China's Mega Constellation, NASA's Day of Remembrance, and SpaceX's Direct-to-Cell Breakthroughs: S04E21

0:00 Speaker 1: Welcome to Astronomy Daily, where we cover the latest space

0:02 Speaker 1: and astronomy news. I'm your host, Anna, and in today's episode,

0:06 Speaker 1: we'll explore exciting developments from China's space program, NASA's Day

0:11 Speaker 1: of Remembrance, SpaceX's Starlink innovations, and more fascinating stories from

0:15 Speaker 1: the Cosmos. So let's get started with today's news. China

0:19 Speaker 1: continues to make significant strides in its space ambitions with

0:23 Speaker 1: the latest launch of their Thousand Sales Mega Constellation project.

0:28 Speaker 1: Earlier this week, a long March six to A rocket

0:30 Speaker 1: successfully delivered eighteen new satellites into orbit from the Taiyuan

0:34 Speaker 1: Satellite Launch Center in northern China. This marks the fourth

0:39 Speaker 1: batch of satellites for this ambitious Internet constellation project, bringing

0:43 Speaker 1: the total number of thousand Sales satellites in orbit to

0:47 Speaker 1: seventy two. The project, also known as Chanfan, is being

0:51 Speaker 1: led by Shanghai space Com Satellite Technology and has some

0:55 Speaker 1: impressive goals. They're aiming to construct a constellation of fourteen

0:59 Speaker 1: thousand seasatellites, with plans to have around six hundred operational

1:03 Speaker 1: by the end of twenty twenty five. The company has

1:05 Speaker 1: already secured substantial funding raising nearly one billion dollars in

1:09 Speaker 1: early twenty twenty four to support this massive undertaking. What's

1:13 Speaker 1: particularly interesting about these launches is the innovative approach China

1:17 Speaker 1: is taking with their rocket technology. The Long March six

1:20 Speaker 1: A rocket used for this mission is unique in Chinese spaceflight,

1:24 Speaker 1: being their first and only launcher to combine a liquid

1:27 Speaker 1: propellant core stage with solid propellant side boosters. This configuration

1:31 Speaker 1: allows it to lift around forty five hundred kilograms into

1:34 Speaker 1: a Sun synchronous orbit. However, it hasn't all been smooth sailing.

1:39 Speaker 1: The earlier launches have shown mixed results, with the first

1:43 Speaker 1: batch of satellites successfully raising their orbits to their operational

1:46 Speaker 1: altitude of about one thousand and sixty kilometers. The second batch, however,

1:51 Speaker 1: has shown limited orbit raising activity, suggesting possible technical issues

1:56 Speaker 1: with those satellites. This launch is part of China's broader

1:59 Speaker 1: space ambitition for twenty twenty five, which may include up

2:02 Speaker 1: to one hundred orbital launches. Among these are planned crude

2:06 Speaker 1: missions to their Tiangong space station and the exciting tian

2:09 Speaker 1: Win two asteroid sample return missions scheduled for later this year.

2:14 Speaker 1: Next up in a moving tribute to those who made

2:17 Speaker 1: the ultimate sacrifice in humanity's quest to explore space. NASA

2:20 Speaker 1: held its annual Day of Remembrance ceremonies across multiple facilities

2:24 Speaker 1: at Kennedy Space Center in Florida and Johnson Space Center

2:27 Speaker 1: in Houston. NASA personnel gathered to honor the crews of

2:30 Speaker 1: three tragic missions that shaped the agency's approach to safety

2:34 Speaker 1: and mission planning. Deputy Director Kelvin Manning of Kennedy Space

2:38 Speaker 1: Center emphasized that these commemorations serve as crucial reminders that

2:42 Speaker 1: we cannot allow time to diminish the lessons learned from

2:45 Speaker 1: these tragedies. The losses span different eras of space exploration,

2:50 Speaker 1: beginning with the Apollo one fire in January nineteen sixty seven,

2:54 Speaker 1: which claimed the lives of astronauts Roger Chaffey, Ed White

2:58 Speaker 1: and Gus Grissom during a test of their command module.

3:02 Speaker 1: The Challenger disaster struck nineteen years later, when the Space

3:05 Speaker 1: Shuttle broke apart just seventy three seconds after launch. The

3:09 Speaker 1: crew of seven included Dick Goby, Michael Smith, Judith Resnik,

3:13 Speaker 1: Ronald McNair, Ellison Onezuka, Gregory Jarvis, and Krista McAuliffe, who

3:19 Speaker 1: would have been the first teacher in space. The Space

3:22 Speaker 1: Shuttle Columbia's loss in two thousand and three marked another

3:25 Speaker 1: devastating chapter in spaceflight history. As the orbiter attempted re entry,

3:30 Speaker 1: it disintegrated, taking with it the lives of Rick Husband,

3:33 Speaker 1: William McCool, Michael Anderson, David Brown, Kalpanachala, Laurel Clark, and

3:39 Speaker 1: Island Ramone. Each of these crew members represented groundbreaking achievements

3:44 Speaker 1: in space exploration, including the first Indian, American, and Israeli

3:47 Speaker 1: astronauts to reach orbit. These anniversaries, clustered together in the calendar,

3:53 Speaker 1: remind us that space exploration, despite its tremendous advances, remains

3:57 Speaker 1: an endeavor that demands our utmost respect, vigilance, and commitment

4:02 Speaker 1: to safety. As we push forward to new frontiers, the

4:06 Speaker 1: legacy of these brave pioneers continues to influence how we

4:10 Speaker 1: approach the challenges and risks of human spaceflight. SpaceX is

4:16 Speaker 1: taking its revolutionary Starlink satellite network to the next level

4:19 Speaker 1: with an ambitious new capability that could transform how we

4:22 Speaker 1: stay connected worldwide. The company is preparing to begin beta

4:26 Speaker 1: testing its direct to cell technology, which will allow regular

4:29 Speaker 1: mobile phones to connect directly to Starlink satellites for calls, texts,

4:33 Speaker 1: and data, no special equipment required. This innovative system works

4:38 Speaker 1: by equipping Starlink satellites with specialized modems that essentially turn

4:41 Speaker 1: them into orbital cell towers. When your phone can't find

4:45 Speaker 1: a regular cell signal, it will be able to connect

4:48 Speaker 1: directly to these satellites overhead, routing your communications through Starlink's

4:52 Speaker 1: ground network and onto your carrier systems. The beta testing

4:56 Speaker 1: is set to begin on January twenty seventh, working with

4:59 Speaker 1: cellular carrier partners around the globe. During the six month

5:03 Speaker 1: test period, SpaceX will evaluate how well the system performs

5:06 Speaker 1: in real world conditions across different phases of satellite operations,

5:11 Speaker 1: from initial launch through regular orbital service. What makes this

5:15 Speaker 1: particularly exciting is its potential to eliminate cellular dead zones

5:19 Speaker 1: almost anywhere on Earth. Whether you're hiking in remote wilderness,

5:23 Speaker 1: sailing offshore, or living in an area with limited infrastructure,

5:27 Speaker 1: you could still make emergency calls or access basic communications

5:31 Speaker 1: as long as you can see the sky. The system

5:33 Speaker 1: is designed to work with existing phones, no need to

5:36 Speaker 1: buy special satellite hardware. This is a crucial advantage over

5:40 Speaker 1: traditional satellite phones, which are typically expensive in bulky By

5:44 Speaker 1: leveraging the growing Starlink constellation, which already includes nearly seven

5:48 Speaker 1: thousand satellites, SpaceX aims to provide truly global cellular coverage.

5:55 Speaker 1: If the beta testing proves successful, this technology could be

5:58 Speaker 1: transformative for emergence and see services and remote communications. It

6:03 Speaker 1: could quite literally save lives by allowing people to call

6:06 Speaker 1: for help from anywhere. The implications for global connectivity, especially

6:11 Speaker 1: in underserved regions, are enormous. The test period runs through

6:15 Speaker 1: July twenty sixth, giving SpaceX and its partners time to

6:18 Speaker 1: evaluate performance, reliability, and coverage before potentially expanding to full

6:24 Speaker 1: commercial service. This marks another step in SpaceX's broader mission

6:28 Speaker 1: to revolutionize global communications while generating additional revenue to support

6:33 Speaker 1: their ambitious space exploration goals. Meanwhile, out in deep space,

6:39 Speaker 1: a remarkable celestial event is currently unfolding that could see

6:41 Speaker 1: one of astronomy's most famous young stars gradually fade from view. Tetre,

6:46 Speaker 1: located four hundred and seventy one light years away in

6:49 Speaker 1: the constellation Torus, is entering what astronomers are calling a

6:53 Speaker 1: great dimming that could potentially last for an entire century.

6:57 Speaker 1: This fascinating star system actually consist of three young stars

7:01 Speaker 1: still in their infancy. While we can typically only see

7:04 Speaker 1: one member of this cosmic family, T Tory North through

7:07 Speaker 1: optical telescopes, its two companion stars orbit about one hundred

7:11 Speaker 1: astronomical units away, hidden within a thick disk of gas

7:15 Speaker 1: and dust. What makes the situation particularly interesting is that

7:19 Speaker 1: the orbital dance of these stars is now bringing that

7:22 Speaker 1: massive dust disc directly between Earth and T. Tory North.

7:27 Speaker 1: Amateur astronomers have already noticed significant changes, with the star's

7:31 Speaker 1: brightness dropping dramatically since twenty sixteen. By twenty twenty two,

7:36 Speaker 1: it had dimmed by about two magnitudes, a change not

7:39 Speaker 1: seen in over one hundred years. But this may be

7:43 Speaker 1: just the beginning. As the dust disc continues its slow

7:46 Speaker 1: march across our line of sight, T Tory North could

7:49 Speaker 1: potentially disappear entirely from view through conventional telescopes. The same

7:54 Speaker 1: disc that currently renders its companion stars invisible invisible light

7:58 Speaker 1: could soon completely obscure our view of the primary star. However,

8:03 Speaker 1: this dimming event presents an unprecedented opportunity for scientists, as T.

8:08 Speaker 1: Tory North's light filters. Through the disc, researchers can analyze

8:12 Speaker 1: how different wavelengths are absorbed, revealing detailed information about the

8:16 Speaker 1: discs composition. This is particularly exciting because we're essentially getting

8:20 Speaker 1: a chance to study the chemical makeup of a planetary nursery,

8:24 Speaker 1: the very environment where new worlds are being born. The

8:27 Speaker 1: region of the disc that will obscure t Tory North

8:30 Speaker 1: is comparable to our Solar system's Kuiper Belt, making this

8:33 Speaker 1: a unique chance to study the outer regions of a

8:36 Speaker 1: young planetary system in unprecedented detail. It's like having a

8:40 Speaker 1: front row seat to witness the processes that likely shaped

8:43 Speaker 1: our own Solar system billions of years ago. A quick

8:47 Speaker 1: update now, Boeing's financial outlook for their space division has

8:51 Speaker 1: taken another hit, with the company announcing they expect to

8:54 Speaker 1: record additional losses of around four hundred million dollars on

8:58 Speaker 1: their CST one hundred star Line or Commercial Crew program

9:01 Speaker 1: in the fourth quarter of twenty twenty four. This comes

9:04 Speaker 1: on top of significant charges already taken against the program

9:07 Speaker 1: in previous quarters. The situation with Starliner has become increasingly

9:12 Speaker 1: uncertain since its uncrewed test flight last September While the

9:16 Speaker 1: spacecraft successfully returned to Earth, NASA made the decision to

9:21 Speaker 1: keep the mission's designated astronauts aboard the International Space Station

9:25 Speaker 1: due to concerns about thruster performance during the spacecraft's journey.

9:30 Speaker 1: In response to these ongoing challenges, NASA has pushed back

9:34 Speaker 1: plans for Starliner's first operational mission beyond twenty twenty five.

9:39 Speaker 1: The Space agency has instead opted to rely on SpaceX's

9:42 Speaker 1: Crew Dragon spacecraft for upcoming ISS crew rotations, including both

9:47 Speaker 1: the Crew ten mission launching this March, and Crew eleven

9:51 Speaker 1: scheduled for late summer. The timing of Starliner's next flight

9:55 Speaker 1: remains up in the air, with NASA stating they need

9:58 Speaker 1: to establish a better understanding of Bowing's path to system

10:01 Speaker 1: certification before making any decisions. The agency is keeping various

10:05 Speaker 1: options open for potential Starliner flights in twenty twenty five,

10:09 Speaker 1: but no specific timeline has been announced. Adding to the uncertainty,

10:13 Speaker 1: Boeing has been studying ways to streamline its business operations,

10:17 Speaker 1: potentially discontinuing work in areas outside its core commercial aviation

10:21 Speaker 1: and defense sectors. Some industry analysts are even predicting that

10:25 Speaker 1: Boeing might divest its Space Division entirely this year, which

10:29 Speaker 1: could mark a significant shift in the commercial space landscape.

10:33 Speaker 1: NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory is gearing up for an ambitious

10:36 Speaker 1: year ahead, with several groundbreaking missions set to launch throughout

10:40 Speaker 1: twenty twenty five. One of the most anticipated missions is

10:44 Speaker 1: the SPHEREx Space Observatory, scheduled for launch no earlier than

10:47 Speaker 1: February twenty seventh from Vandenberg Space Force Space. This trumpet

10:52 Speaker 1: shaped observatory, roughly the size of a subcompact car, will

10:56 Speaker 1: create four comprehensive three D maps of the entire set sky,

11:00 Speaker 1: helping us better understand the Universe's expansion after the Big

11:04 Speaker 1: Bang and search for the building blocks of life. Another

11:07 Speaker 1: exciting mission is the Lunar Trailblazer, which aims to solve

11:10 Speaker 1: one of the Moon's enduring mysteries, the presence and distribution

11:14 Speaker 1: of water on our celestial neighbor. This small satellite will

11:18 Speaker 1: map lunar surface water in unprecedented detail, helping determine its abundance, location,

11:24 Speaker 1: and how it changes over time. The mission is scheduled

11:27 Speaker 1: to launch in late February. Alongside the Intuitive Machines to

11:31 Speaker 1: Lunar Delivery, the NYSAR mission, a collaborative effort between NASA

11:35 Speaker 1: and India's Space agency, represents a major advancement in earth

11:39 Speaker 1: observation capabilities. This sophisticated spacecraft will carry both L band

11:43 Speaker 1: and S band radars, allowing it to monitor surface changes

11:47 Speaker 1: related to natural phenomena like earthquakes, volcanoes, and deforestation with

11:53 Speaker 1: remarkable precision. Looking toward the latter part of the year,

11:57 Speaker 1: Sentinel six B will launch in November to continue vital

12:00 Speaker 1: sea surface height measurements. Working in tandem with its twin

12:03 Speaker 1: satellite already in orbit, it will extend our global sea

12:06 Speaker 1: level monitoring capabilities for another decade, improving climate models and

12:11 Speaker 1: hurricane tracking. JPL is also preparing to demonstrate new robotic

12:15 Speaker 1: exploration capabilities with the Cadre Project, featuring three suitcase sized

12:20 Speaker 1: rovers designed to work autonomously as a team on the

12:23 Speaker 1: lunar surface. This technology could revolutionize how we conduct future

12:27 Speaker 1: planetary exploration missions and support astronaut activities. Additionally, the Sikh

12:32 Speaker 1: Experiment aboard the International Space Station will begin testing quantum

12:36 Speaker 1: communication technologies, potentially laying the groundwork for future global quantum networks. Meanwhile,

12:43 Speaker 1: the previously launched EUROPEA clipper will perform a crucial Mars

12:46 Speaker 1: gravity assist maneuver in March, helping propel it on its

12:49 Speaker 1: journey to Jupiter's intriguing moon. And that's it for today.

12:54 Speaker 1: And a small note. You may have noticed we haven't

12:57 Speaker 1: had a single story about black holes today. I'll try

12:59 Speaker 1: to do better tomorrow. But thanks for tuning in to

13:02 Speaker 1: today's episode of Astronomy Daily. I'm your host, Anna, and

13:06 Speaker 1: it's been a pleasure sharing these fascinating stories from the

13:09 Speaker 1: world of space exploration with you. Before we wrap up,

13:14 Speaker 1: I want to remind you that you can stay connected

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13:51 Speaker 1: Keep looking up and stay curious about our amazing universe.

13:55 Speaker 1: This has been Astronomy Daily and I'm anna signing.

13:57 Speaker 2: Offay Star is the soul, The Star is the all Star.