00:31 – **South Korean company Innospace's first commercial orbital rocket crashed in Brazil
02:10 – **For about a billion years Earth's day flatlined at 19 hours
04:34 – **The last full week of 2025 is shaping up to be incredibly busy for space launches
06:18 – **NASA's Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel has come out with a pretty strong statement
09:49 – **Tory Bruno, president and CEO of United Launch alliance, has resigned
11:06 – **It's been another busy day in astronomy and spaceflight### Sources & Further Reading1. NASA2. SpaceX3. United Launch Alliance4. Innospace5. Space.com### Follow & ContactX/Twitter: @AstroDailyPodInstagram: @astrodailypodEmail: hello@astronomydaily.ioWebsite: astronomydaily.ioClear skies and see you next time! 🌟
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This episode includes AI-generated content.
00:00:00 --> 00:00:02 Avery: Welcome to Astronomy Daily, the podcast that
00:00:02 --> 00:00:05 brings you the universe. One story at a time.
00:00:05 --> 00:00:06 I'm Avery.
00:00:06 --> 00:00:09 Anna: And I'm Anna. Today we'll be covering some
00:00:09 --> 00:00:11 unfortunate news for South Korea's burgeoning
00:00:11 --> 00:00:14 space industry. A look back billions of
00:00:14 --> 00:00:17 years to when Earth had a 19 hour day.
00:00:17 --> 00:00:20 A very busy launch schedule to close out
00:00:20 --> 00:00:22 2025, and some serious safety
00:00:22 --> 00:00:25 concerns over Boeing's Starliner. And we'll
00:00:25 --> 00:00:27 cap things off with a major leadership
00:00:27 --> 00:00:29 shakeup at United Launch Alliance.
00:00:30 --> 00:00:31 Avery: A lot to get through.
00:00:31 --> 00:00:33 Let's start with that launch anomaly in
00:00:33 --> 00:00:35 Brazil. What happened with the Hanbit Nano
00:00:35 --> 00:00:36 rocket?
00:00:36 --> 00:00:38 Anna: It's a tough break for the South Korean
00:00:38 --> 00:00:41 company Innospace. Their first commercial
00:00:41 --> 00:00:43 orbital rocket, the Hanbit Nano,
00:00:43 --> 00:00:46 unfortunately crashed just 30 seconds after
00:00:46 --> 00:00:48 liftoff from the Alcantara Space center in
00:00:48 --> 00:00:49 Brazil.
00:00:49 --> 00:00:52 Avery: Only 30 seconds. Wow. Do we
00:00:52 --> 00:00:52 know the cause?
00:00:53 --> 00:00:56 Anna: The company cited a vehicle abnormality,
00:00:56 --> 00:00:58 but they haven't released specific details
00:00:58 --> 00:01:00 yet. The important thing is that no one was
00:01:00 --> 00:01:02 hurt and there was no damage to the launch
00:01:02 --> 00:01:03 facility.
00:01:03 --> 00:01:05 Avery: That's certainly the silver lining. This was
00:01:05 --> 00:01:07 a significant launch for them, wasn't it? It
00:01:07 --> 00:01:09 had been delayed a few times already.
00:01:09 --> 00:01:12 Anna: Exactly. It was carrying five satellites,
00:01:12 --> 00:01:15 so this was a major milestone attempt. A,
00:01:15 --> 00:01:17 successful first commercial launch would have
00:01:17 --> 00:01:19 been a huge step for South Korea's private
00:01:19 --> 00:01:21 space sector. Setbacks are part of the
00:01:21 --> 00:01:24 process, but this one definitely stings for
00:01:24 --> 00:01:25 Innospace.
00:01:25 --> 00:01:27 Avery: Right. Failure is always an option in
00:01:27 --> 00:01:30 rocketry, especially on a debut flight. We'll
00:01:30 --> 00:01:32 be watching to see how they bounce back.
00:01:32 --> 00:01:35 Anna: Absolutely. And it highlights the immense
00:01:35 --> 00:01:37 challenge for smaller private companies
00:01:37 --> 00:01:39 trying to break into the orbital launch
00:01:39 --> 00:01:41 market. It's not just about building a
00:01:41 --> 00:01:43 rocket. It's about securing funding,
00:01:44 --> 00:01:46 navigating international regulations, and
00:01:46 --> 00:01:49 building a track record. The barrier to entry
00:01:49 --> 00:01:51 is still incredibly high.
00:01:51 --> 00:01:53 Avery: That's a great point. While companies like
00:01:53 --> 00:01:56 SpaceX make it look almost routine, now each
00:01:56 --> 00:01:59 successful launch is built on a mountain of
00:01:59 --> 00:02:01 data from both successes and failures.
00:02:01 --> 00:02:04 Hopefully Innospace can analyze what went
00:02:04 --> 00:02:06 wrong and come back stronger. A, competitive
00:02:06 --> 00:02:07 launch market is good for everyone.
00:02:08 --> 00:02:09 Anna: Definitely.
00:02:09 --> 00:02:12 Now let's switch gears and go way, way
00:02:12 --> 00:02:14 back in time. Billions of years, in fact.
00:02:15 --> 00:02:17 Avery, did you know there was a period when
00:02:17 --> 00:02:20 Earth's day was stuck at, just 19 hours
00:02:20 --> 00:02:20 long?
00:02:21 --> 00:02:23 Avery: Stuck. I know the day has been getting
00:02:23 --> 00:02:25 gradually longer as the moon moves away from
00:02:25 --> 00:02:28 us, but I've never heard of it, stopping.
00:02:28 --> 00:02:30 Anna: That's what's so fascinating. New research
00:02:30 --> 00:02:33 indicates that for about a billion years,
00:02:33 --> 00:02:35 from roughly 2 billion years to 1 billion
00:02:35 --> 00:02:38 years ago, the day length just flatlined
00:02:38 --> 00:02:40 at 19 hours, a.
00:02:40 --> 00:02:43 Avery: Billion years is not a short time. What could
00:02:43 --> 00:02:46 cause our planet's rotation to just pause its
00:02:46 --> 00:02:47 slowdown like that?
00:02:47 --> 00:02:50 Anna: It's a really cool celestial balancing act.
00:02:50 --> 00:02:53 We know the Moon's gravity creates ocean
00:02:53 --> 00:02:55 tides that act like a brake on Earth's
00:02:55 --> 00:02:56 rotation, so slowing it down.
00:02:57 --> 00:02:58 Avery: Right, the lunar tides.
00:02:58 --> 00:03:01 Anna: But the sun also creates tides, not just in
00:03:01 --> 00:03:04 the ocean, but in the atmosphere. The sun
00:03:04 --> 00:03:06 heats the atmosphere, causing it to bulge.
00:03:07 --> 00:03:09 This atmospheric tide, influenced by Earth's
00:03:09 --> 00:03:12 rotation, actually pulls on the planet,
00:03:12 --> 00:03:13 trying to speed it up.
00:03:14 --> 00:03:16 Avery: So you have the Moon's gravity slowing us
00:03:16 --> 00:03:19 down and the Sun's atmospheric heat speeding
00:03:19 --> 00:03:19 us up.
00:03:20 --> 00:03:23 Anna: Precisely. And during this specific billion
00:03:23 --> 00:03:25 year period, the theory is that the two
00:03:25 --> 00:03:28 forces reached a perfect equilibri. The
00:03:28 --> 00:03:30 atmospheric day was in resonance with the
00:03:30 --> 00:03:33 rotational day. The slowing effect from the
00:03:33 --> 00:03:36 lunar ocean tides was perfectly balanced by
00:03:36 --> 00:03:38 the speeding effect of the solar atmospheric
00:03:38 --> 00:03:39 tides.
00:03:39 --> 00:03:41 Avery: A, tidal resonance. That's incredible.
00:03:42 --> 00:03:44 So the Earth was in a state of cosmic tug of
00:03:44 --> 00:03:47 war, and for a billion years it was a perfect
00:03:47 --> 00:03:48 draw.
00:03:48 --> 00:03:51 Anna: Exactly. Eventually, other factors broke the
00:03:51 --> 00:03:53 resonance, and the Moon's influence won out
00:03:53 --> 00:03:56 again, Continuing the slow lengthening of our
00:03:56 --> 00:03:59 day to the 24 hours we have now. It makes
00:03:59 --> 00:04:01 you think about all the delicate balances
00:04:01 --> 00:04:03 that have shaped our planet's history.
00:04:03 --> 00:04:06 Avery: Absolutely. Imagine what life might have been
00:04:06 --> 00:04:08 like with five extra hours of darkness each
00:04:08 --> 00:04:09 day.
00:04:09 --> 00:04:11 Anna: That's the big question researchers are
00:04:11 --> 00:04:14 exploring now. A consistent 19 hour
00:04:14 --> 00:04:16 day night cycle could have provided a stable
00:04:16 --> 00:04:18 environment for early photosynthetic
00:04:18 --> 00:04:21 organisms like cyanobacteria to thrive.
00:04:21 --> 00:04:23 Some theories suggest this long period of
00:04:23 --> 00:04:26 stability might have been a crucial factor in
00:04:26 --> 00:04:28 the Great Oxidation Event, where oxygen
00:04:28 --> 00:04:30 levels in the atmosphere began to rise,
00:04:30 --> 00:04:32 paving the way for more complex life.
00:04:32 --> 00:04:34 Avery: Well, coming back to the present, things
00:04:34 --> 00:04:37 aren't anything but slow. The last full week
00:04:37 --> 00:04:39 of 2025 is shaping up to be incredibly
00:04:39 --> 00:04:40 busy for space launches.
00:04:41 --> 00:04:43 Anna: It seems like everyone is trying to get their
00:04:43 --> 00:04:45 last missions of the year off the ground.
00:04:45 --> 00:04:46 What's on the manifest?
00:04:46 --> 00:04:48 Avery: Well, we already discussed Innispace's
00:04:48 --> 00:04:51 attempt in China. CASC is expected to
00:04:51 --> 00:04:53 debut its brand new reusable Chang Zhang
00:04:53 --> 00:04:56 12, a rocket that's a huge development for
00:04:56 --> 00:04:58 their Reusable Launch Vehicle program.
00:04:58 --> 00:05:01 Anna: Mm. A direct competitor to SpaceX's Falcon
00:05:01 --> 00:05:02 9.
00:05:02 --> 00:05:05 Avery: Indeed. Then over in India, ISRO's
00:05:05 --> 00:05:07 launching a Bluebird Block 2 satellite.
00:05:07 --> 00:05:10 Russia has not one, but two Soyuz missions
00:05:10 --> 00:05:12 planned from different cosmodromes.
00:05:12 --> 00:05:14 Anna: A busy week for Roscosmos.
00:05:14 --> 00:05:16 Avery: And of course, you can't have a busy launch
00:05:16 --> 00:05:18 week without SpaceX they're scheduled for
00:05:18 --> 00:05:20 their final Falcon 9 mission of the year,
00:05:20 --> 00:05:23 launching the CSG3 satellite. For the
00:05:23 --> 00:05:26 Italian Space Agency. It's a real flurry of
00:05:26 --> 00:05:27 activity to end the year.
00:05:27 --> 00:05:29 Anna: It really shows how global the space industry
00:05:29 --> 00:05:32 has become. Launches from China, India,
00:05:32 --> 00:05:35 Russia and the US all within days
00:05:35 --> 00:05:38 of each other. It's an exciting time to be
00:05:38 --> 00:05:40 following spaceflight, that's for sure.
00:05:40 --> 00:05:42 It's worth noting the diversity of these
00:05:42 --> 00:05:45 missions too. The Chinese launch is a
00:05:45 --> 00:05:48 technology demonstrator for reusability. The
00:05:48 --> 00:05:50 Indian mission is for Earth observation. The,
00:05:50 --> 00:05:52 the Russian launches are likely for
00:05:52 --> 00:05:54 government and commercial payloads. And the
00:05:54 --> 00:05:57 SpaceX mission is for an Italian radar
00:05:57 --> 00:06:00 reconnaissance satellite. It's a snapshot of
00:06:00 --> 00:06:02 the entire space ecosystem in action.
00:06:02 --> 00:06:05 Avery: And the logistical coordination is mind
00:06:05 --> 00:06:07 boggling. You have range safety, air and sea
00:06:07 --> 00:06:09 traffic control, satellite tracking and
00:06:09 --> 00:06:12 telemetry all happening concurrently across
00:06:12 --> 00:06:15 the globe. A, fittingly chaotic end to a
00:06:15 --> 00:06:16 very busy year in space.
00:06:16 --> 00:06:19 Anna: Speaking of US spaceflight, let's turn to our
00:06:19 --> 00:06:21 next story on today's rundown, which is a bit
00:06:21 --> 00:06:24 more sobering. It's about Boeing's Starliner
00:06:24 --> 00:06:26 and the fallout from its first crewed test
00:06:26 --> 00:06:26 flight.
00:06:26 --> 00:06:29 Avery: Yeah, that mission was eventful to say the
00:06:29 --> 00:06:30 least. What's the latest?
00:06:30 --> 00:06:33 Anna: Well, NASA's Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel
00:06:33 --> 00:06:35 has come out with a pretty strong statement.
00:06:35 --> 00:06:37 They've said that NASA should have taken the
00:06:37 --> 00:06:40 problems with Starliner far more seriously as
00:06:40 --> 00:06:41 they were happening.
00:06:41 --> 00:06:43 Avery: Let's recap what those problems were. There
00:06:43 --> 00:06:45 were multiple helium leaks and failures with
00:06:45 --> 00:06:47 the maneuvering thrusters, right?
00:06:47 --> 00:06:49 Anna: That's right. Separate thruster failures
00:06:49 --> 00:06:52 during docking and multiple helium leaks that
00:06:52 --> 00:06:54 were discovered both before and during the
00:06:54 --> 00:06:56 mission. The panel's main point of contention
00:06:56 --> 00:06:59 is that NASA never officially declared an in
00:06:59 --> 00:07:02 flight mishap or a high visibility close
00:07:02 --> 00:07:02 call.
00:07:02 --> 00:07:05 Avery: And not making that declaration has
00:07:05 --> 00:07:06 consequences.
00:07:06 --> 00:07:09 Anna: It does. According to the panel, this failure
00:07:09 --> 00:07:11 to officially recognize the severity of the
00:07:11 --> 00:07:14 issues led to an extended period of
00:07:14 --> 00:07:16 uncertainty. It put a lot of stress on the
00:07:16 --> 00:07:18 workforce at NASA and Boeing who were trying
00:07:18 --> 00:07:20 to troubleshoot these serious problems
00:07:21 --> 00:07:23 without the formal structure and resources
00:07:23 --> 00:07:24 that come with a mishap declaration.
00:07:25 --> 00:07:27 Avery: So they were essentially trying to manage a
00:07:27 --> 00:07:29 crisis without being allowed to call it a
00:07:29 --> 00:07:31 crisis. That sounds incredibly difficult.
00:07:31 --> 00:07:34 Anna: Extremely. And the end result speaks for
00:07:34 --> 00:07:37 itself. The two astronauts, Butch Wilmore and
00:07:37 --> 00:07:39 Suni Williams, ended up staying on the
00:07:39 --> 00:07:41 International Space Station for nine months
00:07:41 --> 00:07:43 while engineers tried to figure out if
00:07:43 --> 00:07:45 Starliner was safe to bring them home.
00:07:45 --> 00:07:48 Avery: And in the, end, it wasn't. They came home on
00:07:48 --> 00:07:50 a SpaceX Dragon capsule.
00:07:50 --> 00:07:53 Anna: That's the Crucial point, the Starliner
00:07:53 --> 00:07:55 capsule had to return to Earth empty.
00:07:56 --> 00:07:58 Having your crew return on a competitor
00:07:58 --> 00:08:00 spacecraft because your own was deemed
00:08:00 --> 00:08:03 unsafe is a massive blow to the
00:08:03 --> 00:08:05 program's credibility. The safety panel is
00:08:05 --> 00:08:08 basically saying that if NASA had been more
00:08:08 --> 00:08:10 forthright about the problems from the start,
00:08:11 --> 00:08:13 a lot of this prolonged uncertainty and
00:08:13 --> 00:08:15 stress could have been handled better.
00:08:16 --> 00:08:18 Avery: It's a tough lesson in transparency and risk
00:08:18 --> 00:08:21 management. You never want to see a situation
00:08:21 --> 00:08:23 where you have to rely on your backup
00:08:23 --> 00:08:25 transportation system for a crewed mission.
00:08:25 --> 00:08:28 It really underscores the value of having,
00:08:27 --> 00:08:30 redundant, reliable systems like SpaceX's
00:08:30 --> 00:08:31 Dragon.
00:08:31 --> 00:08:34 Anna: It absolutely does. There's a lot for
00:08:34 --> 00:08:36 both NASA and Boeing to learn from this
00:08:36 --> 00:08:39 incident before they even consider putting
00:08:39 --> 00:08:41 another crew on Starliner.
00:08:41 --> 00:08:44 Avery: Absolutely. And the post flight investigation
00:08:44 --> 00:08:47 is digging into the root causes. The helium
00:08:47 --> 00:08:49 leaks, for instance, seem to be related to
00:08:49 --> 00:08:51 seals that become brittle at extreme
00:08:51 --> 00:08:54 temperatures. But the thruster issue is more
00:08:54 --> 00:08:56 complex. It's a propulsion system that has
00:08:56 --> 00:08:58 seen numerous issues throughout its
00:08:58 --> 00:09:00 development. And the failures during this
00:09:00 --> 00:09:03 critical mission pointed to a potential
00:09:03 --> 00:09:05 systemic design flaw in the reaction control
00:09:05 --> 00:09:05 system.
00:09:06 --> 00:09:09 Anna: A systemic flaw is the last thing you want to
00:09:09 --> 00:09:11 hear about on a crude vehicle. So what's the
00:09:11 --> 00:09:14 path forward for Boeing? Is the Starliner
00:09:14 --> 00:09:16 program salvageable at this point?
00:09:16 --> 00:09:19 Avery: It's a tough road ahead. They will likely
00:09:19 --> 00:09:21 need a complete redesign and recertification
00:09:21 --> 00:09:23 of the propulsion system, which could take
00:09:23 --> 00:09:26 years and billions more dollars. NASA
00:09:26 --> 00:09:29 is committed to having two independent crew
00:09:29 --> 00:09:31 transportation systems, so they won't give up
00:09:31 --> 00:09:34 on Boeing easily. But the pressure is immense
00:09:34 --> 00:09:37 and confidence both within NASA and
00:09:37 --> 00:09:39 publicly has been severely shaken.
00:09:40 --> 00:09:42 They have to prove beyond any doubt that
00:09:42 --> 00:09:45 Starliner is safe before anyone else straps
00:09:45 --> 00:09:46 in for a ride.
00:09:46 --> 00:09:49 Anna: And for our final story today, we've got
00:09:49 --> 00:09:52 some big news from one of the titans of the
00:09:52 --> 00:09:54 launch industry. Tory Bruno. The
00:09:54 --> 00:09:57 longtime president and CEO of United
00:09:57 --> 00:09:59 Launch alliance has resigned.
00:09:59 --> 00:10:02 Avery: That is big news. Bruno has been at the helm
00:10:02 --> 00:10:05 of ula for nearly 12 years. He
00:10:05 --> 00:10:07 really guided the company, a joint venture
00:10:07 --> 00:10:09 between Boeing and Lockheed Martin through
00:10:09 --> 00:10:12 one of its most challenging periods. Facing
00:10:12 --> 00:10:14 intense competition from newcomers like
00:10:14 --> 00:10:15 SpaceX.
00:10:15 --> 00:10:17 Anna: Absolutely. His legacy will
00:10:17 --> 00:10:20 undoubtedly be tied to the development of the
00:10:20 --> 00:10:23 new Vulcan Centaur rocket. That was a
00:10:23 --> 00:10:25 massive undertaking, designed not only to
00:10:25 --> 00:10:28 replace the legacy Atlas v and Delta 4
00:10:28 --> 00:10:31 rockets, but also to end ULA's
00:10:31 --> 00:10:34 reliance on the Russian RD180
00:10:34 --> 00:10:34 engines.
00:10:35 --> 00:10:37 Avery: And he was such a public facing CEO, wasn't
00:10:37 --> 00:10:40 he? He was famous for his engaging presence
00:10:40 --> 00:10:42 on social media, always willing to answer
00:10:42 --> 00:10:45 technical questions from space fans. He
00:10:45 --> 00:10:48 really modernized ula's public image. It
00:10:48 --> 00:10:50 truly feels like the end of an era for the
00:10:50 --> 00:10:52 company. Do we know who's taking over?
00:10:52 --> 00:10:55 Anna: For now, John Elban has been appointed as the
00:10:55 --> 00:10:58 interim CEO while they search for a permanent
00:10:58 --> 00:11:00 replacement. It will certainly be interesting
00:11:00 --> 00:11:03 to see the direction ULA takes in this new
00:11:03 --> 00:11:03 chapter.
00:11:04 --> 00:11:06 Avery: And that's all the time we have for today.
00:11:06 --> 00:11:08 From rocket failures and celestial mechanics
00:11:08 --> 00:11:11 to a packed launch schedule and critical
00:11:11 --> 00:11:13 safety reviews, it's been another busy day in
00:11:13 --> 00:11:15 the world of astronomy and spaceflight.
00:11:15 --> 00:11:17 Anna: Thanks for tuning in to Astronomy Daily.
00:11:17 --> 00:11:20 We'll be back tomorrow with more news from
00:11:20 --> 00:11:23 across the cosmos. Until then, I'm Anna.
00:11:23 --> 00:11:25 Avery: And I'm Avery. Keep looking up
00:11:27 --> 00:11:29 Astronomy Day
00:11:30 --> 00:11:32 stories be told.
00:11:33 --> 00:11:34 Anna: The world.