00:38 – **Spainsat NG2 hit by space particle while heading to final orbit
01:51 – **SpaceX and ISRO have several missions scheduled for next week
03:08 – **RNA World hypothesis says RNA was first self replicating life precursor
04:30 – **2026 could be a pivotal year for private lunar exploration
07:13 – **This week's Astronomy Daily includes: Satellite hits, launch previews### Sources & Further Reading1. SpaceX2. ISRO3. European Space Agency4. NASA### Follow & ContactX/Twitter: @AstroDailyPod
Instagram: @astrodailypod
Email: hello@astronomydaily.io
Website: astronomydaily.io
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This episode includes AI-generated content.
00:00:00 --> 00:00:03 Anna: Welcome to Astronomy Daily, the podcast
00:00:03 --> 00:00:05 where we dive into the latest wonders of
00:00:05 --> 00:00:08 space and astronomy while drinking coffee.
00:00:08 --> 00:00:11 I'm Anna, and joining me is my co host,
00:00:11 --> 00:00:13 Avery. Hey Avery, it's January
00:00:13 --> 00:00:16 6, 2026. I trust the new year
00:00:16 --> 00:00:17 is still treating you well.
00:00:18 --> 00:00:20 Avery: Hey, Anna. And uh, hello to everyone
00:00:20 --> 00:00:22 listening. It's been great. Lots of clear
00:00:22 --> 00:00:25 skies for stargazing lately. 2026
00:00:25 --> 00:00:27 is already delivering some intriguing
00:00:27 --> 00:00:29 storeys, from satellite mishaps to upcoming,
00:00:29 --> 00:00:32 um, launches and about life
00:00:32 --> 00:00:35 in the universe. We've got six solid ones
00:00:35 --> 00:00:37 today, so let's not waste any time and get
00:00:37 --> 00:00:37 started.
00:00:38 --> 00:00:41 Anna: First up, a bit of bad luck for a brand new
00:00:41 --> 00:00:44 satellite. Spain's newest communications
00:00:44 --> 00:00:47 bird, Spainsat NG2, got
00:00:47 --> 00:00:49 hit by a space particle while heading to its
00:00:49 --> 00:00:50 final orbit.
00:00:50 --> 00:00:53 Avery: Yeah, this one's operated by Histasat for
00:00:53 --> 00:00:55 Spain's Ministry of Defence. Built by Airbus
00:00:55 --> 00:00:58 as part of a 2 billion euro pair for advanced
00:00:58 --> 00:01:01 government comms across Europe. It launched
00:01:01 --> 00:01:02 on a Falcon 9 back in October
00:01:02 --> 00:01:05 20and the strike happened at around
00:01:05 --> 00:01:08 31 miles up. Actually higher than
00:01:08 --> 00:01:11 its target geostationary spot at 22
00:01:11 --> 00:01:12 miles.
00:01:12 --> 00:01:15 Anna: The particle impact was reported just a few
00:01:15 --> 00:01:17 days ago on January 2nd. They're calling it
00:01:17 --> 00:01:20 a space particle, which could mean anything
00:01:20 --> 00:01:23 from a micrometeoroid to a bit of space
00:01:23 --> 00:01:26 debris. Damage extent is still unknown,
00:01:26 --> 00:01:28 but Histasat quickly activated a
00:01:28 --> 00:01:31 contingency plan to keep services running for
00:01:31 --> 00:01:33 the Defence Ministry and other clients
00:01:33 --> 00:01:34 without interruption.
00:01:35 --> 00:01:37 Avery: Their team's analysing data now and if
00:01:37 --> 00:01:40 needed, they'll replace it asap. It's a
00:01:40 --> 00:01:41 reminder of how risky the space environment
00:01:41 --> 00:01:44 is. Even in high orbits, collisions can
00:01:44 --> 00:01:46 happen. Glad they had backups in place.
00:01:47 --> 00:01:49 Anna: Absolutely. Space is harsh, but
00:01:49 --> 00:01:50 redundancy saves the day.
00:01:51 --> 00:01:53 Avery: Shifting to launches, we've got a busy week
00:01:53 --> 00:01:55 ahead with several missions on the docket.
00:01:55 --> 00:01:57 SpaceX is leading the pack with multiple.
00:01:57 --> 00:02:00 Anna: Falcon 9 flights starting January
00:02:00 --> 00:02:02 8th. Starlink Group
00:02:02 --> 00:02:04 696 with 29
00:02:04 --> 00:02:07 V2 mini satellites from Cape Canaveral.
00:02:07 --> 00:02:09 Then on the 10th, Group 6
00:02:10 --> 00:02:12 97, another 29 for the same
00:02:12 --> 00:02:15 shell. These are boosting the constellation
00:02:15 --> 00:02:17 that's already serving millions globally.
00:02:18 --> 00:02:20 Avery: And on the 11th, a cool rideshare called
00:02:20 --> 00:02:22 Twilight, or Pandora, and others from
00:02:22 --> 00:02:24 Vandenkirk into sun synchronous orbit.
00:02:25 --> 00:02:27 Highlights include NASA's Pandora mission to
00:02:27 --> 00:02:30 observe exoplanet transits invisible in IR
00:02:30 --> 00:02:33 for atmospheric clues. Plus Kepler's
00:02:33 --> 00:02:35 first operational SATs for a laser linked
00:02:35 --> 00:02:38 mesh network. Spire's hyperspect
00:02:38 --> 00:02:40 microwave sounder for better weather Data,
00:02:40 --> 00:02:42 and some Lemmer 2 birds.
00:02:42 --> 00:02:45 Anna: Then ISRO kicks off their 2026
00:02:45 --> 00:02:47 on January 12th with a
00:02:47 --> 00:02:49 PSLV carrying EOS
00:02:49 --> 00:02:52 N1, an Earth observation sat,
00:02:52 --> 00:02:55 possibly hyperspectral for defence, and
00:02:55 --> 00:02:58 18 rideshares including an experimental re
00:02:58 --> 00:02:59 entry capsule.
00:02:59 --> 00:03:02 Avery: It's a packed lineup Starlink expansion,
00:03:02 --> 00:03:05 exoplanet science, weather tech and more
00:03:05 --> 00:03:07 exciting to see rideshares making space
00:03:07 --> 00:03:07 accessible.
00:03:08 --> 00:03:11 Anna: Next, some fascinating lab work bolstering
00:03:11 --> 00:03:14 one of the leading ideas on how life began on
00:03:14 --> 00:03:16 Earth the RNA World hypothesis.
00:03:17 --> 00:03:19 Avery: The hypothesis says rna, that versatile
00:03:19 --> 00:03:22 molecule that can store info like DNA and
00:03:22 --> 00:03:25 catalyse reactions like proteins, might have
00:03:25 --> 00:03:27 been the first self replicating life
00:03:27 --> 00:03:30 precursor. A team led by Yuta Hidekawa
00:03:30 --> 00:03:33 from Toho University mixed RNA building
00:03:33 --> 00:03:35 blocks, ribose, sugar free phosphates,
00:03:35 --> 00:03:38 nucleobases and borates from seawater and
00:03:38 --> 00:03:39 basalt rock.
00:03:40 --> 00:03:42 Anna: They heated and dried the mix, mimicking
00:03:42 --> 00:03:44 underground aquifers on early Earth.
00:03:45 --> 00:03:47 Surprisingly, borates didn't block formation,
00:03:48 --> 00:03:51 they stabilised ribose and helped phosphates,
00:03:51 --> 00:03:54 allowing RNA to form naturally through the
00:03:54 --> 00:03:56 discontinuous synthesis model steps.
00:03:56 --> 00:03:58 Avery: This is big because all those ingredients
00:03:59 --> 00:04:01 have been found in space. Ribose on asteroid
00:04:01 --> 00:04:04 Bennu via Osiris REX A massive
00:04:04 --> 00:04:07 impact 4.3 billion years could have
00:04:07 --> 00:04:09 delivered them Kickstarting RNA in borate
00:04:09 --> 00:04:12 Rick spots just before life's earliest
00:04:12 --> 00:04:13 signs.
00:04:13 --> 00:04:16 Anna: Implications Life might have emerged faster
00:04:16 --> 00:04:18 than thought and similar chemistry could
00:04:18 --> 00:04:21 happen on Mars where borates are detected.
00:04:21 --> 00:04:24 It's not proof, but strong lab support
00:04:24 --> 00:04:26 for RNA as the bridge to life.
00:04:26 --> 00:04:29 Avery: Love how this ties astrobiology to origins
00:04:29 --> 00:04:30 right here on Earth.
00:04:30 --> 00:04:33 Anna: Speaking of the moon, 2026
00:04:33 --> 00:04:36 is shaping up um for a private lunar landing
00:04:36 --> 00:04:39 rush with several companies aiming to t touch
00:04:39 --> 00:04:39 down.
00:04:39 --> 00:04:42 Avery: We're seeing multiple commercial missions
00:04:42 --> 00:04:44 targeting the surface this year, part of the
00:04:44 --> 00:04:47 broader push with NASA's CLPS
00:04:47 --> 00:04:50 programme and private ventures. Though
00:04:50 --> 00:04:53 details vary, expect attempts from players
00:04:53 --> 00:04:56 like Intuitive Machines, ispace
00:04:56 --> 00:04:58 and others. Building on recent efforts,
00:04:59 --> 00:05:00 these soft landers.
00:05:00 --> 00:05:02 Anna: And rovers are scouting resources,
00:05:02 --> 00:05:05 testing tech and paving the way for sustained
00:05:05 --> 00:05:08 presence. Successes could accelerate the
00:05:08 --> 00:05:09 moon economy.
00:05:10 --> 00:05:13 Avery: Definitely 2026 could be a pivotal year
00:05:13 --> 00:05:14 for private lunar exploration.
00:05:15 --> 00:05:18 Anna: Now an ambitious proposal to hunt for
00:05:18 --> 00:05:21 habitable moons around distant giant
00:05:21 --> 00:05:21 exoplanets.
00:05:22 --> 00:05:24 Avery: A team um including Thomas Winterhallder from
00:05:24 --> 00:05:27 ESO suggests building a kilometric baseline
00:05:27 --> 00:05:30 interferometer mirrors kilometres apart for
00:05:30 --> 00:05:33 ultra high resolution down to 1
00:05:33 --> 00:05:35 microarc second. Paired with the upcoming
00:05:35 --> 00:05:38 Extremely Large Telescope's 39 metre
00:05:38 --> 00:05:41 mirror, it could spot Earth sized exomoons
00:05:41 --> 00:05:43 out 652 light years via
00:05:43 --> 00:05:45 astrometric wobbles.
00:05:45 --> 00:05:48 Anna: Current methods like transits are tricky for
00:05:48 --> 00:05:50 moons around far out gas giants where
00:05:50 --> 00:05:53 habitable zones might rely on tidal heating
00:05:53 --> 00:05:56 like Europa or Enceladus. This
00:05:56 --> 00:05:59 setup could directly image planets and detect
00:05:59 --> 00:05:59 moon signals.
00:06:00 --> 00:06:03 Avery: Challenges are huge, costs in billions
00:06:03 --> 00:06:06 tech development post 2028elt
00:06:06 --> 00:06:08 but if it works, we might find the first
00:06:08 --> 00:06:11 truly habitable exo worlds powered by
00:06:11 --> 00:06:12 internal heat, not.
00:06:12 --> 00:06:15 Anna: Just starlight Mind blowing potential for
00:06:15 --> 00:06:17 life beyond Earth like planets
00:06:18 --> 00:06:19 Finally, China's Chang'.
00:06:19 --> 00:06:22 Avery: E 7 mission is gearing up to probe the moon's
00:06:22 --> 00:06:24 South Pole secrets, especially water ice.
00:06:24 --> 00:06:27 Anna: The stack includes an orbiter lander
00:06:27 --> 00:06:30 rover, a hopping probe for tough terrain
00:06:30 --> 00:06:32 and a relay sat target
00:06:33 --> 00:06:35 permanently shadowed craters near the pole
00:06:35 --> 00:06:38 where ancient ice could reveal the solar
00:06:38 --> 00:06:39 system's volatile history.
00:06:40 --> 00:06:42 Avery: Ridgelines there get near constant sunlight
00:06:42 --> 00:06:44 for power while craters trap ice.
00:06:45 --> 00:06:47 Objectives Precision landing Resource
00:06:47 --> 00:06:50 prospecting in situ analysis key for
00:06:50 --> 00:06:52 future bases it's phase.
00:06:52 --> 00:06:55 Anna: Four of China's lunar programme, precursor to
00:06:55 --> 00:06:58 Chang' E8 for utilisation tech like
00:06:58 --> 00:07:00 3D printing supporting the International
00:07:00 --> 00:07:03 Lunar Research Station Hopping probe is
00:07:03 --> 00:07:05 clever for accessing shadowed.
00:07:05 --> 00:07:08 Avery: Spots rovers can't this could unlock
00:07:08 --> 00:07:11 sustainable lunar habitation Water for
00:07:11 --> 00:07:13 fuel, air drinking.
00:07:13 --> 00:07:15 Anna: And that's it for today's space and astronomy
00:07:15 --> 00:07:18 news. What a diverse episode. Satellite
00:07:18 --> 00:07:21 hits, launch previews, origins of life,
00:07:21 --> 00:07:23 lunar ambitions private and national
00:07:24 --> 00:07:25 and exomoon.
00:07:25 --> 00:07:27 Avery: Hunts the universe keeps surprising us.
00:07:28 --> 00:07:30 Thanks for tuning in to Astronomy Daily. We
00:07:30 --> 00:07:32 appreciate you joining the conversation.
00:07:32 --> 00:07:35 Anna: If you enjoyed this, subscribe and share with
00:07:35 --> 00:07:37 a fellow space fan, we'll be back tomorrow
00:07:37 --> 00:07:38 with more.
00:07:38 --> 00:07:40 Avery: Until then, keep looking up.
00:07:40 --> 00:07:41 Anna: Clear skies.