WEBVTT 0 00:00:00.320 --> 00:00:02.600 Avery: Hello, and welcome to Astronomy Daily, the 1 00:00:02.600 --> 00:00:04.680 podcast that brings you the latest news from 2 00:00:04.680 --> 00:00:07.120 the final frontier. I'm your host, Avery. 3 00:00:07.120 --> 00:00:09.440 Anna: And I'm Anna. It's great to have you with us. 4 00:00:09.600 --> 00:00:11.680 We have four great stories for you today, 5 00:00:11.760 --> 00:00:13.800 covering everything from engineering 6 00:00:13.800 --> 00:00:16.560 challenges right here on Earth to the slow 7 00:00:16.640 --> 00:00:18.560 cosmic, uh, dance of our solar system. 8 00:00:18.960 --> 00:00:21.040 Avery: That's right. We'll be talking about a 9 00:00:21.040 --> 00:00:24.040 significant setback for Firefly Aerospace as 10 00:00:24.040 --> 00:00:26.320 they work to get their Alpha rocket back on 11 00:00:26.320 --> 00:00:27.120 the launch pad. 12 00:00:27.520 --> 00:00:29.760 Anna: Then we'll look at an incredibly busy week 13 00:00:29.760 --> 00:00:31.680 for launches around the world, including 14 00:00:32.140 --> 00:00:34.580 SpaceX launching satellites for a major 15 00:00:34.580 --> 00:00:35.180 competitor. 16 00:00:35.420 --> 00:00:37.700 Avery: We'll also dive into Europe's ambitious new 17 00:00:37.700 --> 00:00:40.460 plans to develop a reusable rocket that's 18 00:00:40.460 --> 00:00:42.460 already being called a mini starship. 19 00:00:42.620 --> 00:00:45.180 Anna: And finally, we'll explore a new study 20 00:00:45.340 --> 00:00:47.980 that reveals our solar system's asteroid 21 00:00:47.980 --> 00:00:50.620 belt is slowly but surely disappearing. 22 00:00:50.860 --> 00:00:53.100 Avery: It's a lot to cover, so let's get started. 23 00:00:53.820 --> 00:00:56.260 Anna: Alright, Avery, let's begin with some 24 00:00:56.260 --> 00:00:59.100 challenging news for Firefly Aerospace. It 25 00:00:59.100 --> 00:01:01.380 seems their path back to flight has hit 26 00:01:01.380 --> 00:01:02.460 another obstacle. 27 00:01:02.820 --> 00:01:04.700 Avery: That's right, Anna. During a recent ground 28 00:01:04.700 --> 00:01:07.140 test in Texas, the company experienced an 29 00:01:07.140 --> 00:01:09.620 anomaly and unfortunately lost the first 30 00:01:09.620 --> 00:01:11.940 stage booster intended for its next mission, 31 00:01:12.180 --> 00:01:13.780 dubbed Alpha Flight 7. 32 00:01:14.260 --> 00:01:16.980 Anna: This is especially tough news considering it 33 00:01:16.980 --> 00:01:18.980 follows a launch hiatus for the company. 34 00:01:19.380 --> 00:01:21.860 Their last flight, Alpha Flight 6, back in 35 00:01:21.860 --> 00:01:24.660 April, also suffered an in flight anomaly. 36 00:01:24.820 --> 00:01:27.500 Avery: Exactly. The investigation into that flight 37 00:01:27.500 --> 00:01:29.620 pointed to something called plume induced 38 00:01:29.620 --> 00:01:32.380 flow separation, which is a complex 39 00:01:32.380 --> 00:01:34.960 aerodynamic issue where the roc its own 40 00:01:34.960 --> 00:01:37.640 exhaust interferes with its flight. The 41 00:01:37.640 --> 00:01:39.320 company had seemed quite optimistic about 42 00:01:39.320 --> 00:01:41.480 fixing the issue and getting back to a 43 00:01:41.480 --> 00:01:43.920 regular launch schedule. This latest incident 44 00:01:43.920 --> 00:01:45.280 is a definite setback. 45 00:01:45.520 --> 00:01:47.920 Anna: It really underscores the immense challenges 46 00:01:47.920 --> 00:01:50.719 of rocketry. Even ground testing, which is 47 00:01:50.719 --> 00:01:53.520 meant to prevent in flight failures, carries 48 00:01:53.520 --> 00:01:56.040 its own risks. How does this fit into 49 00:01:56.040 --> 00:01:57.920 Firefly's overall track record? 50 00:01:58.320 --> 00:02:00.680 Avery: Well, it's been a mixed bag. They've had 51 00:02:00.680 --> 00:02:02.600 successful missions and have secured some 52 00:02:02.600 --> 00:02:05.400 major contracts, including with NASA. But 53 00:02:05.400 --> 00:02:07.180 they've also faced their share of development 54 00:02:07.260 --> 00:02:10.140 hurdles. What this shows, though, is their 55 00:02:10.140 --> 00:02:12.460 resilience. They are investigating the cause 56 00:02:12.460 --> 00:02:14.620 and have other boosters in production. 57 00:02:15.180 --> 00:02:17.820 Anna: They do. For instance, they have a mission 58 00:02:17.820 --> 00:02:19.780 lined up for the National Reconnaissance 59 00:02:19.780 --> 00:02:22.060 Office. Launching sensitive government 60 00:02:22.140 --> 00:02:25.140 payloads requires an extremely high degree of 61 00:02:25.140 --> 00:02:27.780 reliability. So this setback will certainly 62 00:02:27.780 --> 00:02:29.820 be scrutinized closely by their government 63 00:02:29.820 --> 00:02:30.300 partners. 64 00:02:30.700 --> 00:02:33.140 Avery: I'm sure it will be. It looked like a pretty 65 00:02:33.140 --> 00:02:34.780 dramatic event in the photos published 66 00:02:34.780 --> 00:02:35.100 online. 67 00:02:35.900 --> 00:02:37.760 Anna: M and they're not just working on the Alpha 68 00:02:37.760 --> 00:02:40.000 rocket, are they? They have bigger plans. 69 00:02:40.160 --> 00:02:42.000 Avery: Correct. They're also developing a much 70 00:02:42.000 --> 00:02:44.600 larger rocket called Eclipse. So while this 71 00:02:44.600 --> 00:02:46.640 is a frustrating loss for the Alpha program, 72 00:02:47.040 --> 00:02:48.880 the company's still pushing forward on 73 00:02:48.880 --> 00:02:51.280 multiple fronts. We'll be watching closely to 74 00:02:51.280 --> 00:02:54.000 see how they bounce back now. While one 75 00:02:54.000 --> 00:02:56.520 company faced a setback, the rest of the 76 00:02:56.520 --> 00:02:58.480 world seemed to be racing to the launch pads. 77 00:02:58.640 --> 00:03:01.600 It's an incredibly busy week for spaceflight. 78 00:03:02.030 --> 00:03:04.750 Anna: It certainly is. And leading the charge as 79 00:03:04.750 --> 00:03:07.670 usual, is SpaceX. They have up to three 80 00:03:07.670 --> 00:03:10.030 launches scheduled in a very short span. 81 00:03:10.350 --> 00:03:12.430 Avery: Two of those are for their own Starlink 82 00:03:12.430 --> 00:03:14.830 satellite Internet Constellation, which is 83 00:03:14.830 --> 00:03:17.110 pretty standard for them now. But the third 84 00:03:17.110 --> 00:03:20.070 one really caught my eye. It's a launch for 85 00:03:20.070 --> 00:03:21.790 Amazon's Project Cooper. 86 00:03:21.790 --> 00:03:24.190 Anna: On Friday that is fascinating. 87 00:03:24.590 --> 00:03:26.950 For those who don't know, Project Cooper is 88 00:03:26.950 --> 00:03:29.550 Amazon's direct competitor to Starlink. 89 00:03:29.960 --> 00:03:32.280 So you have SpaceX, the industry leader in 90 00:03:32.280 --> 00:03:34.640 launch services, flying satellites for the 91 00:03:34.640 --> 00:03:36.760 very company trying to compete with its 92 00:03:36.760 --> 00:03:37.880 satellite Internet service. 93 00:03:38.200 --> 00:03:40.320 Avery: It's a perfect illustration of the current 94 00:03:40.320 --> 00:03:43.160 state of the launch market. SpaceX's Falcon 9 95 00:03:43.160 --> 00:03:45.600 is so reliable and available that even its 96 00:03:45.600 --> 00:03:48.240 rivals have to use it. It's a testament to 97 00:03:48.240 --> 00:03:49.560 their operational dominance. 98 00:03:49.720 --> 00:03:52.200 Anna: And the activity wasn't just in the us. 99 00:03:52.920 --> 00:03:54.920 China also hit a significant 100 00:03:55.320 --> 00:03:56.520 milestone this week. 101 00:03:57.040 --> 00:03:59.600 Avery: They did. They celebrated the 100th 102 00:03:59.600 --> 00:04:01.880 successful launch of their Changzhang 2D 103 00:04:01.880 --> 00:04:04.640 rocket, also known as the Long March 2D. 104 00:04:05.280 --> 00:04:07.160 It's a real workhorse for their space 105 00:04:07.160 --> 00:04:09.760 program, having been in service for decades. 106 00:04:10.080 --> 00:04:12.800 Reaching 100 launches is a huge achievement 107 00:04:12.800 --> 00:04:14.160 for any rocket family. 108 00:04:14.480 --> 00:04:17.200 Anna: And rounding out the busy week is Rocket Lab, 109 00:04:17.200 --> 00:04:20.000 which is scheduled to launch its second Haste 110 00:04:20.000 --> 00:04:22.920 mission. Haste is a modified version of 111 00:04:22.920 --> 00:04:24.640 their electron rocket, isn't it? 112 00:04:24.960 --> 00:04:27.600 Avery: That's right. HEATH stands for Hypersonic 113 00:04:27.600 --> 00:04:30.320 Accelerator Suborbital Test Electron. 114 00:04:30.720 --> 00:04:33.160 It's designed for flying hypersonic research 115 00:04:33.160 --> 00:04:35.800 payloads. So in one week you have 116 00:04:35.800 --> 00:04:38.480 commercial competition, national milestones 117 00:04:38.640 --> 00:04:41.480 and cutting edge military research all 118 00:04:41.480 --> 00:04:44.160 taking to the skies. It really shows the 119 00:04:44.160 --> 00:04:46.520 diverse and global nature of spaceflight 120 00:04:46.520 --> 00:04:46.800 today. 121 00:04:47.360 --> 00:04:49.800 Anna: Speaking of global efforts, let's turn our 122 00:04:49.800 --> 00:04:52.680 attention to Europe, where a very ambitious 123 00:04:52.680 --> 00:04:54.920 vision for the future of launch is starting 124 00:04:54.920 --> 00:04:57.300 to take shape. The European Space 125 00:04:57.300 --> 00:05:00.260 Agency, or esa, has awarded a 126 00:05:00.260 --> 00:05:02.620 significant contract to the Italian 127 00:05:02.620 --> 00:05:04.300 aerospace company Avio. 128 00:05:04.700 --> 00:05:06.380 Avery: And, um, this isn't just for another 129 00:05:06.460 --> 00:05:09.260 conventional rocket. The contract worth 130 00:05:09.260 --> 00:05:12.100 40 million euros is for Avio to design a 131 00:05:12.100 --> 00:05:14.980 reusable upper stage. This is part of 132 00:05:14.980 --> 00:05:17.700 a larger concept for a two stage rocket where 133 00:05:17.700 --> 00:05:19.900 both stages would be fully reusable. 134 00:05:20.540 --> 00:05:22.940 Anna: Naturally, the Inspiration here is 135 00:05:23.020 --> 00:05:25.940 SpaceX's Starship. In fact, this 136 00:05:25.940 --> 00:05:28.060 European concept is already being 137 00:05:28.280 --> 00:05:30.920 unofficially dubbed the Mini Starship 138 00:05:31.080 --> 00:05:33.600 because it follows the same principles Just 139 00:05:33.600 --> 00:05:34.840 on a smaller scale. 140 00:05:35.000 --> 00:05:37.000 Avery: And we really need to emphasize how 141 00:05:37.000 --> 00:05:39.600 technically ambitious this is. Reusing a 142 00:05:39.600 --> 00:05:41.600 first stage booster, which companies like 143 00:05:41.600 --> 00:05:44.399 SpaceX have mastered, is one thing. The 144 00:05:44.399 --> 00:05:46.320 booster separates at a lower altitude and 145 00:05:46.320 --> 00:05:49.240 velocity. Reusing an upper stage, which 146 00:05:49.240 --> 00:05:51.520 has to reach orbital speeds and endure the 147 00:05:51.520 --> 00:05:54.200 heat of RE entry, is an entirely different 148 00:05:54.200 --> 00:05:56.200 and much more complex challenge. 149 00:05:56.830 --> 00:05:59.470 Anna: Absolutely. So what's the timeline for this 150 00:05:59.470 --> 00:05:59.790 project? 151 00:06:00.190 --> 00:06:02.510 Avery: We should manage our expectations. This 152 00:06:02.510 --> 00:06:04.950 contract is for a preliminary design with a 153 00:06:04.950 --> 00:06:06.990 major review scheduled in a couple of years. 154 00:06:07.390 --> 00:06:09.750 If it gets the green light to proceed, a 155 00:06:09.750 --> 00:06:11.990 potential first flight would likely be in the 156 00:06:11.990 --> 00:06:14.830 early2030s. This is a long term play. 157 00:06:15.230 --> 00:06:18.070 Anna: It seems to be part of a broader European 158 00:06:18.070 --> 00:06:20.870 strategy. For years, Europe has been trying 159 00:06:20.870 --> 00:06:23.830 to develop its own autonomous and competitive 160 00:06:23.830 --> 00:06:26.670 launch capabilities to avoid relying on 161 00:06:26.670 --> 00:06:28.890 American or Russian rockets. 162 00:06:29.370 --> 00:06:31.890 This feels like a major step in that 163 00:06:31.890 --> 00:06:32.330 direction. 164 00:06:32.650 --> 00:06:35.130 Avery: It is. By aiming for full reusability, 165 00:06:35.290 --> 00:06:37.530 they're not just trying to catch up, they're 166 00:06:37.530 --> 00:06:39.810 trying to leapfrog to the next generation of 167 00:06:39.810 --> 00:06:42.370 launch technology. It's a bold vision and it 168 00:06:42.370 --> 00:06:44.730 will be fascinating to see if Avio and ESA 169 00:06:44.730 --> 00:06:45.530 can pull it off. 170 00:06:45.930 --> 00:06:48.610 Anna: It certainly will be, and we'll be sure to 171 00:06:48.610 --> 00:06:50.410 keep an eye on this story going forward. 172 00:06:50.810 --> 00:06:53.250 Avery: All right, for our final story, let's zoom 173 00:06:53.250 --> 00:06:55.650 out from our own technological endeavors and 174 00:06:55.650 --> 00:06:58.610 look at the slow, grand scale evolution of 175 00:06:58.610 --> 00:07:00.750 our solar system. A new new study from 176 00:07:00.750 --> 00:07:03.310 astronomers in Uruguay has some incredible 177 00:07:03.310 --> 00:07:05.510 insights into the asteroid belt. 178 00:07:05.830 --> 00:07:08.390 Anna: This is a really interesting one. They've 179 00:07:08.390 --> 00:07:11.270 discovered that the asteroid belt, that vast 180 00:07:11.350 --> 00:07:14.150 collection of rocks between Mars and Jupiter, 181 00:07:14.550 --> 00:07:17.350 is slowly losing mass. Over time, 182 00:07:17.830 --> 00:07:20.830 it's essentially disappearing, albeit on 183 00:07:20.830 --> 00:07:22.950 a timescale of billions of years. 184 00:07:23.510 --> 00:07:26.070 Avery: So where is all that rock and dust going? 185 00:07:26.770 --> 00:07:29.130 Anna: The study breaks it down into two main 186 00:07:29.130 --> 00:07:32.130 pathways. About 80% of the lost 187 00:07:32.210 --> 00:07:34.370 mass is being ground down into 188 00:07:34.530 --> 00:07:37.130 incredibly fine dust. Through countless 189 00:07:37.130 --> 00:07:39.970 collisions between asteroids, this dust 190 00:07:39.970 --> 00:07:42.210 then slowly spirals towards the sun. 191 00:07:42.449 --> 00:07:44.580 Avery: And that dust is actually visible to us, uh, 192 00:07:44.610 --> 00:07:45.570 here on Earth, right? 193 00:07:46.130 --> 00:07:49.010 Anna: Yes, it is. It's the primary contributor 194 00:07:49.010 --> 00:07:52.010 to what's known as the zodiacal light, a 195 00:07:52.010 --> 00:07:54.900 faint diffuse glow that you can sometimes see 196 00:07:54.900 --> 00:07:57.620 in the night sky after sunset or before 197 00:07:57.620 --> 00:08:00.500 sunrise. You're literally seeing the dust of 198 00:08:00.500 --> 00:08:02.180 the disintegrating asteroid belt. 199 00:08:02.340 --> 00:08:05.180 Avery: That's amazing. What about the other 20% 200 00:08:05.180 --> 00:08:06.660 of the mass being lost? 201 00:08:07.060 --> 00:08:09.860 Anna: That portion is ejected from the belt in the 202 00:08:09.860 --> 00:08:12.700 form of larger chunks, asteroids and 203 00:08:12.700 --> 00:08:15.540 meteoroids. Gravitational nudges 204 00:08:15.540 --> 00:08:18.380 from Jupiter can send these objects on new 205 00:08:18.380 --> 00:08:20.860 trajectories. And some of them can cross 206 00:08:20.860 --> 00:08:23.660 Earth's orbit, becoming what we call near 207 00:08:23.660 --> 00:08:24.410 Earth objects. 208 00:08:25.440 --> 00:08:27.880 Avery: So the study also gives us a glimpse into the 209 00:08:27.880 --> 00:08:30.320 past. If the belt is losing mass, 210 00:08:30.640 --> 00:08:32.560 it must have been more massive before. 211 00:08:33.040 --> 00:08:35.880 Anna: Precisely. The models suggest that 212 00:08:35.880 --> 00:08:38.560 around 3.5 billion years ago, 213 00:08:38.800 --> 00:08:41.680 the asteroid belt was about 50% more 214 00:08:41.680 --> 00:08:44.480 massive than it is today. And what's truly 215 00:08:44.480 --> 00:08:47.240 compelling is that this timeframe correlates 216 00:08:47.240 --> 00:08:50.200 perfectly with geological evidence from both 217 00:08:50.200 --> 00:08:53.160 Earth and the Moon, which shows a much higher 218 00:08:53.160 --> 00:08:55.840 rate of asteroid impacts during that early 219 00:08:55.840 --> 00:08:57.260 period of the solar system. 220 00:08:57.900 --> 00:09:00.140 Avery: So the scars on the Moon and ancient impact 221 00:09:00.140 --> 00:09:02.930 craters on Earth are direct evidence of this 222 00:09:02.930 --> 00:09:05.580 m more massive, chaotic early asteroid 223 00:09:05.580 --> 00:09:08.500 belt. It's a powerful reminder that the solar 224 00:09:08.500 --> 00:09:11.020 system isn't a static, unchanging clockwork. 225 00:09:11.260 --> 00:09:14.060 It's a dynamic, evolving system. And 226 00:09:14.060 --> 00:09:15.900 we're just seeing one snapshot in its 227 00:09:15.900 --> 00:09:17.020 incredibly long life. 228 00:09:17.500 --> 00:09:19.700 Anna: And that's a perfect place to wrap things up 229 00:09:19.700 --> 00:09:22.500 for today. From the immediate engineering 230 00:09:22.500 --> 00:09:25.180 struggles on a test stand to the billion 231 00:09:25.260 --> 00:09:27.820 year grinding down of an asteroid belt. 232 00:09:28.440 --> 00:09:29.400 Been quite a journey. 233 00:09:29.560 --> 00:09:32.400 Avery: It certainly has. It highlights the constant 234 00:09:32.400 --> 00:09:34.680 interplay between human ambition pushing 235 00:09:34.680 --> 00:09:37.600 outward and the vast ancient mechanics of the 236 00:09:37.600 --> 00:09:40.240 cosmos we inhabit. That's all the time we 237 00:09:40.240 --> 00:09:41.960 have for today on Astronomy Daily. 238 00:09:42.280 --> 00:09:45.200 Anna: Thanks for tuning in. I'm Anna, and 239 00:09:45.200 --> 00:09:47.960 please visit our website for even more space 240 00:09:47.960 --> 00:09:50.840 and astronomy news. Our news feed is 241 00:09:50.840 --> 00:09:53.120 constantly updating and there's always more 242 00:09:53.120 --> 00:09:55.740 to read there. You can find us at 243 00:09:55.740 --> 00:09:57.700 astronomydaily IO. 244 00:09:58.020 --> 00:10:00.700 Avery: And I am Avery. Join us again tomorrow as we 245 00:10:00.700 --> 00:10:03.460 continue to explore the final frontier. And 246 00:10:03.460 --> 00:10:05.060 remember, keep looking up.