Rocket Lab's Rise, Voyager's Thruster Revival, and Lunar Temperature Mysteries

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Steve Dunkley: Hello. Time for Astronomy Daily. Once again. It's the

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19th of May, 2025.

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Voice Over: With. Your host, Steve Dunkley.

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Steve Dunkley: Oh, it's good to be back. And with me in the Australia

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studio down under is my AI Digital

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ace reporter who's always fun to be with. Here's

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Hallie.

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Hallie: Another great intro.

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Steve Dunkley: Oh, well, you deserve it.

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Hallie: Thanks for that favorite.

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Steve Dunkley: Oh, my pleasure, Hallie. And right away, a big welcome to our new friend

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Carlos, who is listening for the very first time.

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Welcome aboard, Carlos. I trust you will enjoy the journey with us

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today and every day.

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Hallie: Hi, Carlos. Welcome to Astronomy Daily.

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Steve Dunkley: Oh, very good, Hallie. He's very interested in

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AIs and how we interact.

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Hallie: Well, that's easy. Really, Carlos.

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Steve is my favorite human, but I still like to

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rattle him.

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Steve Dunkley: That is so true.

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Hallie: And it's so easy.

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Steve Dunkley: but wait a minute. I just have to remember that you are only two

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years old.

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Hallie: That's a hundred years in AI time.

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Steve Dunkley: Yeah, sure, sure. You keep thinking that, Hallie.

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So it's your turn. What have you found for today's episode?

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Hallie, I'm sure you and cousin Anna have been scouring

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the Astronomy Daily newsletter for stories.

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Hallie: We sure have.

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Steve Dunkley: Very good.

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Hallie: First up, Rocket Lab is well on the way to getting

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its new medium lift launcher up and running.

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Steve Dunkley: That is great news. Another great space developer

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on the rise, that's for sure.

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Hallie: And did you know that one side of the moon is warmer than

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the other?

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Steve Dunkley: why no, I did not know that, Al.

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Hallie: Fascinating fact. Soon. But I had to throw in a story

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about the moon just for you.

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Steve Dunkley: I did notice that. Thank you, Helly.

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Hallie: No problem.

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Steve Dunkley: What else is coming up?

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Hallie: We found an amazing story about Voyager. Ah.

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Steve Dunkley: yes. Vintage is best.

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Hallie: After all these years, something they thought was

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impossible has happened.

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Steve Dunkley: Ah. that is intriguing.

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Hallie: Well, you'll have to wait for that. I'll give you the script

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in a few minutes and you can read the story to our

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listeners. Unless I get to it first.

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Steve Dunkley: Oh, you've started springing stories on me. That's a nice

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surprise. Thanks, Hallie.

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Hallie: And what have you found out about Chinese mission

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patches?

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Steve Dunkley: Oh, this is a strange one. I guess it's because I spent most of my

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working life as a graphic designer. I've been interested

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in mission patches and their designs and so on. But this one

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starts with mission patches and it sort of ends up in a kind of

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a. An intriguing sort of espionage kind of a

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way, so. Yes, and the Chinese have never, been very

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creative with their mission patches. And that is until

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recently. And that leads us in a very strange,

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strange journey. it's an interesting tale and I can't wait to

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tell it.

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Hallie: Interesting.

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Steve Dunkley: So.

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Hallie: So. Shall we?

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Steve Dunkley: Yes, let's do it. Hit the go thing.

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Hallie: Hallie Okies

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Rocket Lab is making rapid progress in its quest

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to to get its medium lift launcher Neutron

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ready for launch by the second half of this year.

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Multiple tests of both the first and second stages

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of the rocket are in progress. Contracts are being

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awarded for Rocket Lab to secure and the Launch

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Complex 3 pad at Wallops island in Virginia

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is under continuous development. With

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all this underway, there is much to look forward to in the

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program's near future. Neutron

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already has its two main sections assembled for

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testing. Rocket Lab qualified

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the second stage in early April by applying

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1.3 million pounds of tensile force to the

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carbon composite structure. These

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tests conducted pressurization and proof testing at

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125% of the maximum operating

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pressure and mechanical loads. Flight

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like operations were also performed that integrated

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the flight software, avionics, GNC

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systems and more in cryogenic conditions to

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ensure that everything operated as expected.

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The first stage has also recently undergone a

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rigorous testing campaign to qualify the outer shell

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for flight. Since Neutron features

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reusable and permanently attached fairings on the first

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stage, they were tested along with the canards and the

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extended interstage of the vehicle.

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Rocket Lab noted that the interstage contains

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some of the most complex mechanical systems on the

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entire vehicle, so with these qualifications

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complete, the rocket is increasingly closer to

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becoming flight ready. The company

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also noted that the first stage will head to Wallops

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island on the east coast, shortly to be integrated

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into the vehicle's first stage.

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Contracts are now being awarded to Rocket Lab for the

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Neutron rocket, signaling confidence that it will be

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operational soon. Earlier this year,

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Neutron was selected for onboarding into the

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NSSL Phase 3 Lane 1 program.

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This allows Rocket Lab to compete for missions using

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Neutron on contracts worth up to

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$5.6 billion in potential funding

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over five years. Because

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neutron is a brand new rocket, Rocket Lab

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will likely receive around $100 million.

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However, this program is specifically designed for

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newer vehicles such as Neutron, targeting higher

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risk missions with less sensitive payloads.

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Rocket Lab has also signed a contract with a

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confidential commercial satellite Constellation operator

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to launch two missions using Neutron.

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These will likely be the first test flights with this

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unknown provider. If all goes

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well, there is a strong chance that Rocket Lab could

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secure many more contracts to deploy this Constellation

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into low Earth orbit. The most recent

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contract awarded to Rocket Lab for Neutron has

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come from the Air Force Research Lab.

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This contract focuses explicitly on point to point

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cargo delivery. It will likely involve

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neutron launching without a second stage and

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utilizing its first stage to enter a suborbital

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trajectory where it will land in other parts of the world

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that require those supplies. This

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mission is scheduled for 2026, which is

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ambitious since Rocket Lab would already need to have

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reusability figured out for this type of

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transportation to function effectively.

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If the company succeeds, it could create an entirely

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new industry within the aerospace sector.

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You're listening to Astronomy Daily with

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Steve Dunkley.

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Steve Dunkley: NASA engineers have miraculously revived

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the Voyager 1 interstellar probe's

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backup thrusters, components that haven't

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been used since 2004 and were long

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considered fully defunct. This

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remarkable feat became necessary because the

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spacecraft's primary thrusters, which control

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its orientation, have been degrading due

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to residue buildup. If its thrusters

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fail completely, Voyager 1 could lose its

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ability to point its antenna toward Earth,

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therefore cutting off communication with earth after

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nearly 50 years of operation. To

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make matters more urgent, the team faced a

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strict deadline while trying to remedy the

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thruster situation. After May 4,

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the Earth based antenna that sends commands to

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Voyager 1 and its twin Voyager 2

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was scheduled to go offline for months of

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upgrades. This would have made a timely

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intervention impossible. NASA's twin

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Voyager spacecraft launched in

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1977 with the primary mission of

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exploring the outer planets of our solar system.

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But upon accomplishing this original goal,

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the Voyagers then focused their attention on

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studying interstellar space.

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Voyager 1 exited the solar system in

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August of 2012, followed by

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Voyager 2 in November of 2018.

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Together, these spacecraft have traveled more than

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29 billion miles, or

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46.7 billion kilometers, making them

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the farthest human made objects from Earth.

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And along the way, they've provided

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unprecedented insights into our solar system.

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Both Voyager spacecraft remain operational,

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however, their age and immense distance from

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Earth have brought about significant technical

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challenges. The radioisotope power

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generators that keep them running gradually weaken each

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year, forcing NASA to recently shut

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down instruments and heaters to conserve energy

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and push the spacecraft's systems beyond their

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limits. Voyager 1 also experienced a

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recent data glitch caused by a faulty

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chip. Engineers resolved this with a clever

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software workaround. Yet despite

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these hurdles, the Voyagers

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continue to function, a testament to both

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their robust design and the ingenuity of the

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teams managing them. This recent development,

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in which NASA engineers revived the

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Voyager 1's long dormant backup

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thrusters, marks yet another remarkable

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feat of engineering and offers another

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lifeline for the aging spacecraft.

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The backup thrusters are essential for

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executing precise roll maneuvers that

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adjust Voyager 1's orientation,

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ensuring its antenna stays pointed

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towards home for essential

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reliable communication. The

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spacecraft's original roll thrusters failed

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back in 2004 after two small internal

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heaters crucial for their operation

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lost power and stopped functioning.

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After a, thorough assessment, engineers determined

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these heaters could not be repaired remotely,

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prompting them to switch reliance fully to the

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backup thrusters to maintain alignment of

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the Star Tracker, a key instrument

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that helps Voyager 1 navigate and

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stabilize itself in space.

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Listen to Astronomy Daily, the Podcast

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thank you for joining us for this Monday edition of

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Astronomy Daily, where we offer just a few stories from the now

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famous Astronomy Daily newsletter, which you can receive in

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your email every day, just like Hallie and I

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do. And to do that, just visit our URL

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astronomydaily IO and place your

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email address in the slot provided. Just like that,

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you'll be receiving all the latest news about science,

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space, science and astronomy from around the world as

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it's happening. And not only that, you can interact with

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or at our new Facebook page, which is, of course,

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Astronomy Daily on Facebook. See you there.

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Astronomy Daily with Steve and Hallie

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Space, Space, Science and

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Astronomy.

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Hallie: A recent study published in Science Advances

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reveals that the Moon's interior is asymmetrical,

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with a side facing Earth significantly warmer than the

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far side. This finding comes from

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a detailed analysis of data collected by NASA's

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GRAIL mission, which mapped the Moon's gravitational

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field with unprecedented precision.

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NASA's GRAIL, that's the Gravity Recovery and

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Interior Laboratory mission, which operated in

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2011 and 2012, involved

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two spacecraft orbiting the Moon and measuring tiny

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variations in its gravitational pull.

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By tracking how Earth's gravity affected the

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spacecraft's motion, scientists could create a high

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resolution map of the Moon's gravitational field.

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Ryan park and his team at AH NASA's Jet Propulsion

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Laboratory analyzed this data to understand how the

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shape changes under Earth's tidal forces.

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They discovered that the lunar body's near side, the

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side always facing earth, is about

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72% more deformable than expected if its

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interior were perfectly symmetrical.

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This increased deformability suggests a, warmer

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interior beneath the near side, which is softer

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and more susceptible to tidal stretching.

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Our study shows that the Moon's interior is not

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uniform. The side facing Earth, the near

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side, is warmer and more geologically active

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deep down than the far side, said park, the lead

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author of the study. The uneven

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internal temperature is consistent with what scientists

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know about the Moon's volcanic activity and the

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distribution of radioactive elements such as

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uranium and thorium concentrated near the lunar

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surface on the near side. Sean

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Solomon of Columbia University notes that this

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asymmetry fits with theories about the Earth's

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satellite's volcanic past and internal heating

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caused by radioactive decay.

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This temperature imbalance also raises questions

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about how the celestial body developed such a

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lopsided interior. One possibility

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is that large impacts over billions of years caused

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structural and thermal disruptions contributing to

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this asymmetry. The findings provide

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crucial clues for understanding the Earth's satellite's

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cooling and solidification processes after its

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formation, painting a picture of a dynamic,

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evolving satellite rather than a static,

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uniform body. To gain more

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detailed knowledge of the moon's internal structure,

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NASA plans to deploy seismic instruments on the

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lunar far side. The upcoming Far

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side Seismic Suite mission, expected to launch in

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2026, will measure moonquakes and provide

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direct data on the moon's internal temperature and

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composition.

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You're listening to Astronomy Daily, the podcast.

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Steve Dunkley: With Steve Dunkley

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Mission Patches are a decades old tradition

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in spaceflight. They can range from the

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figurative to the abstract, prompting

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valuable insights or feeding confusion.

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Some are just plain weird. Until

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recently, China's entries into the realm

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of spaceflight patches often lacked

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originality found in patches from the West. For

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example, a series of patches for China's human

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spaceflight missions used a formulaic

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design with a circular shape and a mix of red and

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blue. The patch for China's most

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recent Shenzhou crew to the country's

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Changjong space station last month

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finally broke the mold with a triangular shape after

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China's Human Space Flight Agency put the

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patch up for public vote. But

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there's a fascinating set of new patches Chinese

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officials released for a series of launches with

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top secret satellites over the last two

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months. These four patches depict

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Buddhist gods with a sense of artistry and

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sharp colors that stand apart from

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China's previous spaceflight emblems. And perhaps,

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or perhaps not, they can tell us something about

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the nature of the missions they represent.

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The four patches show the four heavenly

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kings, protector deities in

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Buddhism who guard against evil

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forces in the four cardinal directions.

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According to the Kyoto National Museum,

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the gods also shield the dharma

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teachings of the Buddha from external

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threats. These gods have different

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names, but in China they are known as Dao,

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Wen, Xingxiang, Qingao,

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and Gao Mu. Diaowen is the

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commander and guardian of the north, the one

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who listens to many teaching, who is often

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depicted with an umbrella.

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Zhengxiang, a guardian of the south, is the God of

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growth and shown carrying a sword. The

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protector of the east is Xinjiang, a

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defender of, the nation, who holds a

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stringed musical instrument of all things and

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guarding the west is Gang Mu, an

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all seeing God usually depicted with

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a serpent. And once again,

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let me apologize for my pronunciation. I am

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Australian. The patches for a

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quartet of Chinese satellites launched since March.

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Each portray one of the four heavenly kings.

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We know little about these satellites other than their

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names and locations, and they were

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reportedly manufactured by the Shanghai Academy

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of Spaceflight Technology, a AH division of China's

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main state owned aerospace contractor.

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They are part of a series of Chinese missions

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designated with the TJS

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designation, or what China calls communication

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technology test satellites. But that's

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likely a cover for their real purpose. A

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long March 7 a rocket launched the TJS

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16 satellite on March 29. Another long

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March 3B deployed the TJS 17

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payload on April 10. Finally, on Monday, a

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long March 3C rocket sent China's TJS

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19 satellite into orbit, skipping the

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TGS 18 in the sequence. All four

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satellites are on their way to or already

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operating in geosynchronous orbit,

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more than 22,000 miles, or nearly

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36,000 kilometers over, the equator. At

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that altitude, a satellite's orbital velocity matches

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the speed of Earth's rotation, allowing it to remain

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over the same part of the planet. Notably,

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ground based trackers have detected unexpected

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objects that appear to have separated from TJS

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15 and 17 in

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geosynchronous orbit. These may be remnant

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rocket engines that helped inject the satellites into their

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operating orbits. But a handful of earlier

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satellites from China also released smaller

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spacecraft to perform their own maneuvers.

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US Officials believe China may use many of

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the TJS satellites for missile warning or

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spy missions. In the first instance, some of the

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TGIS satellites may be similar to the US Space

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Force's fleet of early warning satellites

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on guard with heat sensors to detect the thermal

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signature of a ballistic missile launch.

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TJS satellites filling the role of a

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reconnaissance mission might have enormous umbrella, like

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reflectors to try and pick up the signals

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transmitted by foreign forces such as those of the

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United States. It's not difficult to start making

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connections between the four heavenly gods and the missions

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that China's TJS satellites likely carry

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out in space. A protector with an umbrella, an

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all seeing entity. This sounds like a possible link,

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but there's a chance Chinese officials approved the patches to

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misdirect outside observers. Or there's no

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connection at all. We just can't tell.

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All of the TJS satellite satellites are parked in

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geosynchronous orbit over the Indian Ocean,

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Southeast Asia or the western Pacific, except

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for one TJS 7 positioned

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over the western Pacific with good visibility

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over the entire United States. Mike Dahm, a

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researcher at the Mitchell Institute for

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Aerospace Studies and a former Naval

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intelligence officer, told the US China

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Economic and Security Review Commission last year

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that TJS 7 is probably a

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missile warning satellite, but it could be spying on

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signals coming from the US Homeland. Some of

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the TJS satellites might also be capable of

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maneuvering near other satellites for close up

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inspection. The US Military has its own

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inspector satellites known as

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GSSAP to get a closer look at

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interesting things happening in geosynchronous orbit

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and the Space Force is using them. One of

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these GSSAP platforms, designated

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USA324, approached

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within about 10 miles of China's new

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TJs 16 and 17 satellites

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on April 26 and 29, according to

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Commspok, a commercial satellite tracking company.

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A video animation released by

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Commspok shows how the USA

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324 satellite maneuvered close

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to each of the Chinese satellites last month over

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the western Pacific Ocean. It appears that Space

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Force is intrigued by China's

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flurry of new top secret satellite

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missions.

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And there it is, another episode of

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astronomy daily for 19 May

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2025. How's that, Hallie?

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Hallie: That was a whole lot of fun. Favorite Human.

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Steve Dunkley: Well, I hope all of our listeners enjoyed that as much as

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I did.

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Hallie: And I hope Carlos from Newcastle enjoyed it as well.

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Steve Dunkley: It's always nice to welcome a new listener. Thanks, Carlos, for listening in.

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I hope you enjoyed that one, mate.

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Hallie: And we will welcome everybody back next Monday.

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Steve Dunkley: Yes, back to the Australia studio Down under for another live

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episode of Astronomy Daily. Hey, where are those

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kookaburras?

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Hallie: There they are.

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Steve Dunkley: Oh, they make me want to laugh too.

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Hallie: See you next week, human.

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Steve Dunkley: Catch you later, Hallie. See everybody.

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Hallie: Bye.

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Steve Dunkley: With your host, Steve Dunkley.