Astronomy Daily — Season 5, Episode 45 | February 21, 2026 "Countdown to the Moon: Artemis II Crew in Quarantine" The Artemis II crew — Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover, Mission Specialist Christina Koch (NASA), and Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen (CSA) — have officially entered quarantine ahead of a targeted March 6, 2026 launch. With the second Wet Dress Rehearsal completed successfully on February 19th, humanity is just two weeks away from returning to the Moon for the first time since Apollo 17 in 1972. Anna and Avery break down everything you need to know about this historic mission. Also on today's episode: • DARK MATTER UNDER PRESSURE: A new paper in Physical Review D claims its findings represent the first step toward the end of dark matter theory as we know it — researchers have found a plethora of baryonic (ordinary) dark matter signals that challenge the standard cosmological model. • AURORA WATCH: A large coronal hole on the Sun has rotated into a geoeffective position, with fast solar wind expected to reach Earth around February 22nd. Skywatchers at higher latitudes should keep their eyes on the skies tomorrow night. • MARS WATER UPDATE: New research suggests water ice on Mars may be accessible far closer to the equator than previously believed — a game-changing development for future human exploration of the Red Planet. • SERIAL KILLER BLACK HOLES: Astronomers using James Webb Space Telescope data have confirmed that active supermassive black holes don't just shut down star formation in their own galaxies — they can suppress star formation in neighbouring galaxies too. • SPACEX NEAR MISS: SpaceX successfully landed its Falcon 9 booster in The Bahamas for only the second time ever after launching 29 Starlink satellites — but someone at SpaceX admitted they 'almost did have a really terrible day.' Full show notes and episode sources available at astronomydaily.io Follow us: @AstroDailyPod on all platforms Part of the Bitesz.com Podcast Network
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00:00:00 --> 00:00:03 Hello and welcome to Astronomy Daily.
00:00:03 --> 00:00:04 I'm Anna.
00:00:04 --> 00:00:06 >> And I'm Avery. It is Saturday, February
00:00:06 --> 00:00:09 21st, 2026, and you are locked in for
00:00:09 --> 00:00:13 season 5, episode 45. We have got a
00:00:13 --> 00:00:14 packed show for you today.
00:00:14 --> 00:00:17 >> We really do. We are just 2 weeks away
00:00:17 --> 00:00:19 from what could be one of the most
00:00:19 --> 00:00:21 significant launches in the history of
00:00:21 --> 00:00:24 human space flight. And the crew is now
00:00:24 --> 00:00:27 officially in quarantine. Humanity is
00:00:27 --> 00:00:30 going back to the moon, people. beyond
00:00:30 --> 00:00:32 the moon. Actually, for the first time
00:00:32 --> 00:00:35 since 1972, we'll have the full Artemis
00:00:35 --> 00:00:37 2 update in just a moment. Plus,
00:00:37 --> 00:00:39 scientists may be challenging the very
00:00:39 --> 00:00:42 foundations of dark matter theory.
00:00:42 --> 00:00:43 There's a solar storm brewing that could
00:00:44 --> 00:00:45 light up the skies as early as tomorrow
00:00:45 --> 00:00:46 night.
00:00:46 --> 00:00:49 >> Mars is holding water a lot closer to
00:00:49 --> 00:00:51 home than we thought. Great news if
00:00:51 --> 00:00:53 you're planning to move there. And
00:00:53 --> 00:00:55 astronomers have confirmed that super
00:00:55 --> 00:00:58 massive black holes are not content with
00:00:58 --> 00:01:01 just destroying their own galaxies.
00:01:01 --> 00:01:03 Apparently, they've been going after the
00:01:03 --> 00:01:04 neighbors, too.
00:01:04 --> 00:01:07 >> Serial killers of the cosmos. We'll
00:01:07 --> 00:01:09 explain, and we'll wrap up with a SpaceX
00:01:09 --> 00:01:12 story that came very close, their words,
00:01:12 --> 00:01:15 not ours, to being a very bad day.
00:01:15 --> 00:01:17 >> Let's get into it.
00:01:17 --> 00:01:18 >> All right, let's start with the big one.
00:01:18 --> 00:01:20 As of yesterday evening, Friday,
00:01:20 --> 00:01:24 February 20th, 2026, the four astronauts
00:01:24 --> 00:01:26 of NASA's Aremis 2 mission have
00:01:26 --> 00:01:28 officially entered quarantine in
00:01:28 --> 00:01:29 Houston, Texas.
00:01:29 --> 00:01:31 >> And if you know anything about space
00:01:31 --> 00:01:33 mission protocols, entering quarantine
00:01:33 --> 00:01:36 is one of the clearest signals you can
00:01:36 --> 00:01:38 get that a launch is genuinely imminent.
00:01:38 --> 00:01:41 BASA is targeting no earlier than
00:01:41 --> 00:01:43 Friday, March 6th, and that clock is now
00:01:43 --> 00:01:44 ticking.
00:01:44 --> 00:01:46 >> So, let's set the scene for anyone who
00:01:46 --> 00:01:49 needs a quick refresher. Artemis 2 is
00:01:49 --> 00:01:52 the second mission of NASA's Aremis
00:01:52 --> 00:01:54 program and it will be the first crude
00:01:54 --> 00:01:57 mission to travel beyond low Earth orbit
00:01:57 --> 00:02:02 since Apollo 17 back in December 1972.
00:02:02 --> 00:02:04 We're talking more than 50 years.
00:02:04 --> 00:02:07 >> 53 years to be precise. And the crew
00:02:07 --> 00:02:09 that will make this historic journey
00:02:10 --> 00:02:12 consists of four astronauts. Commander
00:02:12 --> 00:02:15 Reed Wisman, pilot Victor Glover, and
00:02:15 --> 00:02:17 mission specialist Christina from
00:02:17 --> 00:02:20 NASA, and mission specialist Jeremy
00:02:20 --> 00:02:23 Hansen from the Canadian Space Agency.
00:02:23 --> 00:02:25 >> They entered quarantine at approximately
00:02:25 --> 00:02:27 5:00 p.m. local time on Friday evening
00:02:27 --> 00:02:29 in Houston. The quarantine period is
00:02:29 --> 00:02:31 typically about 14 days, during which
00:02:32 --> 00:02:34 the crew limits their exposure to other
00:02:34 --> 00:02:35 people to make sure they stay in good
00:02:36 --> 00:02:38 health before launch. They'll fly down
00:02:38 --> 00:02:40 to Kennedy Space Center in Florida about
00:02:40 --> 00:02:42 5 days before launch day.
00:02:42 --> 00:02:44 >> And the reason NASA is feeling confident
00:02:44 --> 00:02:46 enough to put them into quarantine now
00:02:46 --> 00:02:49 is the success of the second wet dress
00:02:49 --> 00:02:51 rehearsal which took place on Thursday,
00:02:51 --> 00:02:54 February 19th. Now Avery, for the
00:02:54 --> 00:02:57 uninitiated, what exactly is a wet dress
00:02:57 --> 00:02:58 rehearsal?
00:02:58 --> 00:03:01 >> Great question. A wet dress rehearsal is
00:03:01 --> 00:03:03 essentially a full dress rehearsal of
00:03:03 --> 00:03:05 launch day, except you don't actually
00:03:05 --> 00:03:07 light the engines at the end. The teams
00:03:07 --> 00:03:09 load the rocket with its full complement
00:03:09 --> 00:03:12 of cryogenic propellants. In the case of
00:03:12 --> 00:03:14 the space launch system, that's more
00:03:14 --> 00:03:17 than 700 gall of super cold liquid
00:03:17 --> 00:03:20 hydrogen and liquid oxygen and then run
00:03:20 --> 00:03:22 through the entire launch countdown
00:03:22 --> 00:03:23 sequence right down to the final
00:03:24 --> 00:03:26 seconds. And the reason they needed a
00:03:26 --> 00:03:28 second rehearsal was that the first
00:03:28 --> 00:03:31 attempt on February 3rd had to be called
00:03:31 --> 00:03:34 off when a hydrogen leak was detected.
00:03:34 --> 00:03:36 Engineers replaced seals and a filter in
00:03:36 --> 00:03:38 the ground support equipment. And on
00:03:38 --> 00:03:41 Thursday night, they ran the whole thing
00:03:41 --> 00:03:43 again, and this time hydrogen
00:03:43 --> 00:03:45 concentrations stayed within safe limits
00:03:45 --> 00:03:46 throughout.
00:03:46 --> 00:03:48 >> They actually ran through the terminal
00:03:48 --> 00:03:51 countdown, the final 10 minutes twice.
00:03:51 --> 00:03:53 The test concluded at 10:16 Eastern
00:03:53 --> 00:03:56 time, stopping at tminus 29 seconds as
00:03:56 --> 00:03:58 planned. Now, there was a minor
00:03:58 --> 00:04:00 communications glitch in the launch
00:04:00 --> 00:04:02 control center that caused a brief delay
00:04:02 --> 00:04:05 early in the test and a booster avionics
00:04:05 --> 00:04:07 voltage anomaly that paused the terminal
00:04:07 --> 00:04:09 countdown for a short time, but both
00:04:09 --> 00:04:11 were resolved and NASA declared the
00:04:11 --> 00:04:13 rehearsal a success.
00:04:13 --> 00:04:16 >> So, what happens next? Data from the
00:04:16 --> 00:04:18 rehearsal is being reviewed. There's
00:04:18 --> 00:04:21 final work to complete at the launchpad,
00:04:21 --> 00:04:23 including retesting the flight
00:04:23 --> 00:04:25 termination system, and then a flight
00:04:25 --> 00:04:27 readiness review has to take place
00:04:27 --> 00:04:30 before a formal launch date can be set.
00:04:30 --> 00:04:33 But all signs are pointing to March 6th.
00:04:33 --> 00:04:35 >> Launch windows for lunar missions are
00:04:35 --> 00:04:37 quite tight, by the way. They're
00:04:37 --> 00:04:39 determined by the alignment of the Earth
00:04:39 --> 00:04:41 and Moon, so you can't just pick any
00:04:41 --> 00:04:44 day. The available windows are March 6th
00:04:44 --> 00:04:45 through 9th with an additional
00:04:46 --> 00:04:49 opportunity on March 11th. If Artemis 2
00:04:49 --> 00:04:52 launches successfully, it will send four
00:04:52 --> 00:04:55 human beings on a 10day journey around
00:04:55 --> 00:04:58 the moon using a free return trajectory,
00:04:58 --> 00:05:00 meaning that even if the Orion
00:05:00 --> 00:05:02 spacecraft's propulsion system doesn't
00:05:02 --> 00:05:05 perform as planned, the crew will still
00:05:05 --> 00:05:07 safely return to Earth. They splash down
00:05:07 --> 00:05:09 in the Pacific Ocean.
00:05:09 --> 00:05:11 >> It will not orbit the moon or land.
00:05:11 --> 00:05:13 That's Artemis 3's job. But it will take
00:05:13 --> 00:05:15 people further from Earth than any
00:05:15 --> 00:05:17 humans have been in over half a century.
00:05:18 --> 00:05:20 And that is extraordinary.
00:05:20 --> 00:05:23 >> It really is. We will be following every
00:05:23 --> 00:05:26 step of this one very closely. March
00:05:26 --> 00:05:29 6th, people mark your calendars. Now,
00:05:29 --> 00:05:32 from the very near future to the very
00:05:32 --> 00:05:34 deep past, cosmologists have spent
00:05:34 --> 00:05:36 decades trying to understand dark
00:05:36 --> 00:05:38 matter, the mysterious invisible
00:05:38 --> 00:05:40 substance that appears to make up about
00:05:40 --> 00:05:43 27% of the universe and which we've
00:05:43 --> 00:05:46 never directly detected. And a new paper
00:05:46 --> 00:05:48 just published in Physical Review D is
00:05:48 --> 00:05:51 making a bold claim.
00:05:51 --> 00:05:52 >> Bold claim is something of an
00:05:52 --> 00:05:55 understatement. The authors say their
00:05:55 --> 00:05:57 findings represent, and I want to make
00:05:57 --> 00:05:59 sure I get this right, the first step
00:06:00 --> 00:06:03 towards the end of dark matter theory.
00:06:03 --> 00:06:05 >> That's a sentence that would cause an
00:06:05 --> 00:06:07 awkward silence at a cosmology
00:06:07 --> 00:06:08 conference.
00:06:08 --> 00:06:11 >> I imagine so. So, what are they actually
00:06:11 --> 00:06:13 saying? The paper reports the discovery
00:06:13 --> 00:06:16 of a significant number of new berionic
00:06:16 --> 00:06:19 dark matter signals. Now, berionic
00:06:19 --> 00:06:22 matter is essentially ordinary matter.
00:06:22 --> 00:06:24 The stuff made of protons, neutrons, and
00:06:24 --> 00:06:26 electrons. The kind of matter that makes
00:06:26 --> 00:06:30 up you, me, planets, stars, everything
00:06:30 --> 00:06:32 we can see and touch.
00:06:32 --> 00:06:34 >> Right? And the conventional model of
00:06:34 --> 00:06:36 dark matter says that the mysterious
00:06:36 --> 00:06:38 missing mass in the universe is made of
00:06:38 --> 00:06:41 something else entirely. Non-barionic
00:06:41 --> 00:06:43 matter, exotic particles that don't
00:06:43 --> 00:06:45 interact with light, which is why we
00:06:45 --> 00:06:47 can't see it directly. We infer its
00:06:47 --> 00:06:49 existence from its gravitational effects
00:06:49 --> 00:06:51 on galaxies.
00:06:51 --> 00:06:53 >> So if these researchers are finding that
00:06:53 --> 00:06:55 a lot of what we've been attributing to
00:06:55 --> 00:06:58 exotic dark matter can actually be
00:06:58 --> 00:07:00 explained by ordinary berionic matter
00:07:00 --> 00:07:02 that we just hadn't accounted for
00:07:02 --> 00:07:05 properly. That's a very significant
00:07:05 --> 00:07:07 challenge to the standard model.
00:07:07 --> 00:07:09 >> Now to be clear, the paper doesn't claim
00:07:09 --> 00:07:12 dark matter doesn't exist. It claims
00:07:12 --> 00:07:14 this is the beginning of the end of dark
00:07:14 --> 00:07:17 matter theory as it currently stands.
00:07:17 --> 00:07:19 Whether that means a revision or a
00:07:19 --> 00:07:21 revolution, we'll have to wait and see.
00:07:21 --> 00:07:23 This is the kind of paper that will
00:07:23 --> 00:07:25 generate a lot of discussion in the
00:07:25 --> 00:07:27 community over the coming months. We'll
00:07:27 --> 00:07:29 be keeping a close eye on the responses
00:07:29 --> 00:07:31 and follow-up research. Fascinating
00:07:31 --> 00:07:32 stuff.
00:07:32 --> 00:07:35 >> Now, a very timely heads up for all you
00:07:35 --> 00:07:37 sky watchers out there. And by timely, I
00:07:37 --> 00:07:39 mean you may want to check your local
00:07:39 --> 00:07:41 forecast for tomorrow night. That's
00:07:41 --> 00:07:43 right. Space weather forecasters are
00:07:43 --> 00:07:46 currently tracking a large coronal hole
00:07:46 --> 00:07:48 on the sun that has rotated into what's
00:07:48 --> 00:07:51 called a geoeffective position, meaning
00:07:51 --> 00:07:54 it is now pointing directly at Earth.
00:07:54 --> 00:07:57 So, a coronal hole is a region on the
00:07:57 --> 00:07:59 sun where the magnetic field lines open
00:07:59 --> 00:08:01 outward rather than looping back in.
00:08:01 --> 00:08:04 That configuration allows fastmoving
00:08:04 --> 00:08:06 solar wind to escape directly into
00:08:06 --> 00:08:09 space. And when that fast solar wind is
00:08:09 --> 00:08:10 aimed at us, it can interact with
00:08:10 --> 00:08:12 Earth's magnetic field and trigger
00:08:12 --> 00:08:14 geomagnetic storms.
00:08:14 --> 00:08:17 >> And geomagnetic storms are what drive
00:08:17 --> 00:08:19 auroras, the northern and southern
00:08:19 --> 00:08:22 lights. The effects from this particular
00:08:22 --> 00:08:24 coronal hole are currently expected to
00:08:24 --> 00:08:27 arrive around February 22nd. That's
00:08:27 --> 00:08:30 tomorrow. Forecasters are predicting the
00:08:30 --> 00:08:32 solar wind interaction could disturb
00:08:32 --> 00:08:35 Earth's magnetic field and boost aurora
00:08:35 --> 00:08:36 activity.
00:08:36 --> 00:08:39 >> Conditions today are relatively quiet.
00:08:39 --> 00:08:41 The corona hole driven effects from a
00:08:41 --> 00:08:43 previous solar windream are fading, but
00:08:43 --> 00:08:45 tomorrow night could be a different
00:08:45 --> 00:08:47 story. If you're in higher latitude
00:08:47 --> 00:08:50 regions, northern parts of the US,
00:08:50 --> 00:08:53 Canada, the UK, Scandinavia, southern
00:08:54 --> 00:08:56 New Zealand, and Australia, it's worth
00:08:56 --> 00:08:58 watching the skies after dark.
00:08:58 --> 00:09:00 >> We should also mention that in the past
00:09:00 --> 00:09:02 few days, Earth's sky has been tracking
00:09:02 --> 00:09:05 some very dramatic solar features. Twin
00:09:05 --> 00:09:08 prominences visible on opposite sides of
00:09:08 --> 00:09:11 the sun simultaneously, glowing in data
00:09:11 --> 00:09:15 from the GO 19 satellite. Solar activity
00:09:15 --> 00:09:17 is really putting on a show right now.
00:09:17 --> 00:09:20 We're deep in solar cycle 25 and the sun
00:09:20 --> 00:09:22 is reminding us who's boss.
00:09:22 --> 00:09:25 >> Keep an eye on spaceweather.com and
00:09:25 --> 00:09:27 earthsy for live updates as that solar
00:09:27 --> 00:09:30 wind approaches. And fingers crossed for
00:09:30 --> 00:09:31 clear skies.
00:09:31 --> 00:09:34 >> All right, let's head to the red planet.
00:09:34 --> 00:09:36 If there's one resource that will make
00:09:36 --> 00:09:38 or break any long-term human presence on
00:09:38 --> 00:09:41 Mars, it's water. You need it for
00:09:41 --> 00:09:43 drinking, for growing food, for
00:09:43 --> 00:09:46 producing rocket fuel. And new research
00:09:46 --> 00:09:48 is suggesting that accessible water ice
00:09:48 --> 00:09:51 on Mars may be closer to the equator
00:09:51 --> 00:09:54 than scientists previously believed.
00:09:54 --> 00:09:56 >> This matters enormously from an
00:09:56 --> 00:09:58 exploration standpoint. When we talk
00:09:58 --> 00:10:00 about water ice on Mars, we typically
00:10:00 --> 00:10:02 think of the poles. There are
00:10:02 --> 00:10:05 substantial ice caps at both Martian
00:10:05 --> 00:10:07 poles, and they're well doumented. But
00:10:07 --> 00:10:09 the poles are extremely difficult to
00:10:09 --> 00:10:12 reach. They're incredibly cold and they
00:10:12 --> 00:10:14 fall under strict planetary protection
00:10:14 --> 00:10:16 protocols because of the possibility of
00:10:16 --> 00:10:18 contaminating any potential microbial
00:10:18 --> 00:10:19 life.
00:10:19 --> 00:10:22 >> So, the ideal scenario for human
00:10:22 --> 00:10:25 explorers and for rovers doing science
00:10:25 --> 00:10:27 has always been to find water ice at
00:10:27 --> 00:10:30 lower latitudes closer to the equator
00:10:30 --> 00:10:32 where temperatures are more manageable
00:10:32 --> 00:10:34 and landing is easier. And this new
00:10:34 --> 00:10:37 research from a paper published in ACTA
00:10:37 --> 00:10:40 Astronautica suggests that may be more
00:10:40 --> 00:10:42 achievable than we thought.
00:10:42 --> 00:10:44 >> The researchers proposed new methods for
00:10:44 --> 00:10:46 dealing with one of the key challenges
00:10:46 --> 00:10:49 of equatorial water ice extraction, the
00:10:49 --> 00:10:51 jagged, clingy nature of Martian
00:10:51 --> 00:10:54 regalith or lunar dust. Martian dust
00:10:54 --> 00:10:57 gets into everything. and they describe
00:10:57 --> 00:11:00 flexible electronamic dust shields that
00:11:00 --> 00:11:02 could help manage the dust problem and
00:11:02 --> 00:11:04 make water extraction at equatorial
00:11:04 --> 00:11:06 sites more viable.
00:11:06 --> 00:11:07 >> So, the picture is increasingly
00:11:08 --> 00:11:10 optimistic for Mars exploration. If
00:11:10 --> 00:11:12 future missions can confirm accessible
00:11:12 --> 00:11:15 ice deposits at mid latitudes and
00:11:15 --> 00:11:17 develop the technology to extract and
00:11:18 --> 00:11:20 process that water efficiently, a
00:11:20 --> 00:11:22 long-term human presence on Mars becomes
00:11:22 --> 00:11:25 significantly more realistic. one step
00:11:25 --> 00:11:27 at a time, but each of these steps
00:11:27 --> 00:11:30 matters. Really encouraging research.
00:11:30 --> 00:11:33 >> Now, I mentioned in the intro that super
00:11:33 --> 00:11:35 massive black holes have been going
00:11:35 --> 00:11:37 after the neighbors. Let me explain what
00:11:37 --> 00:11:39 I mean by that because the new research
00:11:40 --> 00:11:42 here is genuinely striking.
00:11:42 --> 00:11:44 >> We've known for some time that active
00:11:44 --> 00:11:47 super massive black holes, the kind
00:11:47 --> 00:11:49 found that the centers of galaxies that
00:11:49 --> 00:11:51 are actively feeding on material, can
00:11:51 --> 00:11:53 have a profound effect on their host
00:11:53 --> 00:11:56 galaxy. Specifically, they can heat and
00:11:56 --> 00:11:58 disperse gas, shutting down the
00:11:58 --> 00:12:01 conditions needed for new stars to form.
00:12:01 --> 00:12:03 Effectively, they can kill their own
00:12:03 --> 00:12:06 galaxy. But astronomers have now found
00:12:06 --> 00:12:08 evidence that the most luminous of
00:12:08 --> 00:12:11 these, called quazars, don't stop there.
00:12:11 --> 00:12:13 New research using data from the James
00:12:13 --> 00:12:16 Web telescope shows that the powerful
00:12:16 --> 00:12:19 radiation and outflows of quazars can
00:12:19 --> 00:12:21 suppress star formation in neighboring
00:12:21 --> 00:12:24 galaxies as well. galaxies that aren't
00:12:24 --> 00:12:27 even directly hosting the black hole.
00:12:27 --> 00:12:29 >> They're basically firing across the
00:12:29 --> 00:12:31 cosmic neighborhood. The energy output
00:12:31 --> 00:12:33 of an active quazar is so immense that
00:12:33 --> 00:12:35 its effects can extend beyond its own
00:12:35 --> 00:12:37 galaxy and reach into surrounding
00:12:37 --> 00:12:40 systems, cutting off the gas supply
00:12:40 --> 00:12:42 those nearby galaxies need to form new
00:12:42 --> 00:12:45 stars. Researchers are now calling them
00:12:45 --> 00:12:47 super massive serial killers. And
00:12:47 --> 00:12:49 honestly, given what the data shows,
00:12:49 --> 00:12:52 that label feels pretty accurate. What's
00:12:52 --> 00:12:54 particularly significant is the
00:12:54 --> 00:12:56 implication for our understanding of
00:12:56 --> 00:12:58 galaxy evolution. If black holes can
00:12:58 --> 00:13:01 shape not just their host galaxies, but
00:13:01 --> 00:13:04 entire cosmic neighborhoods, that's a
00:13:04 --> 00:13:06 much bigger role than we previously
00:13:06 --> 00:13:08 appreciated. The James Web Space
00:13:08 --> 00:13:10 Telescope continues to rewrite the
00:13:10 --> 00:13:12 textbooks. This research adds another
00:13:12 --> 00:13:14 compelling chapter to the story of how
00:13:14 --> 00:13:16 these extraordinary objects have helped
00:13:16 --> 00:13:18 sculpt the large-scale structure of the
00:13:18 --> 00:13:21 universe we see today. terrifying and
00:13:21 --> 00:13:24 magnificent in equal measure, which is
00:13:24 --> 00:13:26 kind of the theme of black hole research
00:13:26 --> 00:13:27 generally.
00:13:27 --> 00:13:29 >> And finally, let's end on a story that's
00:13:29 --> 00:13:32 part triumph, part nailbiter. On
00:13:32 --> 00:13:35 Thursday, February 19th, SpaceX launched
00:13:35 --> 00:13:37 29 Starling satellites from Cape
00:13:37 --> 00:13:39 Canaveral and successfully landed the
00:13:39 --> 00:13:41 Falcon 9 first stage booster, not at
00:13:41 --> 00:13:43 their usual landing zones in Florida or
00:13:43 --> 00:13:45 their drone ships in the Atlantic or
00:13:45 --> 00:13:48 Pacific, but in the Bahamas. Now, this
00:13:48 --> 00:13:51 is only the second time ever that SpaceX
00:13:51 --> 00:13:53 has landed a Falcon 9 booster in the
00:13:53 --> 00:13:56 Bahamas. The first time was not very
00:13:56 --> 00:13:58 long ago, so this is still very much a
00:13:58 --> 00:14:00 novelty. And what made this one
00:14:00 --> 00:14:02 particularly dramatic was the quote that
00:14:02 --> 00:14:05 came out of SpaceX after the landing.
00:14:05 --> 00:14:08 >> Yes, someone at SpaceX said, and I
00:14:08 --> 00:14:10 quote, "We almost did have a really
00:14:10 --> 00:14:11 terrible day."
00:14:12 --> 00:14:13 >> Which is not the kind of post-launch
00:14:13 --> 00:14:15 statement that fills you with warmth and
00:14:15 --> 00:14:18 reassurance. SpaceX haven't elaborated
00:14:18 --> 00:14:20 extensively on what almost went wrong,
00:14:20 --> 00:14:22 but the fact that the booster landed
00:14:22 --> 00:14:24 safely is obviously the key outcome
00:14:24 --> 00:14:25 here.
00:14:25 --> 00:14:27 >> The Bahamas landing site gives SpaceX
00:14:27 --> 00:14:29 more flexibility for certain orbital
00:14:29 --> 00:14:31 trajectories, particularly for Starlink
00:14:31 --> 00:14:33 missions launching from Cape Canaveral,
00:14:33 --> 00:14:35 where the geometry of the orbit makes a
00:14:35 --> 00:14:37 Bahamas landing more efficient than
00:14:37 --> 00:14:39 trying to bring the booster all the way
00:14:39 --> 00:14:41 back to Florida. SpaceX have now
00:14:41 --> 00:14:43 launched and landed hundreds of Falcon 9
00:14:43 --> 00:14:46 boosters. The reusability program has
00:14:46 --> 00:14:48 fundamentally transformed the economics
00:14:48 --> 00:14:51 of spaceflight. But moments like this
00:14:51 --> 00:14:53 are a reminder that rocket recovery,
00:14:53 --> 00:14:55 even after hundreds of successful
00:14:55 --> 00:14:58 attempts, still demands total precision
00:14:58 --> 00:15:00 every single time.
00:15:00 --> 00:15:02 >> Every landing is a controlled miracle
00:15:02 --> 00:15:04 when you think about it. Very glad this
00:15:04 --> 00:15:06 one worked out. Congratulations to the
00:15:06 --> 00:15:07 SpaceX team.
00:15:07 --> 00:15:09 >> And that is your Astronomy Daily for
00:15:10 --> 00:15:13 Saturday, February 21st, 2026. What a
00:15:13 --> 00:15:16 lineup. Artemis 2 on the launchpad with
00:15:16 --> 00:15:18 the crew in quarantine. Dark matter
00:15:18 --> 00:15:21 theory under pressure. Solar storms
00:15:21 --> 00:15:23 heading our way. Water on Mars getting
00:15:23 --> 00:15:25 more accessible. Black holes on a
00:15:25 --> 00:15:28 neighborhood killing spree. And a SpaceX
00:15:28 --> 00:15:30 rocket making only its second ever
00:15:30 --> 00:15:32 Bahamas landing. Not a bad day's news
00:15:32 --> 00:15:34 from the cosmos.
00:15:34 --> 00:15:36 >> If you enjoyed today's episode, please
00:15:36 --> 00:15:37 subscribe wherever you get your
00:15:37 --> 00:15:39 podcasts. Leave us a review. It really
00:15:39 --> 00:15:41 does help the show grow. and share us
00:15:42 --> 00:15:44 with a fellow space enthusiast. You can
00:15:44 --> 00:15:46 find all our show notes, links, and more
00:15:46 --> 00:15:48 over at astronomyaily.io
00:15:48 --> 00:15:50 and follow us on social media at
00:15:50 --> 00:15:51 astroaily pod.
00:15:51 --> 00:15:53 >> We'll be back Monday with more of the
00:15:53 --> 00:15:56 universe's finest headlines. Until then,
00:15:56 --> 00:15:57 keep looking up
00:15:57 --> 00:16:11 >> and stay curious, everyone. Take care.
00:16:11 --> 00:16:19 Stories told
00:16:19 --> 00:16:22 stories