WEBVTT

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Anna: Hello and welcome to Astronomy Daily. Your

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cosmic connection to everything happening

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beyond our atmosphere. I'm Anna and I'm

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thrilled to have you join me for today's

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journey through the latest developments in

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space exploration and astronomical

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discoveries. We have a busy episode today

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with fascinating stories from across the

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solar system. SpaceX has revealed what

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went wrong with their Starship Flight 8

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mishap back in March, and they're already

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gearing up for Flight 9 with some

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groundbreaking innovations, including the

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first reuse of a super heavy booster.

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We'll dive into all the details and what this

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means for the future of their ambitious

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programme. Speaking of SpaceX,

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they've also been busy with their Starlink

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Constellation recently celebrating their

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450th successful Falcon 9

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landing, an incredible milestone in rocket

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reusability. Then we'll venture to the

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Moon, where scientists have been puzzling

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over a magnetic mystery. From there,

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we'll travel to the Red Planet, where

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researchers may have finally solved the case

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of Mars. Ms. Water.

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Finally, we'll check in with Japan's

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Resilience Lunar Lander, which just captured

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stunning images of the moon's south pole as

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it prepares for a historic landing attempt on

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June 5th. So whether you're a casual space

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enthusiast or a dedicated amateur astronomer,

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there's something for everyone in today's

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cosmic roundup.

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Let's get started then, with today's news.

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SpaceX has finally shed light on what caused

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the failure of their Starship vehicle during

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its eighth test flight back in March.

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According to details released on May 23,

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the mishap had a different root cause than

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the previous failure. Despite occurring at

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remarkably similar points in their flight

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paths. During Flight 8, which took

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place on March 6, several Raptor engines on

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the Starship upper stage suddenly shut down.

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About eight and a half minutes after liftoff,

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the vehicle began to tumble out of control

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before eventually breaking up over the

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Caribbean Sea during RE entry. The timing of

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this failure was eerily similar to what

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happened during Flight 7 in January, which

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also experienced engine shutdowns and

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communications loss at approximately the same

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point in its journey. However, SpaceX has

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confirmed that these were distinctly

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different failures. For Flight 8,

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investigators determined that one of the

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Centre Raptor engines suffered a hardware

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failure. While SpaceX hasn't disclosed

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the specific component that failed, they

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explained that this failure enabled

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inadvertent propellant mixing and ignition

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that ultimately destroyed the engine. The

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cascade effect was immediate. The other two

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Centre Raptor engines shut down along with

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one of the three outer vacuum optimised

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engines with larger nozzles. With four of its

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six engines offline, the vehicle lost control

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authority and couldn't maintain its planned

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trajectory. In response to these

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findings, SpaceX has implemented several

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modifications to the Raptor engines for

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future Starship flights. These include

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adding additional preload on key engine

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joints, installing a new nitrogen purge

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system, and improving the propellant drain

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system. The company is also developing a

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future version of the Raptor engine, with

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reliability improvements specifically

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designed to address the issues identified in

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Flight 8. It's worth noting how this

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differs from Flight 7's failure. In that

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case, the vehicle experienced what SpaceX

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called a harmonic response, essentially

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vibrations that were several times stronger

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than expected. These vibrations created

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additional stress on the propulsion system,

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causing leaks that ignited a fire in the

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engine bay. SpaceX pointed out that

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the fixes they implemented after Flight 7

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to address those harmonic response issues and

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flammability concerns worked as

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designed before the unrelated failure on

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Flight 8 occurred. The good news for

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SpaceX is that the Federal Aviation

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Administration has provided final approval

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for the next Starship test flight following

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their investigation of the Flight 8 mishap.

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This paves the way for Flight 9, which the

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company confirmed is scheduled for no earlier

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than May 27.

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Looking ahead to SpaceX's ninth Starship test

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flight, scheduled for May 27 at

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7:30pm Eastern, the company is preparing

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for a groundbreaking milestone in its

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ambitious development programme. For the

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first time, SpaceX will reuse a Super

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Heavy booster, specifically the same one that

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launched during Flight 7 earlier this year.

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This marks a significant step toward SpaceX's

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vision of a fully reusable heavy lift launch

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system. While some components of the booster

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have been replaced since its previous flight,

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the company reports that a large majority of

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the hardware will be flying for a second

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time, including 29 of its three

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33 Raptor engines. Unlike, the previous

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four test flights, SpaceX is taking a

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different approach to booster recovery. This

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time, the company will not attempt to catch

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the Super Heavy Booster with the launch tower

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arms at Starbase in Texas. Instead,

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Flight 9 will test new flight profiles for

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the booster after stage separation. These

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new profiles include controlling how the

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booster flips to orient itself for a

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boostback burn and using a higher angle of

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attack during descent. Both

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modifications are designed to reduce the

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amount of propellant needed for recovery

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operations. SpaceX will also experiment

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with alternative engine landing profiles

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during this test to maximise safety of the

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launch infrastructure. At Starbase, the Super

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Heavy Booster will follow a trajectory toward

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an offshore landing point, culminating in

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what SpaceX describes as a hard splashdown in

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the Gulf of Mexico. This controlled Ocean

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landing allows SpaceX to gather valuable data

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without risking damage to ground facilities.

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For the Starship upper stage, the mission

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objectives include many of the demonstrations

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planned for previous flights that couldn't be

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completed due to the failures. These include

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a critical Raptor engine relight while in

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space, deployment of eight mass simulators

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representing next generation Starlink

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satellites, and tests of various reentry

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technologies. This flight represents an

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important evolutionary step in the Starship

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programme and in other SpaceX news.

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Today, the company kicked off what appears to

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be a remarkably busy weekend with yet another

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successful Starlink satellite deployment. On

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May 23, a Falcon 9 rocket

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blasted off from Vandenberg Space Force Base

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in California at 4:36pm Eastern,

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carrying 23 Starlink satellites bound for low

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Earth orbit. The mission,

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designated Starlink 1116,

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utilised a first stage booster known as

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B1075, which

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has become quite the veteran of SpaceX's

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fleet. This marked the booster's 18th launch

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with 14 of those missions dedicated to

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delivering Starlink satellites. The

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workhorse booster previously supported the

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SDA0Amission

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and Transporter 11 before becoming primarily

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dedicated to Starlink deployments. Just

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over eight minutes after liftoff,

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B1075 executed

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a perfect landing on SpaceX's drone ship,

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aptly named Of Course I Still Love youe,

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which was stationed in the Pacific Ocean.

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This touchdown represented a significant

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milestone for the company. The 450th AH

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successful landing of a Falcon 9 booster.

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This achievement underscores the remarkable

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reliability of SpaceX's reusable rocket

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technology, which has revolutionised the

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economics of space access.

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Meanwhile, the rocket's upper stage continued

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its journey, releasing its payload of 23

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Starlink satellites approximately one hour

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into the flight. Each satellite will now

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manoeuvre into its designated position within

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the growing Starlink constellation. Over the

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coming days, the Starlink network has

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expanded dramatically, now consisting of more

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than 7,000 operational satellites,

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forming a complex lattice that provides

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global Internet coverage. This launch

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marked SpaceX's 61st Falcon 9 mission of

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2025 and 63rd overall launch this year.

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When including the two Starship test flights,

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the company's launch cadence continues to

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accelerate, with potentially two more

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Starlink launches scheduled before the end of

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the weekend, showcasing the operational tempo

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that SpaceX has achieved with its reusable

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rocket fleet.

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Next on, today's agenda. For decades,

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scientists have been puzzled by a fascinating

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lunar mystery. Why do some moon rocks show

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strong magnetic signatures when the moon

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itself has no magnetic field today? This

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question has intrigued researchers since the

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Apollo missions of the 1960s and 70s,

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when astronauts returned with rock samples

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that exhibited unexpectedly powerful

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magnetization. Recent computer simulations

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have provided a, compelling new explanation

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for this phenomenon. The research suggests

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that massive asteroid impacts billions of

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years ago might have temporarily amplified

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the Moon's ancient magnetic field,

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essentially imprinting a magnetic signature

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that's still detectable in lunar rocks today.

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The Moon once had a weak magnetic field

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generated by its small molten core. But

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according to researchers at the Massachusetts

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Institute of Technology, this field alone

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wouldn't have been strong enough to magnetise

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small surface rocks. To the degree we

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observe, however, a powerful asteroid

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impact, quite possibly the same collision

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that created the massive Imbrium basin,

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could have dramatically changed the magnetic

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environment, if only for a brief period.

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The simulations show that such an impact

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would have vaporised surface material,

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creating a cloud of superheated electrically

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charged particles called plasma. As this

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plasma enveloped the Moon, much of it would

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have concentrated on the far side, the

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opposite side from the impact. This plasma

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concentration would have temporarily

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amplified the Moon's magnetic field in that

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region, allowing rocks to capture this short

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lived magnetic surge before the field faded

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away. Isaac Narrat, the

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graduate student who led the study, explains

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that this process could account for the

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majority of strong magnetic fields

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measured by orbiting spacecraft, especially

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those detected on the far side of the Moon.

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The research team believes the impact would

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have triggered powerful seismic shock waves

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that swept through the lunar body and

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converged on the far side. These waves

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likely jittered the electrons in nearby rocks

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at precisely the moment the magnetic field

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peaked, effectively locking in the field's

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orientation like a geological snapshot

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preserved for billions of years.

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Professor Benjamin Weiss, a co author of the

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study, likens the process to throwing a deck

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of cards into the air while a magnetic field

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is present. Each card has a compass needle,

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and when they settle back to the ground, they

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align in a new orientation. That's

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essentially how the magnetization process

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worked. The most fascinating aspect

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of this research is that the entire sequence

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would have played out in less than an hour

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and a half, yet left behind a magnetic

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signature that has persisted for billions of

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years. Future lunar missions will soon

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have the opportunity to test this theory. The

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most strongly magnetised rocks are located

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near the Moon's south pole, on the far side,

273
00:11:17.590 --> 00:11:19.310
Precisely the region that several

274
00:11:19.310 --> 00:11:21.510
International missions, including NASA's

275
00:11:21.510 --> 00:11:23.950
Artemis programme, Plan to explore in the

276
00:11:23.950 --> 00:11:26.710
coming years. If these rocks show evidence

277
00:11:26.790 --> 00:11:29.680
of both shock and ancient magnetism, it could

278
00:11:29.680 --> 00:11:31.920
confirm that the Moon's magnetic anomalies

279
00:11:31.920 --> 00:11:34.480
were indeed caused by a colossal asteroid

280
00:11:34.480 --> 00:11:36.160
impact billions of years ago.

281
00:11:37.920 --> 00:11:39.680
Next, let's head over to Mars, where yet

282
00:11:39.680 --> 00:11:41.280
another mystery may have been solved.

283
00:11:42.000 --> 00:11:44.200
Scientists have long been puzzled by Mars's

284
00:11:44.200 --> 00:11:46.320
dramatic transformation from a water rich

285
00:11:46.320 --> 00:11:48.560
world to the barren desert planet we see

286
00:11:48.560 --> 00:11:51.200
today. Now, groundbreaking research from the

287
00:11:51.200 --> 00:11:53.760
University of Texas at Austin may have

288
00:11:53.760 --> 00:11:55.600
finally solved a major piece of this

289
00:11:55.600 --> 00:11:58.490
planetary mystery, revealing exactly where

290
00:11:58.490 --> 00:12:00.930
much of Mars's ancient water disappeared to.

291
00:12:01.730 --> 00:12:04.050
The study, published in Geophysical Research

292
00:12:04.050 --> 00:12:06.810
Letters identifies a crucial connection that

293
00:12:06.810 --> 00:12:09.490
has eluded researchers for decadesthe

294
00:12:09.490 --> 00:12:11.690
pathway between ancient surface lakes and a

295
00:12:11.690 --> 00:12:13.810
deep underground reservoir located

296
00:12:13.810 --> 00:12:16.130
approximately one mile beneath the Martian

297
00:12:16.130 --> 00:12:18.970
surface. Graduate researchers

298
00:12:18.970 --> 00:12:21.650
Mohammed Afzal Shadab and Eric Hyatt

299
00:12:21.730 --> 00:12:23.850
developed specialised computer models to

300
00:12:23.850 --> 00:12:25.850
calculate precisely how quickly water would

301
00:12:25.850 --> 00:12:28.810
have infiltrated early Martian soils. Their

302
00:12:28.810 --> 00:12:31.770
findings reveal something remarkable. Unlike

303
00:12:31.770 --> 00:12:33.810
Earth, where surface water can percolate

304
00:12:33.810 --> 00:12:36.530
underground in a matter of days, on Mars,

305
00:12:36.530 --> 00:12:39.050
this process would have taken between 50 and

306
00:12:39.050 --> 00:12:41.890
200 years. This significantly slower

307
00:12:41.890 --> 00:12:44.450
rate resulted from several unique Martian

308
00:12:44.450 --> 00:12:46.810
conditions. A ah, much deeper water table,

309
00:12:47.050 --> 00:12:49.370
lower gravity and colder temperatures all

310
00:12:49.370 --> 00:12:51.530
dramatically slowed the infiltration process.

311
00:12:52.650 --> 00:12:54.450
What makes this discovery particularly

312
00:12:54.450 --> 00:12:56.690
significant is that it represents the first

313
00:12:56.690 --> 00:12:58.530
quantitative measurement of groundwater

314
00:12:58.530 --> 00:13:00.930
travel time during Mars wetter period,

315
00:13:01.250 --> 00:13:04.090
roughly 3 to 4 billion years ago. The

316
00:13:04.090 --> 00:13:06.210
model suggests that the amount of water lost

317
00:13:06.210 --> 00:13:08.250
to underground storage could have equaled at

318
00:13:08.250 --> 00:13:11.170
least 90 metres, or about 300ft in

319
00:13:11.170 --> 00:13:13.930
global depth. Considering that early Mars

320
00:13:13.930 --> 00:13:15.930
likely started with an ocean only a few

321
00:13:15.930 --> 00:13:18.450
hundred metres deep, this underground storage

322
00:13:18.450 --> 00:13:20.250
accounts for a substantial portion of the

323
00:13:20.250 --> 00:13:23.090
planet's missing water m Even more

324
00:13:23.090 --> 00:13:25.690
fascinating is how this process differed from

325
00:13:25.690 --> 00:13:28.340
Earth's water cycle. On our planet, water

326
00:13:28.340 --> 00:13:30.460
constantly cycles through evaporation,

327
00:13:30.460 --> 00:13:33.260
condensation and precipitation, allowing

328
00:13:33.260 --> 00:13:35.180
surface water to persist. For millennia,

329
00:13:36.140 --> 00:13:39.100
Mars operated entirely differently. As

330
00:13:39.100 --> 00:13:42.020
researcher Eric Hyatt put it, once water got

331
00:13:42.020 --> 00:13:44.540
into the ground on Mars, it was as good as

332
00:13:44.540 --> 00:13:47.100
gone that water was never coming back out.

333
00:13:47.900 --> 00:13:50.180
This one way journey explains why Mars's

334
00:13:50.180 --> 00:13:52.380
surface water disappeared relatively quickly.

335
00:13:52.380 --> 00:13:55.370
In geological terms, the water either became

336
00:13:55.370 --> 00:13:57.810
chemically trapped in mineral structures or

337
00:13:57.810 --> 00:14:00.290
froze permanently in the subsurface. As Mars

338
00:14:00.290 --> 00:14:02.210
lost its protective atmosphere and

339
00:14:02.210 --> 00:14:04.690
temperatures plummeted, whatever surface

340
00:14:04.690 --> 00:14:07.330
water remained likely evaporated into space

341
00:14:07.330 --> 00:14:09.330
through the increasingly thin Martian

342
00:14:09.330 --> 00:14:12.210
atmosphere. The findings align perfectly

343
00:14:12.210 --> 00:14:14.930
with orbital observations showing widespread

344
00:14:14.930 --> 00:14:17.730
hydrated minerals throughout Mars crust and

345
00:14:17.810 --> 00:14:20.370
radar evidence of buried ice deposits at mid

346
00:14:20.370 --> 00:14:23.320
latitudes. This research helps close a

347
00:14:23.320 --> 00:14:25.680
significant gap in our understanding by

348
00:14:25.680 --> 00:14:28.040
quantifying precisely how much water

349
00:14:28.520 --> 00:14:31.400
moved underground and became permanently

350
00:14:31.400 --> 00:14:34.280
trapped. The researchers approached this

351
00:14:34.280 --> 00:14:37.279
Martian mystery by creating a sophisticated

352
00:14:37.279 --> 00:14:39.960
soil model that represented early Mars

353
00:14:39.960 --> 00:14:42.600
conditions as accurately as possible. They

354
00:14:42.600 --> 00:14:44.880
conceptualised the ancient Martian landscape

355
00:14:44.880 --> 00:14:47.360
as consisting of a porous soil layer sitting

356
00:14:47.360 --> 00:14:50.110
atop basaltic bedrock. Incorporating all

357
00:14:50.110 --> 00:14:52.870
available data on temperature, gravity and

358
00:14:52.870 --> 00:14:55.230
soil permeability gathered from Martian

359
00:14:55.230 --> 00:14:58.150
Meteorites and rover missions. What

360
00:14:58.150 --> 00:15:00.710
makes their approach particularly powerful is

361
00:15:00.710 --> 00:15:03.430
the use of probability algorithms that

362
00:15:03.430 --> 00:15:06.150
account for numerous variables, including

363
00:15:06.310 --> 00:15:08.790
fluctuations in precipitation patterns,

364
00:15:09.030 --> 00:15:11.990
variations in soil porosity and temperature

365
00:15:11.990 --> 00:15:14.800
changes across the surface. This

366
00:15:14.800 --> 00:15:17.080
comprehensive modelling revealed that water's

367
00:15:17.080 --> 00:15:19.560
journey from surface to deep aquifer would

368
00:15:19.560 --> 00:15:22.000
have taken between 50 to 200 years,

369
00:15:22.400 --> 00:15:24.960
dramatically slower than similar processes on

370
00:15:24.960 --> 00:15:27.760
Earth. Several key factors explain this

371
00:15:27.760 --> 00:15:30.720
stark difference in infiltration rates. Mars

372
00:15:30.720 --> 00:15:32.960
Lower gravity means that poor water pressure

373
00:15:32.960 --> 00:15:35.040
builds up much more slowly with depth

374
00:15:35.040 --> 00:15:38.040
compared to Earth. Additionally, the colder

375
00:15:38.040 --> 00:15:40.320
surface temperatures on Mars would have

376
00:15:40.320 --> 00:15:42.560
significantly reduced evaporation rates.

377
00:15:43.600 --> 00:15:45.640
Together, these conditions slowed water's

378
00:15:45.640 --> 00:15:47.880
descent by approximately two orders of

379
00:15:47.880 --> 00:15:50.120
magnitude compared to what we observe on our

380
00:15:50.120 --> 00:15:52.800
home planet. The implications of this

381
00:15:52.800 --> 00:15:55.520
research extend beyond simply understanding

382
00:15:55.520 --> 00:15:58.120
Mars's hydrological past. The model

383
00:15:58.120 --> 00:16:00.040
provides compelling evidence that Mars

384
00:16:00.040 --> 00:16:02.240
operated fundamentally differently from Earth

385
00:16:02.240 --> 00:16:04.800
in terms of water cycling. Without robust

386
00:16:04.800 --> 00:16:06.640
recycling mechanisms to return deep

387
00:16:06.640 --> 00:16:09.170
groundwater to the surface, Mars essentially

388
00:16:09.170 --> 00:16:11.130
had a one way hydrological system that

389
00:16:11.130 --> 00:16:14.090
gradually depleted its surface reserves. Once

390
00:16:14.090 --> 00:16:16.410
underground, Mars's water faced three

391
00:16:16.410 --> 00:16:19.090
possible becoming chemically bound to

392
00:16:19.090 --> 00:16:21.210
minerals, forming hydrated compounds,

393
00:16:21.530 --> 00:16:23.930
freezing into subsurface ice deposits,

394
00:16:24.330 --> 00:16:26.170
or in some cases, breaking down through

395
00:16:26.170 --> 00:16:28.170
radiation and escaping into space.

396
00:16:29.050 --> 00:16:31.330
This research helps scientists quantify the

397
00:16:31.330 --> 00:16:34.010
relative contribution of each process to Mars

398
00:16:34.010 --> 00:16:36.420
overall water loss. Shadab,

399
00:16:36.740 --> 00:16:39.100
now continuing this work as a postdoctoral

400
00:16:39.100 --> 00:16:41.900
researcher at Princeton University, plans to

401
00:16:41.900 --> 00:16:44.100
integrate this infiltration model with global

402
00:16:44.100 --> 00:16:46.500
climate simulations that incorporate rainfall

403
00:16:46.500 --> 00:16:48.940
patterns, surface runoff dynamics and

404
00:16:48.940 --> 00:16:51.379
volcanic activity. Such

405
00:16:51.379 --> 00:16:53.500
comprehensive modelling could test various

406
00:16:53.500 --> 00:16:56.220
historical scenarios, from the existence of a

407
00:16:56.220 --> 00:16:58.740
long lived northern ocean to short term

408
00:16:58.740 --> 00:17:00.900
flooding events triggered by impacts or

409
00:17:00.900 --> 00:17:03.670
volcanic eruptions. This research

410
00:17:03.670 --> 00:17:05.870
also has practical implications for future

411
00:17:05.870 --> 00:17:08.710
Mars exploration. The identification of these

412
00:17:08.710 --> 00:17:10.590
ancient aquifers could guide drilling

413
00:17:10.590 --> 00:17:12.910
operations on future missions, potentially

414
00:17:12.910 --> 00:17:14.990
reaching depths of up to one kilometre. To

415
00:17:14.990 --> 00:17:17.030
sample what remains of Mars's primordial

416
00:17:17.030 --> 00:17:19.950
waters. Such samples could undergo isotopic

417
00:17:19.950 --> 00:17:22.070
analysis to determine precisely how much

418
00:17:22.070 --> 00:17:24.590
water remains locked underground versus how

419
00:17:24.590 --> 00:17:26.630
much chemically altered the planet's crust.

420
00:17:27.030 --> 00:17:29.860
As Eric Hyatt eloquently summarised, the

421
00:17:29.860 --> 00:17:32.020
Red Planet's hydrologic engine lacked the

422
00:17:32.020 --> 00:17:34.260
robust recycling pump that powers Earth's

423
00:17:34.260 --> 00:17:36.820
blue marble. This fundamental difference in

424
00:17:36.820 --> 00:17:39.220
planetary water systems may ultimately

425
00:17:39.220 --> 00:17:41.740
explain why Earth remained hospitable while

426
00:17:41.740 --> 00:17:44.180
Mars transformed into the desert world we see

427
00:17:44.180 --> 00:17:44.460
today.

428
00:17:45.900 --> 00:17:48.900
Finally today, a little update. Japan's

429
00:17:48.900 --> 00:17:51.180
Resilience lunar lander is nearing a historic

430
00:17:51.180 --> 00:17:53.260
moment as it prepares for a touchdown attempt

431
00:17:53.260 --> 00:17:55.580
on June 5th. Just this week,

432
00:17:56.020 --> 00:17:58.430
Tokyo based company Ispace shared a stunning

433
00:17:58.430 --> 00:18:00.830
photograph taken by their spacecraft showing

434
00:18:00.830 --> 00:18:03.430
the moon's south polar region. The image

435
00:18:03.510 --> 00:18:05.510
beautifully captures the rugged terrain of

436
00:18:05.510 --> 00:18:08.030
the lunar surface with its many geological

437
00:18:08.030 --> 00:18:10.790
features and craters, what makes this

438
00:18:10.790 --> 00:18:12.870
particular photograph fascinating is the

439
00:18:12.870 --> 00:18:15.190
optical illusion it presents to viewers.

440
00:18:15.830 --> 00:18:17.790
While the image is filled with concave

441
00:18:17.790 --> 00:18:20.270
craters, they can appear convex depending on

442
00:18:20.270 --> 00:18:22.600
how you look at them, a common visual

443
00:18:22.600 --> 00:18:24.520
phenomenon in lunar photography where

444
00:18:24.520 --> 00:18:26.560
depressions can look like bumps to the human

445
00:18:26.560 --> 00:18:29.520
eye. Resilience began its journey on January

446
00:18:29.600 --> 00:18:32.320
15th when it launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon

447
00:18:32.320 --> 00:18:35.000
9 rocket. The same rocket carried another

448
00:18:35.000 --> 00:18:37.920
private Lunar Lander, Firefly Aerospace's

449
00:18:37.920 --> 00:18:40.640
Blue Ghost. While Blue Ghost completed its

450
00:18:40.640 --> 00:18:43.320
mission on March 2, becoming only the second

451
00:18:43.320 --> 00:18:45.560
commercial vehicle to successfully soft land

452
00:18:45.560 --> 00:18:47.890
on the moon, Resilience took a more energy

453
00:18:47.890 --> 00:18:50.610
efficient route, finally reaching lunar orbit

454
00:18:50.610 --> 00:18:53.210
on May 6 after a longer looping trajectory.

455
00:18:54.010 --> 00:18:56.290
The landing target for Resilience is Mare

456
00:18:56.290 --> 00:18:58.810
Frigoris, known as the Sea of Cold,

457
00:18:59.210 --> 00:19:01.090
a volcanic plain in the Moon's northern

458
00:19:01.090 --> 00:19:03.890
hemisphere. A successful touchdown would

459
00:19:03.890 --> 00:19:05.810
represent a tremendous achievement not only

460
00:19:05.810 --> 00:19:08.330
for Ispace but for Japan as a whole.

461
00:19:08.890 --> 00:19:11.170
The nation has only one successful moon

462
00:19:11.170 --> 00:19:13.840
landing to its credit the slim spacecraft

463
00:19:13.840 --> 00:19:15.880
that touched down in January of this year

464
00:19:15.880 --> 00:19:18.720
under the direction of JAXA, Japan's space

465
00:19:18.720 --> 00:19:21.160
agency. This attempt holds particular

466
00:19:21.240 --> 00:19:23.320
significance for ispace following their

467
00:19:23.320 --> 00:19:25.880
heartbreaking near miss in 2023.

468
00:19:26.600 --> 00:19:29.040
Their first lunar lander successfully reached

469
00:19:29.040 --> 00:19:31.400
orbit in March of that year, but failed

470
00:19:31.400 --> 00:19:33.480
during its landing attempt one month later

471
00:19:33.720 --> 00:19:36.080
when the spacecraft became confused by the

472
00:19:36.080 --> 00:19:38.890
rim of a crater. The company has

473
00:19:38.890 --> 00:19:41.010
clearly learned from this experience and made

474
00:19:41.010 --> 00:19:43.370
adjustments to ensure Resilience has a better

475
00:19:43.370 --> 00:19:46.090
chance at success. The mission's

476
00:19:46.090 --> 00:19:48.330
importance extends beyond national pride and

477
00:19:48.330 --> 00:19:51.210
corporate achievement. Resilience carries

478
00:19:51.210 --> 00:19:53.890
five scientific and technological payloads

479
00:19:53.969 --> 00:19:55.730
that could significantly advance our

480
00:19:55.730 --> 00:19:58.250
understanding of the lunar environment. The

481
00:19:58.250 --> 00:20:00.410
stakes are high, but after years of

482
00:20:00.410 --> 00:20:02.930
development and a previous setback, I space

483
00:20:02.930 --> 00:20:04.650
appears positioned to potentially make

484
00:20:04.650 --> 00:20:07.370
history in just two short weeks. Resilience

485
00:20:07.370 --> 00:20:09.490
isn't just aiming for a touchdown. It's

486
00:20:09.490 --> 00:20:11.770
carrying a suite of scientific tools designed

487
00:20:11.770 --> 00:20:13.570
to expand our understanding of the lunar

488
00:20:13.570 --> 00:20:16.210
environment. The lander hosts five distinct

489
00:20:16.210 --> 00:20:18.730
science and technology payloads, each with

490
00:20:18.730 --> 00:20:20.770
specific objectives to fulfil during its

491
00:20:20.770 --> 00:20:23.650
mission on the Moon's surface. Perhaps the

492
00:20:23.650 --> 00:20:26.330
most exciting component is Tenacious,

493
00:20:26.570 --> 00:20:29.170
a miniature rover built by Ispace's European

494
00:20:29.170 --> 00:20:32.010
subsidiary. This compact wheeled robot is

495
00:20:32.010 --> 00:20:34.380
designed with a critical mission collecting

496
00:20:34.380 --> 00:20:36.940
lunar regolith, or moon dirt, under a

497
00:20:36.940 --> 00:20:39.260
contract that Ispace signed with NASA back in

498
00:20:39.260 --> 00:20:41.940
2020. The agreement is part of NASA's

499
00:20:41.940 --> 00:20:43.940
Commercial Lunar Payload Services programme,

500
00:20:44.180 --> 00:20:46.180
which aims to leverage private industry

501
00:20:46.260 --> 00:20:48.940
capabilities for lunar exploration. Once

502
00:20:48.940 --> 00:20:51.740
deployed from the main lander, Tenacious will

503
00:20:51.740 --> 00:20:54.700
roll across the Mare Frigoris terrain using

504
00:20:54.700 --> 00:20:56.860
its specialised equipment to gather valuable

505
00:20:56.860 --> 00:20:59.300
samples. These collections could provide

506
00:20:59.300 --> 00:21:01.200
insights and into the composition of the

507
00:21:01.200 --> 00:21:03.600
Moon's northern regions, and potentially

508
00:21:03.600 --> 00:21:05.800
contribute to resource utilisation studies

509
00:21:05.800 --> 00:21:08.280
for future missions. What makes

510
00:21:08.280 --> 00:21:10.320
Tenacious particularly distinctive is an

511
00:21:10.320 --> 00:21:13.080
unexpected artistic element. The little

512
00:21:13.080 --> 00:21:15.440
rover carries a piece called Moon House on

513
00:21:15.440 --> 00:21:17.880
its front bumper. Created by Swedish artist

514
00:21:17.880 --> 00:21:20.880
Mikael Genberg, this inclusion represents the

515
00:21:20.880 --> 00:21:23.080
blending of scientific exploration with human

516
00:21:23.080 --> 00:21:25.560
creativity, a reminder that space

517
00:21:25.560 --> 00:21:27.680
exploration serves both practical and

518
00:21:27.680 --> 00:21:30.510
cultural purposes. The other payloads aboard

519
00:21:30.510 --> 00:21:33.310
Resilience are equally important, focusing on

520
00:21:33.310 --> 00:21:35.150
various aspects of lunar science and

521
00:21:35.150 --> 00:21:38.150
technology demonstration. Together they form

522
00:21:38.150 --> 00:21:40.950
a comprehensive package designed to maximise

523
00:21:40.950 --> 00:21:42.950
the scientific return from this mission,

524
00:21:43.190 --> 00:21:45.470
regardless of its relatively small size

525
00:21:45.470 --> 00:21:47.270
compared to government led initiatives.

526
00:21:49.190 --> 00:21:50.750
And that brings us to the end of today's

527
00:21:50.750 --> 00:21:53.430
episode. From the engineering challenges of

528
00:21:53.430 --> 00:21:56.120
SpaceX's Starship programme to the ancient

529
00:21:56.120 --> 00:21:58.360
mysteries of lunar magnetism and Martian

530
00:21:58.360 --> 00:22:00.560
hydrology, we've covered some truly

531
00:22:00.560 --> 00:22:02.480
fascinating developments in our cosmic

532
00:22:02.480 --> 00:22:05.200
neighbourhood. And of course, Japan's

533
00:22:05.200 --> 00:22:07.360
Resilience Lunar Lander is poised to make

534
00:22:07.360 --> 00:22:09.320
history with its upcoming landing attempt.

535
00:22:09.960 --> 00:22:12.120
The growing diversity of nations and private

536
00:22:12.120 --> 00:22:14.880
companies reaching for the Moon promises to

537
00:22:14.880 --> 00:22:17.360
accelerate our exploration of Earth's nearest

538
00:22:17.360 --> 00:22:20.000
neighbour. Stay tuned to Astronomy Daily for

539
00:22:20.000 --> 00:22:22.000
updates on all these missions and more

540
00:22:22.000 --> 00:22:23.920
fascinating discoveries from across the

541
00:22:23.920 --> 00:22:26.440
cosmos. Next week we'll be covering the

542
00:22:26.440 --> 00:22:28.680
results of Starship Flight 9 and the

543
00:22:28.680 --> 00:22:31.520
Resilience landing attempt. In the meantime,

544
00:22:31.520 --> 00:22:33.400
you can keep up to date with all the latest

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00:22:33.400 --> 00:22:35.760
in space and astronomy news simply by

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visiting our

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website@astronomydaily.IO and

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checking out our continuously updating news

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feed. Until then, keep looking up. I'm

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Anna signing off