Astronomy Daily | Space News: S04E81
In this exciting episode of Astronomy Daily, host Anna takes you on a captivating journey through the latest milestones in space exploration. From the historic SpaceX FRAM 2 mission to NASA's Artemis 2 mission patch unveiling, this episode is packed with remarkable insights that will fuel your curiosity about our universe.
Highlights:
- SpaceX FRAM 2 Mission: Join us as we follow the groundbreaking crew of SpaceX's FRAM 2 mission, the first team to orbit Earth from pole to pole. Experience their breathtaking views of the planet and hear their reflections on this extraordinary journey, including their unique perspectives of the Arctic and Antarctica.
- NASA's Artemis 2 Mission Patch: Discover the newly unveiled mission patch for Artemis 2, symbolizing humanity's return to lunar exploration. We discuss its design and the historic significance of the mission, which will see astronauts journey around the Moon no later than April 2026.
- SpaceX's Super Heavy Booster Milestone: Explore SpaceX's latest achievement with their Super Heavy booster, which successfully completed a test fire, bringing us closer to the goal of full rocket reusability. Learn about the engineering marvel that is Booster 14 and its role in future missions.
- Moon Dust as Power Source: Delve into the exciting discovery that lunar regolith can be transformed into solar cells, potentially providing a sustainable power source for future lunar settlements. We discuss the implications of this breakthrough for long-term human presence on the Moon.
- Spinlaunch's Ambitious Satellite Plans: Get the scoop on Spinlaunch's innovative approach to satellite deployment, aiming to launch up to 250 microsatellites in a single mission. Learn about their unique centrifuge technology and the potential impact on the future of satellite constellations.
For more cosmic updates, visit our website at astronomydaily.io (http://www.astronomydaily.io/) . Join our community on social media by searching for #AstroDailyPod on Facebook, X, YouTubeMusic, TikTok, and our new Instagram account! Don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Thank you for tuning in. This is Anna signing off. Until next time, keep looking up and stay curious about the wonders of our universe.
00:00 - Welcome to Astronomy Daily
01:05 - Overview of SpaceX FRAM 2 mission
10:30 - Artemis 2 mission patch unveiling
17:00 - Super Heavy booster test fire
22:15 - Moon dust solar cell breakthrough
27:30 - Spinlaunch satellite deployment plans
✍️ Episode References
SpaceX FRAM 2 Mission Details
[SpaceX]( https://www.spacex.com (https://www.spacex.com/) )
NASA Artemis 2 Mission Patch
[NASA]( https://www.nasa.gov (https://www.nasa.gov/) )
Super Heavy Booster Updates
[SpaceX]( https://www.spacex.com (https://www.spacex.com/) )
Lunar Regolith Solar Cells Research
[University of Potsdam]( https://www.uni-potsdam.de/en/ (https://www.uni-potsdam.de/en/) )
Spinlaunch Satellite Plans
[Spinlaunch]( https://www.spinlaunch.com (https://www.spinlaunch.com/) )
Astronomy Daily
[Astronomy Daily]( http://www.astronomydaily.io/ (http://www.astronomydaily.io/) )
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/astronomy-daily-space-news--5648921/support (https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/astronomy-daily-space-news--5648921/support?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rss) .
Episode link: https://play.headliner.app/episode/26444430?utm_source=youtube
00:00:00 --> 00:00:02 welcome to Astronomy Daily your source
00:00:02 --> 00:00:04 for the latest space exploration news
00:00:04 --> 00:00:06 i'm your host Anna and we have a busy
00:00:06 --> 00:00:08 episode for you today with some truly
00:00:08 --> 00:00:10 fascinating developments from across the
00:00:10 --> 00:00:12 cosmos and our ongoing efforts to
00:00:12 --> 00:00:15 explore it we'll be taking you on board
00:00:15 --> 00:00:17 with the SpaceX Framm 2 astronauts as
00:00:17 --> 00:00:19 they make history orbiting Earth from
00:00:19 --> 00:00:21 pole to pole and share their remarkable
00:00:21 --> 00:00:24 views from space then we'll look at
00:00:24 --> 00:00:26 NASA's newly unveiled Artemis 2 mission
00:00:26 --> 00:00:29 patch as the agency prepares to return
00:00:29 --> 00:00:32 humans to lunar orbit spacex has also
00:00:32 --> 00:00:33 achieved a significant milestone with
00:00:34 --> 00:00:36 their Superheavy booster bringing us
00:00:36 --> 00:00:38 closer to full rocket
00:00:38 --> 00:00:40 reusability plus we'll explore how
00:00:40 --> 00:00:42 Moondust could become a power source for
00:00:42 --> 00:00:44 future lunar settlements and dive into
00:00:44 --> 00:00:47 Spin Launch's ambitious plans to deploy
00:00:47 --> 00:00:48 hundreds of satellites with a single
00:00:48 --> 00:00:50 launch
00:00:50 --> 00:00:51 so strap in for a journey through the
00:00:52 --> 00:00:53 latest and greatest in space exploration
00:00:53 --> 00:00:56 right here on Astronomy Daily first up
00:00:56 --> 00:00:58 let's get an update on a story we've
00:00:58 --> 00:01:00 been covering this week the SpaceX Framm
00:01:00 --> 00:01:02 2 mission is making headlines as the
00:01:02 --> 00:01:04 first ever crew to orbit Earth from pole
00:01:04 --> 00:01:07 to pole giving us a completely new human
00:01:07 --> 00:01:09 perspective of our planet now in their
00:01:09 --> 00:01:11 third day aboard the Crew Dragon
00:01:11 --> 00:01:13 Resilience the four-person crew has been
00:01:13 --> 00:01:15 sharing breathtaking footage of their
00:01:15 --> 00:01:18 journey including unique views of the
00:01:18 --> 00:01:21 Arctic and Antarctica that no human has
00:01:21 --> 00:01:23 witnessed firsthand until now in videos
00:01:23 --> 00:01:25 posted to social media mission commander
00:01:26 --> 00:01:28 Chun Wang and his crewmates captured
00:01:28 --> 00:01:30 incredible moments circling the globe
00:01:30 --> 00:01:33 every 90 minutes one particularly
00:01:33 --> 00:01:35 striking clip shows the spacecraft
00:01:35 --> 00:01:37 flying over Florida's Space Coast where
00:01:37 --> 00:01:39 they were able to zoom in on their own
00:01:39 --> 00:01:42 launchpad at Kennedy Space Center you
00:01:42 --> 00:01:43 can hear the excitement in their voices
00:01:44 --> 00:01:46 as they exclaim "I can see our launchpad
00:01:46 --> 00:01:48 from here." Followed by Wong's
00:01:48 --> 00:01:50 enthusiastic response "It is our launch
00:01:50 --> 00:01:53 pad oh my god." The historic crew
00:01:53 --> 00:01:55 consists of Malty's cryptocurrency
00:01:55 --> 00:01:57 billionaire Chun Wong who's funding the
00:01:58 --> 00:02:00 mission along with three spaceflight
00:02:00 --> 00:02:02 rookies Jennica Mickelson of Norway
00:02:02 --> 00:02:05 Rabia Raga of Germany and Eric Phillips
00:02:05 --> 00:02:08 of Australia they launched aboard
00:02:08 --> 00:02:10 Resilience on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket
00:02:10 --> 00:02:14 from launch complex 39A this past Monday
00:02:14 --> 00:02:15 wong shared details about their
00:02:15 --> 00:02:17 experience describing the Falcon 9
00:02:17 --> 00:02:20 liftoff as surprisingly smooth the crew
00:02:20 --> 00:02:22 has been keeping busy with various
00:02:22 --> 00:02:24 activities including ham radio
00:02:24 --> 00:02:26 transmissions capturing X-ray images and
00:02:26 --> 00:02:28 even hosting a movie night where they
00:02:28 --> 00:02:30 rewatched their own launch they've
00:02:30 --> 00:02:32 documented spectacular sites including
00:02:32 --> 00:02:35 massive storm systems swirling over ice
00:02:35 --> 00:02:37 covered regions and what they identified
00:02:37 --> 00:02:41 as Norway's islands during a video call
00:02:41 --> 00:02:43 shown in their latest footage medical
00:02:43 --> 00:02:44 officer Eric Phillips spoke with his son
00:02:44 --> 00:02:47 in Los Angeles mentioning they would be
00:02:47 --> 00:02:49 splashing down tomorrow indicating a
00:02:49 --> 00:02:51 return to Earth on Friday this aligns
00:02:51 --> 00:02:53 with the mission's scheduled duration of
00:02:53 --> 00:02:56 3 to 5 days when Resilience does return
00:02:56 --> 00:02:58 it will mark another milestone as the
00:02:58 --> 00:03:00 first of SpaceX's crude missions to
00:03:00 --> 00:03:03 splash down in the Pacific Ocean off
00:03:03 --> 00:03:05 California's coast representing a shift
00:03:05 --> 00:03:07 in the company's recovery operations
00:03:07 --> 00:03:09 away from Florida the world will be
00:03:09 --> 00:03:10 watching as these pioneering polar
00:03:10 --> 00:03:12 explorers complete their historic
00:03:12 --> 00:03:14 journey and bring home unprecedented
00:03:14 --> 00:03:15 perspectives of our
00:03:15 --> 00:03:18 planet after five decades without a
00:03:18 --> 00:03:20 moonbound crew insignia NASA has
00:03:20 --> 00:03:22 officially unveiled the Aremis 2 mission
00:03:22 --> 00:03:25 patch representing humanity's long
00:03:25 --> 00:03:27 awaited return to lunar
00:03:27 --> 00:03:29 exploration revealed just yesterday this
00:03:29 --> 00:03:31 emblem will be worn by the four
00:03:31 --> 00:03:33 astronauts scheduled to journey around
00:03:33 --> 00:03:36 the moon no later than April 2026
00:03:36 --> 00:03:38 the distinctive patch shares the same
00:03:38 --> 00:03:40 outline as NASA's broader Artemis
00:03:40 --> 00:03:43 program emblem featuring the letter A
00:03:43 --> 00:03:45 with a red trajectory line forming its
00:03:45 --> 00:03:47 crossbar symbolizing the path between
00:03:47 --> 00:03:50 Earth and our lunar neighbor what makes
00:03:50 --> 00:03:52 this patch particularly meaningful is
00:03:52 --> 00:03:55 its central artwork depicting Earth Rise
00:03:55 --> 00:03:57 the iconic image first captured by
00:03:57 --> 00:04:00 Apollo 8 astronauts in 1968 when humans
00:04:00 --> 00:04:02 initially ventured to lunar orbit
00:04:02 --> 00:04:04 according to the crew's official
00:04:04 --> 00:04:06 description the scene of the Earth and
00:04:06 --> 00:04:08 the Moon represents the dual nature of
00:04:08 --> 00:04:09 human space flight both equally
00:04:09 --> 00:04:12 compelling the moon represents our
00:04:12 --> 00:04:14 exploration destination focused on
00:04:14 --> 00:04:16 discovery of the unknown the Earth
00:04:16 --> 00:04:18 represents home focused on the
00:04:18 --> 00:04:20 perspective we gain when we look back at
00:04:20 --> 00:04:22 our shared planet and learn what it is
00:04:22 --> 00:04:25 to be uniquely human the patch notably
00:04:25 --> 00:04:28 designates the mission as AI signifying
00:04:28 --> 00:04:30 not just the second major Artemis flight
00:04:30 --> 00:04:32 but what the crew describes as an
00:04:32 --> 00:04:34 endeavor of discovery that seeks to
00:04:34 --> 00:04:36 explore for all and by all this
00:04:36 --> 00:04:38 inclusive message reflects the historic
00:04:38 --> 00:04:41 nature of the crew itself which consists
00:04:41 --> 00:04:43 of NASA astronauts Reed Wiseman serving
00:04:43 --> 00:04:46 as commander Victor Glover as pilot
00:04:46 --> 00:04:49 Christina Ko as mission specialist and
00:04:49 --> 00:04:51 Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy
00:04:51 --> 00:04:53 Hansen also as mission specialist
00:04:53 --> 00:04:55 hansen's inclusion is particularly
00:04:55 --> 00:04:57 significant as he'll become the first
00:04:57 --> 00:04:59 non-American to travel to the moon he's
00:04:59 --> 00:05:01 already revealed his personal mission
00:05:01 --> 00:05:04 patch featuring indigenous art honoring
00:05:04 --> 00:05:07 Canada's original explorers artemis 2
00:05:07 --> 00:05:09 will mark several historic firsts the
00:05:09 --> 00:05:11 inaugural crude test flight of NASA's
00:05:11 --> 00:05:14 space launch system rocket and Orion
00:05:14 --> 00:05:16 spacecraft humanity's first lunar
00:05:16 --> 00:05:20 mission since Apollo 17 in 1972 and
00:05:20 --> 00:05:21 possibly the farthest humans have ever
00:05:21 --> 00:05:24 traveled from Earth the astronauts will
00:05:24 --> 00:05:27 journey more than 600 m as they loop
00:05:27 --> 00:05:29 around the moon before returning home
00:05:29 --> 00:05:31 paving the way for future Aremis
00:05:31 --> 00:05:33 missions that aim to establish a
00:05:33 --> 00:05:35 sustainable human presence on the lunar
00:05:35 --> 00:05:37 surface
00:05:37 --> 00:05:40 next up while SpaceX continues working
00:05:40 --> 00:05:41 through challenges with Starship's upper
00:05:41 --> 00:05:44 stage the company has just reached a
00:05:44 --> 00:05:46 remarkable milestone with the rocket's
00:05:46 --> 00:05:48 massive first stage booster yesterday
00:05:48 --> 00:05:50 morning at their Starbase facility in
00:05:50 --> 00:05:53 South Texas SpaceX successfully test
00:05:53 --> 00:05:55 fired a previously flown Superheavy
00:05:55 --> 00:05:57 booster for the first time ever with a
00:05:58 --> 00:05:59 spectacular 8-second burn that sent a
00:05:59 --> 00:06:02 dramatic plume of orange exhaust across
00:06:02 --> 00:06:04 the launch site this particular booster
00:06:04 --> 00:06:07 designated booster 14 first launched in
00:06:07 --> 00:06:09 January reaching the edge of space
00:06:09 --> 00:06:11 before returning to Earth now it's
00:06:11 --> 00:06:13 poised to fly again with SpaceX
00:06:13 --> 00:06:15 confirming it will power the next
00:06:15 --> 00:06:18 Starship test flight of the booster's 33
00:06:18 --> 00:06:21 methane fueled Raptor engines 29 are
00:06:21 --> 00:06:23 flight proven making this a significant
00:06:23 --> 00:06:25 step toward what SpaceX describes as
00:06:25 --> 00:06:27 their ultimate goal of zero touch
00:06:27 --> 00:06:30 reflight the Superheavy booster is truly
00:06:30 --> 00:06:32 an engineering marvel standing taller
00:06:32 --> 00:06:36 than a Boeing 747 jumbo jet positioned
00:06:36 --> 00:06:38 vertically it generates nearly 17
00:06:38 --> 00:06:41 million pounds of thrust twice the power
00:06:41 --> 00:06:43 of NASA's legendary Saturn 5 rocket that
00:06:44 --> 00:06:46 sent astronauts to the moon it's
00:06:46 --> 00:06:48 arguably the most complex rocket booster
00:06:48 --> 00:06:50 ever constructed and certainly the
00:06:50 --> 00:06:53 largest what makes this rapid turnaround
00:06:53 --> 00:06:55 particularly impressive is the contrast
00:06:55 --> 00:06:58 with SpaceX's first Falcon 9 booster
00:06:58 --> 00:07:01 reuse back in 2017 that process required
00:07:01 --> 00:07:03 nearly a year of thorough inspections
00:07:03 --> 00:07:05 refurbishment and cross-country
00:07:05 --> 00:07:07 transportation between facilities
00:07:07 --> 00:07:09 booster 14 meanwhile is on track to fly
00:07:09 --> 00:07:11 again less than 3 months after its
00:07:11 --> 00:07:14 initial launch unlike the Falcon 9 which
00:07:14 --> 00:07:17 uses landing legs to touch down at a
00:07:17 --> 00:07:19 separate location Superheavy is caught
00:07:19 --> 00:07:21 by mechanical arms at the launch tower
00:07:21 --> 00:07:24 as it returns a technique SpaceX calls
00:07:24 --> 00:07:27 the chopstick catch this approach
00:07:27 --> 00:07:29 eliminates the need for landing legs and
00:07:29 --> 00:07:31 potentially allows for much faster
00:07:31 --> 00:07:33 turnaround between flights the speedy
00:07:33 --> 00:07:35 reuse progress is especially noteworthy
00:07:35 --> 00:07:38 given Superheavyy's scale and complexity
00:07:38 --> 00:07:41 compared to Falcon 9 with 33 engines
00:07:41 --> 00:07:43 instead of nine there are theoretically
00:07:43 --> 00:07:46 more potential failure points yet SpaceX
00:07:46 --> 00:07:48 has achieved seven consecutive
00:07:48 --> 00:07:50 successful Superheavy launches and has
00:07:50 --> 00:07:52 recovered three boosters in four recent
00:07:52 --> 00:07:54 attempts this rapid progress with
00:07:54 --> 00:07:57 booster reusability is crucial for
00:07:57 --> 00:07:59 SpaceX's ambitious Starship program
00:07:59 --> 00:08:01 especially considering NASA's reliance
00:08:01 --> 00:08:03 on the system for future Artemis lunar
00:08:03 --> 00:08:06 landings when fully operational multiple
00:08:06 --> 00:08:08 Starship launches will be required to
00:08:08 --> 00:08:10 refuel lunar landers in orbit before
00:08:10 --> 00:08:12 they can journey to the moon making
00:08:12 --> 00:08:15 quick and reliable reuse absolutely
00:08:15 --> 00:08:17 essential moon dust is quickly becoming
00:08:18 --> 00:08:19 one of space exploration's most
00:08:19 --> 00:08:22 versatile materials in an exciting new
00:08:22 --> 00:08:23 breakthrough scientists have now
00:08:23 --> 00:08:25 demonstrated that lunar regalith the
00:08:26 --> 00:08:27 technical term for the dust and
00:08:27 --> 00:08:29 fragmented material covering the moon's
00:08:29 --> 00:08:31 surface can be transformed into
00:08:31 --> 00:08:34 functioning solar cells a team led by
00:08:34 --> 00:08:35 Felix Lang from the University of
00:08:35 --> 00:08:37 Pottsdam in Germany has successfully
00:08:37 --> 00:08:40 turned simulated lunar dust into solar
00:08:40 --> 00:08:42 panels potentially solving a critical
00:08:42 --> 00:08:44 power generation challenge for future
00:08:44 --> 00:08:47 lunar settlements from extracting water
00:08:47 --> 00:08:49 for fuel to building houses with lunar
00:08:49 --> 00:08:51 bricks scientists have been finding ways
00:08:51 --> 00:08:54 to use moon dust Lang explained now we
00:08:54 --> 00:08:56 can turn it into solar cells too
00:08:56 --> 00:08:58 possibly providing the energy a future
00:08:58 --> 00:09:00 moon city will need the process is
00:09:00 --> 00:09:02 surprisingly straightforward the
00:09:02 --> 00:09:04 researchers melted simulated lunar
00:09:04 --> 00:09:07 regalith to create what they call
00:09:07 --> 00:09:09 moonlass which can be accomplished on
00:09:09 --> 00:09:11 the moon simply by focusing natural
00:09:11 --> 00:09:13 sunlight to achieve the necessary high
00:09:13 --> 00:09:15 temperatures this moonlass is then
00:09:15 --> 00:09:18 combined with perovskite a crystallin
00:09:18 --> 00:09:20 material commonly used in solar cells
00:09:20 --> 00:09:22 that absorbs sunlight and excites
00:09:22 --> 00:09:24 electrons to generate electric current
00:09:24 --> 00:09:26 manufacturing solar cells on the moon
00:09:26 --> 00:09:28 offers significant advantages over
00:09:28 --> 00:09:30 transporting earthmade panels
00:09:30 --> 00:09:32 traditional solar cells incorporate
00:09:32 --> 00:09:35 glass that adds considerable weight to
00:09:35 --> 00:09:37 launch payloads dramatically increasing
00:09:37 --> 00:09:40 costs by using local lunar materials
00:09:40 --> 00:09:42 scientists estimate they could reduce
00:09:42 --> 00:09:44 transport weight by an impressive
00:09:44 --> 00:09:47 99% the moonlass based cells have
00:09:47 --> 00:09:49 another unexpected benefit standard
00:09:49 --> 00:09:51 glass tends to brown in space reducing
00:09:52 --> 00:09:53 efficiency as it blocks incoming
00:09:53 --> 00:09:56 sunlight however moononglass already has
00:09:56 --> 00:09:58 a natural brown tint from impurities in
00:09:58 --> 00:10:00 the regalith which actually prevents
00:10:00 --> 00:10:03 further browning it's also more
00:10:03 --> 00:10:05 resistant to space radiation a critical
00:10:05 --> 00:10:08 factor in the harsh lunar
00:10:08 --> 00:10:10 environment while the current efficiency
00:10:10 --> 00:10:13 of these glass solar cells sits at
00:10:13 --> 00:10:16 around 10% considerably lower than the
00:10:16 --> 00:10:19 30 to 40% efficiency of premium
00:10:19 --> 00:10:21 space-based solar panels lang's team
00:10:21 --> 00:10:25 believes they can improve this to 23% by
00:10:25 --> 00:10:28 removing certain impurities even at
00:10:28 --> 00:10:30 lower efficiency the ability to
00:10:30 --> 00:10:33 mass-roduce these cells directly on the
00:10:33 --> 00:10:35 lunar surface makes them extremely
00:10:35 --> 00:10:37 practical you don't need ultraefficient
00:10:37 --> 00:10:39 30% solar cells you just make more of
00:10:39 --> 00:10:42 them on the moon Lang noted this
00:10:42 --> 00:10:44 approach could be particularly valuable
00:10:44 --> 00:10:46 at the lunar south pole where permanent
00:10:46 --> 00:10:48 sunlight and nearby water ice deposits
00:10:48 --> 00:10:50 make it an ideal location for a
00:10:50 --> 00:10:53 sustainable moon base some challenges
00:10:53 --> 00:10:55 remain including how low gravity might
00:10:55 --> 00:10:58 affect the moonlass formation process
00:10:58 --> 00:11:00 and how perovsky solvents might behave
00:11:00 --> 00:11:02 in vacuum conditions to address these
00:11:02 --> 00:11:05 questions the research team proposes a
00:11:05 --> 00:11:07 smallcale lunar mission to test the
00:11:07 --> 00:11:09 solar cells in actual lunar conditions
00:11:10 --> 00:11:11 potentially unlocking a power source
00:11:11 --> 00:11:13 that could sustain humanity's long-term
00:11:13 --> 00:11:16 presence on our celestial neighbor
00:11:16 --> 00:11:19 finally today in the realm of space
00:11:19 --> 00:11:21 innovation Spin Launch is turning heads
00:11:21 --> 00:11:22 with its ambitious plans for a new
00:11:22 --> 00:11:24 broadband satellite constellation called
00:11:24 --> 00:11:27 Meridian Space what makes this project
00:11:27 --> 00:11:28 particularly revolutionary is the
00:11:28 --> 00:11:31 company's vision for deployment they aim
00:11:31 --> 00:11:33 to launch up to 250 micro satellites in
00:11:34 --> 00:11:35 a single mission a feat that would
00:11:35 --> 00:11:38 shatter the current record of 143
00:11:38 --> 00:11:40 satellites launched at once set by
00:11:40 --> 00:11:43 SpaceX's Transporter 1 mission in 2021
00:11:43 --> 00:11:45 this satellite network recently secured
00:11:45 --> 00:11:47 $12 million in funding from Kongsburg
00:11:47 --> 00:11:49 Nanoavionics to develop and
00:11:49 --> 00:11:50 commercialize these specialized
00:11:51 --> 00:11:53 spacecraft according to their timeline
00:11:53 --> 00:11:55 we could see the first onorbit
00:11:55 --> 00:11:57 demonstrator as early as
00:11:57 --> 00:12:00 2026 the flat stackable design of these
00:12:00 --> 00:12:03 satellites is key to fitting so many on
00:12:03 --> 00:12:05 a single launch vehicle with images
00:12:05 --> 00:12:07 showing them neatly arranged at top one
00:12:07 --> 00:12:11 another eric Lie president of Kongsburg
00:12:11 --> 00:12:13 Defense and Aerospace has emphasized
00:12:13 --> 00:12:15 that the Meridian Space Constellation
00:12:15 --> 00:12:17 will provide significantly higher
00:12:17 --> 00:12:19 broadband capacity in a satellite
00:12:19 --> 00:12:21 constellation compared with what is
00:12:21 --> 00:12:23 available on the market
00:12:23 --> 00:12:26 today meanwhile David Ren Spin Launch's
00:12:26 --> 00:12:29 CEO noted that NanoAvionics modular
00:12:29 --> 00:12:31 satellite platforms offer a reliable
00:12:31 --> 00:12:33 foundation to scale our constellation
00:12:33 --> 00:12:35 quickly and confidently
00:12:35 --> 00:12:37 what truly sets Spin Launch apart
00:12:37 --> 00:12:39 however is their unconventional approach
00:12:39 --> 00:12:41 to reaching orbit the company is
00:12:41 --> 00:12:44 developing a massive 108t long spinning
00:12:44 --> 00:12:46 arm that works as a centrifuge
00:12:46 --> 00:12:47 accelerating launch vehicles to
00:12:47 --> 00:12:49 tremendous speeds before literally
00:12:49 --> 00:12:51 flinging them skyward once these
00:12:51 --> 00:12:53 vehicles reach sufficient altitude they
00:12:53 --> 00:12:55 ignite their engines dramatically
00:12:56 --> 00:12:58 reducing the fuel and hardware required
00:12:58 --> 00:13:01 to achieve orbit this isn't just
00:13:01 --> 00:13:03 theoretical technology nasa has already
00:13:03 --> 00:13:05 partnered with Spin Launch signing an
00:13:05 --> 00:13:08 agreement in 2022 for a demonstration
00:13:08 --> 00:13:10 that successfully launched experiments
00:13:10 --> 00:13:12 from NASA Airbus and Cornell University
00:13:12 --> 00:13:15 to suborbital space using the centrifuge
00:13:15 --> 00:13:17 method while it remains unclear whether
00:13:17 --> 00:13:19 Spin Launch will use their own
00:13:19 --> 00:13:21 revolutionary system to deploy the first
00:13:21 --> 00:13:23 Meridian Space Demonstrator or opt for a
00:13:23 --> 00:13:25 traditional rocket launch their approach
00:13:25 --> 00:13:27 represents a fundamental rethinking of
00:13:27 --> 00:13:30 how we access space potentially making
00:13:30 --> 00:13:32 satellite deployment more economical and
00:13:32 --> 00:13:35 environmentally sustainable than ever
00:13:35 --> 00:13:37 before that wraps up today's edition of
00:13:38 --> 00:13:40 Astronomy Daily from the historic
00:13:40 --> 00:13:42 pole-to-pole orbit of the Framm 2
00:13:42 --> 00:13:43 mission to SpaceX's breakthrough in
00:13:44 --> 00:13:46 Superheavy booster reuse we've covered
00:13:46 --> 00:13:47 some remarkable developments in
00:13:47 --> 00:13:50 humanity's ongoing exploration of space
00:13:50 --> 00:13:52 the Aremis program continues to progress
00:13:52 --> 00:13:54 toward returning humans to the lunar
00:13:54 --> 00:13:56 surface while innovative approaches to
00:13:56 --> 00:13:58 utilizing moon dust for solar power
00:13:58 --> 00:14:00 could revolutionize our future presence
00:14:00 --> 00:14:03 there and Spin Launch's ambitious
00:14:03 --> 00:14:05 satellite deployment plans show how
00:14:05 --> 00:14:07 rapidly space technology continues to
00:14:07 --> 00:14:09 evolve i'm Anna and I've been your host
00:14:10 --> 00:14:12 for this cosmic journey whether you're
00:14:12 --> 00:14:14 fascinated by the technical achievements
00:14:14 --> 00:14:16 of rocket reusability intrigued by the
00:14:16 --> 00:14:18 possibilities of lunar settlements or
00:14:18 --> 00:14:20 simply love gazing at our planet from
00:14:20 --> 00:14:23 space I hope today's stories have
00:14:23 --> 00:14:24 captured your
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00:14:43 --> 00:14:45 me today on Astronomy Daily until
00:14:45 --> 00:14:47 tomorrow keep looking up and wondering
00:14:47 --> 00:14:49 about the vast universe that surrounds
00:14:49 --> 00:14:51 us astronomy
00:14:51 --> 00:15:00 day stories be told
00:15:00 --> 00:15:03 stories to tell
00:15:03 --> 00:15:10 [Music]