WEBVTT 0 00:00:02.320 --> 00:00:05.200 Avery: Hello, and welcome to Astronomy Daily, 1 00:00:05.360 --> 00:00:08.080 the podcast that brings you the universe one 2 00:00:08.080 --> 00:00:11.080 story at a time. I'm your host, Avery. 3 00:00:11.080 --> 00:00:13.680 Anna: And I'm Anna. It's great to have you with us. 4 00:00:13.920 --> 00:00:16.279 We've got an information rich show for you 5 00:00:16.279 --> 00:00:18.400 today covering everything from record 6 00:00:18.400 --> 00:00:20.800 breaking rocket landings to new theories 7 00:00:20.800 --> 00:00:23.040 about the very fabric of the cosmos. 8 00:00:23.520 --> 00:00:25.880 Avery: That's right, Anna. Uh, we'll also be diving 9 00:00:25.880 --> 00:00:28.000 into the future of SpaceX's colossal 10 00:00:28.000 --> 00:00:30.840 Starship, exploring how a simple sign switch 11 00:00:30.840 --> 00:00:33.060 in dark energy might solve some of 12 00:00:33.060 --> 00:00:35.740 cosmology's biggest puzzles. And we'll also 13 00:00:35.740 --> 00:00:37.820 look at the incredible progress China's 14 00:00:37.820 --> 00:00:39.340 making in its race to the moon. 15 00:00:39.500 --> 00:00:41.420 Anna: So let's get right to it. 16 00:00:41.740 --> 00:00:44.300 Our first story takes us to Boca chica, 17 00:00:44.300 --> 00:00:47.140 Texas, where SpaceX just completed 18 00:00:47.140 --> 00:00:49.500 another successful test flight of its 19 00:00:49.500 --> 00:00:52.060 Starship Mars rocket. Avery, 20 00:00:52.220 --> 00:00:54.980 Flight 10 was a success, but SpaceX 21 00:00:54.980 --> 00:00:57.740 is already looking past this vehicle, isn't 22 00:00:57.740 --> 00:00:57.980 it? 23 00:00:57.980 --> 00:01:00.460 Avery: They absolutely are. The flight on August 24 00:01:00.460 --> 00:01:03.140 27 was flawless, checking all the 25 00:01:03.140 --> 00:01:05.840 box. But in true SpaceX fashion, 26 00:01:05.840 --> 00:01:08.200 they're not resting on their laurels. This 27 00:01:08.200 --> 00:01:11.000 current version, version two, is essentially 28 00:01:11.000 --> 00:01:13.560 a stepping stone. The whole program is about 29 00:01:13.560 --> 00:01:16.520 rapid iteration to build the vehicle capable 30 00:01:16.520 --> 00:01:18.680 of getting humanity to Mars. 31 00:01:18.760 --> 00:01:21.480 Anna: And the next versions are going to be even 32 00:01:21.640 --> 00:01:24.600 more impressive. The current starship stands 33 00:01:24.600 --> 00:01:27.480 at about 121 meters tall, which is 34 00:01:27.480 --> 00:01:29.920 already staggering. But the next 35 00:01:29.920 --> 00:01:32.920 iteration, version three, is expected to 36 00:01:32.920 --> 00:01:35.400 be over 124 meters 37 00:01:35.860 --> 00:01:38.540 and beyond that. Version four is planned to 38 00:01:38.540 --> 00:01:41.540 fly in 2027 with a mind 39 00:01:41.540 --> 00:01:43.700 boggling 42 engines. 40 00:01:43.940 --> 00:01:46.580 Avery: That is some, um, serious thrust. Version 41 00:01:46.580 --> 00:01:49.180 three is a massive upgrade and is expected to 42 00:01:49.180 --> 00:01:52.019 be in testing by the end of this year, with a 43 00:01:52.019 --> 00:01:54.700 heavy flight schedule planned next year. This 44 00:01:54.700 --> 00:01:56.980 is all building towards a very ambitious 45 00:01:56.980 --> 00:01:59.700 timeline. SpaceX is targeting 2026 46 00:01:59.780 --> 00:02:01.940 for its first uncrewed missions to the Red 47 00:02:01.940 --> 00:02:02.340 planet. 48 00:02:02.590 --> 00:02:05.190 Anna: A critical piece of that puzzle is orbital 49 00:02:05.190 --> 00:02:08.190 refueling. To get to Mars, Starship 50 00:02:08.190 --> 00:02:10.990 will need to be refueled in Earth orbit 51 00:02:10.990 --> 00:02:13.790 by other starship tankers. It's a 52 00:02:13.790 --> 00:02:16.310 complex maneuver that's never been done on 53 00:02:16.310 --> 00:02:19.110 this scale. And SpaceX aims to demonstrate 54 00:02:19.110 --> 00:02:22.110 that capability next year. It's the key 55 00:02:22.110 --> 00:02:24.590 that unlocks the whole interplanetary vision. 56 00:02:24.670 --> 00:02:27.310 Avery: And it's not just about Mars. This massive 57 00:02:27.310 --> 00:02:30.110 lift capacity is going to revolutionize other 58 00:02:30.110 --> 00:02:32.750 areas too. Think about the next generation of 59 00:02:32.750 --> 00:02:35.050 StarLink satellites, Star V3. 60 00:02:35.290 --> 00:02:37.410 They're so large that they can only be 61 00:02:37.410 --> 00:02:40.290 launched by starship. It's a step change in 62 00:02:40.290 --> 00:02:40.810 capability. 63 00:02:41.050 --> 00:02:43.970 Anna: That's a great point. And there's also the 64 00:02:43.970 --> 00:02:46.890 long term vision of point to point travel on 65 00:02:46.890 --> 00:02:49.490 Earth. Imagine Traveling from New York to 66 00:02:49.490 --> 00:02:52.370 London in under an hour. It sounds 67 00:02:52.370 --> 00:02:54.850 like science fiction, but Starship is the 68 00:02:54.850 --> 00:02:57.850 vehicle designed to make that a reality. The 69 00:02:57.850 --> 00:02:59.930 infrastructure build out at their Starbase 70 00:02:59.930 --> 00:03:02.770 facility in Texas is staggering, with a 71 00:03:02.770 --> 00:03:04.890 new launch tower and production facilities 72 00:03:04.970 --> 00:03:07.310 working around the clock to support this 73 00:03:07.310 --> 00:03:08.470 incredible pace. 74 00:03:08.710 --> 00:03:11.390 Avery: Absolutely, Anna. Uh, and that rapid pace is 75 00:03:11.390 --> 00:03:14.230 key. The philosophy of build, fly, 76 00:03:14.550 --> 00:03:17.070 test, repeat is what sets this program 77 00:03:17.070 --> 00:03:19.910 apart. They accept that some tests will fail, 78 00:03:19.910 --> 00:03:22.870 but each failure provides invaluable data 79 00:03:23.030 --> 00:03:25.910 that feeds into the next iteration. It's a 80 00:03:25.910 --> 00:03:28.310 high risk, high reward strategy that is 81 00:03:28.310 --> 00:03:30.830 clearly paying off, pushing the boundaries of 82 00:03:30.830 --> 00:03:33.270 what's possible in rocket engineering. It's 83 00:03:33.270 --> 00:03:34.470 an incredible pace. 84 00:03:34.710 --> 00:03:36.940 Now, from engineering the future of 85 00:03:36.940 --> 00:03:39.300 spaceflight, let's turn to the fundamental 86 00:03:39.300 --> 00:03:42.030 nature of the universe itself. Anna? Uh, 87 00:03:42.030 --> 00:03:44.580 there's a fascinating new theory that might 88 00:03:44.580 --> 00:03:46.660 shake up our understanding of dark energy. 89 00:03:47.060 --> 00:03:49.860 Anna: That's right. For decades, our standard 90 00:03:49.860 --> 00:03:52.780 model of cosmology, known as lambda cold 91 00:03:52.780 --> 00:03:55.620 dark matter, has been our best guide to the 92 00:03:55.620 --> 00:03:58.580 universe. But it's not perfect. It 93 00:03:58.580 --> 00:04:01.460 has a couple of persistent problems. The 94 00:04:01.460 --> 00:04:04.100 Hubble tension and the Sigma 8 95 00:04:04.100 --> 00:04:07.080 tension. Essentially, our measurements of the 96 00:04:07.080 --> 00:04:09.960 universe's expansion rate and its clumpiness 97 00:04:10.280 --> 00:04:12.920 don't quite match what the model predicts. 98 00:04:13.240 --> 00:04:15.840 Avery: So what's the new idea? It sounds like 99 00:04:15.840 --> 00:04:18.080 something straight out of science fiction. A 100 00:04:18.080 --> 00:04:20.520 new study is proposing that dark energy, 101 00:04:20.839 --> 00:04:23.720 the mysterious force driving the universe's 102 00:04:23.720 --> 00:04:26.440 accelerated expansion, didn't always 103 00:04:26.440 --> 00:04:29.360 push things apart. It may have once pulled 104 00:04:29.360 --> 00:04:30.200 things inward. 105 00:04:30.670 --> 00:04:33.590 Anna: Exactly. The theory suggests the 106 00:04:33.590 --> 00:04:36.110 universe may have undergone a phase 107 00:04:36.110 --> 00:04:38.750 transition, shifting from what's called 108 00:04:38.910 --> 00:04:41.750 an anti de sitter phase, where vacuum 109 00:04:41.750 --> 00:04:44.630 energy caused contraction, to the de 110 00:04:44.630 --> 00:04:47.230 sitter phase we see today, where it 111 00:04:47.230 --> 00:04:49.990 causes expansion. If this sign 112 00:04:49.990 --> 00:04:52.830 switch happened in the early universe, it 113 00:04:52.830 --> 00:04:55.390 could elegantly resolve both the Hubble 114 00:04:55.630 --> 00:04:58.430 and Sigma 8 tensions at the same time. 115 00:04:59.300 --> 00:04:59.620 Wow. 116 00:05:00.020 --> 00:05:03.020 Avery: So a simple flip from a, uh, minus to a 117 00:05:03.020 --> 00:05:05.980 plus sign in the nature of dark energy could 118 00:05:05.980 --> 00:05:08.740 fix two of the biggest nagging problems in 119 00:05:08.740 --> 00:05:11.460 cosmology. It's a powerful reminder that 120 00:05:11.460 --> 00:05:13.780 there's still so much we have to learn about 121 00:05:13.780 --> 00:05:14.500 the cosmos. 122 00:05:14.820 --> 00:05:15.940 Anna: We certainly do. 123 00:05:16.420 --> 00:05:19.180 Now let's come back down to Earth orbit for 124 00:05:19.180 --> 00:05:21.700 another major achievement from SpaceX. 125 00:05:22.020 --> 00:05:24.570 While Starship represents the future, the 126 00:05:24.720 --> 00:05:27.600 their workhorse Falcon 9 rocket just hit 127 00:05:27.600 --> 00:05:30.080 an incredible milestone for reusability. 128 00:05:30.400 --> 00:05:33.040 Avery: Absolutely historic one. On a recent 129 00:05:33.040 --> 00:05:35.640 Starlink mission, SpaceX completed its 130 00:05:35.640 --> 00:05:38.560 400th successful landing of a Falcon 131 00:05:38.560 --> 00:05:41.360 booster on a drone ship. The first stage, 132 00:05:41.520 --> 00:05:44.000 designated B1095, 133 00:05:44.320 --> 00:05:46.720 touched down perfectly on the drone ship. 134 00:05:46.800 --> 00:05:49.360 Just read the Instructions. After launching 135 00:05:49.360 --> 00:05:51.360 28 more Starlink satellites, 136 00:05:52.320 --> 00:05:53.040 400. 137 00:05:53.760 --> 00:05:56.120 Anna: That number is just amazing. When you think 138 00:05:56.120 --> 00:05:58.480 about where we were less than a decade ago, 139 00:05:58.960 --> 00:06:01.680 it's easy to forget that the first successful 140 00:06:01.680 --> 00:06:04.640 recovery of a Falcon 9 booster was on land 141 00:06:04.880 --> 00:06:07.880 back in December 2015. Landing 142 00:06:07.880 --> 00:06:10.800 on a tiny drone ship at sea was an even 143 00:06:10.800 --> 00:06:13.440 bigger challenge, which they first cracked in 144 00:06:13.440 --> 00:06:14.640 April 2016. 145 00:06:15.440 --> 00:06:18.330 Avery: And now it's routine. Those drone ships 146 00:06:18.330 --> 00:06:20.650 are the key to their high flight rate. By 147 00:06:20.650 --> 00:06:23.010 catching the boosters at sea, they can fly 148 00:06:23.010 --> 00:06:25.050 more efficient trajectories and recover 149 00:06:25.050 --> 00:06:27.730 boosters from almost any mission. It's a 150 00:06:27.730 --> 00:06:29.690 testament to the relentless focus on 151 00:06:29.690 --> 00:06:30.450 reusability. 152 00:06:31.170 --> 00:06:33.410 Anna: Speaking of ambitious national space 153 00:06:33.410 --> 00:06:35.970 programs, SpaceX isn't the only 154 00:06:36.050 --> 00:06:39.050 player making big moves. Our final story 155 00:06:39.050 --> 00:06:41.930 today focuses on China's accelerating 156 00:06:41.930 --> 00:06:44.650 effort to land its own astronauts on the 157 00:06:44.650 --> 00:06:44.930 moon. 158 00:06:45.610 --> 00:06:47.450 Avery: That's right, Anna. Uh, they are making 159 00:06:47.530 --> 00:06:50.050 serious, visible progress towards their goal 160 00:06:50.050 --> 00:06:52.250 of a crewed lunar landing by 2030. 161 00:06:52.730 --> 00:06:55.210 A major piece of evidence was a ground Test 162 00:06:55.210 --> 00:06:58.090 on August 15 for the first stage of their new 163 00:06:58.090 --> 00:07:00.090 rocket, the Long March 10th. 164 00:07:00.410 --> 00:07:03.010 Anna: And this wasn't just any test. They 165 00:07:03.010 --> 00:07:04.970 clustered seven of their powerful 166 00:07:04.970 --> 00:07:07.610 YF100K engines together 167 00:07:07.850 --> 00:07:10.810 and fired them, reaching a thrust of nearly 168 00:07:10.810 --> 00:07:13.610 1,000 tons. That's a new 169 00:07:13.610 --> 00:07:16.490 record for China's space program and a clear 170 00:07:16.490 --> 00:07:19.050 demonstration of the power they're developing 171 00:07:19.050 --> 00:07:20.490 for their lunar ambitions. 172 00:07:21.050 --> 00:07:23.650 Avery: And it's not happening in a vacuum. This 173 00:07:23.650 --> 00:07:25.690 engine test follows a string of other 174 00:07:25.690 --> 00:07:28.130 successful milestones. They've performed a 175 00:07:28.130 --> 00:07:30.410 pad outboard test for their Mengzhou crew 176 00:07:30.410 --> 00:07:33.090 spacecraft, simulated a takeoff and 177 00:07:33.090 --> 00:07:35.850 landing with their Langyue lunar lander, and 178 00:07:35.850 --> 00:07:38.170 even unveiled their new lunar spacesuits. 179 00:07:38.740 --> 00:07:41.500 Anna: All the pieces are coming together. It's 180 00:07:41.500 --> 00:07:43.860 clear that China is methodically and 181 00:07:43.860 --> 00:07:46.420 successfully building the hardware and 182 00:07:46.420 --> 00:07:49.340 expertise needed to create a new chapter 183 00:07:49.340 --> 00:07:52.180 in human lunar exploration. The race 184 00:07:52.180 --> 00:07:54.579 back to the moon is definitely heating up. 185 00:07:55.060 --> 00:07:56.780 Avery: And that's a wrap for this episode of 186 00:07:56.780 --> 00:07:57.780 Astronomy Daily. 187 00:07:57.860 --> 00:08:00.260 From the next generation starship and China 188 00:08:00.260 --> 00:08:03.180 lunar rocket to a 400th booster landing and 189 00:08:03.180 --> 00:08:05.620 a new twist in cosmic history, it's been a 190 00:08:05.620 --> 00:08:06.740 busy day in space news. 191 00:08:06.820 --> 00:08:09.740 Anna: Thank you all so much for tuning in. If you 192 00:08:09.740 --> 00:08:12.220 enjoyed the show, please subscribe wherever 193 00:08:12.220 --> 00:08:14.740 you get your podcasts and feel free to leave 194 00:08:14.740 --> 00:08:17.260 us a review. It helps others discover the 195 00:08:17.260 --> 00:08:18.900 wonders of the universe with us. 196 00:08:19.460 --> 00:08:21.620 Avery: We'll be back soon with more of the latest 197 00:08:21.620 --> 00:08:24.260 news from across the cosmos. Until then, 198 00:08:24.500 --> 00:08:26.940 on behalf of Anna and myself, keep looking 199 00:08:26.940 --> 00:08:27.300 up. 200 00:08:38.519 --> 00:08:38.999 Anna: The story.