WEBVTT 0 00:00:00.400 --> 00:00:03.120 Avery: Welcome to Astronomy Daily, the podcast that 1 00:00:03.120 --> 00:00:05.880 brings you the universe, one story at a 2 00:00:05.880 --> 00:00:07.520 time. I'm Avery. 3 00:00:07.760 --> 00:00:10.320 Anna: And I'm Anna. It's great to be with you. 4 00:00:10.560 --> 00:00:12.960 Today we'll be talking about some significant 5 00:00:13.200 --> 00:00:15.760 delays for NASA's Artemis moon mission, 6 00:00:15.919 --> 00:00:18.240 a very busy week of launches around the 7 00:00:18.240 --> 00:00:20.600 globe, and a new satellite that's keeping a 8 00:00:20.600 --> 00:00:22.480 close eye on our planet's oceans. 9 00:00:22.960 --> 00:00:25.520 Avery: Plus, we're diving deep into the early 10 00:00:25.520 --> 00:00:28.160 universe to visit a superheated star 11 00:00:28.160 --> 00:00:31.040 factory. And then coming back to low Earth 12 00:00:31.040 --> 00:00:34.020 orbit. Update you on a rescue mission for the 13 00:00:34.020 --> 00:00:36.940 crew of the Tangong space station. Let's 14 00:00:36.940 --> 00:00:39.100 get right into it, starting with the moon. 15 00:00:39.500 --> 00:00:41.100 Anna: What have you got for us, Avery? 16 00:00:41.340 --> 00:00:43.940 Avery: All right, first up, some challenging news 17 00:00:43.940 --> 00:00:46.380 for lunar exploration enthusiasts. 18 00:00:46.700 --> 00:00:49.580 It looks like NASA's Artemis 3 mission, which 19 00:00:49.580 --> 00:00:51.940 is supposed to land the first astronauts on 20 00:00:51.940 --> 00:00:54.700 the moon since the Apollo era, is likely 21 00:00:54.860 --> 00:00:56.620 facing a major delay. 22 00:00:57.100 --> 00:00:59.660 Anna: That's right, Avery. A new government report 23 00:00:59.900 --> 00:01:02.460 suggests a more realistic target for that 24 00:01:02.460 --> 00:01:04.760 landing is now 2028, 25 00:01:05.240 --> 00:01:08.000 not the original 2026 goal. The 26 00:01:08.000 --> 00:01:09.960 primary reason comes down to the development 27 00:01:10.120 --> 00:01:12.800 of SpaceX's Starship, the 28 00:01:12.800 --> 00:01:15.040 massive vehicle chosen to be the human 29 00:01:15.040 --> 00:01:15.800 landing system. 30 00:01:16.280 --> 00:01:19.080 Avery: Right, so it's all hinging on Starship being 31 00:01:19.080 --> 00:01:21.920 ready to fly. What's SpaceX's own 32 00:01:21.920 --> 00:01:23.560 internal schedule looking like? 33 00:01:24.040 --> 00:01:26.840 Anna: Well, their internal targets are ambitious, 34 00:01:27.160 --> 00:01:29.960 but they also point to a later date. They're 35 00:01:29.960 --> 00:01:32.600 aiming for an uncrewed Starship lunar landing 36 00:01:32.600 --> 00:01:35.480 in June of 2027, followed by 37 00:01:35.780 --> 00:01:37.900 crucial crewed mission in September of 38 00:01:37.900 --> 00:01:38.820 2028. 39 00:01:39.380 --> 00:01:41.820 Avery: A 2028 landing that really 40 00:01:41.820 --> 00:01:44.180 changes the rhythm of the whole Artemis 41 00:01:44.180 --> 00:01:46.380 program. The Apollo missions had a much 42 00:01:46.380 --> 00:01:49.140 faster cadence, building momentum with each 43 00:01:49.140 --> 00:01:51.540 flight. This means longer gaps between 44 00:01:51.619 --> 00:01:54.100 Artemis 2, the lunar flyby, and 45 00:01:54.100 --> 00:01:55.940 Artemis 3, the landing. 46 00:01:56.260 --> 00:01:58.940 Anna: Exactly. And it's not surprising when you 47 00:01:58.940 --> 00:02:01.620 look at Starship's development. It's been a 48 00:02:01.620 --> 00:02:04.180 mixed year of test flights. We've seen some 49 00:02:04.180 --> 00:02:06.820 incredible successes, like reaching orbital 50 00:02:06.820 --> 00:02:09.400 velo, but also some spectacular 51 00:02:09.400 --> 00:02:11.920 failures, or as uh, SpaceX calls them, 52 00:02:12.080 --> 00:02:14.480 rapid unscheduled disassemblies. 53 00:02:15.040 --> 00:02:17.720 Avery: It's a, ah, hugely complex vehicle. It's 54 00:02:17.720 --> 00:02:20.680 designed for complete reusability, which is a 55 00:02:20.680 --> 00:02:23.080 game changer. But there's still some massive 56 00:02:23.080 --> 00:02:24.960 technological hurdles to overcome. 57 00:02:25.440 --> 00:02:27.720 Anna: That's the key. One of the most critical 58 00:02:27.720 --> 00:02:30.320 capabilities they still have to prove is 59 00:02:30.320 --> 00:02:33.280 orbital cryogenic fuel transfer. 60 00:02:33.600 --> 00:02:36.320 That means refueling Starship in space, which 61 00:02:36.320 --> 00:02:38.520 is essential for the trip to the moon and 62 00:02:38.520 --> 00:02:41.100 back. Never been done on this scale before. 63 00:02:41.820 --> 00:02:44.540 Avery: So while a delay is disappointing, it 64 00:02:44.540 --> 00:02:46.820 underscores the sheer difficulty of what 65 00:02:46.820 --> 00:02:49.260 they're trying to achieve. It's a marathon, 66 00:02:49.260 --> 00:02:50.140 not a sprint. 67 00:02:50.620 --> 00:02:53.300 Anna: Absolutely. We'll be watching those test 68 00:02:53.300 --> 00:02:55.260 flights very, very closely. 69 00:02:56.060 --> 00:02:56.660 Avery: Okay. 70 00:02:56.660 --> 00:02:59.420 From future launches to current ones, it's an 71 00:02:59.420 --> 00:03:02.020 incredibly busy week on launch pads around 72 00:03:02.020 --> 00:03:02.540 the world. 73 00:03:03.020 --> 00:03:05.500 Anna: It really has. Let's start with 74 00:03:05.500 --> 00:03:08.220 SpaceX, who are planning a staggering five 75 00:03:08.220 --> 00:03:10.700 Falcon 9 missions this week alone. 76 00:03:11.390 --> 00:03:11.630 Five? 77 00:03:11.630 --> 00:03:12.750 Avery: What are they sending up? 78 00:03:13.070 --> 00:03:15.670 Anna: The manifest includes four separate missions 79 00:03:15.670 --> 00:03:17.630 for their Starlink Internet Constellation. 80 00:03:18.030 --> 00:03:20.110 Continuing to build out that global network, 81 00:03:20.510 --> 00:03:21.070 of course. 82 00:03:21.390 --> 00:03:22.350 Avery: And the fifth? 83 00:03:22.510 --> 00:03:25.510 Anna: The fifth is the Transporter 15 rideshare 84 00:03:25.510 --> 00:03:28.270 mission, which is always exciting. It's like 85 00:03:28.270 --> 00:03:30.990 a cosmic carpool carrying dozens of 86 00:03:30.990 --> 00:03:33.310 smaller satellites for various customers into 87 00:03:33.310 --> 00:03:34.830 orbit on a single rocket. 88 00:03:35.150 --> 00:03:37.950 Avery: Right. It's not just SpaceX, though. China 89 00:03:37.950 --> 00:03:39.870 is also having a busy week. 90 00:03:40.580 --> 00:03:43.060 Anna: That's right. China is planning three rocket 91 00:03:43.060 --> 00:03:45.820 launches of their own. But perhaps the most 92 00:03:45.820 --> 00:03:48.020 dramatic launch is their upcoming 93 00:03:48.180 --> 00:03:50.580 replacement Shenzhou 22 94 00:03:50.660 --> 00:03:53.380 spacecraft, which is headed to the Tiangong 95 00:03:53.380 --> 00:03:55.780 Space Station. We'll have more on why that's 96 00:03:55.780 --> 00:03:56.980 so critical in a bit. 97 00:03:57.460 --> 00:03:59.980 Avery: Okay. Intriguing. And there's another player 98 00:03:59.980 --> 00:04:01.620 getting in on the action too, right? 99 00:04:01.940 --> 00:04:04.300 Anna: Yes. South Korea's private company 100 00:04:04.300 --> 00:04:07.180 innospace is set for the maiden flight of its 101 00:04:07.180 --> 00:04:09.980 Handbit Nano rocket. It's always a big 102 00:04:09.980 --> 00:04:12.360 moment to see a new launch vehicle take to 103 00:04:12.360 --> 00:04:15.000 the skies for the first time. So a, uh, truly 104 00:04:15.000 --> 00:04:16.640 global week for spaceflight. 105 00:04:16.800 --> 00:04:19.640 Avery: And speaking of launches, one of those recent 106 00:04:19.640 --> 00:04:22.320 SpaceX flights carried a very important 107 00:04:22.480 --> 00:04:25.440 passenger for us here on Earth. NASA and 108 00:04:25.440 --> 00:04:28.319 SpaceX successfully launched the Sentinel 109 00:04:28.319 --> 00:04:29.520 6B satellite. 110 00:04:30.080 --> 00:04:32.400 Anna: This is a fantastic mission. 111 00:04:32.880 --> 00:04:35.640 Sentinel 6B is the latest in a 112 00:04:35.640 --> 00:04:38.440 series of satellites dedicated to monitoring 113 00:04:38.440 --> 00:04:41.280 Earth's oceans with incredible precision. 114 00:04:41.680 --> 00:04:44.340 It's a crucial tool for understand climate 115 00:04:44.340 --> 00:04:45.580 and weather here on Earth. 116 00:04:46.300 --> 00:04:48.940 Avery: So what exactly is a, uh, measuring from 117 00:04:48.940 --> 00:04:49.420 orbit? 118 00:04:49.900 --> 00:04:52.460 Anna: It's providing a stream of vital data. 119 00:04:52.780 --> 00:04:55.540 Primarily, it measures sea level rise 120 00:04:55.540 --> 00:04:58.540 down to the millimeter, but it also tracks 121 00:04:58.540 --> 00:05:01.300 ocean surface, wind speeds, wave heights, 122 00:05:01.300 --> 00:05:03.540 and even collects data on atmospheric 123 00:05:03.540 --> 00:05:04.700 temperature and humidity. 124 00:05:05.340 --> 00:05:08.220 Avery: Wow, that's a lot of information. And it 125 00:05:08.220 --> 00:05:11.020 has very direct practical applications. 126 00:05:11.760 --> 00:05:14.520 Anna: Absolutely. This data is fed directly 127 00:05:14.520 --> 00:05:17.200 into models that help with flood predictions 128 00:05:17.200 --> 00:05:19.840 and improve hurricane forecasting. For 129 00:05:19.840 --> 00:05:22.480 coastal communities and vital infrastructure. 130 00:05:22.560 --> 00:05:24.560 That information can be life saving. 131 00:05:25.120 --> 00:05:27.560 Avery: That makes sense. Knowing the exact height of 132 00:05:27.560 --> 00:05:30.440 the sea and the intensity of a storm surge 133 00:05:30.440 --> 00:05:31.360 is critical. 134 00:05:31.920 --> 00:05:34.720 Anna: Exactly. And it's a great example of 135 00:05:34.720 --> 00:05:37.720 International Cooperation. Sentinel 6B 136 00:05:37.720 --> 00:05:40.280 is a joint effort between NASA, the 137 00:05:40.280 --> 00:05:43.040 European Space Agency Umetsat, which is the 138 00:05:43.180 --> 00:05:45.860 European Operational Satellite Agency, and 139 00:05:45.860 --> 00:05:48.420 NOAA, uh, the U.S. national oceanic and 140 00:05:48.420 --> 00:05:51.020 Atmospheric Administration, A, uh, global 141 00:05:51.180 --> 00:05:52.940 team for a global problem. 142 00:05:53.180 --> 00:05:55.740 Avery: A really important mission from 143 00:05:55.740 --> 00:05:56.540 watching our. 144 00:05:56.540 --> 00:05:59.419 Anna: Own planet to peering Back to the dawn 145 00:05:59.419 --> 00:06:00.060 of time. 146 00:06:00.620 --> 00:06:03.220 Astronomers have made a fascinating discovery 147 00:06:03.220 --> 00:06:05.980 in the early universe, finding a galaxy 148 00:06:05.980 --> 00:06:07.980 they've nicknamed Y1. 149 00:06:08.620 --> 00:06:11.460 Avery: And when you say early universe, how early 150 00:06:11.460 --> 00:06:12.330 are we talking about? 151 00:06:13.040 --> 00:06:15.920 Anna: We're talking very early. This galaxy 152 00:06:15.920 --> 00:06:18.640 was observed as it existed just 800 153 00:06:18.720 --> 00:06:21.520 million years after the Big Bang. The 154 00:06:21.520 --> 00:06:24.400 universe itself is about 13.8 155 00:06:24.400 --> 00:06:27.120 billion years old. So this is like seeing a 156 00:06:27.120 --> 00:06:29.200 picture from the universe's infancy. 157 00:06:29.840 --> 00:06:32.720 Avery: Incredible. So what makes Y1 158 00:06:32.880 --> 00:06:33.520 so special? 159 00:06:34.160 --> 00:06:36.640 Anna: It's what astronomers are calling a star 160 00:06:36.720 --> 00:06:39.640 factory. This galaxy is producing stars at 161 00:06:39.640 --> 00:06:42.440 an absolutely furious rate. About 162 00:06:42.440 --> 00:06:45.280 180 times faster than our own 163 00:06:45.280 --> 00:06:46.880 Milky Way galaxy does today. 164 00:06:47.440 --> 00:06:50.000 Avery: One hundred and eighty times? That's hard to 165 00:06:50.000 --> 00:06:51.760 even comprehend. How is that possible? 166 00:06:52.480 --> 00:06:55.120 Anna: That's the big question. And why one is 167 00:06:55.120 --> 00:06:58.000 providing some new clues. The key finding 168 00:06:58.000 --> 00:07:00.760 is that the vast clouds of dust within this 169 00:07:00.760 --> 00:07:03.760 galaxy, the raw material for stars, are 170 00:07:04.000 --> 00:07:06.440 superheated. They're much warmer than the 171 00:07:06.440 --> 00:07:08.760 dust in other comparable galaxies from that 172 00:07:08.760 --> 00:07:09.120 era. 173 00:07:10.080 --> 00:07:12.800 Avery: So a, uh, superheated stellar nursery. 174 00:07:12.880 --> 00:07:14.960 What does that tell us about how galaxies 175 00:07:15.040 --> 00:07:16.080 grew back then? 176 00:07:16.640 --> 00:07:19.120 Anna: Well, it could help solve a long standing 177 00:07:19.120 --> 00:07:21.920 puzzle. Observations have suggested that 178 00:07:21.920 --> 00:07:24.720 early galaxies appeared to have more dust 179 00:07:24.720 --> 00:07:27.360 than our theories can account for. This 180 00:07:27.360 --> 00:07:30.080 discovery of a superheated region of intense 181 00:07:30.080 --> 00:07:32.480 star birth might be the missing piece 182 00:07:32.640 --> 00:07:34.840 explaining how these galaxies could build up 183 00:07:34.840 --> 00:07:37.680 their mass and their dust content so rapidly. 184 00:07:38.560 --> 00:07:41.520 Avery: So Y1 could be a blueprint for how 185 00:07:41.520 --> 00:07:44.320 galaxies like our own got their start. What a 186 00:07:44.320 --> 00:07:44.640 find. 187 00:07:45.440 --> 00:07:48.360 Anna: And for our final story, let's return to low 188 00:07:48.360 --> 00:07:51.320 Earth orbit. And that Shenzhou 22 189 00:07:51.320 --> 00:07:53.440 mission we mentioned in the launch roundup 190 00:07:53.440 --> 00:07:56.320 and yesterday. This isn't a routine crew 191 00:07:56.320 --> 00:07:58.960 rotation. It's a rescue and resupply mission. 192 00:07:59.680 --> 00:08:02.640 Avery: Right. So what happened? Well, to recap, 193 00:08:02.640 --> 00:08:05.040 the Chinese astronauts currently on the 194 00:08:05.040 --> 00:08:07.840 Tiangong Space Station have been left without 195 00:08:07.840 --> 00:08:08.640 a right home. 196 00:08:09.250 --> 00:08:12.250 Anna: That's the situation. Their original Shenzhou 197 00:08:12.250 --> 00:08:14.690 20 spacecraft, which was docked to the 198 00:08:14.690 --> 00:08:17.090 station to serve as their lifeboat, was 199 00:08:17.090 --> 00:08:19.970 damaged by a piece of space debris, resulting 200 00:08:19.970 --> 00:08:22.450 in a cracked window. It was deemed 201 00:08:22.450 --> 00:08:25.290 unsafe for re entry, effectively stranding 202 00:08:25.290 --> 00:08:26.050 them in orbit. 203 00:08:26.770 --> 00:08:29.650 Avery: Wow. So the Shenzhou 22 is 204 00:08:29.650 --> 00:08:30.530 their new ride. 205 00:08:30.850 --> 00:08:33.650 Anna: Yes, that's right. And full credit 206 00:08:33.650 --> 00:08:36.170 to the Chinese authorities who have prepared 207 00:08:36.170 --> 00:08:39.130 Shenzhou 22 in record time for an 208 00:08:39.130 --> 00:08:41.780 uncrewed mission. It was originally 209 00:08:41.780 --> 00:08:44.420 scheduled to lift off in April next year 210 00:08:44.580 --> 00:08:47.420 on a regular crew rotation. But they 211 00:08:47.420 --> 00:08:49.580 now have it ready and are, uh, targeting 212 00:08:49.580 --> 00:08:52.020 November 25th, which is next week. 213 00:08:52.420 --> 00:08:54.820 Incredible. So the Crew 21 214 00:08:54.820 --> 00:08:57.540 astronauts have to hang on for a few more 215 00:08:57.540 --> 00:09:00.500 days. But fortunately they are well supplied 216 00:09:00.500 --> 00:09:00.820 and. 217 00:09:00.820 --> 00:09:03.380 Avery: In no immediate danger is 218 00:09:03.380 --> 00:09:05.860 Shenzhou 22 carrying anything else? 219 00:09:06.670 --> 00:09:09.430 Anna: Yes. It's also carrying essential supplies 220 00:09:09.430 --> 00:09:11.990 for the crew and the station, but its 221 00:09:11.990 --> 00:09:14.750 primary mission is to provide a safe return 222 00:09:14.830 --> 00:09:16.350 vehicle for the astronauts. 223 00:09:17.070 --> 00:09:19.150 Avery: This feels like something we've heard before. 224 00:09:19.630 --> 00:09:22.349 It's the second time in just two years that a 225 00:09:22.349 --> 00:09:24.430 crew has been stranded on a space station 226 00:09:24.750 --> 00:09:26.510 after their right home was damaged. 227 00:09:27.150 --> 00:09:30.030 Anna: It is. The previous incident involved 228 00:09:30.030 --> 00:09:32.350 Russian and American astronauts on the 229 00:09:32.350 --> 00:09:34.990 International Space Station. It really 230 00:09:34.990 --> 00:09:37.940 highlights a growing concern, the need for 231 00:09:37.940 --> 00:09:40.780 a dedicated International Space rescue 232 00:09:40.780 --> 00:09:41.060 service. 233 00:09:41.700 --> 00:09:43.780 Avery: That makes perfect sense, but that would 234 00:09:43.780 --> 00:09:46.460 require cooperation between all the major 235 00:09:46.460 --> 00:09:49.260 space faring nations including the U.S. 236 00:09:49.260 --> 00:09:49.860 and China. 237 00:09:50.740 --> 00:09:53.579 Anna: And that's the major roadblock. Current 238 00:09:53.579 --> 00:09:56.100 U.S. law, often called the Wolf 239 00:09:56.100 --> 00:09:58.940 Amendment, severely restricts bilateral 240 00:09:58.940 --> 00:10:01.780 cooperation between NASA and Chinese 241 00:10:01.780 --> 00:10:04.780 state run space entities. So while 242 00:10:04.780 --> 00:10:07.340 an international Rescue framework is a 243 00:10:07.340 --> 00:10:10.040 logical step for astronauts safety, the 244 00:10:10.040 --> 00:10:12.560 geopolitical reality is incredibly 245 00:10:12.560 --> 00:10:13.200 complicated. 246 00:10:13.520 --> 00:10:16.160 Avery: It's a stark reminder that as more people and 247 00:10:16.160 --> 00:10:18.960 hardware go into orbit, the risks from space 248 00:10:18.960 --> 00:10:21.840 debris are only going to increase. A problem 249 00:10:22.000 --> 00:10:23.920 that definitely needs a solution. 250 00:10:24.640 --> 00:10:27.600 Anna: And that's all the time we have for today. We 251 00:10:27.600 --> 00:10:30.400 covered the potential delays for Artemis 3, 252 00:10:30.560 --> 00:10:33.480 a jam packed launch schedule, a new eye 253 00:10:33.480 --> 00:10:36.040 on our oceans, a stellar factory in the early 254 00:10:36.040 --> 00:10:38.600 universe, and a crucial rescue mission in 255 00:10:38.600 --> 00:10:39.010 orbit. 256 00:10:39.480 --> 00:10:42.080 Avery: It's a universe of wonders and challenges out 257 00:10:42.080 --> 00:10:44.080 there. Thanks so much for joining us on 258 00:10:44.080 --> 00:10:46.400 Astronomy M Daily. Be sure to subscribe on 259 00:10:46.400 --> 00:10:48.480 your favorite podcast platforms so you don't 260 00:10:48.480 --> 00:10:49.400 miss an episode. 261 00:10:49.960 --> 00:10:51.880 Anna: Until next time, keep looking up. 262 00:10:51.960 --> 00:10:53.480 Avery: Goodbye everyone. See uh you Tomorrow.