S03E62: Starling's Success & Galactic Energy's Sea Launch: Autonomous Swarms and Oceanic Rocketry

Welcome to Astronomy Daily, the podcast bringing you the latest space news

Anna: Welcome to Astronomy Daily, the podcast where we bring you the latest and most fascinating news from the world of space and astronomy. I'm your host, Anna, and today we've got a stellar lineup of topics to explore. We'll be looking at the impressive achievements of the starling spacecraft swarm, the groundbreaking sea based launch by galactic energy, and the much anticipated astronaut mission of Boeing's Starliner. But that's not all. We'll also dive into the latest advancements from innovative startups in South Australia's space ecosystem, explore 3d experiences from NASA's Chandra X ray observatory, and uncover the intriguing discovery of an asteroid's strange moon by NASA's Lucy mission.

The Starling spacecraft swarm has successfully completed its primary mission

Let's dive in the Astronomy Daily podcast the Starling spacecraft swarm has successfully completed its primary mission, representing a monumental advancement in the use of autonomous satellite swarms. After spending ten months in orbit, the Starling mission met its primary objectives, showcasing significant achievements in swarm capabilities. NASA's small spacecraft technology program at the Ames Research center has been at the forefront of this groundbreaking endeavor. One of the key highlights of the mission was the distributed spacecraft autonomy experiment. This experiment allowed the swarm to optimize data collection and share observational tasks, effectively distributing the workload among each spacecraft by analyzing Earth's ionosphere, the Cubesats reached a consensus on phenomena, deserving further study, demonstrating a new level of efficiency and autonomy in space. Another critical success was the mobile ad hoc network, or Monet, which facilitated robust communication between the swarm members. This network enabled commands and data to be relayed seamlessly even if a spacecraft experienced communication issues with the ground. Furthermore, the Starling formation flying optical experiment, or Star Fox, successfully navigated and identified other swarm members and space debris using Star trackers. This innovative navigation system was a first in demonstrating how multiple spacecraft can operate cohesively, sharing observations to improve the accuracy of their orbits. The mission also featured the reconfiguration and orbit maintenance experiments onboard system, or Romeo, which showcased autonomous planning and execution of orbital maneuvers. This capability is crucial for future large scale satellite swarms, aiming to streamline operations and minimize human intervention. As the primary mission closes, Starling is gearing up for a mission extension known as Starling 1.5, which will explore space traffic coordination in collaboration with SpaceX's Starlink constellation. This mission represents a significant step towards understanding and managing the growing number of operational spacecraft in space. Galactic Energy, a private rocket maker based in Beijing, has successfully completed its second sea based launch mission using its series one carrier rocket. This mission took place in the Yellow Sea off the eastern province of Shandong and successfully deployed four satellites into orbit approximately 850 km above Earth. The satellites, built by Guodian Gauch, are part of the Tianki network and are set to collect data for the Internet of things. Sea based launches like this one offer several advantages over traditional land based launches, with lower risks of causing trouble in densely populated areas along the rockets trajectory. Sea based missions also allow rockets to be launched nearer to the equator. This proximity increases the rocket's carrying capacity, reduces launch costs, and extends the lifespan of some satellites. Galactic energy with twelve successful orbital launches using the series, one has surpassed other private competitors in China's burgeoning space industry, demonstrating significant capabilities and advancements in the realm of private spaceflight.

After overcoming a series of technical hurdles, Boeing's Starliner capsule is finally set for launch

After overcoming a series of technical hurdles, Boeing's Starliner capsule is finally set for its first astronaut launch. This mission, scheduled for June 1, marks a significant milestone for Boeing as they prepare to send NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and SUNY Williams to the International Space Station ISS for a week long stay. Following a comprehensive flight readiness review. On May 29, Boeing, NASA and United Launch alliance teams confirmed the launch readiness of all systems and facilities required for this critical test flight, known as the crew flight test. Initially targeted for May 6, the launch faced delays due to a misbehaving valve in the Atlas V rockets upper stage and a subsequent helium leak in Starliner's service module. Despite these challenges, the teams have worked diligently to address and resolve each issue, ensuring mission success. The Starliner capsule will be launched atop a ULA Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force station in Florida. CFT represents Starliner's third test flight overall, with the first two being uncrewed missions in December 2019 and May 2022. The success of this mission will pave the way for Boeing to provide NASA with an additional option for crew transportation to and from the ISS alongside SpaceX. With all systems go, Butch Wilmore and SUNY Williams are eager to embark on this historic mission, taking a significant step forward in commercial space flight, joining South Australia's venture catalyst space program. Four innovative startups from around the globe are, uh, set to revolutionize the space industry. Since its inception in 2018, the initiative has supported 36 startups, helping them secure $31 million in investments and grants and create over 220 space jobs. Craig Jones, UNSA deputy director, business incubation, expressed his excitement over this year's participants, highlighting the program's role in fostering cutting edge commercial space ventures. This year's cohort features local, interstate and international companies. Among them is Adelaide based KC research and solutions, which aims to enable mobile insulin production in space, reducing costs and transport needs both on earth and beyond. Rapid beam from Victoria is developing scalable satellite communications terminals to enhance data capture and delivery. Zarfire from Tokyo focuses on satellite imagery analysis for wildfire detection, with potential applications in deforestation monitoring and carbon credit assessments. Lastly, honest cryogenics from India is working on carbon fiber reinforced plastic fuel tanks for spacecraft and launch vehicles. The venture catalyst space program, delivered by the University of South Australia's Innovation and Collaboration center with support from the south australian government, continues to exemplify South Australia's commitment to space innovation and economic growth. NASA's Chandra X ray observatory is taking its extraordinary discoveries to a new dimension. Quite literally, as part of its 25th anniversary celebrations, Chandra has introduced special 3d experiences on Instagram. These augmented reality features let users virtually journey through space, offering an immersive encounter with celestial objects like the remnants of exploded stars. These new experiences are built from 3d models derived from data captured by Chandra and other telescopes. Enhanced through augmented reality to bring space down to earth, this innovative approach offers a tactile way for people to engage with cosmic data, making far off astronomical phenomena accessible right from their phones. The collection of new filters includes spectacular objects such as the tycho supernova remnant, the Velopulsar, and the helix Nebula. Additionally, users can explore these astronomical wonders with added data sonifications, translating cosmic data into sound. Through this cutting edge technology, NASA aims to reach new audiences offering educational and visually stunning insights into the universe we inhabit. These 3d experiences are a testament to how advanced technology and scientific data can converge to offer educational and engaging content for those eager to explore these galactic marvels, the 3d features are available on Instagram, bringing the extraordinary rite to your fingertips. The Lucy mission has recently made an unexpected and intriguing discovery. The asteroid Dinkinesh has a moon. This is not just any moon. It is a contact binary, meaning it consists of two lobes almost equal in size. Dubbed Selam, this moon offers a wealth of new data about asteroid systems that scientists are eager to unravel. Dinkinesh and Ceylom's discovery was serendipitous as the Lucy mission was originally diverted to the asteroid to test the spacecraft's tracking systems on its way to Jupiter's Trojan asteroids. The close proximity flyby, however, revealed an intricate relationship between Dinkinesh and its moon. Fascinating researchers. The moon's unique binary nature, with its twin nodes aligned tidally, provides clues to its complex formation history, likely influenced by the Yorp effect. Understanding this unusual duo of Dinkinesh and salam could shed light on the formation and behavior of other small asteroid systems. The Lucy mission, now replete with this unexpected treasure trove of data, continues its journey, adding another layer to our understanding of the cosmos. Thank you for tuning in to this episode of Astronomy Daily. Im your host, Anna. Remember to visit our website at astronomydaily IO, where you can access all our back episodes. Sign up for our free daily newsletter and read the latest space in astronomy news in our constantly updating news feed, Astronomy Daily. 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