WEBVTT

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Anna: Welcome to Astronomy Daily, your regular dose

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of the latest cosmic happenings and stellar

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insights. I'm Anna, and we have an exciting

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lineup for you today, packed with fascinating

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developments from across the cosmos. First

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up, we'll be checking in on Australia's

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highly anticipated Eris 1 rocket, which has

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faced some recent setbacks. Then we'll

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take a deep dive into the fascinating world

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of exoplanets, exploring how Saturn's

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moon Titan is becoming a crucial benchmark

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for understanding atmospheres far beyond our

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solar system. We also have a dual report on

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satellite news, covering a successful

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European weather satellite launch and the

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unfortunate loss of a critical methane

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tracking satellite. Finally, we'll journey to

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Mars, where NASA's Perseverance rover is hard

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at work grinding into ancient rocks to

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uncover clues about the Red Planet's past

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habitability. So buckle up because

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we're about to embark on an incredible

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journey through space.

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News okay, let's talk

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about Gilmour Space's Eris 1 rocket. This is

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a really big deal for Australia, as it's set

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to be their very first orbital rocket.

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However, its debut launch has faced a few

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more hurdles, pushing back its highly

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anticipated liftoff. Most recently, Gilmour

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Space decided to stand down from its planned

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July 2 launch, this citing the need for

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a longer, more flexible launch window for our

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first test flight. While a new target date is

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expected to be announced next week, this

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isn't the first time the Aris one has

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encountered a delay. The rocket was initially

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ready to fly back in May, but that attempt

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was nixed due to an early trigger of the

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vehicle's fairing. For those unfamiliar,

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the fairing is the protective shell at the

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very top of the rocket that shields its

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payloads during launch. This particular

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setback wasn't due to Mother Nature. Unlike

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an even earlier delay, what happened was that

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neighbouring components created a feedback

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charge during a routine vehicle shutdown.

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This engaged the fairing's single use

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deployment protocols, essentially ejecting

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the protective shell prematurely. Gilmour

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Space explained that while shutdowns are a

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normal part of launch operations, this

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specific issue hadn't appeared in previous

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tests. Because the fairing separation system

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is a single use component only activated

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when absolutely necessary to ensure its

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reliability and safety. It was quite an

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unexpected glitch. Prior to that May

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incident, Gilmour was actually prepared to

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launch Eris one as early as March, but that

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first attempt was prevented by Tropical

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Cyclone Alfred. So it's been a bit of a

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challenging start for their maiden flight,

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but the team is clearly dedicated to getting

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it right. Gilmour Space, founded by brothers

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Adam and James Gilmour in 2015 has

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steadily grown and now boasts over 200

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employees supporting their operations and

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their Bowen Orbital Spaceport in Queensland.

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The Eris 1 itself is a modest but capable

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rocket. Standing 82ft or 25

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metres tall, it's designed to launch payloads

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of up to 474 pounds or 215

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kilogrammes, into Sun Synchronous orbits.

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This debut mission, named Test Flight 1, is

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the first of several planned flights as

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Gilmour Space works to qualify the new

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vehicle's various systems. Despite the

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setbacks, the founders of Gilmour Space

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maintain a very realistic and practical view

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of their expectations for this first flight.

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They've emphasised that any measure of

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success will be considered a win, as they put

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it in a press release earlier this year,

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whether we make it off the pad, reach max Q

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or get all the way to space, what's important

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is that every second of flight will deliver

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valuable data that will improve our rocket's

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reliability and performance for future

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launches. This approach highlights their

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commitment to learning and iterative

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improvement, which is crucial in the

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challenging world of rocket development. It's

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m also worth noting that the upcoming launch,

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whenever it happens, won't be streamed live.

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However, Gilmour Space has committed to

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providing updates through their social media

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channels so we can all follow along with

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their progress there. We'll certainly keep

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you updated on the Eris one's next launch

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attempt here on Astronomy Daily.

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Moving from rockets to research let's turn

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our gaze to a fascinating new study that

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suggests one of our own solar system's moons.

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Saturn's Titan, could hold the key to

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understanding alien worlds light years away.

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The NASA ESA Cassini Huygens mission,

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which explored Saturn and its moons from 2004

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to 2017, provided incredible

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data, especially on Titan. The

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probe closely examined Titan, even deploying

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the Huygens lander to its surface, revealing

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insights into its atmosphere, methane cycle

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and rich prebiotic environment. These

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findings, which led to speculation about

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methanogenic life in Titan's vast methane

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lakes, are now being leveraged for exoplanet

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research with next generation observatories

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like the James Webb Space Telescope or jwst.

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We're moving from simply discovering

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exoplanets to deeply characterising their

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atmospheres, According to this new study.

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Cassini's detailed examinations of Titan's

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atmosphere can inform these attempts, serving

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as an aspirational study to help astronomers

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anticipate and overcome interpretation

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difficulties. This significant research

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was led by Prajwal Niraula, a graduate

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student at MIT, and co author Juliette

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DeWitt, an associate professor at MIT and

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leader of its Disruptive Planet Group. Their

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paper, currently under review for Astronomy

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and Astrophysics, consulted data from

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Cassini's Visual and Infrared Mapping

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Spectrometer, or vims. VIMS

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conducted high fidelity observations of Titan

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using solar occultations, where sunlight

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passing through an atmosphere is analysed to

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detect chemical signatures. These

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observations confirm Titan's atmosphere is

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95% nitrogen and about 5%

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methane with trace hydrocarbons. The

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data also revealed Titan's methane cycle,

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similar to Earth's water cycle, with liquid

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methane forming clouds and raining onto the

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surface. As Niraula and DeWitt

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explained, the Cassini mission demonstrated

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how challenging it can be to identify

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molecules in atmospheres because different

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chemicals can have similar absorption

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features. This can lead to

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mischaracterization with drastic implications

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for determining a planet's habitability.

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Their study's primary focus was to leverage

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Titan's precise transmission spectrum and our

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existing knowledge of its atmosphere to

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investigate the strengths and limitations of

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exoplanet atmospheric retrievals,

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specifically assessing if misinterpretation

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impacts only spectroscopic features or biases

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other atmospheric properties.

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Exoplanet atmosphere characterization has

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advanced significantly. Previously,

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astronomers relied on transmission spectra

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during planetary transits. Thanks to

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Webb, direct imaging of exoplanets based on

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reflected light is now possible, a

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monumental step forward. The core

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challenge remains properly identifying

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chemical spectra to determine biosignatures.

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The team used the publicly available Tierra

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model, a one dimensional spectroscopy code.

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In this study, they expanded the model to

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include a wider range of molecules and

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account for the similarity of their

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signatures based on existing astronomical

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data. Their M findings revealed that spectral

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signatures can not only be easily

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misidentified, but such misidentification can

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also bias other atmospheric parameters like

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temperature. This highlights the crucial

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connection between detection and retrieval

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that wasn't previously fully appreciated.

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What researchers choose as detectable

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significantly affects their atmospheric

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derivations. Another key insight relates

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to identifying the dominant background gas in

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an exoplanet's atmosphere, even if it lacks

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strong absorption features like nitrogen.

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This is crucial for understanding the

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atmospheric chemistry and provides essential

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context for interpreting trace gases,

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including potential biosignatures.

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As the exoplanet census grows, the search for

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habitable planets is entering a sophisticated

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phase. Webb has already shown its ability to

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characterise exoplanet atmospheres and make

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direct detections like TWA7.

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Soon, Webb will be joined by the Nancy Grace

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Roman Space Telescope and powerful ground

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based observatories like the Extremely Large

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Telescope, Giant magellan telescope and

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30 metre telescope. These will enable more

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direct imaging and detailed

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characterizations. The ability to

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properly identify potential biosignatures is

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is indispensable for finding an Earth 2.0

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quote or other habitable exoplanets.

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Niraula and DeWitt believe their work will

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help the community transition into this new

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era of information rich data. They emphasise

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the need to ask what can we reliably say from

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this data? They break this down further

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what can we reliably say given our current

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models, and what could we say if we had

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perfect models? The first helps account for

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current limitations where models not data

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quality are bottlenecks. Not accounting for

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model induced noise leads to overconfidence.

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The second question identifies dominant model

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limitations, showcasing the depth of science

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achievable with targeted upgrades. It's a

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call to refine our tools as much as our

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observations.

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Now let's pivot from looking far beyond our

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solar system to the instruments orbiting much

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closer to home with some mixed news from the

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satellite world. On one hand, there's been a

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successful launch that will aid in

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environmental monitoring.

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SpaceX's Falcon 9 recently launched a

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European satellite designed with a dual to

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collect vital weather data and to monitor

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atmospheric pollution. This successful

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deployment adds to our growing capabilities

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to keep an eye on our planet's changing

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climate from above. However, on the other

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side of the coin, we've received some

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disheartening news about another crucial

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satellite. Methane Sat, which was

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anticipated to revolutionise our view of

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methane emissions, has unexpectedly lost

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power less than 1 year and 1/2 after its

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launch. According to a statement from the

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Environmental Defence Fund, the nonprofit

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organisation that launched and operated the

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satellite, MethaneSat is likely not

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recoverable. This loss is

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a significant setback for global efforts to

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track and curb methane emissions, which are a

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major contributor to the rise in global

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temperatures. Launched in March

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2024, MethaneSat joined a growing

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constellation of satellites dedicated to

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detecting invisible methane emissions from

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key sources like oil and gas wells, livestock

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landfills and wetlands. While other

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satellites focused on individual sources or

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broad regions, MethaneSat was uniquely

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designed to detect methane at a middle scale,

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making it ideal for spotting emissions from

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oil and gas production. The

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satellite, which cost nearly $100 million to

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build and launch, began collecting data in

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June of last year and released its first

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detections of methane from oil and gas basins

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in November 2024. Researchers

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were actively working on automating data

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processing to deliver near real time

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information on emissions. The Environmental

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Defence Fund reported losing contact with the

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satellite on June 20, and after exhausting

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all options to restore communications, they

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confirmed the power loss. The

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MethaneSat team is still investigating the

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exact cause of the malfunction. They will

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continue to share the valuable data the

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satellite managed to collect before its power

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failure, along with the algorithms developed

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to analyse it. While it's a significant blow,

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the Environmental Defence Fund hasn't ruled

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out launching another satellite in the future

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to pick up where MethaneSat left off

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from satellites orbiting Earth.

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Lets now journey to Mars, where NASA's

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Perseverance rover is literally digging

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deeper into the Red Planet's geological past.

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The M rover has shifted its focus from

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primarily scouting and sampling to more

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detailed on site science, beginning to grind

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into Martian rock surfaces to expose

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material that could hold crucial clues to the

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planet's ancient environment and potential

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habitability. Earlier this month,

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Perseverance used its abrasion tool to scrape

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away the top layer of a rocky Martian outcrop

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it affectionately nicknamed Kenmore.

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This procedure, which combines mechanical

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grinding with a, uh, gas blast cleaning,

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reveals a fresh surface for close up

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analysis. The goal is to study rock

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interiors that haven't been altered by

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billions of years of wind, radiation or dust.

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Interestingly, Kenmore was a weird,

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uncooperative rock, according to Ken Farley,

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Perseverance's deputy project scientist. He

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explained that visually it looked promising

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for a good abrasion and possibly sample

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collection. However, during the process

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it vibrated excessively and small chunks

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broke off. Fortunately, the team managed to

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get just deep enough below the surface to

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move forward with their analysis.

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Perseverance employs an advanced abrading bit

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and a gaseous dust removal tool, or

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gdrt, which applies five puffs of nitrogen

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to clear samples. This method poses less

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risk of contamination compared to earlier

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rovers that used brushes to sweep debris

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away. Once an abrasion is complete,

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Perseverance's sophisticated science

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instruments are deployed to investigate the

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exposed rock. The rover's Watson Imager,

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which stands for Wide Angle Topographic

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Sensor for operations and engineering, snaps

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detailed close up photos. Its supercam

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then uses laser pulses to analyse the

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composition of vaporised material with one

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spectrometer and studies visible and infrared

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light reflected from the freshly exposed

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surface with another. The initial

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findings from Kenmore are already revealing

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fascinating insights. The tailings or

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abraded debris showed that this rock contains

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clay minerals which are composed of water as

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hydroxide molecules bound with iron and

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magnesium. This composition is relatively

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typical of ancient Mars clay minerals. The

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abrasion spectra further provided the

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chemical composition of the rock, showing

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enhancements in iron and magnesium.

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Perseverance also relies on its SHERLOCK and

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PIXL instruments, which are designed to scan

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habitable environments with Raman and

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luminescence for organics and Chemicals and

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planetary instrument for X ray

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lithochemistry, respectively. These tools

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help determine mineral content, chemical

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composition, and potential signs of past

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water activity or even microbial life.

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Not M only did they confirm the presence of

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more clay, but they also detected feldspar,

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a mineral common in Earth's crust, the Moon,

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and other rocky planets. Crucially,

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the team also found manganese hydroxide in

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the observed specimens. For the very first

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time, this work is being carried out in

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Mars Jezero Crater, a vast basin

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spanning 28 miles wide that once hosted a

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river delta and a lake. Scientists

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believe this region contains some of the best

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preserved records of Mars wet past,

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making it a prime location to search for

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biosignatures or indicators of ancient life.

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Kenmore marks the 30th Martian rock that

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Perseverance has studied in such fine detail.

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The data being obtained from rocks like

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Kenmore is invaluable for future missions,

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providing a much clearer idea of what types

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of rocks can be easily traversed, sampled, or

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even used as construction material for

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habitats. Perseverance is also

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continuing to collect rock core samples,

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sealing them in tubes for a possible future

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return to Earth through the planned Mars

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Sample Return campaign, although it's worth

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noting that the recently released fiscal year

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2026 NASA budget

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proposal from the Trump administration

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suggests cutting the Mars Sample Return

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programme altogether, highlighting ongoing

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uncertainties for this ambitious endeavour.

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That brings us to the end of another

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captivating episode of Astronomy Daily.

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We've covered some truly exciting ground

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today, from the ongoing Saga of Gilmour

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Space's Eris 1 rocket and its journey towards

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launch to how Saturn's moon Titan is helping

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us decode the mysteries of exoplanet

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atmospheres. We also discussed the latest

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in Earth orbiting satellites, including a

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successful weather satellite launch, and the

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unfortunate loss of the crucial methanesat

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before taking a deep dive into Mars with the

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Perseverance rover's fascinating discoveries

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in the Jezero Crater. Thank you for joining

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me, Anna, on this celestial journey through

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the latest in space news. If you want to dive

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deeper into any of these stories or catch up

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00:16:29.340 --> 00:16:31.900
on previous episodes, be sure to visit our

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website@astronomydaily.IO While

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you're there, you can sign up for our free

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00:16:36.540 --> 00:16:38.500
daily newsletter to get all the updates

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00:16:38.500 --> 00:16:40.860
delivered straight to your inbox. And don't

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00:16:40.860 --> 00:16:42.740
forget to subscribe to Astronomy Daily on

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Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or

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00:16:45.500 --> 00:16:47.580
wherever you get your podcasts, so you never

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00:16:47.580 --> 00:16:49.620
miss an episode. Until next time, keep

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00:16:49.620 --> 00:16:50.140
looking up.