India's Space Revolution, Planet Killer Discovery, and Voyager's Power Play: S04E56

0:00 Speaker 1: Welcome to Astronomy Daily, your daily dose of the most

0:03 Speaker 1: fascinating developments in space exploration and astronomical discoveries. I'm anna

0:08 Speaker 1: and today we've got a big lineup of stories from

0:11 Speaker 1: across the Cosmos, from India's ambitious push into commercial spaceflight,

0:15 Speaker 1: to groundbreaking discoveries about planet destroying stars, and updates on

0:20 Speaker 1: both our furthest reaching Space Probe and newest lunar missions.

0:24 Speaker 1: We'll be covering the full spectrum of space news that's

0:27 Speaker 1: making headlines today, So let's get started with today's news.

0:31 Speaker 1: India's space industry is making remarkable strides as the government

0:34 Speaker 1: pushes to establish the country as a leading space power.

0:38 Speaker 1: At the forefront of this expansion is industrial giant Larsen

0:42 Speaker 1: and Tubro or l and T, which is breaking new

0:45 Speaker 1: ground in private space manufacturing. In a significant development, l

0:49 Speaker 1: and T is currently assembling India's first privately built polar

0:53 Speaker 1: satellite launch vehicle at their facility in southern India. This

0:57 Speaker 1: milestone project is expected to reach completion with a lot

1:00 Speaker 1: launch scheduled for midyear, marking a crucial step in India's

1:03 Speaker 1: commercial space capabilities. What makes this particularly exciting is how

1:07 Speaker 1: it represents a shift in India's space sector from purely

1:11 Speaker 1: government led initiatives to increased private participation. Let's senior vice president,

1:17 Speaker 1: Aarun Ramchandani emphasizes that this is part of a broader

1:21 Speaker 1: strategy to commercialize space technology, aiming to provide launch services

1:25 Speaker 1: on demand to meet market requirements. The company isn't just

1:29 Speaker 1: focusing on launch vehicles. They're also manufacturing equipment for deep

1:33 Speaker 1: space exploration programs in collaboration with Icero, India's National Space Agency.

1:39 Speaker 1: This partnership exemplifies the new hybrid model India is pursuing,

1:44 Speaker 1: where private industry works alongside government space programs. The numbers

1:48 Speaker 1: behind India's space ambitions are equally impressive. The government has

1:53 Speaker 1: set an ambitious target of growing the commercial space sector

1:56 Speaker 1: from its current value of thirteen billion dollars to a

1:59 Speaker 1: remarkable for four four billion dollars. To achieve this, authorities

2:03 Speaker 1: have been actively working to ease regulations and attract global

2:07 Speaker 1: players to participate in India's space economy. This transformation of

2:11 Speaker 1: India's space sector represents a significant shift in how space

2:15 Speaker 1: exploration and commercial space activities are being approached in one

2:19 Speaker 1: of the world's fastest growing economies. It's a clear signal

2:23 Speaker 1: that space is no longer the exclusive domain of government agencies,

2:27 Speaker 1: but rather an emerging commercial frontier with tremendous potential for

2:30 Speaker 1: growth and innovation. NASA's lunar Trailblazer mission has hit a

2:35 Speaker 1: significant hurdle as controllers continue their efforts to re establish

2:39 Speaker 1: communications with the spacecraft following its launch last week. The

2:43 Speaker 1: loss of contact occurred less than twelve hours after the

2:46 Speaker 1: February twenty sixth launch, when the spacecraft rode as a

2:50 Speaker 1: secondary payload alongside intuitive machines i AM to Lunar Lander.

2:55 Speaker 1: While the spacecraft's transmitter is functioning, NASA engineers are facing

2:59 Speaker 1: challenges in obtaining full telemetry data or sending commands. The

3:03 Speaker 1: situation is particularly concerning because the spacecraft was unable to

3:07 Speaker 1: perform crucial trajectory correction maneuvers for a planned lunar flyby

3:11 Speaker 1: on March third, which would have been the first of

3:13 Speaker 1: two flybys needed to achieve lunar orbit by July. Based

3:17 Speaker 1: on the limited data available and ground based radar observations,

3:21 Speaker 1: the spacecraft appears to be in a slow spin with

3:23 Speaker 1: power system issues. However, the team hasn't given up hope.

3:28 Speaker 1: They're currently developing alternative trajectory correction strategies that could still

3:33 Speaker 1: allow Lunar Trailblazer to reach lunar orbit and accomplish at

3:36 Speaker 1: least some of its scientific objectives, which include studying water

3:40 Speaker 1: distribution and forms on the lunar surface. This setback is

3:44 Speaker 1: particularly notable as it adds to a series of challenges

3:47 Speaker 1: faced by NASA's small Innovative Missions for Planetary Exploration program.

3:52 Speaker 1: These missions are designed to be high risk, high reward

3:55 Speaker 1: ventures that enable significant science at lower costs. As NASA's

3:59 Speaker 1: Associate Admit Illistrator for Science, Nicki Fox, notes, the mission

4:03 Speaker 1: team exemplifies NASA's innovative spirit and determination in the face

4:06 Speaker 1: of adversity. The situation with Lunar Trailblazer reflects the inherent

4:10 Speaker 1: challenges of space exploration even as technology advances. Yet it

4:15 Speaker 1: also demonstrates the persistence of mission teams in finding creative

4:18 Speaker 1: solutions to overcome unexpected obstacles in their quest to expand

4:22 Speaker 1: our understanding of the Moon and its resources. This next

4:27 Speaker 1: story has been getting a fair bit of mainstream media

4:30 Speaker 1: coverage today, probably because it makes for a good headline. Still,

4:35 Speaker 1: it is an interesting story Nonetheless, in a fascinating discovery

4:40 Speaker 1: that sounds like something out of science fiction, astronomers have

4:43 Speaker 1: identified what they're calling a planet killer, a white dwarf

4:47 Speaker 1: star that appears to have torn apart a Jupiter sized planet.

4:51 Speaker 1: This celestial destroyer, known as WD twenty two twenty six

4:56 Speaker 1: two hundred and ten, is relatively close to Earth at

4:59 Speaker 1: just six hundred t fifty light years away, and sits

5:02 Speaker 1: at the heart of the beautiful Helix nebula. The evidence

5:06 Speaker 1: for this cosmic destruction comes from peculiar X ray signals

5:09 Speaker 1: that have puzzled scientists since nineteen eighty. Using data from

5:14 Speaker 1: both NASA's Chandra X ray observatory and the European Space

5:17 Speaker 1: Agency's XMM Newton telescope, researchers have finally pieced together what

5:22 Speaker 1: might have happened. The scenario they've reconstructed is quite dramatic.

5:26 Speaker 1: They believe a massive planet similar in size to Jupiter,

5:29 Speaker 1: was gradually pulled closer to the White Dwarf through gravitational

5:33 Speaker 1: interactions with other planets in the system. Once it came

5:36 Speaker 1: too close to the star, the White Dwarf's intense gravitational

5:39 Speaker 1: forces began literally ripping the planet apart. What makes this

5:43 Speaker 1: discovery particularly interesting is that we already know this same

5:47 Speaker 1: star system contains another planet, a Neptune sized world that

5:51 Speaker 1: orbits the White Dwarf every three days. This suggests we're

5:55 Speaker 1: looking at the aftermath of a complex planetary dance where

5:59 Speaker 1: gravitational four orchestrated the destruction of one world while allowing

6:02 Speaker 1: another to survive. This finding isn't just about cosmic destruction.

6:07 Speaker 1: It's giving us valuable insights into what might happen to

6:10 Speaker 1: planetary systems when their stars die. It's particularly relevant because

6:14 Speaker 1: our own Sun will eventually become a White dwarf, though

6:17 Speaker 1: fortunately not for several billion years. The research team's findings,

6:22 Speaker 1: published in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society,

6:26 Speaker 1: are helping us better understand these stellar remnants and their

6:29 Speaker 1: destructive capabilities. It's a sobering reminder that even in death,

6:34 Speaker 1: stars can still dramatically influence the fate of their planetary systems.

6:39 Speaker 1: Next up, let's get an update from an old friend.

6:42 Speaker 1: In a bittersweet development for space exploration, NASA has announced

6:46 Speaker 1: another step in their power conservation efforts for the remarkable

6:49 Speaker 1: Voyager two spacecraft after shutting down its plasma spectrometer last October.

6:55 Speaker 1: NASA is now preparing to power down the low energy

6:58 Speaker 1: Charged Particle Instrument later this month, leaving the spacecraft with

7:02 Speaker 1: just three active instruments. This careful management of Voyager two's

7:06 Speaker 1: dwindling energy resources is crucial for extending its historic mission,

7:11 Speaker 1: as Suzanne Dodd, Voyager project manager at JPL, explains, Without

7:15 Speaker 1: these strategic shutdowns, both Voyager spacecraft would likely have only

7:19 Speaker 1: a few more months of power before mission end would

7:21 Speaker 1: need to be declared. The remaining active instruments, the magnetometer,

7:26 Speaker 1: cosmic ray subsystem and plasma wave subsystem, will continue gathering

7:31 Speaker 1: valuable data about the interstellar medium, giving us unprecedented insights

7:36 Speaker 1: into the space beyond our Solar system's boundaries. What's particularly

7:41 Speaker 1: remarkable about these instruments is their incredible longevity. Take the

7:46 Speaker 1: low energy Charged Particle instrument that's about to be shut down.

7:50 Speaker 1: It was originally tested for five hundred thousand motor steps,

7:53 Speaker 1: enough to last until Saturn's encounter in nineteen eighty. Instead,

7:56 Speaker 1: it will have completed more than eight point five million

7:59 Speaker 1: steps by the time it's deactivated. These power conservation efforts

8:03 Speaker 1: should allow both Voyager spacecraft to continue operating into the

8:07 Speaker 1: twenty thirties, though with reduced capabilities that would extend their

8:11 Speaker 1: missions to well over fifty years, an astounding achievement for

8:15 Speaker 1: spacecraft that were originally designed for five year missions. As

8:19 Speaker 1: Linda Spilker, Voyager project scientist reminds us, every minute of

8:23 Speaker 1: every day, these spacecraft are exploring regions where no human

8:27 Speaker 1: made object has gone before. Each new data point they

8:31 Speaker 1: send back represents another piece of our understanding of the

8:34 Speaker 1: vast unknown that lies beyond our Solar System's boundaries. In

8:39 Speaker 1: a groundbreaking achievement for commercial space operations, Varda Space has

8:43 Speaker 1: successfully completed their second capsule landing, touching down in the

8:47 Speaker 1: Australian Outback. This marks a significant milestone as the first

8:51 Speaker 1: commercial landing of its kind in Australia, demonstrating the growing

8:55 Speaker 1: capabilities of private companies in space manufacturing and recovery operations.

9:01 Speaker 1: The Winnebago two capsule, which spent six weeks in orbit

9:04 Speaker 1: after launching aboard a SpaceX Falcon nine rocket, carried some

9:08 Speaker 1: fascinating cargo. Among its payload was an advanced spectrometer from

9:13 Speaker 1: the Air Force Research Laboratory and Varda's own pharmaceutical reactor,

9:17 Speaker 1: showcasing the potential for manufacturing valuable materials in the unique

9:21 Speaker 1: environment of space. What makes this mission particularly noteworthy is

9:26 Speaker 1: the capsule's sophisticated heat shield, developed in collaboration with NASA's

9:31 Speaker 1: Aims Research Center. The successful re entry provided crucial data

9:36 Speaker 1: about hypersonic flight, with the onboard Ospree sensor capturing the

9:40 Speaker 1: first ever direct measurements of the re entry environment at

9:44 Speaker 1: speeds exceeding MAK fifteen. The two hundred and sixty five

9:47 Speaker 1: pound capsule's safe return represents more than just a technical achievement.

9:52 Speaker 1: It's a clear signal that we're entering a new era

9:55 Speaker 1: where private companies can not only reach space, but also

9:59 Speaker 1: bring manufactures goods back to Earth. This capability could revolutionize

10:03 Speaker 1: various industries, from pharmaceutical development to advanced materials production. For Australia,

10:10 Speaker 1: this successful landing at the Kuniba Test Range marks an

10:13 Speaker 1: important step forward in establishing itself as a key player

10:17 Speaker 1: in the global space industry. As in Rico Palermo from

10:21 Speaker 1: the Australian Space Agency noted, the continent's vast geography makes

10:25 Speaker 1: it particularly well suited for these types of return missions.

10:29 Speaker 1: This landing follows Varda's first successful mission last year, which

10:33 Speaker 1: brought back space grown anti viral drug crystals. With two

10:37 Speaker 1: successful returns now under their belt, VARDA Space is demonstrating

10:41 Speaker 1: that reliable commercial manufacturing in space, combined with safe return

10:45 Speaker 1: to Earth, is becoming a practical reality. The pace of

10:50 Speaker 1: lunar exploration has picked up dramatically in recent months, with

10:53 Speaker 1: more American spacecraft touching down on the Moon in the

10:56 Speaker 1: past year than in the previous five decades combined. After

11:00 Speaker 1: a fifty one year gap following Apollo seventeen's historic landing

11:03 Speaker 1: in nineteen seventy two, we've now seen two successful American

11:07 Speaker 1: lunar landings in just over a month, Intuitive Machines Odysseus

11:11 Speaker 1: Lander and Fireflies Blue Ghost. Now Intuitive Machines is gearing

11:16 Speaker 1: up for their second attempt with their Nova Sea lander

11:18 Speaker 1: named Athena. If successful, this would mark an incredible achievement

11:23 Speaker 1: three US lunar landings in just over a year. The

11:26 Speaker 1: stakes are even higher this time, with NASA entrusting some

11:30 Speaker 1: valuable scientific payloads to the mission. The star of the

11:33 Speaker 1: show is the Prime One experiment, featuring an ice drill

11:37 Speaker 1: designed to sample any water ice lurking beneath the lunar surface.

11:41 Speaker 1: There's also an innovative hopper that will use small rockets

11:44 Speaker 1: to explore nearby craters around the South Pole, with the

11:47 Speaker 1: potential to venture into lava tubes, something that could provide

11:51 Speaker 1: extraordinary new insights into the Moon's geology. The commercial nature

11:56 Speaker 1: of this mission has allowed for some fascinating private payloads

11:58 Speaker 1: as well. Athena will be carrying a small rover, a

12:02 Speaker 1: data center, and even equipment to set up a four

12:04 Speaker 1: G cellular network on the lunar surface. Learning from their

12:08 Speaker 1: first mission, where Odysseus landed successfully but tipped over due

12:12 Speaker 1: to a laser system malfunction, the team has implemented about

12:15 Speaker 1: ten major changes to the spacecraft and its software, along

12:19 Speaker 1: with roughly thirty smaller improvements. Their chief technology officer has

12:23 Speaker 1: emphasized extensive testing of the laser system this time around,

12:27 Speaker 1: aiming to avoid the issues that led to their previous

12:29 Speaker 1: landing at too steep an angle. This mission represents more

12:33 Speaker 1: than just another Moon landing. Its evidence that NASA's Commercial

12:37 Speaker 1: Lunar Payload Services program is beginning to deliver on its

12:41 Speaker 1: promise of establishing reliable, cost effective access to the lunar surface.

12:47 Speaker 1: With each successful mission, we're laying down more paving stones

12:50 Speaker 1: on our highway to the Moon. And that brings us

12:54 Speaker 1: to the end of today's space news roundup. From India's

12:58 Speaker 1: expanding space industry to groundbreaking lunar missions, It's been another

13:03 Speaker 1: fascinating day in space exploration. This is your host, Anna

13:08 Speaker 1: and I hope you've enjoyed today's journey through the latest

13:10 Speaker 1: developments in astronomy and space science. If you want to

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