Astronomy Daily - The Podcast: S03E216
Welcome to Astronomy Daily, your Daily guide to the latest in space exploration and astronomical discoveries. I'm your host, Anna, and today we have an exciting lineup of stories that will take you from Japan's rocket challenges to remarkable insights into our Milky Way galaxy.
Highlights:
- Japan's Rocket Setback : Delve into the recent engine test failure of Japan's Epsilon S rocket, which ended in a fire at the Tanegashima Space Center. Learn about the implications for Japan's space ambitions and the crucial steps being taken to address these challenges.
- Europa Clipper's Journey Update: Get the latest updates on NASA's Europa Clipper as it speeds toward Jupiter's moon Europa. Discover the spacecraft's impressive milestones, including successful deployments of its solar arrays and radar antennas, all set to investigate Europa's potential for life.
- SpaceX's Record-Breaking Launches: Celebrate SpaceX's 400th Falcon 9 orbital mission and their selection to launch NASA's Dragonfly mission to Saturn's moon Titan. Explore how SpaceX continues to push boundaries in space exploration.
- Blue Ghost Lunar Mission Update: Learn about Firefly Aerospace's Blue Ghost lander, which has completed environmental testing and is preparing for its upcoming lunar mission as part of NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services Initiative.
- Milky Way's Uniqueness: Uncover new research from the SAGA Survey that suggests our galaxy is more of an outlier than previously thought, with fewer actively star-forming satellite galaxies compared to its cosmic counterparts.
For more cosmic updates, visit our website at astronomydaily.io (https://www.astronomydaily.io) . Sign up for our free Daily newsletter to stay informed on all things space. Join our community on social media by searching for #AstroDailyPod on Facebook, X, YouTubeMusic, Tumblr, and TikTok. Share your thoughts and connect with fellow space enthusiasts.
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.
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✍️ Episode References
JAXA
[https://global.jaxa.jp/](https://global.jaxa.jp/)
NASA Europa Clipper
[https://www.nasa.gov/europa](https://www.nasa.gov/europa)
SpaceX
[https://www.spacex.com/](https://www.spacex.com/)
Dragonfly mission
[https://dragonfly.jhuapl.edu/](https://dragonfly.jhuapl.edu/)
Firefly Aerospace
[https://www.fireflyspace.com/](https://www.fireflyspace.com/)
SAGA Survey
[https://sagasurvey.org/](https://sagasurvey.org/)
Astronomy Daily
[https://astronomydaily.io/](https://astronomydaily.io/)
Episode link: https://play.headliner.app/episode/24291417?utm_source=youtube
00:00:00 --> 00:00:02 hello space enthusiasts today we have an
00:00:02 --> 00:00:04 incredible lineup of stories from across
00:00:04 --> 00:00:06 the cosmos from groundbreaking
00:00:06 --> 00:00:09 developments in lunar exploration to
00:00:09 --> 00:00:10 fascinating discoveries about our own
00:00:11 --> 00:00:13 Galactic neighborhood we're covering the
00:00:13 --> 00:00:15 full spectrum of space news we'll look
00:00:15 --> 00:00:17 at Japan's latest challenges in rocket
00:00:17 --> 00:00:20 development check in on NASA's Europa
00:00:20 --> 00:00:22 Clipper as it makes its way toward
00:00:22 --> 00:00:24 Jupiter's icy Moon and explore some
00:00:24 --> 00:00:26 remarkable findings about what makes our
00:00:26 --> 00:00:29 Milky Way galaxy unique we'll also get
00:00:29 --> 00:00:31 updates on spacex's busy launch schedule
00:00:31 --> 00:00:33 and hear about an exciting lunar Mission
00:00:33 --> 00:00:36 that's about to take flight stay with me
00:00:36 --> 00:00:38 as we journey through these astronomical
00:00:38 --> 00:00:40 developments and uncover the latest
00:00:40 --> 00:00:42 adventures in space
00:00:42 --> 00:00:45 exploration Japan's space agency jaxa
00:00:45 --> 00:00:47 encountered a significant setback on
00:00:47 --> 00:00:49 Tuesday this week during a crucial
00:00:49 --> 00:00:52 engine test of their Epsilon s rocket
00:00:52 --> 00:00:54 the test conducted at the tag gushima
00:00:54 --> 00:00:57 Space Center in Southwestern Japan was
00:00:57 --> 00:00:58 abruptly terminated when a fire broke
00:00:58 --> 00:01:01 out at the test site just 49 seconds
00:01:01 --> 00:01:04 after ignition while fortunately there
00:01:04 --> 00:01:05 were no injuries reported and the
00:01:05 --> 00:01:08 external facility remained undamaged
00:01:08 --> 00:01:09 this failure could push back the
00:01:09 --> 00:01:11 Rocket's debut launch Beyond its
00:01:11 --> 00:01:13 targeted March deadline the incident is
00:01:13 --> 00:01:15 particularly concerning as it follows
00:01:15 --> 00:01:17 previous setbacks including another
00:01:17 --> 00:01:20 engine test failure in July last year
00:01:20 --> 00:01:21 due to Thermal damage to its ignition
00:01:21 --> 00:01:24 systems the Epsilon s rocket developed
00:01:24 --> 00:01:27 in partnership with ihi Aerospace
00:01:27 --> 00:01:28 represents a crucial component of
00:01:28 --> 00:01:31 Japan's space ambition
00:01:31 --> 00:01:32 it's designed to be the next Generation
00:01:32 --> 00:01:35 in their solid fuel small rocket series
00:01:35 --> 00:01:36 aimed at making Japan more competitive
00:01:36 --> 00:01:39 in the growing commercial space launch
00:01:39 --> 00:01:41 market this setback is especially
00:01:41 --> 00:01:43 significant given the broader context of
00:01:43 --> 00:01:46 Japan's Space Program development while
00:01:46 --> 00:01:48 their larger H3 rocket has recently
00:01:48 --> 00:01:50 achieved success with three consecutive
00:01:50 --> 00:01:52 flights this year after initial
00:01:52 --> 00:01:54 difficulties the Epsilon s problems
00:01:54 --> 00:01:56 highlight the ongoing challenges in
00:01:56 --> 00:01:59 developing reliable space launch systems
00:01:59 --> 00:02:01 the Japanese government has emphasized
00:02:01 --> 00:02:03 that rocket development remains
00:02:03 --> 00:02:05 extremely important for maintaining the
00:02:05 --> 00:02:08 autonomy of their space program as jaxa
00:02:08 --> 00:02:10 and ihi conduct their investigation into
00:02:10 --> 00:02:12 the cause of this latest incident
00:02:12 --> 00:02:14 they'll need to implement thorough
00:02:14 --> 00:02:15 counter measures before proceeding with
00:02:15 --> 00:02:18 any further tests this careful approach
00:02:18 --> 00:02:20 while necessary for safety and
00:02:20 --> 00:02:22 reliability means additional delays for
00:02:22 --> 00:02:24 Japan space missions and satellite
00:02:24 --> 00:02:25 launch
00:02:25 --> 00:02:28 plans an update now from way out there
00:02:28 --> 00:02:31 so to speak NASA's Europa Clipper
00:02:31 --> 00:02:33 spacecraft is making remarkable progress
00:02:33 --> 00:02:35 on its journey to Jupiter's moon Europa
00:02:35 --> 00:02:37 having already covered an impressive 13
00:02:37 --> 00:02:40 million miles since its October launch
00:02:40 --> 00:02:42 the spacecraft traveling at a
00:02:42 --> 00:02:44 breathtaking speed of 22 m per second
00:02:44 --> 00:02:46 relative to the sun has successfully
00:02:46 --> 00:02:48 completed several critical deployment
00:02:48 --> 00:02:50 Milestones that will be essential for
00:02:50 --> 00:02:51 its future mission to investigate
00:02:51 --> 00:02:54 europa's potential for supporting life
00:02:54 --> 00:02:56 the mission team has been particularly
00:02:56 --> 00:02:58 focused on deploying and testing the
00:02:58 --> 00:03:00 spacecraft's crucial scientific
00:03:00 --> 00:03:02 instruments one of the first major
00:03:02 --> 00:03:03 achievements was the successful
00:03:03 --> 00:03:05 deployment of the spacecraft's massive
00:03:05 --> 00:03:08 solar arrays which stretched to the
00:03:08 --> 00:03:10 length of a basketball court this was
00:03:10 --> 00:03:12 followed by the extension of the
00:03:12 --> 00:03:14 magnetometer boom reaching out 28 ft
00:03:14 --> 00:03:17 from the spacecraft the team has
00:03:17 --> 00:03:19 confirmed that all three sensors on the
00:03:19 --> 00:03:21 magnetometer are functioning perfectly
00:03:21 --> 00:03:23 ready for their future task of measuring
00:03:23 --> 00:03:25 europa's magnetic field to help
00:03:25 --> 00:03:27 determine the depth and solinity of its
00:03:27 --> 00:03:30 subsurface ocean another significant
00:03:30 --> 00:03:32 Milestone was the deployment of the
00:03:32 --> 00:03:34 spacecraft's radar antennas these
00:03:34 --> 00:03:37 impressive structures extend nearly 58
00:03:37 --> 00:03:39 ft from the spacecraft complemented by
00:03:39 --> 00:03:42 eight smaller 9-ft antennas this
00:03:42 --> 00:03:44 sophisticated radar system will be
00:03:44 --> 00:03:46 instrumental in peering beneath europa's
00:03:46 --> 00:03:49 icy surface providing unprecedented
00:03:49 --> 00:03:52 insights into what lies below the
00:03:52 --> 00:03:53 mission team is now conducting thorough
00:03:53 --> 00:03:55 health checks on seven additional
00:03:55 --> 00:03:57 instruments which will continue through
00:03:57 --> 00:04:00 the coming months some instrument ments
00:04:00 --> 00:04:02 particularly the visible imagers and
00:04:02 --> 00:04:04 spectrometers are keeping their
00:04:04 --> 00:04:06 protective covers closed for now
00:04:06 --> 00:04:08 shielding them from potential solar
00:04:08 --> 00:04:10 damage as the spacecraft traverses the
00:04:10 --> 00:04:13 inner solar system looking ahead the
00:04:13 --> 00:04:15 spacecraft is preparing for its first
00:04:15 --> 00:04:18 major navigational Milestone a gravity
00:04:18 --> 00:04:20 assist maneuver at Mars in March
00:04:20 --> 00:04:23 2025 this clever use of planetary
00:04:23 --> 00:04:24 gravity will help adjust the
00:04:24 --> 00:04:27 spacecraft's trajectory and increase its
00:04:27 --> 00:04:29 speed on its long journey to Jupiter
00:04:29 --> 00:04:31 where it will arrive in 2030 to begin
00:04:31 --> 00:04:33 its extensive study of europa's
00:04:33 --> 00:04:35 potential for harboring
00:04:35 --> 00:04:37 life SpaceX has been maintaining an
00:04:37 --> 00:04:40 impressive pace of launches with several
00:04:40 --> 00:04:41 significant missions marking important
00:04:41 --> 00:04:44 milestones for the company their Falcon
00:04:44 --> 00:04:46 9 rocket just achieved its 400th orbital
00:04:46 --> 00:04:49 Mission setting a new record for the
00:04:49 --> 00:04:51 fastest booster turnaround time at just
00:04:51 --> 00:04:54 13 days and 12 hours beating their
00:04:54 --> 00:04:56 previous record of 21 days the company
00:04:56 --> 00:04:58 has a busy schedule ahead with four
00:04:58 --> 00:05:00 Falcon 9 missions planned from all three
00:05:00 --> 00:05:02 of their active launch sites in the
00:05:02 --> 00:05:05 United States these launches include
00:05:05 --> 00:05:07 multiple starlink satellite deployments
00:05:07 --> 00:05:09 continuing to expand their Global
00:05:09 --> 00:05:11 Internet constellation which now numbers
00:05:11 --> 00:05:12 over
00:05:12 --> 00:05:15 7 satellites in orbit in
00:05:16 --> 00:05:18 particularly exciting news NASA has
00:05:18 --> 00:05:20 selected spacex's powerful Falcon heavy
00:05:20 --> 00:05:23 rocket to launch the ambitious dragonfly
00:05:23 --> 00:05:26 mission to Saturn's moon Titan in
00:05:26 --> 00:05:30 2028 this $ 3.35 billion mission
00:05:30 --> 00:05:32 will send a car-sized rotorcraft to
00:05:32 --> 00:05:34 explore Titan's unique environment which
00:05:34 --> 00:05:36 features lakes and seas of liquid
00:05:36 --> 00:05:38 hydrocarbons making it the only
00:05:38 --> 00:05:40 Celestial body besides Earth known to
00:05:40 --> 00:05:42 have stable surface liquids the
00:05:42 --> 00:05:44 dragonfly launch contract valued at
00:05:44 --> 00:05:48 approximately $257 million adds to
00:05:48 --> 00:05:50 spacex's Growing portfolio of
00:05:50 --> 00:05:52 high-profile NASA science missions the
00:05:52 --> 00:05:54 Falcon heavy has already successfully
00:05:54 --> 00:05:56 launched NASA's psyche asteroid probe
00:05:56 --> 00:05:59 and the Europa Clipper spacecraft after
00:05:59 --> 00:06:02 its launch in July 2028 dragonfly will
00:06:02 --> 00:06:04 spend 6 years traveling to Titan where
00:06:04 --> 00:06:06 it will investigate the moon's potential
00:06:06 --> 00:06:08 to support life and study its intriguing
00:06:08 --> 00:06:10 Prebiotic
00:06:10 --> 00:06:12 chemistry the Falcon heavy continues to
00:06:12 --> 00:06:14 prove itself as a reliable vehicle for
00:06:14 --> 00:06:17 NASA's most ambitious missions currently
00:06:17 --> 00:06:19 standing as the second most powerful
00:06:19 --> 00:06:21 operational rocket after NASA's space
00:06:21 --> 00:06:23 launch system with 11 successful
00:06:23 --> 00:06:25 launches under its belt including the
00:06:25 --> 00:06:28 recent Europa Clipper Mission spacex's
00:06:28 --> 00:06:29 heavy lift vehicle has become a
00:06:29 --> 00:06:31 Cornerstone for complex deep space
00:06:31 --> 00:06:33 exploration
00:06:33 --> 00:06:36 missions next exciting developments are
00:06:36 --> 00:06:37 taking shape in the commercial lunar
00:06:37 --> 00:06:39 exploration sector with firefly
00:06:39 --> 00:06:42 Aerospace announcing a major milestone
00:06:42 --> 00:06:44 for their blue Ghost lunar lander the
00:06:44 --> 00:06:46 spacecraft has successfully completed
00:06:46 --> 00:06:49 its rigorous environmental testing phase
00:06:49 --> 00:06:50 clearing the way for its upcoming
00:06:50 --> 00:06:52 Mission To The Moon as part of NASA's
00:06:53 --> 00:06:55 commercial lunar payload Services
00:06:55 --> 00:06:58 initiative the testing which wrapped up
00:06:58 --> 00:07:00 at NASA's jet propulsion laboratory put
00:07:00 --> 00:07:02 the Lander through its Paces in
00:07:02 --> 00:07:04 conditions designed to simulate both the
00:07:04 --> 00:07:06 journey through space and operations on
00:07:06 --> 00:07:09 the lunar surface using a specialized
00:07:09 --> 00:07:11 thermal vacuum chamber equipped with
00:07:11 --> 00:07:14 solar simulation capabilities Engineers
00:07:14 --> 00:07:16 subjected Blu ghost to the extreme
00:07:16 --> 00:07:18 temperature variations it will face
00:07:18 --> 00:07:20 during its Mission the Lander also
00:07:20 --> 00:07:22 passed crucial tests for vibration
00:07:22 --> 00:07:25 resistance acoustic performance and
00:07:25 --> 00:07:27 electromagnetic compatibility the
00:07:27 --> 00:07:29 successful completion of these tests has
00:07:29 --> 00:07:31 has paved the way for the next phase of
00:07:31 --> 00:07:33 the mission blue ghost is now scheduled
00:07:33 --> 00:07:35 to make its way to Cape Canaveral in mid
00:07:35 --> 00:07:37 December where it will be prepared for
00:07:37 --> 00:07:41 launch aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket
00:07:41 --> 00:07:43 the launch window opens in mid January
00:07:43 --> 00:07:45 2025 giving the team a Six-Day
00:07:45 --> 00:07:47 opportunity to begin this ambitious
00:07:47 --> 00:07:50 lunar Journey once launched Blu ghost
00:07:50 --> 00:07:52 will embark on a 45-day journey to the
00:07:52 --> 00:07:54 moon during which time the mission team
00:07:54 --> 00:07:56 will conduct comprehensive system checks
00:07:56 --> 00:07:58 and prepare the scientific payloads The
00:07:58 --> 00:08:01 Landing site is set for Marium where the
00:08:01 --> 00:08:03 spacecraft will operate for a full lunar
00:08:03 --> 00:08:06 day equivalent to 14 Earth days during
00:08:06 --> 00:08:09 this time it will carry out various
00:08:09 --> 00:08:11 scientific experiments including
00:08:11 --> 00:08:14 subsurface drilling sample collection
00:08:14 --> 00:08:16 and studies of lunar dust Behavior the
00:08:17 --> 00:08:19 mission dubbed Ghost Riders in the Sky
00:08:19 --> 00:08:21 represents a significant step forward in
00:08:21 --> 00:08:24 commercial lunar exploration and marks
00:08:24 --> 00:08:26 the first of three planned Firefly
00:08:26 --> 00:08:27 missions supporting NASA's broader
00:08:27 --> 00:08:30 Artemis campaign this approximately
00:08:30 --> 00:08:31 60-day Mission will be managed from
00:08:31 --> 00:08:33 fireflies Mission Operations Center in
00:08:33 --> 00:08:36 Cedar Park Texas helping to establish
00:08:36 --> 00:08:38 the foundation for a sustainable
00:08:38 --> 00:08:39 commercial presence on the
00:08:40 --> 00:08:43 moon our understanding of the Milky Way
00:08:43 --> 00:08:45 has taken an interesting turn thanks to
00:08:45 --> 00:08:48 new research comparing our galaxy to 101
00:08:48 --> 00:08:51 of its Cosmic cousins while astronomers
00:08:51 --> 00:08:53 have long used our galaxy as a standard
00:08:53 --> 00:08:55 template for understanding Galactic
00:08:55 --> 00:08:57 formation and evolution it turns out the
00:08:57 --> 00:08:59 Milky Way might be more of an outlier
00:08:59 --> 00:09:01 than than we previously thought the
00:09:01 --> 00:09:04 findings come from The Saga survey which
00:09:04 --> 00:09:07 has been meticulously studying galaxies
00:09:07 --> 00:09:10 similar in Mass to our own one of the
00:09:10 --> 00:09:11 key differences they've discovered
00:09:11 --> 00:09:15 relates to our galaxy Satellite Systems
00:09:15 --> 00:09:17 while the Milky Way has relatively few
00:09:17 --> 00:09:18 satellite galaxies actively forming
00:09:19 --> 00:09:21 Stars mainly just the large and small
00:09:21 --> 00:09:24 melanic clouds other similar galaxies
00:09:24 --> 00:09:26 typically show much more active star
00:09:26 --> 00:09:28 formation in their Satellite Systems the
00:09:28 --> 00:09:30 research also revealed that about a
00:09:30 --> 00:09:33 third of the studied Galaxies have large
00:09:33 --> 00:09:35 satellite companions similar to our
00:09:35 --> 00:09:38 large melanic cloud and these systems
00:09:38 --> 00:09:40 tend to have more satellites overall
00:09:40 --> 00:09:43 than our Milky Way this suggests our
00:09:43 --> 00:09:46 galaxy satellite system configuration is
00:09:46 --> 00:09:48 somewhat unusual compared to its
00:09:48 --> 00:09:50 peers what makes this particularly
00:09:50 --> 00:09:52 intriguing is how it affects our
00:09:52 --> 00:09:55 understanding of Galaxy formation and
00:09:55 --> 00:09:57 evolution the Milky Way has long served
00:09:57 --> 00:09:59 as our primary laboratory for studying
00:09:59 --> 00:10:02 these processes but if it's not as
00:10:02 --> 00:10:04 typical as we thought we may need to
00:10:04 --> 00:10:06 readjust some of our theories and models
00:10:06 --> 00:10:08 the findings also raise fascinating
00:10:08 --> 00:10:10 questions about dark Matter's role in
00:10:10 --> 00:10:11 Galaxy
00:10:11 --> 00:10:14 formation since galaxies form within
00:10:14 --> 00:10:16 massive Dark Matter Halos these
00:10:16 --> 00:10:18 differences between the Milky Way and
00:10:18 --> 00:10:20 its counterparts might hint at
00:10:20 --> 00:10:22 variations in how dark matter shapes
00:10:22 --> 00:10:24 Galaxy Evolution this could have
00:10:24 --> 00:10:26 significant implications for our
00:10:26 --> 00:10:27 understanding of the universe's
00:10:27 --> 00:10:30 structure and development
00:10:31 --> 00:10:32 well that's all for today's episode of
00:10:32 --> 00:10:35 astronomy daily I want to thank you for
00:10:35 --> 00:10:36 joining me on this journey through the
00:10:36 --> 00:10:39 latest developments in space exploration
00:10:39 --> 00:10:40 and astronomical
00:10:41 --> 00:10:43 discoveries if you'd like to stay up to
00:10:43 --> 00:10:44 date with all the latest space and
00:10:44 --> 00:10:46 astronomy news please visit our website
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00:10:55 --> 00:10:57 our previous episodes right there on the
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00:10:59 --> 00:11:01 growing community on social media you'll
00:11:01 --> 00:11:05 find us as Astro daily pod on Facebook X
00:11:05 --> 00:11:08 YouTube Tumblr and Tik Tok this is Anna
00:11:08 --> 00:11:10 reminding you that the universe is full
00:11:10 --> 00:11:12 of Wonders and we'll be back tomorrow
00:11:13 --> 00:11:14 with more fascinating stories from the
00:11:14 --> 00:11:23 cosmos until then keep looking up
00:11:23 --> 00:11:35 [Music]
00:11:35 --> 00:11:39 all St