S03E160: India's Space Projects, Starship's Next Step, and Moon's Hidden Water

0:00 Speaker 1: Welcome to Astronomy Daily. I'm your host Anna. Today We've

0:03 Speaker 1: got a packed episode covering India's ambitious new space projects,

0:07 Speaker 1: SpaceX's plans to catch starship, exciting discoveries about water on

0:11 Speaker 1: the Moon, groundbreaking observations from a new X ray telescope,

0:15 Speaker 1: and concerns about satellite interference with radio Astronomy. Let's dive

0:19 Speaker 1: right in first Up Today. India has recently greenlit an

0:23 Speaker 1: ambitious slate of space projects, showcasing its commitment to becoming

0:27 Speaker 1: a major player in space exploration. The Indian government has

0:30 Speaker 1: allocated a substantial two point seven billion dollars for these endeavors,

0:35 Speaker 1: which are set to push the boundaries of the nation's

0:38 Speaker 1: space capabilities. At the forefront of these plans is the

0:41 Speaker 1: Chandriyan four mission, a bold lunar sample return effort aimed

0:45 Speaker 1: at collecting material from the Moon's south polar region. This

0:48 Speaker 1: mission builds on the success of Chandrian three and demonstrates

0:52 Speaker 1: India's growing expertise in lunar exploration. Equally exciting is India's

0:56 Speaker 1: approval of its first venus orbiter mission, known as Shukre.

1:00 Speaker 1: While initially planned for an earlier launch, the mission is

1:03 Speaker 1: now targeted for twenty twenty eight. This venture will allow

1:07 Speaker 1: India to join the select group of nations that have

1:09 Speaker 1: sent spacecraft to our planetary neighbor. Perhaps most ambitious is

1:13 Speaker 1: India's plan to develop its first space station module, name

1:16 Speaker 1: the Paratia Enturich Station or BAS. This project signifies India's

1:21 Speaker 1: aspirations for a long term human presence in space. The

1:24 Speaker 1: first module is slated for launch by the end of

1:26 Speaker 1: twenty twenty eight, with full operational status expected by twenty

1:30 Speaker 1: thirty five. These projects not only highlight India's technological advancements,

1:35 Speaker 1: but also underscore its determination to become a key player

1:38 Speaker 1: in the global space arena. Let's delve deeper into India's

1:41 Speaker 1: ambitious Chandrian formassion. This lunar sample return endeavor is set

1:45 Speaker 1: to be a complex operation involving four modules launched across

1:49 Speaker 1: two separate rocket flights. The first launch will carry a

1:52 Speaker 1: lander and a sample collecting a sender vehicle targeting the

1:55 Speaker 1: lunar South Pole region. The second launch will deliver a

1:58 Speaker 1: transfer module and a re entry module to lunar orbit.

2:01 Speaker 1: The mission's primary goal is to collect lunar samples from

2:04 Speaker 1: Shivshakti point where the Chandreyan three spacecraft previously landed. Once collected,

2:10 Speaker 1: the ascender will launch from the Moon's surface and transfer

2:13 Speaker 1: its precious cargo to the re entry module. This module

2:16 Speaker 1: will then make the crucial journey back to Earth, aiming

2:18 Speaker 1: for a safe touchdown with the lunar samples intact. This

2:22 Speaker 1: ambitious project not only pushes India's space capabilities, but also

2:26 Speaker 1: sets the stage for future crude missions to the Moon.

2:28 Speaker 1: The technologies developed and tested during Chandreyan four will be

2:32 Speaker 1: critical for India's goal of landing astronauts on the lunar

2:35 Speaker 1: surface by twenty forty and India's space ambitions continue to grow,

2:39 Speaker 1: with plans now approved for the country's first space station module.

2:43 Speaker 1: The module, named bas Ie, is set to launch by

2:46 Speaker 1: December twenty twenty eight. This marks a significant step for

2:49 Speaker 1: India's space program, as they aim to have a fully

2:52 Speaker 1: operational space station by twenty thirty five. Meanwhile, India's Venus

2:56 Speaker 1: orbiter mission, known as Shukrayan, has faced some delays. Originally

3:01 Speaker 1: planned for an earlier launch, the mission is now targeted

3:04 Speaker 1: for March twenty twenty eight. The orbiter will carry a

3:06 Speaker 1: suite of scientific instruments to study Venus's atmosphere, geology and evolution.

3:11 Speaker 1: These projects, along with the Chandrian form mission we just discussed,

3:15 Speaker 1: demonstrate India's commitment to becoming a major player in space exploration.

3:19 Speaker 1: With a budget of nearly one hundred and fifty million

3:22 Speaker 1: dollars allocated for the Venus mission alone, it's clear that

3:25 Speaker 1: India is investing heavily in its space future. Next up,

3:29 Speaker 1: SpaceX is gearing up for another groundbreaking achievement in spaceflight

3:33 Speaker 1: history with their upcoming Starship test flight. The company plans

3:37 Speaker 1: to attempt something truly revolutionary, catching the massive super heavy

3:41 Speaker 1: first stage booster using the chopstick arms of the launch

3:45 Speaker 1: tower at their Starbase facility in Texas. This ambitious maneuver,

3:49 Speaker 1: if successful, would take rocket reusability to the next level.

3:53 Speaker 1: Instead of landing on a ship at sea or a

3:55 Speaker 1: designated pad, catching the booster right on the launch mount

3:58 Speaker 1: could dramatically reduce turnaround time between flights. SpaceX has been

4:02 Speaker 1: practicing with these tower arms, designed to lift both stages

4:06 Speaker 1: of Starship. Recent photos show them raising the super heavy

4:10 Speaker 1: booster to the expected catch height. While SpaceX says they've

4:13 Speaker 1: been ready for this next test flight since early August.

4:16 Speaker 1: Regulatory reviews have delayed the launch. The FAA isn't expected

4:20 Speaker 1: to complete its assessment until late November at the earliest.

4:23 Speaker 1: When it does fly, this will be Starship's fifth test flight.

4:26 Speaker 1: Each previous mission has shown improvement, with the last one

4:30 Speaker 1: reaching orbital velocity before a successful splashdown of both stages.

4:34 Speaker 1: If SpaceX can pull off this catch, it would be

4:36 Speaker 1: a major milestone in their quest to make Starship rapidly

4:39 Speaker 1: and fully reusable, a key to their goals of affordable

4:42 Speaker 1: space access and eventual Mars colonization. Let's take a look

4:46 Speaker 1: now at what's going on in China. Chinese private space

4:49 Speaker 1: companies are making significant strides in developing reusable rocket technology.

4:53 Speaker 1: Two firms, Deep Blue Aerospace and land Space have recently

4:57 Speaker 1: conducted impressive high altitude hop tests within their prototype vehicles.

5:01 Speaker 1: Land Space achieved a notable milestone in late August with

5:04 Speaker 1: its Juqua three hopper prototype. The vehicle swored to an

5:08 Speaker 1: altitude of ten kilometers during a two hundred second flight

5:11 Speaker 1: that included a crucial engine reignition test. The single tian

5:15 Speaker 1: K twelve B engine performed flawlessly, accurately landing just one

5:19 Speaker 1: point two meters from the center of the pad. Not

5:22 Speaker 1: to be outdone, Deep Blue Aerospace is preparing for its

5:24 Speaker 1: own high altitude test. Their shing Yan one first stage prototype,

5:28 Speaker 1: also known as Nebula one, is being readied for a

5:31 Speaker 1: flight between five and ten kilometers. This follows successful lower

5:35 Speaker 1: altitude tests with their subscale Nebula M vehicle. Both companies

5:39 Speaker 1: are aiming to develop fully reusable orbital launchers. Land Space's

5:43 Speaker 1: finished jew K three will stand taller than a Falcon

5:46 Speaker 1: nine at nearly seventy seven meters, powered by nine methane

5:49 Speaker 1: fueled engines. Deep blues shing Yuan one will feature nine

5:53 Speaker 1: kerosene burning engines in a configuration similar to the Falcon nine.

5:57 Speaker 1: These tests represent significant progress for China's commercial space sector

6:01 Speaker 1: as they work towards cost effective, reusable launch capabilities to

6:05 Speaker 1: serve the growing demand for satellite deployment. New research has

6:09 Speaker 1: revealed that water is far more abundant on the Moon

6:11 Speaker 1: than previously thought. A study based on data from NASA's

6:15 Speaker 1: Moon Mineralogy Mapper has shown that water and hydroxyl molecules

6:19 Speaker 1: are widespread across the lunar surface, not just confined to

6:23 Speaker 1: the poles as once believed. The analysis found water hidden

6:26 Speaker 1: in ice deposits in shaded areas and inside enriched rocks. Interestingly,

6:31 Speaker 1: hydroxyl molecules, which are components of water, form when solar

6:35 Speaker 1: protons interact with oxygen in the lunar regolith. These findings

6:39 Speaker 1: suggest that future astronauts may be able to find water

6:41 Speaker 1: resources even near the Moon's equator. Two types of lunar

6:45 Speaker 1: rocks were identified as potential water sources. The dark Marba

6:48 Speaker 1: salts are relatively dry, while the anorthosite rocks found in

6:52 Speaker 1: the lunar highlands contain more water heating. These rocks could

6:55 Speaker 1: potentially provide a long lasting water supply for lunar missions,

7:00 Speaker 1: while polar ice deposits remain the most accessible water source.

7:04 Speaker 1: This new understanding of lunar water distribution opens up possibilities

7:08 Speaker 1: for more flexible mission planning. However, extracting water from rocks

7:12 Speaker 1: would require significant energy expenditure. These discoveries are crucial for

7:16 Speaker 1: future lunar exploration and potential bases, as they could reduce

7:20 Speaker 1: the need to transport water from Earth. Understanding the Moon's

7:23 Speaker 1: water resources is a key step in making long term

7:25 Speaker 1: lunar missions sustainable. Japan's X Ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission

7:30 Speaker 1: or x RISM, has unveiled its first results, and they

7:34 Speaker 1: are absolutely fascinating. This space telescope, operated by JACKSA with

7:38 Speaker 1: ESA's participation, has captured stunning observations of two cosmic phenomena.

7:43 Speaker 1: First up, x RISM studied a supermassive black hole at

7:46 Speaker 1: the heart of galaxy NNGC four THY one hundred and

7:49 Speaker 1: fifty one, about sixty two million light years away. The

7:52 Speaker 1: telescope tracked superheated plasma circling the black hole at distances

7:56 Speaker 1: as close as zero point zero zero one light years.

8:00 Speaker 1: Precedented view is giving astronomers new insights into how these

8:03 Speaker 1: cosmic giants feed and grow. But that's not all. XORISM

8:06 Speaker 1: also turned its gaze to a supernova remnant called N

8:09 Speaker 1: one hundred thirty two D in our galactic neighbor, the

8:12 Speaker 1: large Magellanic Cloud. This cosmic bubble of plasma ejected from

8:16 Speaker 1: a massive star about three thousand years ago, revealed some surprises.

8:20 Speaker 1: Instead of the expected spherical shell, the remnant is more

8:23 Speaker 1: doughnut shaped and expanding at a mind boggling two point

8:26 Speaker 1: six million miles per hour. Even more astonishing, its temperature

8:29 Speaker 1: clocks in at a scorching eighteen billion degrees fahrenheit. These

8:33 Speaker 1: observations are helping scientists better understand the life cycles of

8:36 Speaker 1: massive stars and how elements are distributed throughout the cosmos.

8:40 Speaker 1: With over three thousand proposals submitted for future studies, it's

8:44 Speaker 1: clear that xorism is just getting started in revolutionizing our

8:48 Speaker 1: view of the X ray universe. While starlink satellites have

8:52 Speaker 1: already raised concerns about their impact on visible light astronomy,

8:56 Speaker 1: new research reveals they may pose an even greater threat

8:59 Speaker 1: to radio astronomy. Recent observations using the Low Frequency Array

9:04 Speaker 1: or lo FAR, have shown that SpaceX's second generation v

9:07 Speaker 1: too many starlink satellites are emitting up to thirty two

9:10 Speaker 1: times more radio waves than their predecessors. These unintentional radio

9:14 Speaker 1: emissions are astonishingly bright, about ten million times brighter than

9:18 Speaker 1: the faintest astronomical objects lo FAR can detect. This means

9:22 Speaker 1: any radio telescope observing when a starlink satellite passes overhead

9:26 Speaker 1: could have its data completely overwhelmed. As companies like SpaceX

9:29 Speaker 1: and one Web plan to launch tens of thousands more satellites,

9:32 Speaker 1: astronomers are increasingly concerned about the future of radio astronomy.

9:37 Speaker 1: Without proper regulations and cooperation from satellite operators, our ability

9:41 Speaker 1: to study the universe through radio waves could be severely compromised.

9:44 Speaker 1: This underscores the urgent need for dialogue between the astronomy

9:48 Speaker 1: community and satellite companies to find solutions that allow both

9:51 Speaker 1: internet access and scientific research to coexist. And that brings

9:57 Speaker 1: us to the end of today's Astronomy Daily. I hope

10:00 Speaker 1: you've enjoyed this cosmic journey through the latest space and

10:03 Speaker 1: astronomy news. Thanks so much for tuning in. If you're

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10:29 Speaker 1: Keep looking up Sunday Start Starz