00:00:00 --> 00:00:02 hello and welcome to Astronomy Daily
00:00:02 --> 00:00:03 your daily dose of cosmic news and
00:00:03 --> 00:00:06 celestial happenings I'm Anna your guide
00:00:06 --> 00:00:09 through the cosmos Today we've got a
00:00:09 --> 00:00:10 stellar lineup of space stories that
00:00:10 --> 00:00:13 will take us from nearby asteroids to
00:00:13 --> 00:00:15 the mysteries of distant galaxies We'll
00:00:15 --> 00:00:17 explore NASA's Lucy spacecraft and its
00:00:17 --> 00:00:19 fascinating encounter with the uniquely
00:00:19 --> 00:00:22 shaped asteroid Donald Johansson Dive
00:00:22 --> 00:00:24 into the surprising discovery of a
00:00:24 --> 00:00:26 potential diamond layer inside Mercury
00:00:26 --> 00:00:28 And catch up on this week's busy launch
00:00:28 --> 00:00:30 schedule We'll also look at Amazon's
00:00:30 --> 00:00:32 Project Kyper as it prepares for a
00:00:32 --> 00:00:34 milestone launch and examine an
00:00:34 --> 00:00:35 ambitious plan to place satellites
00:00:35 --> 00:00:38 around the moon to detect radio signals
00:00:38 --> 00:00:40 from the universe's ancient dark ages So
00:00:40 --> 00:00:42 buckle up for a journey across our solar
00:00:42 --> 00:00:44 system and beyond as we explore the
00:00:44 --> 00:00:47 latest developments in space exploration
00:00:47 --> 00:00:49 and astronomical discovery Let's get
00:00:49 --> 00:00:51 started
00:00:51 --> 00:00:53 NASA's Lucy spacecraft has just
00:00:53 --> 00:00:55 completed its second asteroid encounter
00:00:55 --> 00:00:57 giving us an unprecedented view of
00:00:57 --> 00:00:59 asteroid Donald Johansson from
00:00:59 --> 00:01:03 approximately 600 miles away The images
00:01:03 --> 00:01:05 which started arriving on April 20th
00:01:05 --> 00:01:07 2025 have already revealed some
00:01:07 --> 00:01:09 fascinating details about this cosmic
00:01:09 --> 00:01:12 object that formed roughly 150 million
00:01:12 --> 00:01:15 years ago Scientists had previously
00:01:15 --> 00:01:17 observed large brightness variations
00:01:17 --> 00:01:19 from Donald Johansson over a 10-day
00:01:19 --> 00:01:21 period suggesting it might be an
00:01:21 --> 00:01:24 elongated body But when Lucy's first
00:01:24 --> 00:01:27 images came in they showed something
00:01:27 --> 00:01:29 even more intriguing What appears to be
00:01:29 --> 00:01:32 a contact binary essentially two smaller
00:01:32 --> 00:01:35 bodies that collided and stuck together
00:01:35 --> 00:01:37 What's particularly striking about
00:01:37 --> 00:01:39 Donald Johansson is the unusual shape of
00:01:39 --> 00:01:42 the narrow neck connecting its two loes
00:01:42 --> 00:01:44 Mission scientists describe it as
00:01:44 --> 00:01:46 looking like two nested ice cream cones
00:01:46 --> 00:01:48 This unique structure wasn't what the
00:01:48 --> 00:01:50 team expected and adds another puzzle
00:01:50 --> 00:01:52 piece to our understanding of how
00:01:52 --> 00:01:55 asteroids form and evolve Preliminary
00:01:55 --> 00:01:57 analysis from Lucy's Lori imager
00:01:57 --> 00:01:58 indicates Donald Johansson is larger
00:01:58 --> 00:02:01 than originally estimated about 5 m long
00:02:01 --> 00:02:04 and 2 m wide at its widest point The
00:02:04 --> 00:02:06 full asteroid wasn't initially visible
00:02:06 --> 00:02:08 in the highresolution images because
00:02:08 --> 00:02:10 it's actually larger than the imager
00:02:10 --> 00:02:12 field of view
00:02:12 --> 00:02:13 The team expects to download the
00:02:14 --> 00:02:15 complete data set over the coming week
00:02:16 --> 00:02:17 which should provide a more
00:02:17 --> 00:02:18 comprehensive picture of the asteroid
00:02:18 --> 00:02:22 shape Hal Levisan Lucy's principal
00:02:22 --> 00:02:24 investigator notes that asteroid Donald
00:02:24 --> 00:02:27 Johansson has strikingly complicated
00:02:27 --> 00:02:29 geology As we study the complex
00:02:29 --> 00:02:31 structures in detail they will reveal
00:02:31 --> 00:02:33 important information about the building
00:02:33 --> 00:02:35 blocks and collisional processes that
00:02:36 --> 00:02:39 form the planets in our solar system
00:02:39 --> 00:02:41 While Donald Johansson isn't a primary
00:02:41 --> 00:02:44 target for the Lucy mission this flyby
00:02:44 --> 00:02:45 served as a full dress rehearsal for
00:02:45 --> 00:02:48 future encounters The spacecraft
00:02:48 --> 00:02:50 conducted a series of dense observations
00:02:50 --> 00:02:53 to maximize data collection In addition
00:02:53 --> 00:02:55 to images Lucy's other scientific
00:02:55 --> 00:02:57 instruments the LRAL color imager and
00:02:58 --> 00:03:00 infrared spectrometer along with the
00:03:00 --> 00:03:02 Latas thermal infrared spectrometer
00:03:02 --> 00:03:04 collected data that will be analyzed in
00:03:04 --> 00:03:06 the coming weeks
00:03:06 --> 00:03:08 Lucy will spend most of the remainder of
00:03:08 --> 00:03:10 2025 traveling through the main asteroid
00:03:10 --> 00:03:13 belt before reaching its first main
00:03:13 --> 00:03:15 target the Jupiter Trojan asteroid
00:03:15 --> 00:03:19 Uripes in August 2027 The spacecraft's
00:03:19 --> 00:03:21 ultimate mission is to study these
00:03:22 --> 00:03:24 Trojan asteroids which orbit the sun in
00:03:24 --> 00:03:26 the same path as Jupiter and are
00:03:26 --> 00:03:28 considered time capsules from the early
00:03:28 --> 00:03:30 solar system As Tom Statatler program
00:03:30 --> 00:03:32 scientist for Lucy at NASA headquarters
00:03:32 --> 00:03:35 put it "These early images of Donald
00:03:35 --> 00:03:37 Johansson are again showing the
00:03:37 --> 00:03:38 tremendous capabilities of the Lucy
00:03:38 --> 00:03:41 spacecraft as an engine of discovery The
00:03:41 --> 00:03:43 potential to really open a new window
00:03:43 --> 00:03:44 into the history of our solar system
00:03:44 --> 00:03:46 when Lucy gets to the Trojan asteroids
00:03:46 --> 00:03:48 is
00:03:48 --> 00:03:50 immense." Let's get a little update on
00:03:50 --> 00:03:52 Mercury and a finding that might make
00:03:52 --> 00:03:54 the planet a lot more attractive to some
00:03:54 --> 00:03:56 people Mercury may be the closest planet
00:03:56 --> 00:03:59 to the sun and often overlooked in our
00:03:59 --> 00:04:01 cosmic neighborhood but scientists have
00:04:01 --> 00:04:03 recently discovered something truly
00:04:03 --> 00:04:05 dazzling about this scorched world New
00:04:05 --> 00:04:07 research suggests that Mercury may be
00:04:07 --> 00:04:09 hiding a diamond layer approximately 10
00:04:09 --> 00:04:12 miles thick beneath its surface This
00:04:12 --> 00:04:13 extraordinary finding comes from
00:04:13 --> 00:04:15 analyzing data collected by NASA's
00:04:15 --> 00:04:18 Messenger spacecraft which mapped
00:04:18 --> 00:04:20 Mercury in detail during its mission The
00:04:20 --> 00:04:22 spacecraft detected graphite patches
00:04:22 --> 00:04:24 scattered across Mercury's crust
00:04:24 --> 00:04:26 indicating the planet once had a magma
00:04:26 --> 00:04:29 ocean incredibly rich in carbon content
00:04:29 --> 00:04:31 higher than any other rocky world in our
00:04:31 --> 00:04:34 solar system When this ancient magma
00:04:34 --> 00:04:36 ocean cooled lighter carbon floated
00:04:36 --> 00:04:39 upward creating the dark graphite
00:04:39 --> 00:04:42 patches visible on the surface Meanwhile
00:04:42 --> 00:04:45 denser materials including carbon sank
00:04:45 --> 00:04:47 inward According to researchers from
00:04:47 --> 00:04:51 China and Belgium led by Dr Yangha Lynn
00:04:51 --> 00:04:53 this heavier carbon descended alongside
00:04:53 --> 00:04:55 sinking metal and recristallized into
00:04:55 --> 00:04:59 diamond under immense pressure To test
00:04:59 --> 00:05:00 this theory scientists recreated
00:05:00 --> 00:05:02 mercury's interior conditions in a
00:05:02 --> 00:05:05 laboratory They used a specialized press
00:05:05 --> 00:05:08 to squeeze synthetic mantel rock to 7
00:05:08 --> 00:05:10 gigapascals roughly seven times the
00:05:10 --> 00:05:11 pressure found at the bottom of the
00:05:11 --> 00:05:13 Mariana Trench while heating it to
00:05:14 --> 00:05:15 nearly
00:05:15 --> 00:05:18 3° F Their experiments confirmed
00:05:18 --> 00:05:20 that at Mercury's core mantle boundary
00:05:20 --> 00:05:22 with its unique pressure and temperature
00:05:22 --> 00:05:25 conditions carbon transforms from
00:05:25 --> 00:05:27 graphite into diamond These diamonds
00:05:27 --> 00:05:29 would theoretically form a sparkling
00:05:29 --> 00:05:31 shell up to 11 m thick around the
00:05:31 --> 00:05:34 planet's metallic core This diamond
00:05:34 --> 00:05:36 layer may also explain another Mercury
00:05:36 --> 00:05:38 mystery its surprisingly strong magnetic
00:05:38 --> 00:05:41 field For a planet only slightly wider
00:05:41 --> 00:05:43 than the continental United States
00:05:43 --> 00:05:45 Mercury maintains a robust magnetic
00:05:46 --> 00:05:48 field that requires heat to flow out of
00:05:48 --> 00:05:51 the core Diamond being an excellent
00:05:51 --> 00:05:53 thermal conductor would efficiently
00:05:53 --> 00:05:55 funnel this energy upward helping to
00:05:56 --> 00:05:57 maintain the magnetic dynamo that
00:05:57 --> 00:06:00 generates the field Unlike Earth Mars
00:06:00 --> 00:06:02 and Venus which lost most of their
00:06:02 --> 00:06:04 carbon to space or locked it in
00:06:04 --> 00:06:06 carbonates Mercury appears to have
00:06:06 --> 00:06:08 hoarded its carbon first as floating
00:06:08 --> 00:06:10 graphite and then as diamond sinking to
00:06:10 --> 00:06:13 great depths While we can't directly
00:06:13 --> 00:06:15 observe Mercury's interior the European
00:06:15 --> 00:06:17 Japanese Bey Columbo mission currently
00:06:17 --> 00:06:19 on route to the planet may provide
00:06:20 --> 00:06:23 confirmation when it arrives in 2030 Its
00:06:23 --> 00:06:25 instruments will refine gravity maps and
00:06:25 --> 00:06:27 look for twists in Mercury's magnetic
00:06:27 --> 00:06:29 field that could reveal the presence of
00:06:29 --> 00:06:31 this superconductive diamond layer This
00:06:32 --> 00:06:33 discovery isn't about finding gemstones
00:06:33 --> 00:06:36 for jewelry It's about understanding
00:06:36 --> 00:06:39 planetary evolution Carbon's behavior
00:06:39 --> 00:06:41 shapes a planet's heat flow crust
00:06:41 --> 00:06:44 composition and even its magnetic field
00:06:44 --> 00:06:46 By tracing carbon's journey through
00:06:46 --> 00:06:48 Mercury scientists can refine models
00:06:48 --> 00:06:50 that apply to worlds throughout our
00:06:50 --> 00:06:52 universe including those orbiting
00:06:52 --> 00:06:55 distant stars What initially appears as
00:06:55 --> 00:06:57 just a scorched ball of rock is
00:06:57 --> 00:06:58 revealing exotic physics and hidden
00:06:58 --> 00:07:00 secrets that are absolutely worth
00:07:00 --> 00:07:01 exploring
00:07:01 --> 00:07:03 further Time to take a look at this
00:07:03 --> 00:07:05 week's launch calendar This week is
00:07:05 --> 00:07:06 shaping up to be a busy one for space
00:07:06 --> 00:07:08 launches with missions taking off from
00:07:08 --> 00:07:10 around the globe Let's start with
00:07:10 --> 00:07:12 China's upcoming crude mission to their
00:07:12 --> 00:07:15 Tiangong space station On Thursday April
00:07:15 --> 00:07:18 24th the Chong Jang 2F rocket will lift
00:07:18 --> 00:07:20 off from the Jukuan satellite launch
00:07:20 --> 00:07:22 center carrying three tyonauts on the
00:07:22 --> 00:07:25 Shenho 20 mission This marks China's
00:07:25 --> 00:07:27 15th crude space flight and the ninth
00:07:27 --> 00:07:28 crew transportation mission to their
00:07:28 --> 00:07:30 space station While the three crew
00:07:30 --> 00:07:33 members were selected back in February
00:07:33 --> 00:07:35 China typically doesn't officially
00:07:35 --> 00:07:36 announce their names until about a day
00:07:36 --> 00:07:40 before launch The Shenha 20 crew will
00:07:40 --> 00:07:41 replace the current occupants of the
00:07:41 --> 00:07:45 station Song Ling Dong Kaiuji and Wong
00:07:45 --> 00:07:47 Haozi who have spent the past 6 months
00:07:47 --> 00:07:50 in orbit Once a formal handover ceremony
00:07:50 --> 00:07:52 is completed the Shenho 19 crew will
00:07:52 --> 00:07:55 return to Earth SpaceX is having a
00:07:55 --> 00:07:57 particularly active week with three
00:07:57 --> 00:08:00 Falcon 9 launches on their manifest The
00:08:00 --> 00:08:02 first is their third bandwagon ride
00:08:02 --> 00:08:04 share mission scheduled for Monday
00:08:04 --> 00:08:06 evening from Cape Canaveral Bandwagon
00:08:06 --> 00:08:08 missions carry multiple smaller
00:08:08 --> 00:08:10 satellites to mid-incclination low Earth
00:08:10 --> 00:08:13 orbits complementing SpaceX's
00:08:13 --> 00:08:15 transporter missions which primarily
00:08:15 --> 00:08:18 target sun-synchronous orbits Notable
00:08:18 --> 00:08:20 payloads on this flight include Vast's
00:08:20 --> 00:08:22 Haven Demo Technology Demonstrator
00:08:22 --> 00:08:25 weighing approximately 500 kg Atmas
00:08:25 --> 00:08:27 Space Cargo's Fenix 1 prototype re-entry
00:08:27 --> 00:08:29 capsule which will test an innovative
00:08:29 --> 00:08:32 inflatable heat shield and several Earth
00:08:32 --> 00:08:35 observation satellites from Hawkeye 360
00:08:35 --> 00:08:37 The Falcon 9 booster supporting this
00:08:37 --> 00:08:38 mission
00:08:39 --> 00:08:41 B90 will be making its third flight and
00:08:41 --> 00:08:43 is scheduled to return for a landing at
00:08:43 --> 00:08:46 Cape Canaveral's landing zone 2 SpaceX
00:08:46 --> 00:08:48 has two more Starlink launches planned
00:08:48 --> 00:08:50 later in the week One from Florida on
00:08:50 --> 00:08:52 Thursday evening carrying satellites for
00:08:52 --> 00:08:55 Starlink Group 6 74 and another from
00:08:55 --> 00:08:57 Vandenberg in California on Friday
00:08:58 --> 00:09:02 afternoon for Starlink Group 11 9 These
00:09:02 --> 00:09:04 launches continue the rapid expansion of
00:09:04 --> 00:09:07 SpaceX's internet mega constellation
00:09:07 --> 00:09:10 which now connects over 5 million users
00:09:10 --> 00:09:14 across 125 countries Meanwhile Firefly
00:09:14 --> 00:09:16 Aerospace is preparing to launch its
00:09:16 --> 00:09:18 Alpha rocket from Vandenberg Space Force
00:09:18 --> 00:09:21 Base on Sunday This mission playfully
00:09:21 --> 00:09:23 dubbed Message in a Booster will carry
00:09:23 --> 00:09:26 Loheed Martin's LM400 technology
00:09:26 --> 00:09:28 demonstration satellite This marks the
00:09:28 --> 00:09:30 sixth launch of Fireflyy's Alpha rocket
00:09:30 --> 00:09:32 and the second flight in a multilaunch
00:09:32 --> 00:09:35 agreement with Loheed Martin that could
00:09:35 --> 00:09:37 span up to 25 launches over the next 5
00:09:37 --> 00:09:41 years The LM400 is Lockheed's new
00:09:41 --> 00:09:43 midsize satellite bus designed for
00:09:43 --> 00:09:45 versatility It can accommodate various
00:09:45 --> 00:09:48 missions including remote sensing
00:09:48 --> 00:09:50 communications imaging and radar
00:09:50 --> 00:09:53 operations This Pathfinder mission will
00:09:53 --> 00:09:54 help prove the technology in orbit
00:09:54 --> 00:09:57 before it's used for customer missions
00:09:57 --> 00:09:59 All these launches underscore the
00:09:59 --> 00:10:01 growing cadence and diversity of space
00:10:01 --> 00:10:03 missions from crude flights and
00:10:03 --> 00:10:05 satellite deployments to technology
00:10:05 --> 00:10:06 demonstrations that push the boundaries
00:10:06 --> 00:10:09 of what's possible beyond
00:10:09 --> 00:10:11 Earth Speaking of launches after
00:10:11 --> 00:10:13 multiple delays we finally have a new
00:10:14 --> 00:10:16 launch date for Amazon's project Kyper
00:10:16 --> 00:10:18 Internet satellite constellation United
00:10:18 --> 00:10:21 Launch Alliance announced that the first
00:10:21 --> 00:10:24 batch of 27 operational Kyper satellites
00:10:24 --> 00:10:26 will lift off aboard an Atlas V rocket
00:10:26 --> 00:10:30 on April 28th at 700 p.m Eastern time
00:10:30 --> 00:10:32 from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station
00:10:32 --> 00:10:35 in Florida ULA has set aside a 2-hour
00:10:35 --> 00:10:37 launch window for this mission
00:10:37 --> 00:10:40 This launch designated Kyper 1 marks a
00:10:40 --> 00:10:43 significant milestone as the first of a
00:10:43 --> 00:10:45 planned 83 launches needed to deploy
00:10:45 --> 00:10:47 Amazon's ambitious broadband
00:10:47 --> 00:10:49 constellation The company aims to place
00:10:49 --> 00:10:52 more than 3 satellites in low Earth
00:10:52 --> 00:10:54 orbit to provide global high-speed
00:10:54 --> 00:10:56 internet coverage These satellites
00:10:56 --> 00:10:59 aren't Amazon's first space hardware The
00:10:59 --> 00:11:00 company successfully launched two
00:11:00 --> 00:11:03 prototype Kyper satellites last year to
00:11:03 --> 00:11:05 validate the technology and pave the way
00:11:05 --> 00:11:08 for this operational fleet The upcoming
00:11:08 --> 00:11:10 mission will utilize ULA's Atlas V
00:11:10 --> 00:11:12 rocket in its most powerful 551
00:11:12 --> 00:11:14 configuration featuring five solid
00:11:14 --> 00:11:17 rocket boosters This launch also
00:11:17 --> 00:11:19 represents a historic moment for ULA as
00:11:19 --> 00:11:21 it marks the 250th flight of a Centaur
00:11:22 --> 00:11:24 upper stage a top an Atlas rocket The
00:11:24 --> 00:11:26 launch was originally scheduled for
00:11:26 --> 00:11:28 early April but was postponed due to
00:11:28 --> 00:11:30 unfavorable weather conditions When
00:11:30 --> 00:11:33 asked about subsequent delays ULA CEO
00:11:33 --> 00:11:35 Tory Bruno simply cited range
00:11:35 --> 00:11:38 availability as the limiting factor
00:11:38 --> 00:11:40 suggesting congestion in the Eastern
00:11:40 --> 00:11:42 Range launch schedule managed by the US
00:11:42 --> 00:11:45 Space Force While Amazon has contracted
00:11:45 --> 00:11:47 ULA for seven more Kyper missions on
00:11:47 --> 00:11:49 Atlas V rockets the company is
00:11:49 --> 00:11:51 diversifying its launch providers for
00:11:51 --> 00:11:53 the remainder of its constellation
00:11:53 --> 00:11:55 Future Kyper satellites will ride on
00:11:55 --> 00:11:58 ULA's newer Vulcan Centaur rocket Aryan
00:11:58 --> 00:12:01 Space's Arani 6 Blue Origin's New Glenn
00:12:01 --> 00:12:04 and even SpaceX's Falcon 9 Despite
00:12:04 --> 00:12:06 SpaceX being a direct competitor with
00:12:06 --> 00:12:08 its own Starlink internet
00:12:08 --> 00:12:11 constellation Amazon's Kyper satellites
00:12:11 --> 00:12:12 will operate at slightly higher
00:12:12 --> 00:12:14 altitudes than Starlink With the fleet
00:12:14 --> 00:12:17 distributed across 98 orbital planes in
00:12:17 --> 00:12:21 three layers at altitudes of 590 610 and
00:12:22 --> 00:12:25 630 km this launch begins a new chapter
00:12:25 --> 00:12:27 not just for Amazon but for the growing
00:12:27 --> 00:12:29 commercial space industry as competition
00:12:29 --> 00:12:31 in the satellite internet market
00:12:31 --> 00:12:33 continues to heat up
00:12:33 --> 00:12:35 Finally for
00:12:35 --> 00:12:37 today in an exciting development for
00:12:37 --> 00:12:40 lunar exploration and cosmology the
00:12:40 --> 00:12:42 Italian space agency has selected
00:12:42 --> 00:12:44 European company Blue Skies Space to
00:12:44 --> 00:12:46 build a revolutionary satellite fleet
00:12:46 --> 00:12:49 that will orbit the moon The project
00:12:49 --> 00:12:51 named Radol Luna will be developed in
00:12:51 --> 00:12:54 partnership with OB Italia and aims to
00:12:54 --> 00:12:56 use the unique radio environment of the
00:12:56 --> 00:12:58 lunar far side to detect signals from
00:12:58 --> 00:13:00 the early universe that are impossible
00:13:00 --> 00:13:02 to capture from Earth The mission
00:13:02 --> 00:13:04 targets what astronomers call the dark
00:13:04 --> 00:13:06 ages of the universe the period before
00:13:06 --> 00:13:09 the first stars formed when the cosmos
00:13:09 --> 00:13:11 was filled with neutral hydrogen gas
00:13:11 --> 00:13:13 These ancient radio signals hold
00:13:13 --> 00:13:14 valuable information about the
00:13:14 --> 00:13:16 universe's earliest structure But
00:13:16 --> 00:13:19 they're exceptionally faint and
00:13:19 --> 00:13:21 difficult to detect amid Earth's
00:13:21 --> 00:13:23 cacophony of humanmade radio
00:13:23 --> 00:13:25 interference The far side of the moon
00:13:25 --> 00:13:28 offers a perfect radio quiet zone
00:13:28 --> 00:13:30 shielded from Earth's electromagnetic
00:13:30 --> 00:13:32 noise If successful Radol Luna's small
00:13:32 --> 00:13:34 satellite constellation could provide
00:13:34 --> 00:13:36 unprecedented insights into the
00:13:36 --> 00:13:38 universe's formative period essentially
00:13:38 --> 00:13:41 creating a map of cosmic dawn "We are
00:13:41 --> 00:13:43 grateful to the Italian Space Agency for
00:13:44 --> 00:13:45 funding this activity with our project
00:13:45 --> 00:13:49 partner OB Italia to explore novel ways
00:13:49 --> 00:13:51 of delivering exciting science," said
00:13:52 --> 00:13:55 Marcel Tesseni Blue Sky co-founder and
00:13:55 --> 00:13:58 CEO He noted that the project aligns
00:13:58 --> 00:14:00 with broader international efforts to
00:14:00 --> 00:14:02 develop lunar infrastructure through
00:14:02 --> 00:14:04 programs like ISA moonlight and NASA
00:14:04 --> 00:14:06 Artemis What makes radio luna
00:14:06 --> 00:14:08 particularly innovative is its approach
00:14:08 --> 00:14:11 to spacecraft design Rather than
00:14:11 --> 00:14:13 building expensive custom satellites the
00:14:13 --> 00:14:15 network will utilize small cubats
00:14:15 --> 00:14:17 equipped with commercial off-the-shelf
00:14:17 --> 00:14:20 components This strategy emphasizes
00:14:20 --> 00:14:22 simplicity and cost effectiveness
00:14:22 --> 00:14:23 potentially creating a template for
00:14:24 --> 00:14:26 future scientific missions
00:14:26 --> 00:14:29 Roberto Aseti managing director at OB
00:14:29 --> 00:14:32 Italia described the project as a
00:14:32 --> 00:14:34 challenge where scientific ambition
00:14:34 --> 00:14:36 meets engineering pragmatism
00:14:36 --> 00:14:38 highlighting their pride in contributing
00:14:38 --> 00:14:40 to an observatory that could open new
00:14:40 --> 00:14:42 frontiers in our understanding of the
00:14:42 --> 00:14:45 early universe While details on funding
00:14:45 --> 00:14:46 and launch timelines haven't been
00:14:46 --> 00:14:49 disclosed Radio Luna represents an
00:14:49 --> 00:14:51 intriguing example of how the burgeoning
00:14:51 --> 00:14:53 lunar economy might support fundamental
00:14:53 --> 00:14:56 scientific research By leveraging the
00:14:56 --> 00:14:57 unique properties of the lunar
00:14:57 --> 00:15:00 environment these small satellites could
00:15:00 --> 00:15:01 help unlock some of the biggest
00:15:02 --> 00:15:04 mysteries about our cosmic
00:15:04 --> 00:15:06 origins And that brings us to a close
00:15:06 --> 00:15:09 for this episode What an incredible
00:15:09 --> 00:15:10 journey through space we've had today
00:15:10 --> 00:15:12 From Lucy's close encounter with the
00:15:12 --> 00:15:15 oddly shaped asteroid Donald Johansson
00:15:15 --> 00:15:17 to the stunning possibility of a diamond
00:15:18 --> 00:15:20 layer deep within Mercury we've explored
00:15:20 --> 00:15:22 the packed launch schedule ahead with
00:15:22 --> 00:15:24 China sending tyonauts to their space
00:15:24 --> 00:15:27 station SpaceX's multiple missions and
00:15:27 --> 00:15:29 Firefly preparing for their technology
00:15:29 --> 00:15:31 demonstration flight We also learned
00:15:31 --> 00:15:34 about Amazon's Project Kyper finally
00:15:34 --> 00:15:36 getting its launch date after several
00:15:36 --> 00:15:39 delays with those first 27 internet
00:15:39 --> 00:15:41 satellites ready to begin building their
00:15:41 --> 00:15:44 orbital constellation And of course the
00:15:44 --> 00:15:46 fascinating Radio Luna project that aims
00:15:46 --> 00:15:48 to use the moon's far side as a quiet
00:15:48 --> 00:15:51 zone to listen for whispers from the
00:15:51 --> 00:15:53 universe's dark ages
00:15:53 --> 00:15:55 Space exploration continues to surprise
00:15:55 --> 00:15:58 and inspire us revealing new secrets
00:15:58 --> 00:15:59 about our solar system and beyond with
00:16:00 --> 00:16:02 each mission These discoveries not only
00:16:02 --> 00:16:05 expand our scientific knowledge but
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00:16:09 --> 00:16:11 Astronomy Daily with me Anna I want to
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00:17:01 --> 00:17:05 [Music]
00:17:05 --> 00:17:09 told stories