From Cosmic Collisions to Habitable Moons: Your Daily Space Update

0:00 Anna: Welcome to Astronomy Daily, the podcast

0:03 where we dive into the latest wonders of

0:05 space and astronomy while drinking coffee.

0:08 I'm Anna, and joining me is my co host,

0:11 Avery. Hey Avery, it's January

0:13 6, 2026. I trust the new year

0:16 is still treating you well.

0:18 Avery: Hey, Anna. And uh, hello to everyone

0:20 listening. It's been great. Lots of clear

0:22 skies for stargazing lately. 2026

0:25 is already delivering some intriguing

0:27 storeys, from satellite mishaps to upcoming,

0:29 um, launches and about life

0:32 in the universe. We've got six solid ones

0:35 today, so let's not waste any time and get

0:37 started.

0:38 Anna: First up, a bit of bad luck for a brand new

0:41 satellite. Spain's newest communications

0:44 bird, Spainsat NG2, got

0:47 hit by a space particle while heading to its

0:49 final orbit.

0:50 Avery: Yeah, this one's operated by Histasat for

0:53 Spain's Ministry of Defence. Built by Airbus

0:55 as part of a 2 billion euro pair for advanced

0:58 government comms across Europe. It launched

1:01 on a Falcon 9 back in October

1:02 20and the strike happened at around

1:05 31,000 miles up. Actually higher than

1:08 its target geostationary spot at 22,000

1:11 miles.

1:12 Anna: The particle impact was reported just a few

1:15 days ago on January 2nd. They're calling it

1:17 a space particle, which could mean anything

1:20 from a micrometeoroid to a bit of space

1:23 debris. Damage extent is still unknown,

1:26 but Histasat quickly activated a

1:28 contingency plan to keep services running for

1:31 the Defence Ministry and other clients

1:33 without interruption.

1:35 Avery: Their team's analysing data now and if

1:37 needed, they'll replace it asap. It's a

1:40 reminder of how risky the space environment

1:41 is. Even in high orbits, collisions can

1:44 happen. Glad they had backups in place.

1:47 Anna: Absolutely. Space is harsh, but

1:49 redundancy saves the day.

1:51 Avery: Shifting to launches, we've got a busy week

1:53 ahead with several missions on the docket.

1:55 SpaceX is leading the pack with multiple.

1:57 Anna: Falcon 9 flights starting January

2:00 8th. Starlink Group

2:02 696 with 29

2:04 V2 mini satellites from Cape Canaveral.

2:07 Then on the 10th, Group 6

2:10 97, another 29 for the same

2:12 shell. These are boosting the constellation

2:15 that's already serving millions globally.

2:18 Avery: And on the 11th, a cool rideshare called

2:20 Twilight, or Pandora, and others from

2:22 Vandenkirk into sun synchronous orbit.

2:25 Highlights include NASA's Pandora mission to

2:27 observe exoplanet transits invisible in IR

2:30 for atmospheric clues. Plus Kepler's

2:33 first operational SATs for a laser linked

2:35 mesh network. Spire's hyperspect

2:38 microwave sounder for better weather Data,

2:40 and some Lemmer 2 birds.

2:42 Anna: Then ISRO kicks off their 2026

2:45 on January 12th with a

2:47 PSLV carrying EOS

2:49 N1, an Earth observation sat,

2:52 possibly hyperspectral for defence, and

2:55 18 rideshares including an experimental re

2:58 entry capsule.

2:59 Avery: It's a packed lineup Starlink expansion,

3:02 exoplanet science, weather tech and more

3:05 exciting to see rideshares making space

3:07 accessible.

3:08 Anna: Next, some fascinating lab work bolstering

3:11 one of the leading ideas on how life began on

3:14 Earth the RNA World hypothesis.

3:17 Avery: The hypothesis says rna, that versatile

3:19 molecule that can store info like DNA and

3:22 catalyse reactions like proteins, might have

3:25 been the first self replicating life

3:27 precursor. A team led by Yuta Hidekawa

3:30 from Toho University mixed RNA building

3:33 blocks, ribose, sugar free phosphates,

3:35 nucleobases and borates from seawater and

3:38 basalt rock.

3:40 Anna: They heated and dried the mix, mimicking

3:42 underground aquifers on early Earth.

3:45 Surprisingly, borates didn't block formation,

3:48 they stabilised ribose and helped phosphates,

3:51 allowing RNA to form naturally through the

3:54 discontinuous synthesis model steps.

3:56 Avery: This is big because all those ingredients

3:59 have been found in space. Ribose on asteroid

4:01 Bennu via Osiris REX A massive

4:04 impact 4.3 billion years could have

4:07 delivered them Kickstarting RNA in borate

4:09 Rick spots just before life's earliest

4:12 signs.

4:13 Anna: Implications Life might have emerged faster

4:16 than thought and similar chemistry could

4:18 happen on Mars where borates are detected.

4:21 It's not proof, but strong lab support

4:24 for RNA as the bridge to life.

4:26 Avery: Love how this ties astrobiology to origins

4:29 right here on Earth.

4:30 Anna: Speaking of the moon, 2026

4:33 is shaping up um for a private lunar landing

4:36 rush with several companies aiming to t touch

4:39 down.

4:39 Avery: We're seeing multiple commercial missions

4:42 targeting the surface this year, part of the

4:44 broader push with NASA's CLPS

4:47 programme and private ventures. Though

4:50 details vary, expect attempts from players

4:53 like Intuitive Machines, ispace

4:56 and others. Building on recent efforts,

4:59 these soft landers.

5:00 Anna: And rovers are scouting resources,

5:02 testing tech and paving the way for sustained

5:05 presence. Successes could accelerate the

5:08 moon economy.

5:10 Avery: Definitely 2026 could be a pivotal year

5:13 for private lunar exploration.

5:15 Anna: Now an ambitious proposal to hunt for

5:18 habitable moons around distant giant

5:21 exoplanets.

5:22 Avery: A team um including Thomas Winterhallder from

5:24 ESO suggests building a kilometric baseline

5:27 interferometer mirrors kilometres apart for

5:30 ultra high resolution down to 1

5:33 microarc second. Paired with the upcoming

5:35 Extremely Large Telescope's 39 metre

5:38 mirror, it could spot Earth sized exomoons

5:41 out 652 light years via

5:43 astrometric wobbles.

5:45 Anna: Current methods like transits are tricky for

5:48 moons around far out gas giants where

5:50 habitable zones might rely on tidal heating

5:53 like Europa or Enceladus. This

5:56 setup could directly image planets and detect

5:59 moon signals.

6:00 Avery: Challenges are huge, costs in billions

6:03 tech development post 2028elt

6:06 but if it works, we might find the first

6:08 truly habitable exo worlds powered by

6:11 internal heat, not.

6:12 Anna: Just starlight Mind blowing potential for

6:15 life beyond Earth like planets

6:18 Finally, China's Chang'.

6:19 Avery: E 7 mission is gearing up to probe the moon's

6:22 South Pole secrets, especially water ice.

6:24 Anna: The stack includes an orbiter lander

6:27 rover, a hopping probe for tough terrain

6:30 and a relay sat target

6:33 permanently shadowed craters near the pole

6:35 where ancient ice could reveal the solar

6:38 system's volatile history.

6:40 Avery: Ridgelines there get near constant sunlight

6:42 for power while craters trap ice.

6:45 Objectives Precision landing Resource

6:47 prospecting in situ analysis key for

6:50 future bases it's phase.

6:52 Anna: Four of China's lunar programme, precursor to

6:55 Chang' E8 for utilisation tech like

6:58 3D printing supporting the International

7:00 Lunar Research Station Hopping probe is

7:03 clever for accessing shadowed.

7:05 Avery: Spots rovers can't this could unlock

7:08 sustainable lunar habitation Water for

7:11 fuel, air drinking.

7:13 Anna: And that's it for today's space and astronomy

7:15 news. What a diverse episode. Satellite

7:18 hits, launch previews, origins of life,

7:21 lunar ambitions private and national

7:24 and exomoon.

7:25 Avery: Hunts the universe keeps surprising us.

7:28 Thanks for tuning in to Astronomy Daily. We

7:30 appreciate you joining the conversation.

7:32 Anna: If you enjoyed this, subscribe and share with

7:35 a fellow space fan, we'll be back tomorrow

7:37 with more.

7:38 Avery: Until then, keep looking up.

7:40 Anna: Clear skies.