WEBVTT

0
00:00:00.400 --> 00:00:03.320
Anna: Welcome to Astronomy Daily your go to source

1
00:00:03.320 --> 00:00:05.400
for the latest happenings in space and

2
00:00:05.400 --> 00:00:06.800
astronomy. I'm Anna.

3
00:00:06.880 --> 00:00:09.280
Avery: And I'm Avery. We're excited to bring you

4
00:00:09.280 --> 00:00:11.360
more cosmic insights and groundbreaking

5
00:00:11.360 --> 00:00:12.960
discoveries from across the universe.

6
00:00:13.120 --> 00:00:15.640
Anna: Today we've got some fascinating stories

7
00:00:15.640 --> 00:00:18.480
lined up covering everything from the latest

8
00:00:18.560 --> 00:00:21.040
updates on um, SpaceX's ambitious

9
00:00:21.200 --> 00:00:23.800
Starship programme to Blue Origin's

10
00:00:23.800 --> 00:00:26.160
plans for a uh, second new Glenn launch

11
00:00:26.320 --> 00:00:27.360
heading to Mars.

12
00:00:27.840 --> 00:00:30.520
Avery: We'll also dive into the mysterious world of

13
00:00:30.520 --> 00:00:33.320
intermediate black holes which are truly the

14
00:00:33.320 --> 00:00:36.200
universe's most elusive objects. And talk

15
00:00:36.200 --> 00:00:38.560
about NASA's new initiative to develop

16
00:00:38.720 --> 00:00:41.400
orbital transfer vehicles for more efficient

17
00:00:41.400 --> 00:00:42.240
space travel.

18
00:00:42.800 --> 00:00:45.200
Anna: It's going to be a captivating journey

19
00:00:45.200 --> 00:00:47.800
through the cosmos, filled with news that's

20
00:00:47.800 --> 00:00:50.320
both professional and easy to understand.

21
00:00:50.800 --> 00:00:53.560
So buckle up and get ready for Astronomy

22
00:00:53.560 --> 00:00:53.920
Daily.

23
00:00:54.670 --> 00:00:56.670
Avery: Alright, let's dive into some of the latest

24
00:00:56.750 --> 00:00:59.510
news from SpaceX specifically regarding their

25
00:00:59.510 --> 00:01:02.510
colossal Starship rocket. It's been quite

26
00:01:02.510 --> 00:01:04.630
a journey for them this year with a few bumps

27
00:01:04.630 --> 00:01:05.310
along the way.

28
00:01:06.030 --> 00:01:09.030
Anna: That's right Avery. SpaceX is gearing up for

29
00:01:09.030 --> 00:01:11.870
the 10th full scale test flight of Starship

30
00:01:11.870 --> 00:01:14.310
and they just received launch approval from

31
00:01:14.310 --> 00:01:16.870
the Federal Aviation Administration, which is

32
00:01:16.870 --> 00:01:17.470
a big step.

33
00:01:17.710 --> 00:01:20.430
Avery: Absolutely. They also completed a final

34
00:01:20.430 --> 00:01:23.390
propulsion system test known as a spin prime

35
00:01:23.390 --> 00:01:26.290
test earlier this week at their Starbase site

36
00:01:26.290 --> 00:01:28.810
in South Texas. After that the ship was

37
00:01:28.810 --> 00:01:31.250
rolled back to a hangar for engine

38
00:01:31.250 --> 00:01:33.850
inspections, heat shield touch ups and other

39
00:01:33.850 --> 00:01:34.890
final preparations.

40
00:01:35.770 --> 00:01:38.730
Anna: The target launch date is set for no earlier

41
00:01:38.810 --> 00:01:41.610
than next Sunday, August 24th at

42
00:01:41.610 --> 00:01:44.570
6:30pm local Texas time. This

43
00:01:44.570 --> 00:01:47.570
flight is crucial as SpaceX aims to move

44
00:01:47.570 --> 00:01:50.410
past a challenging period. Last year,

45
00:01:50.490 --> 00:01:53.490
2024 was quite successful for Starship

46
00:01:53.490 --> 00:01:55.450
with four flights and significant

47
00:01:55.690 --> 00:01:58.290
achievements including the first CA patch of

48
00:01:58.290 --> 00:02:00.590
uh, a super heavy booster back at the launch

49
00:02:00.590 --> 00:02:01.030
pad.

50
00:02:01.510 --> 00:02:04.390
Avery: But 2025 has been a different story.

51
00:02:04.790 --> 00:02:06.990
We've seen four disappointing test flights

52
00:02:06.990 --> 00:02:09.430
from January through May and even a ground

53
00:02:09.430 --> 00:02:12.350
test explosion in June. These setbacks

54
00:02:12.350 --> 00:02:15.110
have pushed back major programme milestones

55
00:02:15.270 --> 00:02:17.630
like the recovery and reuse of the upper

56
00:02:17.630 --> 00:02:20.630
stage and in orbit refuelling demonstrations

57
00:02:20.630 --> 00:02:22.990
which are both critical for their long term

58
00:02:22.990 --> 00:02:25.350
goals of Mars settlement and supporting

59
00:02:25.350 --> 00:02:26.710
NASA's Artemis programme.

60
00:02:27.750 --> 00:02:29.590
Anna: Let's talk about those setbacks because

61
00:02:29.910 --> 00:02:32.430
SpaceX has been quite transparent about the

62
00:02:32.430 --> 00:02:35.350
causes. The FAA recently closed its

63
00:02:35.350 --> 00:02:38.110
investigation into the most recent in flight

64
00:02:38.110 --> 00:02:40.790
failure. In May, the rocket started leaking

65
00:02:40.870 --> 00:02:43.550
propellant after reaching space, preventing

66
00:02:43.550 --> 00:02:45.270
it from completing its test flight.

67
00:02:45.590 --> 00:02:47.990
Avery: The FAA confirmed that the probable root

68
00:02:47.990 --> 00:02:50.550
cause was a failure of a fuel component.

69
00:02:50.790 --> 00:02:53.670
SpaceX's investigation pinpointed a faulty

70
00:02:53.670 --> 00:02:56.550
main fuel tank pressurisation diffuser

71
00:02:56.710 --> 00:02:59.130
on the forward dome of Starship' primary

72
00:02:59.130 --> 00:03:02.050
methane tank. This diffuser failed just a few

73
00:03:02.050 --> 00:03:04.370
minutes after launch, leading to a pressure

74
00:03:04.370 --> 00:03:06.850
drop and a worsening fuel leak that

75
00:03:06.930 --> 00:03:09.410
overwhelmed the attitude control system.

76
00:03:10.290 --> 00:03:12.930
Anna: SpaceX actually recreated this diffuser

77
00:03:12.930 --> 00:03:14.570
failure on the ground during their

78
00:03:14.570 --> 00:03:17.370
investigation, and has since redesigned the

79
00:03:17.370 --> 00:03:20.010
part to better direct pressurised gas and

80
00:03:20.010 --> 00:03:22.810
reduce strain on the structure. The FAA has

81
00:03:22.810 --> 00:03:25.130
signed off on these findings, giving them the

82
00:03:25.130 --> 00:03:28.010
green light for flight 10. Now

83
00:03:28.010 --> 00:03:30.890
for the ground explosion on June 18th.

84
00:03:31.050 --> 00:03:33.730
This accident destroyed the vehicle ship

85
00:03:33.730 --> 00:03:36.170
36 and damaged the test site,

86
00:03:36.490 --> 00:03:38.530
pushing back the programme by another couple

87
00:03:38.530 --> 00:03:41.490
of months. SpaceX attributed this

88
00:03:41.490 --> 00:03:44.090
to likely damage to a high pressure

89
00:03:44.090 --> 00:03:46.890
nitrogen storage tank inside Starship's

90
00:03:46.890 --> 00:03:49.130
payload bay, specifically a

91
00:03:49.130 --> 00:03:51.770
composite overwrapped pressure vessel,

92
00:03:51.770 --> 00:03:53.370
or COPV.

93
00:03:53.840 --> 00:03:56.480
Avery: That's right, the COPV violently

94
00:03:56.480 --> 00:03:59.440
ruptured as corrective actions, SpaceX

95
00:03:59.440 --> 00:04:02.360
plans to operate COPVs on upcoming

96
00:04:02.360 --> 00:04:04.840
flights ah at lower pressures, conduct

97
00:04:04.840 --> 00:04:07.360
additional inspections for damage, implement

98
00:04:07.360 --> 00:04:10.080
more stringent acceptance criteria, and

99
00:04:10.240 --> 00:04:12.720
make a hardware change to address the issue.

100
00:04:13.120 --> 00:04:15.680
It shows their commitment to learning from

101
00:04:15.680 --> 00:04:18.400
every test, whether it's in the air or on the

102
00:04:18.400 --> 00:04:18.640
ground.

103
00:04:20.090 --> 00:04:22.570
Anna: It's all part of the iterative design process

104
00:04:22.650 --> 00:04:25.370
that SpaceX is known for. The previous

105
00:04:25.370 --> 00:04:28.010
flights this year, including those in January

106
00:04:28.170 --> 00:04:31.050
and March, also faced propulsion failures

107
00:04:31.050 --> 00:04:33.610
and lost control, scattering debris.

108
00:04:33.770 --> 00:04:36.370
The May flight made it, further completing

109
00:04:36.370 --> 00:04:38.530
its engine burn, but then spun out of

110
00:04:38.530 --> 00:04:40.810
control, hindering heat shield data

111
00:04:40.810 --> 00:04:41.290
collection.

112
00:04:41.610 --> 00:04:44.170
Avery: Mastering the heat shield design is

113
00:04:44.170 --> 00:04:46.600
absolutely critical as it's vital for

114
00:04:46.600 --> 00:04:49.520
Starship's reusability. For Flight

115
00:04:49.520 --> 00:04:52.440
10, SpaceX will be testing several

116
00:04:52.440 --> 00:04:55.000
different ceramic and metallic tile

117
00:04:55.000 --> 00:04:57.480
designs to gather crucial data during

118
00:04:57.480 --> 00:05:00.120
reentry. They want this data as soon as

119
00:05:00.120 --> 00:05:02.920
possible to inform the design of version

120
00:05:02.920 --> 00:05:05.880
three, or Block three of Starship,

121
00:05:05.880 --> 00:05:07.960
which will be the first to actually fly.

122
00:05:07.960 --> 00:05:10.960
Anna: Into orbit beyond the heat shield. There

123
00:05:10.960 --> 00:05:13.600
are other ambitious objectives for Flight 10.

124
00:05:14.310 --> 00:05:16.870
They plan to deploy spacecraft simulators

125
00:05:17.190 --> 00:05:19.910
mimicking their next generation Starlink

126
00:05:19.910 --> 00:05:22.670
Internet satellites, an objective that hasn't

127
00:05:22.670 --> 00:05:24.870
been met in the last three flights.

128
00:05:25.190 --> 00:05:27.710
Avery: And for the Super Heavy Booster, instead of

129
00:05:27.710 --> 00:05:30.150
attempting a catch at the launch pad, which

130
00:05:30.150 --> 00:05:32.990
they've done successfully three times, this

131
00:05:32.990 --> 00:05:35.510
flight will aim for a controlled splashdown

132
00:05:35.510 --> 00:05:38.070
in the Gulf of Mexico. This will allow them

133
00:05:38.070 --> 00:05:40.680
to experiment with new landing methods, such

134
00:05:40.680 --> 00:05:43.120
as controlling the final descent with a

135
00:05:43.120 --> 00:05:45.800
different mix of engines. And to avoid

136
00:05:45.800 --> 00:05:48.240
issues like the structural failure of the

137
00:05:48.240 --> 00:05:51.080
field transfer tube seen in the last booster

138
00:05:51.080 --> 00:05:53.560
test, which occurred due to a high angle of

139
00:05:53.560 --> 00:05:55.080
attack during descent.

140
00:05:55.560 --> 00:05:58.200
Anna: It's clear that SpaceX is using every

141
00:05:58.200 --> 00:06:01.200
flight, successful or not, to gather

142
00:06:01.200 --> 00:06:03.920
data and refine their designs. They've

143
00:06:03.920 --> 00:06:06.400
stated that every Lesson learned from both

144
00:06:06.400 --> 00:06:08.780
flight and ground testing features feeds

145
00:06:08.780 --> 00:06:11.580
directly into the next generation of Starship

146
00:06:11.580 --> 00:06:14.460
and super heavy. They have just two more

147
00:06:14.460 --> 00:06:17.260
version 2 vehicles before moving to the

148
00:06:17.260 --> 00:06:19.700
taller version 3 which will feature

149
00:06:19.700 --> 00:06:22.500
improved Raptor engines. It's a true

150
00:06:22.500 --> 00:06:24.900
try, try again approach to rocketry.

151
00:06:25.460 --> 00:06:27.980
Avery: Speaking of ambitious endeavours, let's shift

152
00:06:27.980 --> 00:06:30.660
our focus to Blue Origin which is also making

153
00:06:30.660 --> 00:06:33.540
significant strides. They are gearing up for

154
00:06:33.540 --> 00:06:36.100
the second ever launch of their powerful New

155
00:06:36.100 --> 00:06:36.970
Glenn rocket launch.

156
00:06:37.600 --> 00:06:40.240
Anna: That's right Avery. This launch, dubbed

157
00:06:40.240 --> 00:06:43.040
NG2 is particularly exciting

158
00:06:43.200 --> 00:06:46.040
because it will loft NASA's escapade

159
00:06:46.040 --> 00:06:48.840
mission to Mars. Blue Origin is

160
00:06:48.840 --> 00:06:51.800
targeting no earlier than September 29th for

161
00:06:51.800 --> 00:06:52.640
this liftoff.

162
00:06:53.039 --> 00:06:55.880
Avery: The twin Escapade probes, which stand for

163
00:06:55.880 --> 00:06:58.600
escape and plasma acceleration and

164
00:06:58.600 --> 00:07:01.440
Dynamics explorers have actually been waiting

165
00:07:01.440 --> 00:07:03.640
for this ride. They were originally slated

166
00:07:03.640 --> 00:07:06.080
for New Glenn's maiden launch back in

167
00:07:06.080 --> 00:07:08.870
January, but NASA decided not to risk

168
00:07:09.100 --> 00:07:11.500
a costly mission delay on a debut flight.

169
00:07:11.900 --> 00:07:14.740
Anna: A wise decision I think. Now that the

170
00:07:14.740 --> 00:07:17.540
mission has a target date, Blue Origin has

171
00:07:17.540 --> 00:07:19.980
been buzzing on social media promising some

172
00:07:19.980 --> 00:07:22.540
exciting things around New Glenn's pad

173
00:07:22.780 --> 00:07:25.580
at space Launch Complex 36 in

174
00:07:25.580 --> 00:07:27.020
Cape Canaveral, Florida.

175
00:07:27.660 --> 00:07:30.660
Avery: So what exactly will Escapade be

176
00:07:30.660 --> 00:07:33.540
doing at Mars? It's an interplanetary

177
00:07:33.540 --> 00:07:35.640
mission which is quite ambitious for a uh,

178
00:07:35.700 --> 00:07:38.420
relatively new launch vehicle. The twin

179
00:07:38.420 --> 00:07:41.220
orbiters will study the magnetosphere around

180
00:07:41.220 --> 00:07:43.540
the Red Planet and analyse how

181
00:07:43.540 --> 00:07:46.340
energetic solar wind particles interact

182
00:07:46.340 --> 00:07:48.860
with the Martian atmosphere. This kind of

183
00:07:48.860 --> 00:07:51.060
data is crucial for understanding Mars

184
00:07:51.140 --> 00:07:52.900
atmospheric loss over time.

185
00:07:53.300 --> 00:07:56.060
Anna: Absolutely fascinating. The satellites

186
00:07:56.060 --> 00:07:58.500
themselves were built by California based

187
00:07:58.500 --> 00:08:01.460
rocket Lab and once in space their

188
00:08:01.460 --> 00:08:03.380
operation will be handed over to the

189
00:08:03.380 --> 00:08:06.100
University of California's Space Sciences

190
00:08:06.100 --> 00:08:08.580
Laboratory managing the $80 million

191
00:08:09.020 --> 00:08:09.420
mission.

192
00:08:09.900 --> 00:08:12.060
Avery: And um, in addition to this crucial NASA

193
00:08:12.060 --> 00:08:14.900
payload, Blue Origin will also carry

194
00:08:14.900 --> 00:08:17.820
a secondary payload as part of the NG2

195
00:08:17.820 --> 00:08:20.580
launch. It's a technology demonstration from

196
00:08:20.580 --> 00:08:23.260
satellite communications company ViaSat

197
00:08:23.580 --> 00:08:25.660
supporting NASA's Communication Services

198
00:08:25.820 --> 00:08:27.820
Project for in space networking.

199
00:08:28.060 --> 00:08:30.100
Anna: One more thing to look out for with this

200
00:08:30.100 --> 00:08:32.900
launch. Blue Origin will once again attempt

201
00:08:32.900 --> 00:08:34.980
to land and Recover New Glenn's

202
00:08:34.980 --> 00:08:37.950
188.5-foot tall Fort First

203
00:08:37.950 --> 00:08:40.510
Stage Booster on a drone ship in the Atlantic

204
00:08:40.510 --> 00:08:43.430
Ocean. These successfully launched a test

205
00:08:43.430 --> 00:08:45.910
version of their Blue Ring satellite bus on

206
00:08:45.910 --> 00:08:48.430
the first flight earlier this year. But the

207
00:08:48.430 --> 00:08:51.430
landing attempt failed. So this will be a big

208
00:08:51.430 --> 00:08:53.390
moment for them as they continue to work

209
00:08:53.390 --> 00:08:54.510
towards reusability.

210
00:08:54.990 --> 00:08:57.750
Now from the Red Planet, let's turn our gaze

211
00:08:57.750 --> 00:09:00.150
even further out into one of the

212
00:09:00.150 --> 00:09:03.150
universe's most enigmatic phenomena. Black

213
00:09:03.150 --> 00:09:05.980
holes. Specifically we're talking about the

214
00:09:05.980 --> 00:09:08.020
mysterious intermediate black holes.

215
00:09:08.020 --> 00:09:10.660
Avery: That's right, Anna we know about supermassive

216
00:09:10.660 --> 00:09:13.300
black holes at the centres of galaxies and we

217
00:09:13.300 --> 00:09:15.460
understand how smaller stellar mass black

218
00:09:15.460 --> 00:09:18.300
holes form from dying stars. But there's

219
00:09:18.300 --> 00:09:21.220
always been this missing link, a size range

220
00:09:21.220 --> 00:09:24.140
in between from a few hundred to a few

221
00:09:24.140 --> 00:09:26.580
hundred thousand times the mass of our sun

222
00:09:26.900 --> 00:09:29.140
that has remained incredibly elusive.

223
00:09:29.460 --> 00:09:32.340
Anna: These in between black holes, often called

224
00:09:32.340 --> 00:09:34.100
intermediate black holes or

225
00:09:34.100 --> 00:09:36.950
imphs, are much harder to find.

226
00:09:37.270 --> 00:09:39.870
But a team of astronomers, including Crystal

227
00:09:39.870 --> 00:09:42.470
and Karan from the conversation, along with

228
00:09:42.470 --> 00:09:45.190
postdoctoral researcher Anjali Yelikar,

229
00:09:45.270 --> 00:09:48.030
have been making significant strides. They're

230
00:09:48.030 --> 00:09:50.310
using ripples in spacetime known as

231
00:09:50.310 --> 00:09:52.910
gravitational waves to spot some of these

232
00:09:52.910 --> 00:09:54.790
elusive black holes merging.

233
00:09:55.190 --> 00:09:57.550
Avery: It's a bit like being at a baseball game, but

234
00:09:57.550 --> 00:09:59.870
you're sitting behind a concrete column and

235
00:09:59.870 --> 00:10:02.750
the crowd is deafening. You can't see or

236
00:10:02.750 --> 00:10:05.390
hear the game directly. So what do you do?

237
00:10:05.630 --> 00:10:08.310
You use a high quality microphone and a

238
00:10:08.310 --> 00:10:10.790
computer algorithm to separate the crowd

239
00:10:10.790 --> 00:10:13.230
noise from the distinct thunk of, uh, a bat

240
00:10:13.230 --> 00:10:13.950
hitting a ball.

241
00:10:14.510 --> 00:10:17.030
Anna: And with enough practise, you can start to

242
00:10:17.030 --> 00:10:19.470
follow the game, figuring out when the ball

243
00:10:19.470 --> 00:10:22.070
is hit, where it goes and even where the

244
00:10:22.070 --> 00:10:24.630
runners are. This is a challenging way to

245
00:10:24.630 --> 00:10:26.830
watch a game, but it's similar to how

246
00:10:26.830 --> 00:10:29.550
astronomers use specialised observatories

247
00:10:29.630 --> 00:10:32.230
like the Laser Interferometer Gravitational

248
00:10:32.230 --> 00:10:34.890
Wave Observatory, or ligo, to

249
00:10:34.890 --> 00:10:36.250
listen to the universe.

250
00:10:37.050 --> 00:10:39.570
Avery: LIGO is designed to detect the faint

251
00:10:39.570 --> 00:10:42.090
gravitational waves produced by two black

252
00:10:42.090 --> 00:10:45.090
holes merging into a single more massive

253
00:10:45.090 --> 00:10:47.690
black hole. By analysing these waves,

254
00:10:48.010 --> 00:10:50.890
scientists can deduce incredible details

255
00:10:51.130 --> 00:10:53.650
where the merger happened, how far away it

256
00:10:53.650 --> 00:10:56.210
was, the masses of the parent and resultant

257
00:10:56.210 --> 00:10:58.650
black holes and um, even the direction in the

258
00:10:58.650 --> 00:10:58.970
sky.

259
00:10:59.810 --> 00:11:01.930
Anna: Most of the parent black holes observed in

260
00:11:01.930 --> 00:11:04.250
these merger events are stellar mass black

261
00:11:04.250 --> 00:11:06.930
holes originating from collapsed stars.

262
00:11:07.170 --> 00:11:09.570
But here's where the mass gap comes in.

263
00:11:09.890 --> 00:11:12.530
Stars between about 20 to 100

264
00:11:12.530 --> 00:11:15.410
solar masses can form black holes. However,

265
00:11:15.410 --> 00:11:18.210
due to complex nuclear physics, really

266
00:11:18.290 --> 00:11:21.090
massive stars explode differently and don't

267
00:11:21.090 --> 00:11:22.450
leave behind a black hole.

268
00:11:23.090 --> 00:11:25.970
Avery: This creates a mass gap where black holes

269
00:11:25.970 --> 00:11:28.690
larger than about 60 solar masses are too

270
00:11:28.690 --> 00:11:31.000
big to have been formed directly from a sing

271
00:11:31.070 --> 00:11:33.350
single dying star. These are what the

272
00:11:33.350 --> 00:11:35.670
researchers call light intermediate mass

273
00:11:35.670 --> 00:11:38.030
black holes or light imbhs.

274
00:11:38.430 --> 00:11:40.790
They're special because their formation isn't

275
00:11:40.790 --> 00:11:43.030
fully understood and they bridge that

276
00:11:43.030 --> 00:11:45.430
critical knowledge gap in how the universe

277
00:11:45.430 --> 00:11:46.430
grows and evolves.

278
00:11:46.990 --> 00:11:49.550
Anna: In their recent research, the team analysed

279
00:11:49.550 --> 00:11:52.390
11 black hole merger candidates from Ligo's

280
00:11:52.390 --> 00:11:54.870
third observing run. Their analysis showed

281
00:11:54.870 --> 00:11:57.510
that 5 of the post merger black holes were

282
00:11:57.510 --> 00:11:59.990
confidently in the light intermediate black

283
00:11:59.990 --> 00:12:00.670
hole range.

284
00:12:01.200 --> 00:12:04.000
Avery: And here's the kicker. They found that One of

285
00:12:04.000 --> 00:12:06.160
the merger events had a parent black hole

286
00:12:06.160 --> 00:12:08.920
that was already in the mass gap range, and

287
00:12:08.920 --> 00:12:11.360
two had black holes above the mass gap.

288
00:12:11.760 --> 00:12:14.000
This strongly suggests that there are other

289
00:12:14.160 --> 00:12:17.080
currently unknown ways for the universe to

290
00:12:17.080 --> 00:12:19.840
create such massive black holes, possibly

291
00:12:19.840 --> 00:12:21.680
through earlier black hole mergers.

292
00:12:22.080 --> 00:12:24.680
Anna: It's an exciting finding because it helps us

293
00:12:24.680 --> 00:12:27.560
understand how often black holes find each

294
00:12:27.560 --> 00:12:30.440
other and merge. As LIGO continues its fourth

295
00:12:30.440 --> 00:12:33.060
observing run, astronomers are eager to apply

296
00:12:33.060 --> 00:12:35.340
these analytical techniques to new data,

297
00:12:35.660 --> 00:12:38.100
hoping to hear even more signals from these

298
00:12:38.100 --> 00:12:40.860
elusive, more massive black holes and

299
00:12:40.860 --> 00:12:42.460
shed more light on their formation.

300
00:12:43.020 --> 00:12:45.100
Avery: That's truly fascinating, Anna.

301
00:12:45.420 --> 00:12:47.940
From the fundamental building blocks of the

302
00:12:47.940 --> 00:12:50.820
universe, let's now pivot to a more practical

303
00:12:50.820 --> 00:12:53.740
aspect of space exploration. How we actually

304
00:12:53.820 --> 00:12:56.060
get things where they need to go in the

305
00:12:56.060 --> 00:12:57.180
vastness of space.

306
00:12:58.060 --> 00:13:00.780
Anna: Absolutely, Avery. NASA has just announced

307
00:13:00.780 --> 00:13:03.590
a significant new initiative asking six

308
00:13:03.590 --> 00:13:06.190
companies to help the agency move spacecraft

309
00:13:06.350 --> 00:13:09.230
between those notoriously difficult to reach

310
00:13:09.230 --> 00:13:11.950
orbits. They've awarded a total of

311
00:13:11.950 --> 00:13:14.830
$1.4 million to a

312
00:13:14.830 --> 00:13:17.230
group that includes some big names like Blue

313
00:13:17.230 --> 00:13:20.070
Origin, United Launch alliance and

314
00:13:20.070 --> 00:13:20.750
Rocket Lab.

315
00:13:21.390 --> 00:13:23.910
Avery: This is all about what are called Orbital

316
00:13:23.910 --> 00:13:26.910
Transfer vehicles, or OTVs. These

317
00:13:26.910 --> 00:13:28.940
vehicles launch on top of rockets,

318
00:13:29.410 --> 00:13:31.970
essentially carrying other spacecraft and

319
00:13:31.970 --> 00:13:34.450
then delivering them to very specific,

320
00:13:34.850 --> 00:13:37.850
often hard to access orbits. It's

321
00:13:37.850 --> 00:13:40.410
a game changer because spacecraft usually

322
00:13:40.410 --> 00:13:42.850
have limited fuel on board, making it tough

323
00:13:42.850 --> 00:13:45.250
for them to change orbits on their own. And

324
00:13:45.330 --> 00:13:48.090
rockets, well, most of their fuel is

325
00:13:48.090 --> 00:13:49.970
burned just getting off the ground.

326
00:13:50.610 --> 00:13:53.410
Anna: Exactly. So OTV's are designed to

327
00:13:53.410 --> 00:13:56.130
take a, uh, satellite or even a series of

328
00:13:56.130 --> 00:13:58.840
satellites away from the main rocket and

329
00:13:58.840 --> 00:14:01.520
transport them to another orbit or even

330
00:14:01.520 --> 00:14:04.400
further afield into deep space. The initial

331
00:14:04.400 --> 00:14:07.040
studies for NASA are due by mid September

332
00:14:07.200 --> 00:14:10.160
and the agency's long term goal is to send

333
00:14:10.160 --> 00:14:12.879
more missions to the Moon and Mars in a more

334
00:14:12.879 --> 00:14:14.160
cost efficient way.

335
00:14:14.880 --> 00:14:17.880
Avery: It's a multi orbit approach that NASA sees as

336
00:14:17.880 --> 00:14:20.080
essential, especially with the increasing

337
00:14:20.160 --> 00:14:22.990
pace of commercial space deliveries. Joe

338
00:14:22.990 --> 00:14:25.750
Dant, an Orbital Transfer Vehicle Strategic

339
00:14:25.750 --> 00:14:27.870
Initiative owner at Kennedy Space Centre,

340
00:14:28.030 --> 00:14:30.590
stated that these new awards will increase

341
00:14:30.910 --> 00:14:33.590
unique science capability and lower the

342
00:14:33.590 --> 00:14:35.550
agency's overall mission costs.

343
00:14:36.110 --> 00:14:38.110
Anna: And they've got some interesting proposals on

344
00:14:38.110 --> 00:14:40.910
the table. For instance, Aeroscience and

345
00:14:40.910 --> 00:14:43.230
Technology is partnering with Quantum Space

346
00:14:43.550 --> 00:14:46.270
to look at Quantum's Ranger for delivering

347
00:14:46.270 --> 00:14:49.110
payloads from low Earth orbit to lunar

348
00:14:49.110 --> 00:14:49.470
orbit.

349
00:14:50.310 --> 00:14:52.950
Avery: Blue Origin has two studies, one for their

350
00:14:52.950 --> 00:14:55.590
Blue Ring platform, which can use hybrid

351
00:14:55.590 --> 00:14:57.590
propulsion for orbits ranging from

352
00:14:57.590 --> 00:14:59.990
geostationary to cislunar,

353
00:15:00.230 --> 00:15:03.030
Mars and even interplanetary locations.

354
00:15:03.590 --> 00:15:06.110
Their second study is for an upper stage of

355
00:15:06.110 --> 00:15:07.510
their new Glenn rocket.

356
00:15:07.910 --> 00:15:10.750
Anna: Firefly Aerospace is looking at using its

357
00:15:10.750 --> 00:15:13.470
Elytra orbital vehicles for lunar

358
00:15:13.470 --> 00:15:16.190
orbit operations and CIS lunar space

359
00:15:16.190 --> 00:15:18.430
applications like imaging or payload

360
00:15:18.430 --> 00:15:21.350
delivery. Impulse Space has two vehicles,

361
00:15:21.590 --> 00:15:24.070
MIRA and Helios, designed for

362
00:15:24.070 --> 00:15:26.550
payload hosting and deployment, with

363
00:15:26.550 --> 00:15:29.350
Helios specifically able to move from low

364
00:15:29.350 --> 00:15:31.430
Earth orbit to medium or

365
00:15:31.430 --> 00:15:34.150
geostationary orbits or even further.

366
00:15:35.030 --> 00:15:37.950
Avery: Rocket Lab is conducting two studies, one for

367
00:15:37.950 --> 00:15:40.870
their neutron rocket and another for an OTV

368
00:15:40.950 --> 00:15:43.790
based on their Explorer spacecraft capable of

369
00:15:43.790 --> 00:15:46.110
reaching various orbits including medium

370
00:15:46.110 --> 00:15:48.450
Earth orbit, geosynchronous and even

371
00:15:48.450 --> 00:15:51.050
destinations like the Moon, Mars or

372
00:15:51.050 --> 00:15:53.850
asteroids. And United Launch alliance is

373
00:15:53.850 --> 00:15:56.170
studying their Centaur 5 upper stage for

374
00:15:56.170 --> 00:15:58.850
rideshare missions to cislunar Space really

375
00:15:58.850 --> 00:15:59.730
highlights the push.

376
00:15:59.730 --> 00:16:02.290
Anna: Towards more efficient, flexible space

377
00:16:02.290 --> 00:16:05.250
logistics. With these OTV's, we could see

378
00:16:05.250 --> 00:16:07.730
a future where getting to any orbit, no

379
00:16:07.730 --> 00:16:09.970
matter how remote, becomes far more

380
00:16:09.970 --> 00:16:12.810
achievable and affordable. It really does.

381
00:16:13.130 --> 00:16:16.010
From the ambitious next steps for SpaceX's

382
00:16:16.010 --> 00:16:18.890
Starship to despite its recent challenges to

383
00:16:18.890 --> 00:16:21.570
Blue Origin's exciting second new Glenn

384
00:16:21.570 --> 00:16:24.330
launch carrying NASA's Escapade mission to

385
00:16:24.330 --> 00:16:26.930
Mars, and the ongoing quest to understand

386
00:16:27.330 --> 00:16:30.050
intermediate black holes using gravitational

387
00:16:30.130 --> 00:16:33.130
waves, it's been a packed episode. And of

388
00:16:33.130 --> 00:16:35.570
course, the promising developments in orbital

389
00:16:35.570 --> 00:16:38.210
transfer vehicles showing how companies are

390
00:16:38.210 --> 00:16:40.210
innovating to make space travel more

391
00:16:40.210 --> 00:16:43.140
efficient and accessible. It's clear

392
00:16:43.140 --> 00:16:45.780
that the universe continues to offer endless

393
00:16:45.780 --> 00:16:48.380
discoveries and technological advancements.

394
00:16:49.020 --> 00:16:50.980
Avery: That's all the time we have for today's

395
00:16:50.980 --> 00:16:53.220
Astronomy Daily. Thank you for joining us for

396
00:16:53.220 --> 00:16:54.700
these cosmic discussions.

397
00:16:55.340 --> 00:16:57.500
Anna: We hope you enjoyed diving into the latest

398
00:16:57.580 --> 00:17:00.260
space and astronomy news with us. Be sure to

399
00:17:00.260 --> 00:17:02.340
tune in next time for more interstellar

400
00:17:02.340 --> 00:17:04.940
updates. In the meantime, keep looking up.

401
00:17:05.100 --> 00:17:05.580
Bye