00:00:00 --> 00:00:03 Anna: Welcome to Astronomy Daily, your
00:00:03 --> 00:00:05 daily dive into the cosmos, where we bring
00:00:05 --> 00:00:08 you the latest and greatest from the world of
00:00:08 --> 00:00:11 space and astronomy. I'm Anna.
00:00:11 --> 00:00:14 Avery: And I'm Avery. We've got a packed show for
00:00:14 --> 00:00:16 you today, covering everything from the UK's
00:00:16 --> 00:00:19 first orbital launch license to a fascinating
00:00:19 --> 00:00:22 crowdsourcing challenge from NASA and a look
00:00:22 --> 00:00:24 at a very busy week in launches.
00:00:24 --> 00:00:27 Anna: Plus, we'll discuss the unfortunate end of a
00:00:27 --> 00:00:30 promising lunar mission. So buckle up,
00:00:30 --> 00:00:32 because we're heading out among the stars.
00:00:33 --> 00:00:35 Avery: First up, some big news from the UK space
00:00:35 --> 00:00:38 scene. British company Skyrora has
00:00:38 --> 00:00:41 officially secured the first ever launch
00:00:41 --> 00:00:43 license from the UK's Civil Aviation
00:00:43 --> 00:00:46 Authority. This is a huge milestone for
00:00:46 --> 00:00:46 them.
00:00:46 --> 00:00:49 Anna: It really is, Avery. They've been granted a
00:00:49 --> 00:00:52 license for up to 16 launches of their
00:00:52 --> 00:00:55 Skylark L suborbital rocket from
00:00:55 --> 00:00:57 Saxavoord spaceport in Scotland.
00:00:57 --> 00:01:00 Skylark L is an 11 meter rocket
00:01:00 --> 00:01:03 capable of carrying a 50 kilogram payload.
00:01:04 --> 00:01:06 Avery: But there's a bit of a hitch, isn't there?
00:01:06 --> 00:01:08 Despite having the license and a rocket
00:01:08 --> 00:01:11 ready, they're facing delays due to a lack of
00:01:11 --> 00:01:13 available launch pads at Saxavoord,
00:01:13 --> 00:01:15 potentially pushing their first uk flight
00:01:15 --> 00:01:17 into 2026.
00:01:17 --> 00:01:20 Anna: That's right. Alan Thompson, Skyrora's
00:01:20 --> 00:01:22 head of government affairs, mentioned that
00:01:22 --> 00:01:24 they were told there's no longer availability
00:01:24 --> 00:01:27 at either of the pads and it's quite a
00:01:27 --> 00:01:29 setback after the long licensing process.
00:01:30 --> 00:01:32 Avery: And speaking of that process, Thompson noted
00:01:32 --> 00:01:35 it took longer than anticipated, but he
00:01:35 --> 00:01:37 understands it's an industry first and
00:01:37 --> 00:01:40 prioritizing getting it right over, doing it
00:01:40 --> 00:01:42 quickly, which makes sense, especially in
00:01:42 --> 00:01:42 space.
00:01:43 --> 00:01:45 Anna: Absolutely. This Skylark L
00:01:45 --> 00:01:48 rocket, while Suborbital, is designed to
00:01:48 --> 00:01:51 de risk technologies for their much larger
00:01:51 --> 00:01:54 Skyrora XL, which aims to put
00:01:54 --> 00:01:56 315kg into low earth
00:01:56 --> 00:01:59 orbit. They're already making good progress
00:01:59 --> 00:02:01 on, um, the XL stages, with integration
00:02:01 --> 00:02:03 tests planned for next year.
00:02:03 --> 00:02:06 Avery: It's interesting to see how these smaller
00:02:06 --> 00:02:08 suborbital flights serve as crucial testbeds
00:02:08 --> 00:02:11 for research. And Skyrora is also seeing
00:02:11 --> 00:02:14 rising demand for Skylarkail's ability to
00:02:14 --> 00:02:16 provide up to six minutes of microgravity for
00:02:16 --> 00:02:19 experiments at a fraction of the cost of an
00:02:19 --> 00:02:21 orbital mission. That's a nice secondary
00:02:21 --> 00:02:22 market, they found.
00:02:22 --> 00:02:25 Anna: It highlights the growing ecosystem around
00:02:25 --> 00:02:27 space launches beyond just putting satellites
00:02:27 --> 00:02:30 into orbit. But this pad availability issue
00:02:30 --> 00:02:33 at Saxavoord seems to be a recurring theme.
00:02:33 --> 00:02:36 Germany's rocket factory Augsburg, or
00:02:36 --> 00:02:39 rfa, also postponed their maiden flight due
00:02:39 --> 00:02:42 to a launch pad explosion. Scotland based
00:02:42 --> 00:02:44 Orbix is also aiming for a launch from
00:02:44 --> 00:02:47 Saxavoord this year, though, they're still
00:02:47 --> 00:02:48 awaiting a license.
00:02:48 --> 00:02:51 Avery: It sounds like Saxavoort is going to be quite
00:02:51 --> 00:02:53 the busy hub once those pads are available
00:02:53 --> 00:02:55 and the infrastructure is settled. Hopefully
00:02:55 --> 00:02:58 Skyrora can secure a spot soon and continue
00:02:58 --> 00:03:00 paving the way for the UK's domestic launch
00:03:00 --> 00:03:01 capabilities.
00:03:02 --> 00:03:04 Anna: Moving from future launches to the very
00:03:04 --> 00:03:07 recent past. What a week it's been for
00:03:07 --> 00:03:09 rocket launches. Avery, give us the rundown.
00:03:10 --> 00:03:12 Avery: It certainly has, Anna. Uh, we had a packed
00:03:12 --> 00:03:15 schedule, especially from the us, but let's
00:03:15 --> 00:03:17 start in. New Zealand Rocket Lab continued
00:03:17 --> 00:03:19 their impressive cadence with the launch of
00:03:19 --> 00:03:20 an Electron rocket.
00:03:21 --> 00:03:23 Anna: The Harvest Goddess Thrives mission.
00:03:23 --> 00:03:26 Avery: Right, that's the one. It successfully
00:03:26 --> 00:03:28 launched a, uh, 100 kilogram Earth
00:03:28 --> 00:03:30 observation satellite for a Japanese company
00:03:30 --> 00:03:33 called IQPS. This was
00:03:33 --> 00:03:36 Electron's 11th mission of 2025
00:03:36 --> 00:03:38 and its 69th overall. A truly
00:03:38 --> 00:03:40 rapid launch cadence.
00:03:40 --> 00:03:42 Anna: That's an incredible pace for a small launch
00:03:42 --> 00:03:45 provider. Electron is known for its
00:03:45 --> 00:03:47 unique electric pump fed Rutherford,
00:03:49 --> 00:03:51 which are largely 3D printed.
00:03:51 --> 00:03:54 Very innovative design using carbon composite
00:03:54 --> 00:03:55 construction for its stages.
00:03:56 --> 00:03:59 Avery: Absolutely. And then, as expected, SpaceX
00:03:59 --> 00:04:01 had a busy week with four scheduled launches,
00:04:01 --> 00:04:03 three of which were successfully completed.
00:04:04 --> 00:04:06 They had two Starlink missions and one
00:04:06 --> 00:04:08 mission for Amazon's Project Kuiper.
00:04:08 --> 00:04:10 Anna: The Kuiper mission was significant.
00:04:11 --> 00:04:13 KF0UH2 carrying another
00:04:14 --> 00:04:16 24 Kuiper Internet satellites into low
00:04:16 --> 00:04:19 Earth orbit. The this was the second time a
00:04:19 --> 00:04:21 Falcon 9 has launched per Project Kuiper,
00:04:22 --> 00:04:24 following an earlier Atlas V launch.
00:04:24 --> 00:04:26 Avery: That's right. The Booster
00:04:26 --> 00:04:29 B1091 was a new one,
00:04:29 --> 00:04:32 making its first flight and successfully
00:04:32 --> 00:04:34 landed on a drone ship. It just shows
00:04:34 --> 00:04:37 the continued scale and efficiency of
00:04:37 --> 00:04:40 SpaceX's operations with their reusable
00:04:40 --> 00:04:41 Falcon 9s.
00:04:42 --> 00:04:44 Anna: And the Starlink launches just keep coming.
00:04:44 --> 00:04:47 We had group 174 from
00:04:47 --> 00:04:50 Vandenberg putting 24 satellites into
00:04:50 --> 00:04:52 a Sun synchronous orbit, and group
00:04:52 --> 00:04:55 1020 from Cape Canaveral with 28
00:04:55 --> 00:04:57 satellites for insertion into low Earth
00:04:57 --> 00:04:58 orbit.
00:04:58 --> 00:05:01 Avery: What's notable there is the boosters being
00:05:01 --> 00:05:04 used. B1093 on the
00:05:04 --> 00:05:06 Vandenberg flight was on its
00:05:06 --> 00:05:08 fifth flight. And
00:05:09 --> 00:05:11 B1085 on the Cape
00:05:11 --> 00:05:14 Canaveral mission completed its 10th
00:05:14 --> 00:05:16 flight. That reusability is
00:05:16 --> 00:05:19 truly astounding and sets a new
00:05:19 --> 00:05:21 standard for operational efficiency.
00:05:22 --> 00:05:25 Anna: It really is. It demonstrates the maturity
00:05:25 --> 00:05:28 of their reusability program. And
00:05:28 --> 00:05:30 finally, a big one from United Launch
00:05:30 --> 00:05:33 Alliance. Their new Vulcan rocket had its
00:05:33 --> 00:05:36 first launch of 2025, which was also
00:05:36 --> 00:05:37 its third mission in total.
00:05:38 --> 00:05:41 Avery: Indeed, the USSF1 uh06
00:05:41 --> 00:05:43 mission, which included a classified Space
00:05:43 --> 00:05:46 Force payload and a navigation technology
00:05:47 --> 00:05:49 demonstrator called NTS3.
00:05:50 --> 00:05:53 This was Vulcan's first US national
00:05:53 --> 00:05:55 security mission. An intricate
00:05:55 --> 00:05:58 marathon lasting over seven hours
00:05:58 --> 00:06:01 to deliver two satellites more than
00:06:01 --> 00:06:03 22 miles above
00:06:03 --> 00:06:04 Earth.
00:06:04 --> 00:06:07 Anna: Vulcan is ULA's answer to the heavy lift
00:06:07 --> 00:06:10 market. Powered by twin BE4
00:06:10 --> 00:06:13 main engines and in this mission's
00:06:13 --> 00:06:16 VC4S configuration for four
00:06:16 --> 00:06:18 side mounted GEM 63XL
00:06:18 --> 00:06:21 solid rocket boosters. It's exciting to see
00:06:21 --> 00:06:24 ULA ramping up operations with their
00:06:24 --> 00:06:26 new flagship rocket.
00:06:26 --> 00:06:29 Avery: A, uh, truly diverse week in space. From
00:06:29 --> 00:06:31 Earth observation to global
00:06:31 --> 00:06:34 Internet constellations and vital national
00:06:34 --> 00:06:37 security missions, the pace of launches
00:06:37 --> 00:06:40 just keeps accelerating, pushing the
00:06:40 --> 00:06:42 boundaries of what's possible in space.
00:06:43 --> 00:06:46 Now for something a bit different, but just
00:06:46 --> 00:06:49 as exciting. NASA is literally
00:06:49 --> 00:06:51 calling on the public to help design
00:06:51 --> 00:06:54 the wheels for their next generation
00:06:54 --> 00:06:55 of lunar vehicles.
00:06:56 --> 00:06:59 Anna: I love this. It's called the rock and roll
00:06:59 --> 00:07:01 challenge. And they're inviting engineers and
00:07:01 --> 00:07:04 innovators from around the world to develop
00:07:04 --> 00:07:07 a lightweight, flexible and long
00:07:07 --> 00:07:10 lasting wheel and tire system capable of
00:07:10 --> 00:07:12 navigating the moon's harsh terrain.
00:07:13 --> 00:07:16 Avery: The Moon's terrain is no joke. We're
00:07:16 --> 00:07:18 talking extreme temperatures, craters,
00:07:18 --> 00:07:21 boulders, steep inclines, and
00:07:21 --> 00:07:24 that super abrasive ultrafine dust
00:07:24 --> 00:07:27 called regolith. Traditional rigid
00:07:27 --> 00:07:29 wheels just won't cut it for the long
00:07:29 --> 00:07:31 duration Artemis missions NASA is planning.
00:07:31 --> 00:07:34 Especially at higher speeds.
00:07:34 --> 00:07:37 Anna: Exactly. They need something that can handle
00:07:37 --> 00:07:39 higher speeds and absorb impacts
00:07:39 --> 00:07:42 going beyond what current rover wheels can
00:07:42 --> 00:07:45 do. The goal is to support sustained
00:07:45 --> 00:07:48 surface operations and reliably transport
00:07:48 --> 00:07:51 payloads across the challenging lunar
00:07:51 --> 00:07:51 surface.
00:07:52 --> 00:07:54 Avery: And there's a real incentive for
00:07:54 --> 00:07:56 participants with up to
00:07:56 --> 00:07:58 $150 in prizes
00:07:58 --> 00:08:01 for the most promising designs that meet
00:08:01 --> 00:08:04 NASA's technical and performance criteria.
00:08:04 --> 00:08:06 This is a fantastic example of
00:08:06 --> 00:08:09 crowdsourcing, solving real world space
00:08:09 --> 00:08:10 technology problems.
00:08:10 --> 00:08:13 Anna: We've seen NASA do this successfully before
00:08:13 --> 00:08:15 with things like space food and radiation
00:08:15 --> 00:08:18 shielding. It really taps into global
00:08:18 --> 00:08:20 ingenuity. Submissions for detailed
00:08:20 --> 00:08:23 concepts for wheel tire assemblies are due
00:08:23 --> 00:08:26 later this year. And they need to prioritize
00:08:26 --> 00:08:29 durability, flexibility, low
00:08:29 --> 00:08:31 mass and resistance to lunar dust.
00:08:31 --> 00:08:34 Avery: Infiltration and minimal maintenance,
00:08:34 --> 00:08:37 which is crucial when you're operating on
00:08:37 --> 00:08:40 the moon. Finalists will even get a
00:08:40 --> 00:08:42 chance to test their designs in
00:08:42 --> 00:08:44 simulated lunar environments next year,
00:08:45 --> 00:08:48 mounting them to NASA's microchariat
00:08:48 --> 00:08:51 ground test unit and testing them up
00:08:51 --> 00:08:53 to 15 miles per hour.
00:08:53 --> 00:08:56 Anna: That's incredible. Imagine your design
00:08:56 --> 00:08:58 being integrated into future lunar rovers
00:08:59 --> 00:09:01 or even influencing designs for Mars and
00:09:01 --> 00:09:04 beyond. These next gen wheels will be
00:09:04 --> 00:09:07 essential for everything from lightweight
00:09:07 --> 00:09:09 transport vehicles, ferrying astronauts and
00:09:09 --> 00:09:12 supplies to robotic rovers, cargo
00:09:12 --> 00:09:14 haulers, autonomous construction vehicles,
00:09:14 --> 00:09:17 and specialized equipment like lunar drills.
00:09:18 --> 00:09:20 Avery: As NASA pushes forward with its Artemis
00:09:20 --> 00:09:23 missions, aiming to return humans to the moon
00:09:23 --> 00:09:26 and establish a sustainable presence by the
00:09:26 --> 00:09:28 end of the decade, reliable mobility
00:09:28 --> 00:09:31 systems are absolutely critical. This
00:09:31 --> 00:09:34 challenge is a direct response to that need.
00:09:35 --> 00:09:37 Anna: It's inspiring to think that everyday
00:09:37 --> 00:09:40 innovators could contribute to humanity's
00:09:40 --> 00:09:42 return to the moon. Over
00:09:42 --> 00:09:45 150 innovators have already signed
00:09:45 --> 00:09:47 up to participate in the challenge, which
00:09:47 --> 00:09:49 really shows the enthusiasm for these kinds
00:09:49 --> 00:09:52 of open innovation initiatives. If
00:09:52 --> 00:09:54 you'd like to get involved and find out more,
00:09:55 --> 00:09:57 I'll leave a link in the show notes for you.
00:09:57 --> 00:09:59 But wouldn't it be cool if an
00:09:59 --> 00:10:02 Astronomy Daily listener won the competition?
00:10:03 --> 00:10:06 Now for a more somber note. NASA's
00:10:06 --> 00:10:09 Lunar Trailblazer mission unfortunately
00:10:09 --> 00:10:12 has officially ended without achieving its
00:10:12 --> 00:10:13 primary science goals.
00:10:14 --> 00:10:16 Avery: Yes, it's really disappointing news.
00:10:17 --> 00:10:19 The small satellite was designed to produce
00:10:19 --> 00:10:22 high resolution maps of water on the Moon's
00:10:22 --> 00:10:25 surface, where it is, what form it's in,
00:10:25 --> 00:10:28 and how it changes over time. This
00:10:28 --> 00:10:30 data would have been invaluable for future
00:10:30 --> 00:10:33 robotic and human exploration of the moon.
00:10:33 --> 00:10:36 Anna: The mission launched on February 26,
00:10:36 --> 00:10:39 sharing a ride on the second intuitive
00:10:39 --> 00:10:42 machine's robotic lunar lander mission
00:10:42 --> 00:10:45 IM2 aboard a SpaceX Falcon
00:10:45 --> 00:10:48 9 rocket. They established communications
00:10:48 --> 00:10:51 shortly after separation, about 48
00:10:51 --> 00:10:54 minutes after launch, but then lost
00:10:54 --> 00:10:57 contact the very next day on February
00:10:57 --> 00:10:58 27th.
00:10:58 --> 00:11:01 Avery: And despite extensive efforts, including
00:11:01 --> 00:11:03 help from collaborating organizations around
00:11:03 --> 00:11:06 the world who volunteered their assistance to
00:11:06 --> 00:11:08 listen for its radio signal and track its
00:11:08 --> 00:11:11 position, they were unable to re
00:11:11 --> 00:11:13 establish two way communications.
00:11:13 --> 00:11:16 Anna: The limited data they did receive indicated
00:11:16 --> 00:11:19 the spacecraft's solar arrays weren't
00:11:19 --> 00:11:22 properly oriented towards the sun, causing
00:11:22 --> 00:11:25 its batteries to become depleted. Ground
00:11:25 --> 00:11:27 radar and optical observations
00:11:27 --> 00:11:30 indicated Lunar Trailblazer was in a slow
00:11:30 --> 00:11:33 spin as it headed farther into deep space.
00:11:33 --> 00:11:36 Avery: Nikki Fox, Associate administrator for the
00:11:36 --> 00:11:39 Science Mission Directorate at uh, NASA
00:11:39 --> 00:11:42 Headquarters, noted that NASA undertakes
00:11:42 --> 00:11:45 high risk, high reward missions like Lunar
00:11:45 --> 00:11:48 Trailblazer to find revolutionary waves of
00:11:48 --> 00:11:49 doing new science.
00:11:49 --> 00:11:52 Anna: It underscores the inherent risks in
00:11:52 --> 00:11:54 space exploration, especially with these
00:11:54 --> 00:11:57 lower cost small satellite missions
00:11:57 --> 00:12:00 like Lunar Trailblazer, which was part of
00:12:00 --> 00:12:03 NASA's Simple X competition. They
00:12:03 --> 00:12:06 accept a higher risk posture to test
00:12:06 --> 00:12:08 pioneering approaches which
00:12:08 --> 00:12:11 sometimes sadly don't pay off.
00:12:11 --> 00:12:14 Avery: It's a, uh, tough lesson, but as NASA
00:12:14 --> 00:12:17 emphasizes, the knowledge gained from a
00:12:17 --> 00:12:19 mission like this, even in failure, helps
00:12:19 --> 00:12:22 reduce risk for future endeavors. The team
00:12:22 --> 00:12:24 put in months of effort trying to regain
00:12:24 --> 00:12:27 contact, but eventually it drifted too far
00:12:27 --> 00:12:30 for its telecommunications signals to be
00:12:30 --> 00:12:32 strong enough to receive telemetry or
00:12:32 --> 00:12:32 command.
00:12:33 --> 00:12:35 Anna: While the mission didn't reach the moon. The
00:12:35 --> 00:12:37 two science instruments developed for it,
00:12:38 --> 00:12:40 like JPL's High Resolution
00:12:40 --> 00:12:42 Volatiles and Minerals Moon Mapper,
00:12:43 --> 00:12:45 or HVM3, and the University
00:12:46 --> 00:12:48 of Oxford's Lunar Thermal Mapper,
00:12:49 --> 00:12:51 uh, are world class. And that technology
00:12:51 --> 00:12:52 isn't lost.
00:12:53 --> 00:12:55 Avery: That's the silver lining, isn't it? Bethany
00:12:55 --> 00:12:57 Elman, the mission's principal investigator
00:12:57 --> 00:13:00 at Caltech, highlighted that the collective
00:13:00 --> 00:13:03 knowledge and developed technology will cross
00:13:03 --> 00:13:06 pollinate to other projects. In fact, an
00:13:06 --> 00:13:08 instrument with an identical spectrometer
00:13:08 --> 00:13:10 design to HVM3 called
00:13:10 --> 00:13:13 UCIS Moon has already been selected
00:13:13 --> 00:13:15 for a future lunar orbital flight
00:13:15 --> 00:13:16 opportunity.
00:13:16 --> 00:13:19 Anna: So while Lunar Trailblazer itself
00:13:19 --> 00:13:22 couldn't blaze its trail, its legacy
00:13:22 --> 00:13:24 will certainly contribute to our
00:13:24 --> 00:13:26 understanding of lunar water in the future.
00:13:27 --> 00:13:29 It's a testament to the perseverance of the
00:13:29 --> 00:13:32 scientific community in the face of setbacks.
00:13:32 --> 00:13:35 Avery: And that brings us to the end of another
00:13:35 --> 00:13:37 fascinating episode of Astronomy Daily.
00:13:38 --> 00:13:40 It's clear that whether it's challenges and
00:13:40 --> 00:13:42 launch infrastructure, the the sheer volume
00:13:42 --> 00:13:45 of rockets heading to space, or the
00:13:45 --> 00:13:47 ingenuity required for lunar exploration,
00:13:48 --> 00:13:50 the universe never ceases to amaze.
00:13:50 --> 00:13:53 Anna: It truly doesn't. From the UK's
00:13:53 --> 00:13:56 first launch license to crowdsourcing
00:13:56 --> 00:13:59 moonwheel designs, and the critical lessons
00:13:59 --> 00:14:02 learned from every mission, successful or
00:14:02 --> 00:14:04 otherwise, the journey of space
00:14:04 --> 00:14:07 exploration is always moving forward.
00:14:08 --> 00:14:10 Avery: Thanks for joining us for Astronomy Daily. We
00:14:10 --> 00:14:12 hope you enjoyed our look at the latest space
00:14:12 --> 00:14:13 news.
00:14:13 --> 00:14:16 Anna: Be sure to tune in tomorrow for more updates
00:14:16 --> 00:14:19 from beyond our world. Until then, keep
00:14:19 --> 00:14:20 looking up