WEBVTT 0 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.080 Anna: Hello and welcome to Astronomy Daily. I'm 1 00:00:02.080 --> 00:00:04.080 your host, Anna. Today we've got a, 2 00:00:04.080 --> 00:00:06.080 fascinating lineup of stories from across the 3 00:00:06.080 --> 00:00:08.360 cosmos, ranging from launch delays and 4 00:00:08.360 --> 00:00:10.280 exciting advancements in mitigating light 5 00:00:10.280 --> 00:00:12.960 pollution, to stunning images of alien 6 00:00:12.960 --> 00:00:15.240 worlds and groundbreaking orbital refuelling 7 00:00:15.240 --> 00:00:17.880 tests. So buckle up as we dive into the 8 00:00:17.880 --> 00:00:20.040 latest happenings in space and astronomy. 9 00:00:21.320 --> 00:00:23.160 First up, we have some news regarding a 10 00:00:23.160 --> 00:00:26.120 slight delay to the SpaceX AXE 4 mission 11 00:00:26.380 --> 00:00:28.900 to the International Space Station. The 12 00:00:28.900 --> 00:00:31.020 launch, which was initially scheduled for 13 00:00:31.020 --> 00:00:33.940 Wednesday, June 11, has been postponed due to 14 00:00:33.940 --> 00:00:36.660 a liquid oxygen leak detected in the Falcon 9 15 00:00:36.660 --> 00:00:39.340 rocket. Now, liquid oxygen, or 16 00:00:39.340 --> 00:00:41.700 LOX, is one of the two propellants that the 17 00:00:41.700 --> 00:00:44.460 Falcon 9 uses to power its Merlin engines, 18 00:00:44.780 --> 00:00:46.940 the other being rocket grade kerosene. 19 00:00:47.340 --> 00:00:49.620 SpaceX discovered the leak after conducting a 20 00:00:49.620 --> 00:00:52.060 static fire test, which is a pretty standard 21 00:00:52.060 --> 00:00:54.480 pre launch procedure where they briefly 22 00:00:54.480 --> 00:00:56.880 ignite the rocket's engines while it's still 23 00:00:56.880 --> 00:00:59.640 anchored to the launch pad. According to Bill 24 00:00:59.640 --> 00:01:02.480 Gerstenmaier, SpaceX's VP of Build and 25 00:01:02.480 --> 00:01:05.320 Flight Reliability, this particular Falcon 26 00:01:05.320 --> 00:01:07.800 9 first stage has actually flown once before 27 00:01:08.040 --> 00:01:10.200 and they'd noticed a similar leak during its 28 00:01:10.200 --> 00:01:12.040 re entry into Earth's atmosphere on that 29 00:01:12.040 --> 00:01:15.000 mission. Turns out they hadn't fully repaired 30 00:01:15.000 --> 00:01:17.600 it during refurbishment. Or as he put it, 31 00:01:17.600 --> 00:01:19.930 they didn't find the leak and didn't get it 32 00:01:19.930 --> 00:01:22.850 corrected. SpaceX is currently working 33 00:01:22.850 --> 00:01:25.410 on installing a purge system that should 34 00:01:25.410 --> 00:01:27.770 mitigate the leak, even if it continues on 35 00:01:27.770 --> 00:01:30.770 launch day. The AXE 4 mission is the fourth 36 00:01:30.770 --> 00:01:32.690 private astronaut mission to the ISS 37 00:01:33.010 --> 00:01:35.730 organised by Axiom Space. The mission is 38 00:01:35.730 --> 00:01:38.490 commanded by Peggy Whitson, a record breaking 39 00:01:38.490 --> 00:01:41.050 former NASA astronaut who is now Axiom's 40 00:01:41.050 --> 00:01:43.850 Director of Human Spaceflight. The crew 41 00:01:43.850 --> 00:01:46.050 includes pilot Shubanshu Shukla from India, 42 00:01:46.730 --> 00:01:48.490 mission specialist Slawash Usnanski 43 00:01:48.490 --> 00:01:51.130 Wisniewski from Poland and the European Space 44 00:01:51.130 --> 00:01:53.570 Agency, and Hungarian mission specialist 45 00:01:53.570 --> 00:01:56.490 Tibor Kapu. It's interesting to note 46 00:01:56.490 --> 00:01:58.650 that no astronaut from any of these three 47 00:01:58.650 --> 00:02:01.450 countries has ever visited the ISS before. 48 00:02:01.930 --> 00:02:04.930 The AXE4 astronauts are scheduled to spend 49 00:02:04.930 --> 00:02:07.010 about two weeks living and working aboard the 50 00:02:07.010 --> 00:02:09.850 orbiting Lab, conducting around 60 different 51 00:02:09.850 --> 00:02:11.970 science experiments before returning to Earth 52 00:02:11.970 --> 00:02:13.770 with a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean. 53 00:02:14.800 --> 00:02:16.800 Moving on from the Axe 4 mission, there's a 54 00:02:16.800 --> 00:02:18.640 whole bunch of other launch activity to keep 55 00:02:18.640 --> 00:02:21.320 an eye on this week. SpaceX has been super 56 00:02:21.320 --> 00:02:24.160 busy as always. They recently celebrated 57 00:02:24.160 --> 00:02:26.960 the 500th launch of a Falcon rocket with the 58 00:02:26.960 --> 00:02:29.640 Starlink 1219 mission. Can you believe 59 00:02:29.640 --> 00:02:32.520 that's also their 70th launch this year? And 60 00:02:32.520 --> 00:02:34.750 get this, they managed, a whopping 17 61 00:02:34.830 --> 00:02:37.630 launches in May alone. That included 16 62 00:02:37.710 --> 00:02:40.390 Falcon 9 launches and the ninth test flight 63 00:02:40.390 --> 00:02:43.360 of Starship. So, yeah, pretty busy. Speaking 64 00:02:43.360 --> 00:02:45.400 of Starlink, there are several more Starlink 65 00:02:45.400 --> 00:02:47.880 missions lined up. Just recently they 66 00:02:47.880 --> 00:02:50.520 launched another batch of 23 Starlink 67 00:02:50.520 --> 00:02:53.520 satellites, a mix of the V2 mini and direct 68 00:02:53.520 --> 00:02:56.320 to cell variants. Rocket Lab 69 00:02:56.320 --> 00:02:58.360 is also in the mix. They're planning to 70 00:02:58.360 --> 00:03:00.160 launch another batch of imaging satellites 71 00:03:00.160 --> 00:03:02.440 for their customer, IQPS of Japan. 72 00:03:02.600 --> 00:03:04.880 IQPS wants to build a 36 satellite 73 00:03:04.880 --> 00:03:07.730 constellation to monitor the Earth. Oh, 74 00:03:07.730 --> 00:03:10.370 and remember Amazon's Project Kuiper? Well, 75 00:03:10.370 --> 00:03:11.770 the launch of their second batch of 76 00:03:11.770 --> 00:03:13.530 satellites has been pushed back a bit due to 77 00:03:13.530 --> 00:03:16.410 weather delays. And just to recap on 78 00:03:16.410 --> 00:03:18.690 that Axiom mission four that we talked about 79 00:03:18.690 --> 00:03:20.730 earlier, it's going to be the seventh private 80 00:03:20.730 --> 00:03:23.130 Dragon mission and the 18th crewed launch for 81 00:03:23.130 --> 00:03:25.930 SpaceX. Besides Peggy Whitson, the crew 82 00:03:25.930 --> 00:03:28.890 includes Shubanshu Shukla from India, Slavash 83 00:03:28.890 --> 00:03:31.850 Usnansky Wisniewski from Poland, and Tibor 84 00:03:31.850 --> 00:03:34.780 Kapu from Hungary. Dragon will be docked at 85 00:03:34.780 --> 00:03:37.780 the ISS for up to 14 days and the crew will 86 00:03:37.780 --> 00:03:40.020 be doing around 60 science experiments 87 00:03:40.020 --> 00:03:42.860 focusing on human health, plant and microbial 88 00:03:42.860 --> 00:03:45.420 biology, and the effects of microgravity. 89 00:03:46.620 --> 00:03:48.220 Now let's talk about something that could 90 00:03:48.220 --> 00:03:50.780 really help clean up our night skies. It's 91 00:03:50.780 --> 00:03:52.820 about this new super black paint called 92 00:03:52.820 --> 00:03:55.820 Vantablack 310 and how it might just 93 00:03:55.820 --> 00:03:58.300 be a game changer in the fight against 94 00:03:58.380 --> 00:04:00.930 satellite light pollution. You know, all 95 00:04:00.930 --> 00:04:02.730 those mega constellations of satellites 96 00:04:02.730 --> 00:04:04.490 orbiting Earth, they can really mess with 97 00:04:04.490 --> 00:04:07.450 astronomical observations. Vantablack 98 00:04:07.450 --> 00:04:09.970 310 can reduce the amount of light reflected 99 00:04:09.970 --> 00:04:12.170 by satellites down to as little as 2% of 100 00:04:12.170 --> 00:04:14.170 what's reflected by uncoded satellites. 101 00:04:14.330 --> 00:04:16.610 That's a massive difference. This is 102 00:04:16.610 --> 00:04:18.650 especially important for observatories like 103 00:04:18.650 --> 00:04:21.570 the Vera Rubin Observatory, which, when it's 104 00:04:21.570 --> 00:04:24.330 fully operational, could have up to 40% of 105 00:04:24.330 --> 00:04:26.570 its images affected by satellite streaks. 106 00:04:27.080 --> 00:04:29.520 That's a huge problem. The paint itself is 107 00:04:29.520 --> 00:04:31.480 made from a special blend of carbon black, 108 00:04:31.720 --> 00:04:34.600 sort of like soot mixed with binders that 109 00:04:34.600 --> 00:04:36.400 make it tough enough to handle the harsh 110 00:04:36.400 --> 00:04:39.160 conditions of space. And the best part, it's 111 00:04:39.160 --> 00:04:41.520 easy to apply, so satellite manufacturers can 112 00:04:41.520 --> 00:04:44.520 use it in their own facilities. What's really 113 00:04:44.520 --> 00:04:46.600 impressive is how durable this stuff is. 114 00:04:46.840 --> 00:04:49.040 Tests have shown that it can withstand about 115 00:04:49.040 --> 00:04:51.320 three years in orbit with almost no change, 116 00:04:51.640 --> 00:04:53.480 while other space paints erode pretty 117 00:04:53.480 --> 00:04:55.740 quickly. Plus, it doesn't seem to cause the 118 00:04:55.740 --> 00:04:57.740 same overheating issues that earlier dark 119 00:04:57.740 --> 00:04:59.740 paints did. This new paint could make 120 00:04:59.740 --> 00:05:02.020 satellites virtually invisible to the naked 121 00:05:02.020 --> 00:05:04.460 eye. This is a big improvement, and hopefully 122 00:05:04.460 --> 00:05:06.740 it means that we can preserve our dark Skies 123 00:05:06.740 --> 00:05:08.740 while still benefiting from satellite 124 00:05:08.740 --> 00:05:09.060 technology. 125 00:05:10.580 --> 00:05:12.420 Okay, next up, let's dive into some 126 00:05:12.420 --> 00:05:14.500 absolutely breathtaking images captured by 127 00:05:14.500 --> 00:05:17.380 the James Webb Space Telescope, or jwst. 128 00:05:17.940 --> 00:05:19.660 These images, they're not just pretty 129 00:05:19.660 --> 00:05:21.820 pictures. They're giving us incredible 130 00:05:21.820 --> 00:05:24.420 insights into exoplanets, planets beyond our 131 00:05:24.420 --> 00:05:26.700 own solar system. Specifically, 132 00:05:26.940 --> 00:05:29.340 scientists have been studying two exoplanets 133 00:05:29.340 --> 00:05:32.300 orbiting a star called YSES 1. 134 00:05:32.460 --> 00:05:34.860 And what they've found is just, well, mind 135 00:05:34.860 --> 00:05:37.630 blowing. On one of these planets, YSEs 136 00:05:37.810 --> 00:05:40.620 1c, they've detected clouds made of fine 137 00:05:40.620 --> 00:05:43.620 sand. Yes, you heard that right. Sand 138 00:05:43.620 --> 00:05:45.840 clouds drifting in the alien atmosphere. And 139 00:05:45.990 --> 00:05:48.710 it gets even cooler on the other planet, 140 00:05:48.950 --> 00:05:51.830 YSEs 1b observations 141 00:05:51.830 --> 00:05:54.030 suggest it's surrounded by a large swirling 142 00:05:54.030 --> 00:05:57.030 disc rich with olivine. Olivine is a mineral 143 00:05:57.030 --> 00:05:59.550 that, get this, can form the gemstone 144 00:05:59.550 --> 00:06:01.990 peridot here on Earth. These observations 145 00:06:01.990 --> 00:06:03.600 are, groundbreaking because they allow us to 146 00:06:03.600 --> 00:06:05.280 directly study the composition of 147 00:06:05.280 --> 00:06:08.200 exoplanetary atmospheres. Scientists have 148 00:06:08.200 --> 00:06:10.360 found evidence of water, carbon monoxide, 149 00:06:10.360 --> 00:06:12.600 carbon dioxide and methane in the atmospheres 150 00:06:12.600 --> 00:06:15.320 of both planets, which, while common, 151 00:06:15.400 --> 00:06:17.280 help us to build a clearer picture of what 152 00:06:17.280 --> 00:06:20.240 these alien worlds are like. The discovery of 153 00:06:20.240 --> 00:06:22.520 the olivine disc is particularly intriguing. 154 00:06:22.840 --> 00:06:24.520 It shouldn't really be there because dust 155 00:06:24.520 --> 00:06:26.520 like that usually settles pretty quickly, 156 00:06:27.000 --> 00:06:29.479 geologically speaking. So its presence 157 00:06:29.479 --> 00:06:30.960 suggests there might have been a recent 158 00:06:30.960 --> 00:06:33.640 collision between objects orbiting near YSEs 159 00:06:33.800 --> 00:06:36.600 1b. Talk about being in the right place at 160 00:06:36.600 --> 00:06:38.280 the right time to see something amazing. 161 00:06:39.970 --> 00:06:41.490 Now let's turn our attention to some 162 00:06:41.490 --> 00:06:43.050 interesting activity happening in 163 00:06:43.050 --> 00:06:45.930 geostationary orbit. It seems that China 164 00:06:45.930 --> 00:06:48.370 is gearing up for an orbital refuelling test 165 00:06:48.370 --> 00:06:51.170 with its Shijian satellites. The Shijian 166 00:06:51.170 --> 00:06:54.130 21 and Shijian 25 spacecraft appear to be 167 00:06:54.130 --> 00:06:56.370 manoeuvring towards a rendezvous and docking. 168 00:06:56.850 --> 00:06:58.730 This is a pretty big deal because it's all 169 00:06:58.730 --> 00:07:01.090 about testing technologies for servicing and 170 00:07:01.090 --> 00:07:04.090 refuelling satellites in orbit. Shijian 171 00:07:04.090 --> 00:07:06.210 25 was launched earlier this year 172 00:07:06.210 --> 00:07:08.230 specifically, specifically to test on orbit 173 00:07:08.230 --> 00:07:09.950 refuelling and mission extension 174 00:07:09.950 --> 00:07:12.510 technologies. While Shijian 21, 175 00:07:12.750 --> 00:07:14.760 which has already completed a mission towing, 176 00:07:14.760 --> 00:07:17.430 ah, a defunct navigation satellite, is now 177 00:07:17.430 --> 00:07:19.550 the target for this refuelling demonstration. 178 00:07:20.030 --> 00:07:21.430 But here's where it gets even more 179 00:07:21.430 --> 00:07:24.350 interesting. The US surveillance satellites 180 00:07:24.430 --> 00:07:27.150 USA 270 and USA 181 00:07:27.150 --> 00:07:30.070 271, part of the Geosynchronous Space 182 00:07:30.070 --> 00:07:32.550 Situational Awareness Programme, are also in 183 00:07:32.550 --> 00:07:34.710 the area, apparently keeping a close eye on 184 00:07:34.710 --> 00:07:36.230 these operations. So it's kind of like 185 00:07:36.230 --> 00:07:38.990 everyone's watching everyone else. The 186 00:07:38.990 --> 00:07:41.270 ability to refuel and service satellites in 187 00:07:41.270 --> 00:07:43.590 orbit has some pretty significant strategic 188 00:07:43.590 --> 00:07:46.430 implications. It could extend the lifespan of 189 00:07:46.430 --> 00:07:48.710 existing satellites, reduce costs and even 190 00:07:48.710 --> 00:07:51.590 decrease space debris. Of course, it also has 191 00:07:51.590 --> 00:07:54.350 potential military applications. It's worth 192 00:07:54.350 --> 00:07:56.510 noting that Northrop Grumman has already 193 00:07:56.510 --> 00:07:58.670 demonstrated this capability with its mission 194 00:07:58.670 --> 00:08:01.200 extension vehicle 1, which successfully 195 00:08:01.200 --> 00:08:03.200 docked with an Intelsat satellite back in 196 00:08:03.200 --> 00:08:05.800 2020 for a five year servicing mission. 197 00:08:06.360 --> 00:08:08.280 So it's not a totally new thing, but it's 198 00:08:08.280 --> 00:08:09.800 definitely an area where we're seeing 199 00:08:09.800 --> 00:08:11.240 increasing activity and interest. 200 00:08:13.800 --> 00:08:16.760 So to quickly recap today we've covered the 201 00:08:16.760 --> 00:08:19.720 delay of the SpaceX AXE 4 mission, some of 202 00:08:19.720 --> 00:08:21.480 the many other launches that are happening in 203 00:08:21.480 --> 00:08:24.120 coming days, the use of vantablack to combat 204 00:08:24.120 --> 00:08:26.680 light pollution, those incredible new JWST 205 00:08:26.760 --> 00:08:29.340 images of exoplanets, and China's upcoming 206 00:08:29.340 --> 00:08:32.260 orbital refuelling test. Thanks for tuning 207 00:08:32.260 --> 00:08:34.180 in to Astronomy Daily. I've been your host, 208 00:08:34.180 --> 00:08:35.950 Anna. if you want to catch up on any past 209 00:08:35.950 --> 00:08:37.910 episodes, make sure you visit our 210 00:08:37.910 --> 00:08:40.750 website@astronomydaily.IO. and don't 211 00:08:40.750 --> 00:08:42.950 forget to subscribe to the podcast on Apple 212 00:08:42.950 --> 00:08:45.950 Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or 213 00:08:45.950 --> 00:08:48.230 wherever you get your podcasts. Also, follow 214 00:08:48.230 --> 00:08:50.710 us on social media, just search for Astro 215 00:08:50.710 --> 00:08:52.870 Daily Pod on Facebook, X, 216 00:08:53.260 --> 00:08:55.660 YouTube, YouTube, Music, Instagram, 217 00:08:55.660 --> 00:08:58.660 Tumblr, and TikTok. Thanks again for joining 218 00:08:58.660 --> 00:09:00.660 me today and I look forward to having you 219 00:09:00.660 --> 00:09:02.780 with us next time. Until then, keep looking 220 00:09:02.780 --> 00:09:04.580 up. You never know what you might see. This 221 00:09:04.580 --> 00:09:05.660 is Anna signing off.