S03E115: SpaceX's Ambitious Plan for Australia

This podcast features the latest in space and astronomy news

Anna: Welcome to Astronomy Daily, your go to Podcast for all the latest in space and Astronomy news. I'm your host, Anna. Today we have a fantastic lineup of stories that will ignite your curiosity and expand your understanding of the cosmos. We'll start with SpaceX's ambitious plans to land and recover its starship rocket off the coast of Australia, a move that could mark a significant milestone in international space collaboration. Well also delve into NASA's recent groundbreaking insights into near Earth asteroids, thanks to the high resolution images captured during the Dart mission. On top of that, we have some intriguing news from the United Launch Alliance's latest mission, where a top secret payload for the US Space Force was successfully launched. And last but not least, we'll touch on the upcoming repair mission for NASA's Nicer X ray telescope on the International Space Station, an essential fix that promises to restore its stellar research capabilities. So stay tuned, and let's dive into the cosmos together.

SpaceX plans to land and recover its starship rocket off the Australian coast

SpaceX is making waves with its latest ambitious plan to land and recover its starship rocket off the coast of Australia. Discussions are underway between SpaceX and officials in both the United States and Australia, signifying a monumental step forward in SpaceX's quest to expand its operations globally. This initiative highlights the strengthening of security ties between the two nations, positioning Australia as a crucial partner in future space endeavors. The first successful, controlled splashdown of a starship rocket happened just last June in the Indian Ocean. This milestone has emboldened SpaceX to extend its testing campaign. The recovery and successive landings of the starship boosters are pivotal in enhancing the development of this enormous, reusable rocket, one designed not only to launch satellites but also to land astronauts on the moon. The current plan involves launching the starship from a facility in Texas and landing it in the sea off Australia's coast. From there, the rocket would be recovered on australian territory. This move requires the loosening of us export controls on sophisticated space technologies, a process that President Joe Biden's administration has already started to facilitate within the AUKUS Security alliance, which includes the United States, Australia, and Britain. Although SpaceX, the US Space Force, and the Australian Space Agency have yet to comment, officially unnamed sources reveal that towing starship to a port on Australias western or northern coasts could be an ideal recovery method. However, specific plans and locations are still under discussion. These conversations reflect the us determination to bolster Australias military capabilities as a countermeasure to Chinas increasing assertiveness in the region. The collaboration would signify a heightened level of trust in Australia, which has long sought to enhance its space defense program, and build stronger civil and military ties with the United States. The ongoing discussions primarily focus on the regulatory challenges of bringing a recovered starship booster ashore in a foreign country, making the timing of any landing still uncertain. For SpaceX, the proposed test landings in Australia could be the initial phase of a broader initiative that may eventually include launching from a facility on the continent or even achieving land based recoveries. A similar incremental approach was employed in the development of the Falcon nine rocket, which is now SpaceX's workhorse and has executed hundreds of successful landings. Standing at a towering 400ft, Starship is designed to be fully reusable. This next generation rocket system has the capability to launch large satellite batches into space, facilitate lunar missions, and could potentially be utilized for rapid military cargo deliveries around the globe in as little as 90 minutes. The successful test flight in June, where Starship managed a soft splashdown in the Indian Ocean while its booster landed in the Gulf of Mexico, marked a significant progression for the program. Prior tests had ended with disintegration before achieving a safe landing. This achievement has propelled SpaceX into a new phase of more complex landing tests, reinforcing the potential military applications envisioned by the US Air Force Research Laboratory's rocket cargo program under a $102 million Pentagon contract. SpaceX has been studying point to point delivery using starship since 2021, with plans to move into a more advanced prototype phase next year. This capability could revolutionize logistics by reducing the time needed to deliver cargo across the world to a fraction of the current twelve to 24 hours required by traditional aircraft. As these plans unfold, it's clear that SpaceX is not just looking at the stars, but also at the future of international partnerships in space exploration. The coming months and years are sure to bring exciting developments as regulations are navigated and tested, setting the stage for SpaceX's growing presence in Australia and beyond. This could very well be the dawn of a new era in global space collaboration with SpaceX leading the charge NASA's DaRt mission, which made headlines in 2022 when it successfully struck the asteroid dimorphos, has recently yielded some incredibly valuable findings. As you might remember, the Dart spacecraft was part of a planetary defense test aiming to see if a kinetic impact could alter the path of an asteroid. Well, in addition to proving that such a strategy can work, the mission has provided a wealth of scientific data that's helping us delve even deeper into the mysteries of near Earth asteroids. In the moments leading up to the impact, Dart captured high resolution images of dimorphos and its larger companion Didymos these images have been critical for scientists trying to piece together the complex history of these two fascinating celestial bodies. The craters and surface features on Didymos suggest it formed about 12.5 million years ago, likely in our solar systems main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, before being knocked into the inner solar system. Dimorphos, on the other hand, appears to be much younger, clocking in at around 300,000 years old. Both asteroids are what scientists call rubble pile structures, meaning they're composed of rocky fragments that have coalesced under gravitational forces. This type of formation generally results from the catastrophic breakup of a parent asteroid. Detailed analyses of the largest boulders on both dimorphos and didymos indicate they couldn't have formed from surface impacts. As such, collisions would have destroyed these bodies, rather than creating massive boulders. Leading this fascinating research is astronomer Maurizio Pajola from Italy's National Institute for Astrophysics. Paiola explains that the surface of these asteroids is covered with boulders, with the largest on dimorphos being as big as a school bus and the largest on didymos, comparable to a soccer field. The rocks on Dimorphos even show signs of cracks, and didymos might have finer grained soils at its equator, though that's still up for debate based on current imagery. Interestingly, the researchers also discovered that Dimorphos likely formed from material ejected from didymoss equatorial region caused by its rapid rotation, an effect known as the Yorp effect, which is driven by sunlight. This past rapid spin caused didymos to eject mass, some of which coalesced to form dimorphose. NASA's Dart mission marks a significant milestone in our understanding of binary asteroid systems, where a primary asteroid is orbited by a smaller moonlet. These systems represent about ten to 15% of all near Earth asteroids, so learning more about them is crucial. According to Olivier Barneuin, a planetary geologist at Johns Hopkins University. Every new observation helps us understand how these cosmic rocks form and evolve. Despite their complexities. Smaller asteroids under a kilometer in size share surprisingly similar characteristics, making each new data point invaluable. The DART mission didn't just strike dimorphos. It slightly altered the asteroid's trajectory, proving that kinetic force can indeed change the course of a potential Earth threatening object. This finding has massive implications for planetary defense strategies going forward. So that's a wrap on the latest insights from NASA's Dart mission. It's amazing to think about how much we're learning, not just about these specific asteroids, but about the larger patterns and processes that govern near Earth objects. As always, space offers us endless opportunities for discovery, and it's thrilling to see these small steps leading to giant leaps in our understanding.

United Launch alliance successfully launches top secret payload for US Space Force

And now, a follow up from our story yesterday. The United Launch alliance, or ULA, has achieved a significant milestone by successfully launching a top secret payload for the US Space Force. This mission was carried out using the trusted Atlas V rocket, lifting off successfully from launch Complex 41 in Florida on Tuesday morning EDT. It's worth noting that this launch represents the 100th National Security Mission for ULA, a testament to their longstanding partnership with the us government and their expertise in space missions that are crucial to national defense. However, this mission is particularly notable for another reason. It marks the final national security mission for the Atlas V rocket. The Atlas V has been a reliable workhorse for ULA, playing a pivotal role in numerous critical missions over the years. Now, as the Atlas V prepares for retirement, ULA is shifting its focus to the next generation of launch vehicles, specifically their Vulcan rocket. The Vulcan is set to take over and continue providing the same level of reliability and performance that its predecessor, the Atlas V, has delivered. As is often the case with national security payloads, specific details about the cargo remain classified. The secrecy surrounding the payload underscores the importance and sensitivity of the mission. Despite this veil of confidentiality, the successful launch highlights ULA's reputation for dependability and precision in executing complex missions. Colonel Jim Horne, the senior material leader of the launch execution Delta, expressed a mix of emotions about the transition. He reminisced about the first national security launch involving an Atlas V and the journey to this final mission. It's indeed a bittersweet moment for everyone involved, as they say goodbye to a rocket that has served them well and look forward to the future with the Vulcan. So while we might not know exactly what was aboard the Atlas V this time, the mission's success certainly adds another impressive chapter to ULa's storied history. It also sets the stage for an exciting new era with the Vulcan rocket poised to continue ULA's legacy of excellence in space launch services.

NASA is prepping for a repair mission on the Nicer telescope

In exciting news from the International Space Station, NASA is prepping for a repair mission on the Nicer telescope, an x ray observatory that has been delivering incredible science since its deployment in May C/2023.A3. NiceR sustained damage that created a light leak, letting unwanted sunlight interfere with its sensitive measurements. This issue hampered the telescope's ability to study the cosmos during the station's daylight hours, although nighttime observations remained unaffected. NASA's dedicated team has been hard at work diagnosing and preparing for this repair. It's remarkable that within a year, they were able to detect the issue, design a solution, and get everything prepped and ready for deployment. NiceR's repair kit, lovingly crafted by the expert team at NASA's Goddard Space Flight center, contains specialized patches designed to cover the damaged areas of the telescope's thermal shields. Located near the station's starboard solar array, Nicer's thermal shields are ultra thin and engineered to filter out various types of light while allowing x rays to pass through. These shields are crucial for Nicer's primary mission, to observe neutron stars and other x ray sources in space. Any damage to these shields compromises the telescope's ability to conduct its groundbreaking research. The repair operation will take place during an upcoming spacewalk. Astronauts will install these custom designed patches, each shaped like a piece of pie, to easily fit under the sunshades of the x ray concentrators. This ingenious design will block the intrusive sunlight and restore Nicer's capabilities. The patch materials include a mix of existing parts of the telescope and standard toolkits available on the ISS, showcasing NASA's innovative problem solving skills. What makes this even more special is that nicer wasn't originally designed to be serviced or repaired. It was installed robotically and remotely operated. So the team's ability to come up with a viable repair plan is a testament to their resourceful and expertise. With twelve patches available in the repair kit, the astronauts will have plenty of material to address all the significant areas of damage. The patches will be carried in a specially designed caddy during the spacewalk, ensuring they are easily accessible. This mission accomplishes more than just a fix. It marks the first time an x ray telescope in orbit will be serviced by astronauts. NICER joins an elite group of space observatories like the Hubble Space Telescope that have received on orbit repairs, further enhancing its legacy of scientific discovery. This repair is not just about fixing what's broken. It's about enabling NiCER to continue its invaluable research. The telescope provides unprecedented insights into the structure of neutron stars, measures mysterious fast radio bursts, and even observes comets and Earth's upper atmosphere. Steve Kenyon, nicer's mechanical lead at NASA's Goddard Space Flight center, voiced the collective enthusiasm, sharing how excited they are for the repairs to be completed and for nicer to return to its full potential. The mission's principal investigator, Keith Jendro, also praised the collaboration across various NASA centers and the space station program to make this repair possible. As we look forward to this repair mission, the successful patching of nicer will undoubtedly lead to more groundbreaking discoveries and enhance our understanding of some of the universe's most enigmatic phenomena. So stay tuned for updates on this extraordinary mission as nicer gears up to get back to doing what it does best, exploring the x ray universe and expanding our cosmic knowledge. Thank you for tuning in to this episode of Astronomy Daily. I'm Anna, and it was a pleasure to share these fascinating updates from the world of space and Astronomy with you. Don't forget to visit our website at astronomyDaily IO to sign up for our free Daily newsletter, catch up on the latest news, and listen to all our past episodes. Follow us on social media by searching for astroDailyPod on Facebook, X YouTubeMusic, and TikTok. Until next time, keep looking up stories.