:19:23.600 --> 00:19:25.760
hole mergers or neutron star collisions.

469
00:19:26.000 --> 00:19:28.200
Gravitational wave detectors can sense these

470
00:19:28.200 --> 00:19:30.800
disturbances in spacetime, but they struggle

471
00:19:30.800 --> 00:19:32.680
to pinpoint exactly where the signal

472
00:19:32.680 --> 00:19:35.600
originated. The Hermes PF solution

473
00:19:35.600 --> 00:19:38.600
is elegantly simple, yet technologically

474
00:19:38.600 --> 00:19:41.600
sophisticated. Deploy six small

475
00:19:41.600 --> 00:19:44.280
3U cubesats that work together to

476
00:19:44.280 --> 00:19:46.280
monitor the entire sky for high energy

477
00:19:46.280 --> 00:19:49.240
bursts. When a cosmic event releases a

478
00:19:49.240 --> 00:19:51.200
burst of gamma rays or other high energy

479
00:19:51.200 --> 00:19:53.680
radiation, multiple satellites in the

480
00:19:53.680 --> 00:19:56.560
constellation detect it. By triangulating

481
00:19:56.560 --> 00:19:59.520
these signals with precise timing data, the

482
00:19:59.520 --> 00:20:02.240
system can identify the source location to

483
00:20:02.240 --> 00:20:05.120
within 1 degree of accuracy, A remarkable

484
00:20:05.120 --> 00:20:07.640
feat that dramatically narrows the search

485
00:20:07.640 --> 00:20:10.640
area for astronomers. Each CubeSat in the

486
00:20:10.640 --> 00:20:13.350
Hermes PF system carries 60

487
00:20:13.490 --> 00:20:16.000
GaGC scintillator crystals and 12

488
00:20:16.000 --> 00:20:18.400
silicon drift detectors, allowing them to

489
00:20:18.400 --> 00:20:20.840
capture a wide spectrum of energy signatures

490
00:20:21.100 --> 00:20:23.020
with exceptional temporal resolution.

491
00:20:23.980 --> 00:20:25.660
What's particularly clever about this

492
00:20:25.660 --> 00:20:28.420
approach is that the satellites primarily use

493
00:20:28.420 --> 00:20:30.780
commercial off the shelf components rather

494
00:20:30.780 --> 00:20:33.020
than expensive radiation hardened parts,

495
00:20:33.260 --> 00:20:35.660
making the entire system more cost effective.

496
00:20:36.460 --> 00:20:38.500
The technology isn't entirely untested

497
00:20:38.500 --> 00:20:40.820
either. A similar sensor system has been

498
00:20:40.820 --> 00:20:43.420
operating on another mission called spirit

499
00:20:43.420 --> 00:20:46.020
since 2023. Though it has faced some

500
00:20:46.020 --> 00:20:47.940
challenges with cooling systems and data

501
00:20:47.940 --> 00:20:50.630
downlink capabilities. The full six

502
00:20:50.630 --> 00:20:52.950
satellite Hermes PF constellation aims to

503
00:20:52.950 --> 00:20:55.430
overcome these limitations and provide truly

504
00:20:55.430 --> 00:20:58.350
comprehensive sky coverage. This capability

505
00:20:58.350 --> 00:21:00.630
will become increasingly crucial as next

506
00:21:00.630 --> 00:21:02.550
generation gravitational wave detectors like

507
00:21:02.550 --> 00:21:04.630
the Einstein telescope come online in the

508
00:21:04.630 --> 00:21:07.190
coming years. These advanced detectors are

509
00:21:07.190 --> 00:21:10.190
expected to identify up to 100 gravitational

510
00:21:10.190 --> 00:21:12.830
wave events annually, 10 times more than

511
00:21:12.830 --> 00:21:15.230
current systems can detect. Without something

512
00:21:15.230 --> 00:21:17.090
like Hermes PF wave watching for the

513
00:21:17.090 --> 00:21:19.130
electromagnetic counterparts to these events,

514
00:21:19.210 --> 00:21:22.170
we'd be missing half the picture. Imagine

515
00:21:22.170 --> 00:21:24.090
trying to understand a thunderstorm by only

516
00:21:24.090 --> 00:21:26.450
feeling the vibrations of thunder, but never

517
00:21:26.450 --> 00:21:28.850
seeing the lightning. Multimessenger

518
00:21:28.850 --> 00:21:31.450
astronomy allows us to both see and feel

519
00:21:31.690 --> 00:21:34.570
cosmic catastrophes, giving us complementary

520
00:21:34.570 --> 00:21:36.930
data that reveals the underlying physics in

521
00:21:36.930 --> 00:21:39.490
unprecedented detail. The

522
00:21:39.490 --> 00:21:42.170
Hermes PF mission stands to transform

523
00:21:42.250 --> 00:21:45.140
our understanding of these extreme events by

524
00:21:45.140 --> 00:21:47.860
ensuring we never miss the flash of cosmic

525
00:21:47.860 --> 00:21:49.860
lightning that accompanies the thunder of

526
00:21:49.860 --> 00:21:50.980
gravitational waves.

527
00:21:52.980 --> 00:21:55.260
As we've explored today, we're witnessing a

528
00:21:55.260 --> 00:21:57.620
remarkable convergence of space technologies

529
00:21:57.620 --> 00:21:59.220
that are opening new windows into our

530
00:21:59.220 --> 00:22:01.900
universe from SpaceX's persistent

531
00:22:01.900 --> 00:22:04.380
refinement of starship. Despite setbacks to

532
00:22:04.380 --> 00:22:07.260
Blue Origin's bold lunar ambitions, these

533
00:22:07.260 --> 00:22:09.500
commercial endeavours are reshaping how we

534
00:22:09.500 --> 00:22:12.190
access space. Both companies are

535
00:22:12.190 --> 00:22:14.270
crucial partners in NASA's Artemis programme,

536
00:22:14.750 --> 00:22:17.030
working toward returning humans to the lunar

537
00:22:17.030 --> 00:22:19.590
surface with capabilities far beyond what was

538
00:22:19.590 --> 00:22:21.310
possible during the Apollo era.

539
00:22:22.190 --> 00:22:24.470
Meanwhile, scientific missions like Dragonfly

540
00:22:24.470 --> 00:22:26.150
represent some of the most ambitious

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00:22:26.150 --> 00:22:28.990
exploration we've ever attempted. By

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00:22:28.990 --> 00:22:31.270
sending a rotorcraft to explore Saturn's moon

543
00:22:31.270 --> 00:22:33.710
Titan, we're not just visiting another world.

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00:22:34.430 --> 00:22:36.670
We're potentially unlocking the chemical

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00:22:36.670 --> 00:22:39.420
history that preceded life on Earth. Dawn

546
00:22:39.420 --> 00:22:41.900
Aerospace's Aurora spaceplane demonstrates

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00:22:41.900 --> 00:22:43.940
yet another innovation in our approach to

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00:22:43.940 --> 00:22:46.900
space access. By selling spacecraft rather

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00:22:46.900 --> 00:22:49.060
than just launch services, they're

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00:22:49.060 --> 00:22:51.580
democratising access to suborbital space in a

551
00:22:51.580 --> 00:22:53.380
way that mirrors how commercial aviation

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00:22:53.380 --> 00:22:55.060
revolutionised earthbound travel last

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00:22:55.060 --> 00:22:57.980
century. Perhaps most exciting is how the

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00:22:57.980 --> 00:23:00.420
Hermes PF mission connects to everything else

555
00:23:00.420 --> 00:23:03.220
we've discussed. As these cubesats

556
00:23:03.220 --> 00:23:05.340
monitor the sky for high energy events.

557
00:23:05.770 --> 00:23:07.490
They'll complement gravitational wave

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00:23:07.490 --> 00:23:10.290
detectors, creating a more complete picture

559
00:23:10.290 --> 00:23:13.010
of cosmic catastrophes. Collectively,

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00:23:13.010 --> 00:23:14.930
these advancements aren't just isolated

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00:23:14.930 --> 00:23:17.130
technological achievements. They represent

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00:23:17.210 --> 00:23:19.410
humanity extending its senses further into

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00:23:19.410 --> 00:23:22.330
the cosmos. We're building tools that may

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00:23:22.330 --> 00:23:24.410
answer some of our most profound questions.

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00:23:24.730 --> 00:23:27.690
How did life begin? Are we alone? What

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00:23:27.690 --> 00:23:29.450
fundamental forces shape our universe?

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00:23:30.410 --> 00:23:32.490
Thank you for joining me on Astronomy Daily.

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00:23:32.900 --> 00:23:34.980
I'll be back tomorrow for yet another episode

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00:23:34.980 --> 00:23:36.820
where we'll take a look at more innovations.

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00:23:37.620 --> 00:23:40.460
Until then, keep looking up. The sky is

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00:23:40.460 --> 00:23:43.020
full of wonders waiting to be discovered. I'm

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00:23:43.020 --> 00:23:44.250
Ana. signing off,