WEBVTT

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Anna: Welcome to Astronomy Daily. I'm Anna.

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Avery: And I'm Avery. Hello everyone. Thanks for

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joining us. Today is January 12,

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2026 and we've got a full show,

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launches and anomalies, regulatory moves that

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reshape low Earth orbit, a brand new

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exoplanet observatory on its way, a

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flash from the cosmic dawn, fresh results

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about what powers the sun's, um, strongest

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flares and a galaxy discovery that looks

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surprisingly familiar for the early universe.

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Anna: Yep, 6stor. All of them important in

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different ways.

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We'll start with this morning's launch news

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from India.

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Avery: India's polar satellite launch vehicle, the

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PSLV C62 lifted off

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from Satish Dhawan Space Centre this morning

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carrying EOS N1,

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described as an advanced Earth Observation

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military surveillance satellite, along with a

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batch of CO passenger payloads. The mission

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marked ISRO's first launch attempt since a

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PSLV anomaly in May 2025.

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So there was on it, right?

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Anna: The liftoff itself looked nominal, but

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ISRO later reported an anomaly near the end

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of the third stage. The PS3.

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Initial public statements indicate a, uh,

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deviation in the third stage's phase and that

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ISRO has begun a detailed analysis.

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At this stage it's not yet confirmed whether

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the primary satellite and co passengers

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reached their planned orbits.

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Avery: Those early stage deviations can be

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especially challenging because they often

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happen during staging or engine cutoff

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where timing and velocity are critical.

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ISRO has a long successful history with the

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PSLV family. But even reliable vehicles

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can have single event anomalies. The

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important thing is how the agency responds.

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Recovering telemetry, diagnosing the root

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cause and transparently sharing findings. So

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confidence can be rebuilt.

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Anna: Absolutely. From a broader perspective, this

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mission also demonstrates the global nature

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of smallsat rideshares and the strategic

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value that Earth Observation Satellite

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deliver, whether for commercial or defence

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purposes. We'll keep an eye on ISRO's follow

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up. They typically publish an analysis after

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they comb through flight data and we'll link.

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Avery: To the official statements in the episode

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notes for folks who want the primary sources

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next up.

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Anna: In the US the Federal Communications

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Commission granted SpaceX authorization

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to deploy an additional 7,500

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Starlink second generation satellites.

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That's a, uh, partial approval within a

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broader SpaceX request for up to 15

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in Gen 2.

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Avery: This is a big step for the company's plan to

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upgrade Starlink's capabilities. Higher

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throughput, lower latency and expanded

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services including direct to cell

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connectivity and higher Data rates. The

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FCC's partial grant means SpaceX can move

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forward with a substantial expansion while

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regulators and Other stakeholders continue to

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evaluate the remainder of the proposal.

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Anna: There are a couple of important implications.

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Operationally, many more starlink nodes

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in low Earth orbit will increase global

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broadb capacity, particularly for

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underserved and rural regions. But it also

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intensifies ongoing concerns about orbital

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crowding, radio frequency coordination

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and long term space sustainability.

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Avery: Right? Competitors and some academics have

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raised worries about spectrum interference,

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orbital dominance, and the cumulative effect

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of so many satellites on debris risk and

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astronomical observing. SpaceX says it

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will coordinate reconfiguration steps, for

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example lowering orbits for safety and using

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DEORB strategies. But regulators and the

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international community will be watching

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closely, so this is both.

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Anna: A technical and policy storey. The

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authorization moves the technology forward,

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but it also keeps the conversation going

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about how to manage low Earth orbit

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responsibly as it becomes busier.

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Avery: On a More exploratory note,

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SpaceX successfully launched a Falcon 9

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rideshare mission that included NASA's

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Pandora satellite. Pandora is a compact

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astrophysics mission designed to study the

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atmospheres Least 20 exoplanets

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and their host stars over about a year of

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operations.

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Anna: Pandora's key strength is that it's optimised

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to disentangle the light coming from an

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exoplanet and the star it orbits.

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Stellar activity, spots, flares and magnetic

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variability can mimic or mask atmospheric

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signals from exoplanets. Pandorna carries a

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0.45-metre telescope and a suite of

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instruments aimed at measuring both the

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star's variability and the planet's

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transmission signals, improving the accuracy

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of atmospheric composition measure.

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Avery: That kind of targeted mission is exactly what

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the exoplanet community needs now. Large

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observatories like JWST do

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outstanding detailed work, but

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focused missions such as Pandora can observe

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many systems in a systematic way and help

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build context. Pandora will feed into

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priorities for future larger missions that

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aim to detect specific molecules, even

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biosignatures, in exoplanet atmospheres.

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Anna: It's also another example of efficient

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rideshare launches enabling specialised

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science payloads. Pandora joining a

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larger commercial launch shows how the

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landscape of getting small science spacecraft

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to orbit has matured.

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Avery: Turning to the distant universe, astronomers

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recently reported detecting a very brief 10

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second flash that originated roughly 13

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billion light years away. This is being

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interpreted as light from an extremely

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distant supernova, one of the farthest, if

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not the farthest, stellar explosions observed

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so far.

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Anna: The detection combined data from multiple

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instruments, including wide field X ray

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monitors and follow on observations by

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facilities such as the James Webb Space

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Telescope. The event is remarkable

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because it lets astronomers study stellar

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death and the environments of massive stars

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in the early universe when galaxies were

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young and metal content was low.

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Avery: Observing such distant explosions is rare

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because cosmological redshift and faintness

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make them hard to spot. When one is found, it

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can reveal the properties of the progenitor

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star, the host galaxy and the

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intergalactic medium at a time when cosmic

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structure was still forming. There are also

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ties to gamma ray bursts and extreme

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transient phenomena. Researchers will be

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investigating whether models for super

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luminous supernovae or exotic explosions

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match this event.

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Anna: This detection emphasises how multi

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wavelength coordinated observing campaigns,

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fast alerts from one instrument followed by

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deep telescope follow up are essential for

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studying the transient universe, especially

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at high redshift.

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Avery: Back closer to home, solar physicists have

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new insight into the engine behind the sun's

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most violent flares and the intense gamma

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rays they sometimes unleash. Researchers

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identified a previously unrecognised

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population of extremely energetic particles

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in the sun's upper atmosphere that appear to

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be a major source of those high energy

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photons.

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Anna: The finding comes from combining long

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duration observations and specialised

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instruments capable of measuring particle

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populations and gamma ray signatures.

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The upshot is that magnetic reconnection and

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particle acceleration processes in flare

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regions are more complex than some simple

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models suggested. In particular, the upper

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layers of the solar atmosphere, where

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magnetic fields reconnect and release energy,

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can track, trap and accelerate particles to

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mega electron volts, energies that then

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produce gamma rays.

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Avery: This matters for space weather prediction.

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Gamma rays and energetic particles accompany

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the most extreme flares and can affect

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satellites, radio communications and

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radiation exposure for astronauts and high

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flying aircraft. By better understanding

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where and how particles are accelerated,

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models of flare, impact and forecasts of

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space weather can be improved.

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Anna: It's also a good reminder that our sun still

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surprises us even with decades of

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observations and multiple solar missions.

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New diagnostics and longer observation

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windows reveal previously hidden physics.

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Avery: Finally, one of the most visually intriguing

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storeys. Astronomers have identified a

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barred spiral galaxy whose light comes from

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approximately 11.5 billion

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years ago, about 2 billion years after the

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Big Bang. If confirmed, this object

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would be among the earliest bars and spiral

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structures seen in the universe.

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Anna: Bars are elongated stellar structures that

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can drive internal evolution in galaxies.

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They funnel gas toward the centre, trigger

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star formation and rearrange angular

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momentum. Finding a well defined bar so

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early means that disc galaxies could develop

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mature internal structures sooner than many

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models predicted.

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Avery: The discovery was enabled by deep

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spectroscopically confirmed imaging from

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powerful telescopes, Hubble and other

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facilities and careful analysis of the

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galaxy's stellar and morphological

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properties. The object sits in a growing

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collection of surprising early galaxies.

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Some are massive and evolved earlier than

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expected. Others show complex

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morphologies previously thought to require

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long timescales to form.

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Anna: These results feed directly into galaxy

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formation theory. They force modellers to

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consider rapid disc settling, efficient

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angular momentum redistribution, and other

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processes that could build bars early. It's

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an exciting reminder that the early universe

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may have been both more active and more

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varied than our simplest expectations.

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Avery: So, looking across today's storeys, we have

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an operational launch with an anomaly that

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will require analysis, a regulatory decision

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that reshapes near Earth space, a

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dedicated exoplanet mission now in orbit,

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a signal from the cosmic dawn giving a rare

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window into early stellar deaths,

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improved understanding of particle

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acceleration on the sun and an early

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galaxy that challenges our ideas of how

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quickly structure forms.

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Anna: It's a nice mix, isn't it? Local space

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operations and policy, Near Earth

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infrastructure and its implications Targeted

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planetary science domain

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extragalactic astronomy, solar physics and

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cosmological structure formation. For

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listeners, it shows how broad and

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interconnected modern astronomy and space

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activity are.

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Avery: Two quick takeaways. First, watch for

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ISRO's follow up on the PSLV anomaly

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that will affect launch schedules and the

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broader smallsat community. Second,

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the more we push instruments and coordination

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like fast transients and small science

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satellites, the more corner cases we find

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that reshape theory. Discoveries often come

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when new instruments or different

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organisational approaches are applied.

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Anna: And for the non scientists out there

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wondering what to look for tonight, Jupiter

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is still a good target if you're out

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stargazing, and aurora watchers should keep

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an eye on space weather forecasts as the

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sun's activity continues to produce strong

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events.

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Avery: That's it for today's episode. If you enjoyed

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the show, subscribe to Astronomy Daily on

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your preferred podcast platform. You can find

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links, source articles and further reading in

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the episode notes so you can dig deeper if

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you wish.

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Anna: We love hearing from listeners. If you have

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questions, science topics you'd like us to

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cover, or feedback about the show, drop us a

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note through the Astronomy Daily website. You

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can find us@, uh, astronomydaily.IO

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thanks for listening.

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Avery: I'm Avery.

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Anna: And I'm Anna Clear Skies and we'll see you

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tomorrow on Astronomy Daily.

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Avery: Astronomy Daily

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the Storeys we told.

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Storeys.

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We told.

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Anna: You m.