UK Space Milestone, NASA’s Rock and Roll Challenge, and Lessons from Lunar Trailblazer

WEBVTT

0
00:00:00.400 --> 00:00:03.080
Anna: Welcome to Astronomy Daily, your

1
00:00:03.080 --> 00:00:05.840
daily dive into the cosmos, where we bring

2
00:00:05.840 --> 00:00:08.760
you the latest and greatest from the world of space

3
00:00:08.760 --> 00:00:11.040
and astronomy. I'm Anna.

4
00:00:11.280 --> 00:00:14.200
Avery: And I'm Avery. We've got a packed show for you

5
00:00:14.200 --> 00:00:16.840
today, covering everything from the UK's first

6
00:00:16.840 --> 00:00:19.360
orbital launch license to a fascinating

7
00:00:19.360 --> 00:00:22.200
crowdsourcing challenge from NASA and a look

8
00:00:22.200 --> 00:00:24.000
at a very busy week in launches.

9
00:00:24.880 --> 00:00:27.720
Anna: Plus, we'll discuss the unfortunate end of a

10
00:00:27.720 --> 00:00:30.700
promising lunar mission. So buckle up, because

11
00:00:30.700 --> 00:00:32.740
we're heading out among the stars.

12
00:00:33.300 --> 00:00:36.180
Avery: First up, some big news from the UK space scene.

13
00:00:36.420 --> 00:00:39.220
British company Skyrora has officially

14
00:00:39.220 --> 00:00:42.140
secured the first ever launch license from the

15
00:00:42.140 --> 00:00:45.020
UK's Civil Aviation Authority. This is

16
00:00:45.020 --> 00:00:46.660
a huge milestone for them.

17
00:00:46.900 --> 00:00:49.660
Anna: It really is, Avery. They've been granted a

18
00:00:49.660 --> 00:00:52.220
license for up to 16 launches of their

19
00:00:52.220 --> 00:00:55.020
Skylark L suborbital rocket from

20
00:00:55.020 --> 00:00:57.060
Saxavoord spaceport in Scotland.

21
00:00:57.690 --> 00:01:00.250
Skylark L is an 11 meter rocket

22
00:01:00.410 --> 00:01:03.370
capable of carrying a 50 kilogram payload.

23
00:01:04.090 --> 00:01:07.050
Avery: But there's a bit of a hitch, isn't there? Despite having

24
00:01:07.050 --> 00:01:09.650
the license and a rocket ready, they're facing

25
00:01:09.650 --> 00:01:12.650
delays due to a lack of available launch pads at

26
00:01:12.650 --> 00:01:15.370
Saxavoord, potentially pushing their first uk

27
00:01:15.450 --> 00:01:17.130
flight into 2026.

28
00:01:17.610 --> 00:01:20.530
Anna: That's right. Alan Thompson, Skyrora's

29
00:01:20.530 --> 00:01:23.330
head of government affairs, mentioned that they were told

30
00:01:23.330 --> 00:01:26.170
there's no longer availability at either of the pads

31
00:01:26.460 --> 00:01:29.170
and it's quite a setback after the long licensing

32
00:01:29.170 --> 00:01:29.490
process.

33
00:01:30.130 --> 00:01:32.890
Avery: And speaking of that process, Thompson noted

34
00:01:32.890 --> 00:01:35.770
it took longer than anticipated, but he understands

35
00:01:35.770 --> 00:01:38.730
it's an industry first and prioritizing getting it

36
00:01:38.730 --> 00:01:41.490
right over, doing it quickly, which makes

37
00:01:41.490 --> 00:01:42.690
sense, especially in space.

38
00:01:43.170 --> 00:01:45.730
Anna: Absolutely. This Skylark L

39
00:01:45.730 --> 00:01:48.530
rocket, while Suborbital, is designed to

40
00:01:48.530 --> 00:01:51.450
de risk technologies for their much larger

41
00:01:51.450 --> 00:01:54.300
Skyrora XL, which aims to put

42
00:01:54.300 --> 00:01:56.980
315kg into low earth

43
00:01:56.980 --> 00:01:59.860
orbit. They're already making good progress on, um, the

44
00:01:59.860 --> 00:02:02.820
XL stages, with integration tests planned

45
00:02:02.820 --> 00:02:03.540
for next year.

46
00:02:03.940 --> 00:02:06.860
Avery: It's interesting to see how these smaller suborbital

47
00:02:06.860 --> 00:02:09.540
flights serve as crucial testbeds for research.

48
00:02:09.940 --> 00:02:12.460
And Skyrora is also seeing rising demand for

49
00:02:12.460 --> 00:02:15.140
Skylarkail's ability to provide up to six

50
00:02:15.140 --> 00:02:17.980
minutes of microgravity for experiments at a

51
00:02:17.980 --> 00:02:20.910
fraction of the cost of an orbital mission. That's a nice

52
00:02:20.910 --> 00:02:22.230
secondary market, they found.

53
00:02:22.630 --> 00:02:25.550
Anna: It highlights the growing ecosystem around space

54
00:02:25.550 --> 00:02:28.550
launches beyond just putting satellites into orbit.

55
00:02:28.790 --> 00:02:31.790
But this pad availability issue at Saxavoord

56
00:02:31.790 --> 00:02:34.390
seems to be a recurring theme. Germany's

57
00:02:34.390 --> 00:02:37.030
rocket factory Augsburg, or rfa,

58
00:02:37.350 --> 00:02:40.230
also postponed their maiden flight due to a launch pad

59
00:02:40.230 --> 00:02:43.030
explosion. Scotland based Orbix

60
00:02:43.030 --> 00:02:45.990
is also aiming for a launch from Saxavoord this year,

61
00:02:46.520 --> 00:02:48.360
though, they're still awaiting a license.

62
00:02:48.920 --> 00:02:51.680
Avery: It sounds like Saxavoort is going to be quite the busy

63
00:02:51.680 --> 00:02:54.560
hub once those pads are available and the infrastructure is

64
00:02:54.560 --> 00:02:57.280
settled. Hopefully Skyrora can secure a

65
00:02:57.280 --> 00:03:00.240
spot soon and continue paving the way for the UK's

66
00:03:00.240 --> 00:03:01.480
domestic launch capabilities.

67
00:03:02.200 --> 00:03:04.680
Anna: Moving from future launches to the very recent

68
00:03:04.840 --> 00:03:07.600
past. What a week it's been for rocket

69
00:03:07.600 --> 00:03:09.960
launches. Avery, give us the rundown.

70
00:03:10.440 --> 00:03:13.200
Avery: It certainly has, Anna. Uh, we had a packed schedule,

71
00:03:13.200 --> 00:03:16.040
especially from the us, but let's start in. New Zealand

72
00:03:16.670 --> 00:03:19.670
Rocket Lab continued their impressive cadence with the launch of

73
00:03:19.670 --> 00:03:20.830
an Electron rocket.

74
00:03:21.070 --> 00:03:23.390
Anna: The Harvest Goddess Thrives mission.

75
00:03:23.470 --> 00:03:26.150
Avery: Right, that's the one. It successfully

76
00:03:26.150 --> 00:03:28.950
launched a, uh, 100 kilogram Earth observation

77
00:03:28.950 --> 00:03:31.230
satellite for a Japanese company called

78
00:03:31.230 --> 00:03:34.150
IQPS. This was Electron's

79
00:03:34.150 --> 00:03:36.750
11th mission of 2025 and its

80
00:03:36.830 --> 00:03:39.670
69th overall. A truly rapid launch

81
00:03:39.670 --> 00:03:40.190
cadence.

82
00:03:40.510 --> 00:03:43.470
Anna: That's an incredible pace for a small launch provider.

83
00:03:43.870 --> 00:03:46.790
Electron is known for its unique electric

84
00:03:46.790 --> 00:03:49.650
pump fed Rutherford, which are

85
00:03:49.650 --> 00:03:52.610
largely 3D printed. Very innovative

86
00:03:52.610 --> 00:03:55.370
design using carbon composite construction for its

87
00:03:55.370 --> 00:03:55.770
stages.

88
00:03:56.330 --> 00:03:59.330
Avery: Absolutely. And then, as expected, SpaceX

89
00:03:59.330 --> 00:04:02.330
had a busy week with four scheduled launches, three of

90
00:04:02.330 --> 00:04:05.330
which were successfully completed. They had two Starlink

91
00:04:05.330 --> 00:04:08.010
missions and one mission for Amazon's Project

92
00:04:08.010 --> 00:04:08.690
Kuiper.

93
00:04:08.690 --> 00:04:10.490
Anna: The Kuiper mission was significant.

94
00:04:11.130 --> 00:04:13.930
KF0UH2 carrying another

95
00:04:14.090 --> 00:04:16.810
24 Kuiper Internet satellites into low

96
00:04:16.810 --> 00:04:19.740
Earth orbit. The this was the second time a Falcon

97
00:04:19.740 --> 00:04:22.460
9 has launched per Project Kuiper, following

98
00:04:22.460 --> 00:04:24.300
an earlier Atlas V launch.

99
00:04:24.540 --> 00:04:26.060
Avery: That's right. The Booster

100
00:04:26.300 --> 00:04:29.260
B1091 was a new one,

101
00:04:29.500 --> 00:04:32.460
making its first flight and successfully landed

102
00:04:32.460 --> 00:04:35.260
on a drone ship. It just shows the

103
00:04:35.260 --> 00:04:37.620
continued scale and efficiency of

104
00:04:37.620 --> 00:04:40.380
SpaceX's operations with their reusable

105
00:04:40.460 --> 00:04:41.580
Falcon 9s.

106
00:04:42.140 --> 00:04:45.140
Anna: And the Starlink launches just keep coming. We

107
00:04:45.140 --> 00:04:47.900
had group 174 from Vandenberg

108
00:04:48.140 --> 00:04:51.120
putting 24 satellites into a Sun synchronous

109
00:04:51.120 --> 00:04:53.600
orbit, and group 1020 from Cape

110
00:04:53.600 --> 00:04:56.080
Canaveral with 28 satellites for

111
00:04:56.080 --> 00:04:58.280
insertion into low Earth orbit.

112
00:04:58.680 --> 00:05:01.520
Avery: What's notable there is the boosters being

113
00:05:01.520 --> 00:05:04.200
used. B1093 on the

114
00:05:04.200 --> 00:05:06.760
Vandenberg flight was on its

115
00:05:06.920 --> 00:05:08.920
fifth flight. And

116
00:05:09.080 --> 00:05:11.520
B1085 on the Cape

117
00:05:11.520 --> 00:05:14.360
Canaveral mission completed its 10th

118
00:05:14.360 --> 00:05:16.920
flight. That reusability is

119
00:05:16.920 --> 00:05:19.650
truly astounding and sets a new

120
00:05:19.650 --> 00:05:21.850
standard for operational efficiency.

121
00:05:22.250 --> 00:05:25.210
Anna: It really is. It demonstrates the maturity

122
00:05:25.210 --> 00:05:28.210
of their reusability program. And

123
00:05:28.210 --> 00:05:31.130
finally, a big one from United Launch Alliance.

124
00:05:31.130 --> 00:05:34.129
Their new Vulcan rocket had its first launch of

125
00:05:34.129 --> 00:05:36.770
2025, which was also its third

126
00:05:36.770 --> 00:05:37.690
mission in total.

127
00:05:38.330 --> 00:05:41.210
Avery: Indeed, the USSF1 uh06

128
00:05:41.210 --> 00:05:43.970
mission, which included a classified Space

129
00:05:43.970 --> 00:05:46.890
Force payload and a navigation technology

130
00:05:47.130 --> 00:05:49.880
demonstrator called NTS3.

131
00:05:50.680 --> 00:05:53.240
This was Vulcan's first US national

132
00:05:53.320 --> 00:05:55.720
security mission. An intricate

133
00:05:55.720 --> 00:05:58.280
marathon lasting over seven hours

134
00:05:58.520 --> 00:06:01.080
to deliver two satellites more than

135
00:06:01.080 --> 00:06:03.720
22,000 miles above

136
00:06:03.800 --> 00:06:04.280
Earth.

137
00:06:04.920 --> 00:06:07.760
Anna: Vulcan is ULA's answer to the heavy lift

138
00:06:07.760 --> 00:06:10.760
market. Powered by twin BE4

139
00:06:10.760 --> 00:06:13.480
main engines and in this mission's

140
00:06:13.480 --> 00:06:16.320
VC4S configuration for four

141
00:06:16.320 --> 00:06:18.960
side mounted GEM 63XL

142
00:06:18.960 --> 00:06:21.920
solid rocket boosters. It's exciting to see

143
00:06:21.920 --> 00:06:24.720
ULA ramping up operations with their

144
00:06:24.720 --> 00:06:26.000
new flagship rocket.

145
00:06:26.560 --> 00:06:29.400
Avery: A, uh, truly diverse week in space. From

146
00:06:29.400 --> 00:06:31.760
Earth observation to global

147
00:06:31.920 --> 00:06:34.880
Internet constellations and vital national

148
00:06:34.880 --> 00:06:37.600
security missions, the pace of launches

149
00:06:37.600 --> 00:06:40.560
just keeps accelerating, pushing the boundaries

150
00:06:40.560 --> 00:06:42.320
of what's possible in space.

151
00:06:43.480 --> 00:06:46.360
Now for something a bit different, but just

152
00:06:46.360 --> 00:06:49.200
as exciting. NASA is literally

153
00:06:49.200 --> 00:06:51.880
calling on the public to help design

154
00:06:51.960 --> 00:06:54.720
the wheels for their next generation

155
00:06:54.720 --> 00:06:55.960
of lunar vehicles.

156
00:06:56.680 --> 00:06:59.560
Anna: I love this. It's called the rock and roll

157
00:06:59.560 --> 00:07:02.480
challenge. And they're inviting engineers and innovators

158
00:07:02.480 --> 00:07:05.080
from around the world to develop a

159
00:07:05.080 --> 00:07:07.880
lightweight, flexible and long lasting

160
00:07:07.880 --> 00:07:10.360
wheel and tire system capable of

161
00:07:10.360 --> 00:07:12.440
navigating the moon's harsh terrain.

162
00:07:13.130 --> 00:07:16.010
Avery: The Moon's terrain is no joke. We're

163
00:07:16.010 --> 00:07:18.490
talking extreme temperatures, craters,

164
00:07:18.570 --> 00:07:21.330
boulders, steep inclines, and

165
00:07:21.330 --> 00:07:24.170
that super abrasive ultrafine dust

166
00:07:24.330 --> 00:07:27.050
called regolith. Traditional rigid

167
00:07:27.050 --> 00:07:29.810
wheels just won't cut it for the long duration

168
00:07:29.810 --> 00:07:32.330
Artemis missions NASA is planning. Especially

169
00:07:32.970 --> 00:07:34.170
at higher speeds.

170
00:07:34.570 --> 00:07:37.330
Anna: Exactly. They need something that can handle higher

171
00:07:37.330 --> 00:07:40.290
speeds and absorb impacts going

172
00:07:40.290 --> 00:07:43.290
beyond what current rover wheels can do. The

173
00:07:43.290 --> 00:07:45.750
goal is to support sustained surface

174
00:07:45.750 --> 00:07:48.270
operations and reliably transport

175
00:07:48.270 --> 00:07:51.110
payloads across the challenging lunar

176
00:07:51.110 --> 00:07:51.590
surface.

177
00:07:52.070 --> 00:07:54.430
Avery: And there's a real incentive for

178
00:07:54.430 --> 00:07:56.030
participants with up to

179
00:07:56.030 --> 00:07:58.710
$150,000 in prizes

180
00:07:58.870 --> 00:08:01.310
for the most promising designs that meet

181
00:08:01.310 --> 00:08:04.150
NASA's technical and performance criteria.

182
00:08:04.390 --> 00:08:06.390
This is a fantastic example of

183
00:08:06.390 --> 00:08:09.190
crowdsourcing, solving real world space

184
00:08:09.190 --> 00:08:10.310
technology problems.

185
00:08:10.860 --> 00:08:13.820
Anna: We've seen NASA do this successfully before with things like

186
00:08:13.820 --> 00:08:16.820
space food and radiation shielding. It really

187
00:08:16.820 --> 00:08:18.860
taps into global ingenuity.

188
00:08:19.260 --> 00:08:22.060
Submissions for detailed concepts for wheel tire

189
00:08:22.060 --> 00:08:25.020
assemblies are due later this year. And they

190
00:08:25.020 --> 00:08:26.940
need to prioritize durability,

191
00:08:27.500 --> 00:08:29.820
flexibility, low mass and

192
00:08:29.900 --> 00:08:31.460
resistance to lunar dust.

193
00:08:31.460 --> 00:08:34.380
Avery: Infiltration and minimal maintenance,

194
00:08:34.380 --> 00:08:37.300
which is crucial when you're operating on

195
00:08:37.300 --> 00:08:40.070
the moon. Finalists will even get a

196
00:08:40.070 --> 00:08:42.470
chance to test their designs in

197
00:08:42.470 --> 00:08:44.990
simulated lunar environments next year,

198
00:08:45.390 --> 00:08:48.030
mounting them to NASA's microchariat

199
00:08:48.110 --> 00:08:51.070
ground test unit and testing them up

200
00:08:51.070 --> 00:08:53.070
to 15 miles per hour.

201
00:08:53.550 --> 00:08:56.270
Anna: That's incredible. Imagine your design

202
00:08:56.270 --> 00:08:58.830
being integrated into future lunar rovers

203
00:08:59.230 --> 00:09:01.910
or even influencing designs for Mars and

204
00:09:01.910 --> 00:09:04.550
beyond. These next gen wheels will be

205
00:09:04.550 --> 00:09:07.180
essential for everything from lightweight

206
00:09:07.180 --> 00:09:10.060
transport vehicles, ferrying astronauts and supplies

207
00:09:10.220 --> 00:09:12.980
to robotic rovers, cargo haulers,

208
00:09:12.980 --> 00:09:15.860
autonomous construction vehicles, and specialized

209
00:09:15.860 --> 00:09:17.500
equipment like lunar drills.

210
00:09:18.060 --> 00:09:20.780
Avery: As NASA pushes forward with its Artemis

211
00:09:20.780 --> 00:09:23.580
missions, aiming to return humans to the moon

212
00:09:23.580 --> 00:09:26.540
and establish a sustainable presence by the end of

213
00:09:26.540 --> 00:09:29.420
the decade, reliable mobility systems

214
00:09:29.420 --> 00:09:32.380
are absolutely critical. This challenge

215
00:09:32.380 --> 00:09:34.540
is a direct response to that need.

216
00:09:35.280 --> 00:09:37.800
Anna: It's inspiring to think that everyday

217
00:09:37.800 --> 00:09:40.800
innovators could contribute to humanity's return

218
00:09:40.880 --> 00:09:43.560
to the moon. Over 150

219
00:09:43.560 --> 00:09:46.440
innovators have already signed up to participate in

220
00:09:46.440 --> 00:09:49.360
the challenge, which really shows the enthusiasm for

221
00:09:49.360 --> 00:09:51.840
these kinds of open innovation initiatives.

222
00:09:52.400 --> 00:09:55.400
If you'd like to get involved and find out more, I'll

223
00:09:55.400 --> 00:09:58.280
leave a link in the show notes for you. But wouldn't

224
00:09:58.280 --> 00:10:00.840
it be cool if an Astronomy Daily

225
00:10:00.840 --> 00:10:02.400
listener won the competition?

226
00:10:03.510 --> 00:10:06.510
Now for a more somber note. NASA's

227
00:10:06.510 --> 00:10:09.350
Lunar Trailblazer mission unfortunately

228
00:10:09.430 --> 00:10:12.230
has officially ended without achieving its

229
00:10:12.230 --> 00:10:13.510
primary science goals.

230
00:10:14.150 --> 00:10:16.790
Avery: Yes, it's really disappointing news.

231
00:10:17.110 --> 00:10:19.790
The small satellite was designed to produce

232
00:10:19.790 --> 00:10:22.750
high resolution maps of water on the Moon's

233
00:10:22.750 --> 00:10:25.670
surface, where it is, what form it's in,

234
00:10:25.670 --> 00:10:28.590
and how it changes over time. This

235
00:10:28.590 --> 00:10:30.990
data would have been invaluable for future

236
00:10:30.990 --> 00:10:33.430
robotic and human exploration of the moon.

237
00:10:33.910 --> 00:10:36.710
Anna: The mission launched on February 26,

238
00:10:36.950 --> 00:10:39.570
sharing a ride on the second intuitive

239
00:10:39.690 --> 00:10:42.470
machine's robotic lunar lander mission

240
00:10:42.630 --> 00:10:45.630
IM2 aboard a SpaceX Falcon

241
00:10:45.630 --> 00:10:48.550
9 rocket. They established communications

242
00:10:48.710 --> 00:10:51.510
shortly after separation, about 48

243
00:10:51.510 --> 00:10:54.230
minutes after launch, but then lost

244
00:10:54.310 --> 00:10:57.220
contact the very next day on February

245
00:10:57.220 --> 00:10:58.020
27th.

246
00:10:58.580 --> 00:11:01.300
Avery: And despite extensive efforts, including

247
00:11:01.460 --> 00:11:04.340
help from collaborating organizations around the world

248
00:11:04.580 --> 00:11:07.460
who volunteered their assistance to listen for its

249
00:11:07.460 --> 00:11:10.380
radio signal and track its position, they were

250
00:11:10.380 --> 00:11:13.380
unable to re establish two way communications.

251
00:11:13.940 --> 00:11:16.940
Anna: The limited data they did receive indicated

252
00:11:16.940 --> 00:11:19.500
the spacecraft's solar arrays weren't

253
00:11:19.500 --> 00:11:22.260
properly oriented towards the sun, causing

254
00:11:22.260 --> 00:11:25.200
its batteries to become depleted. Ground

255
00:11:25.200 --> 00:11:27.240
radar and optical observations

256
00:11:27.560 --> 00:11:30.520
indicated Lunar Trailblazer was in a slow

257
00:11:30.520 --> 00:11:33.320
spin as it headed farther into deep space.

258
00:11:33.960 --> 00:11:36.920
Avery: Nikki Fox, Associate administrator for the

259
00:11:36.920 --> 00:11:39.880
Science Mission Directorate at uh, NASA Headquarters,

260
00:11:40.200 --> 00:11:42.920
noted that NASA undertakes high risk,

261
00:11:43.080 --> 00:11:46.040
high reward missions like Lunar Trailblazer

262
00:11:46.120 --> 00:11:49.080
to find revolutionary waves of doing new science.

263
00:11:49.480 --> 00:11:52.280
Anna: It underscores the inherent risks in

264
00:11:52.280 --> 00:11:54.990
space exploration, especially with these

265
00:11:54.990 --> 00:11:57.710
lower cost small satellite missions

266
00:11:57.790 --> 00:12:00.710
like Lunar Trailblazer, which was part of

267
00:12:00.710 --> 00:12:03.390
NASA's Simple X competition. They

268
00:12:03.390 --> 00:12:06.110
accept a higher risk posture to test

269
00:12:06.270 --> 00:12:08.510
pioneering approaches which

270
00:12:08.590 --> 00:12:11.230
sometimes sadly don't pay off.

271
00:12:11.790 --> 00:12:14.350
Avery: It's a, uh, tough lesson, but as NASA

272
00:12:14.350 --> 00:12:17.350
emphasizes, the knowledge gained from a mission

273
00:12:17.350 --> 00:12:20.220
like this, even in failure, helps reduce risk

274
00:12:20.220 --> 00:12:23.140
for future endeavors. The team put in months

275
00:12:23.140 --> 00:12:26.020
of effort trying to regain contact, but

276
00:12:26.100 --> 00:12:28.260
eventually it drifted too far for its

277
00:12:28.260 --> 00:12:31.260
telecommunications signals to be strong enough to receive

278
00:12:31.260 --> 00:12:32.660
telemetry or command.

279
00:12:33.060 --> 00:12:35.820
Anna: While the mission didn't reach the moon. The two

280
00:12:35.820 --> 00:12:38.340
science instruments developed for it, like

281
00:12:38.340 --> 00:12:41.260
JPL's High Resolution Volatiles

282
00:12:41.260 --> 00:12:43.380
and Minerals Moon Mapper, or

283
00:12:43.380 --> 00:12:45.940
HVM3, and the University

284
00:12:46.100 --> 00:12:48.820
of Oxford's Lunar Thermal Mapper,

285
00:12:49.110 --> 00:12:51.340
uh, are world class. And that technology

286
00:12:51.660 --> 00:12:52.540
isn't lost.

287
00:12:53.100 --> 00:12:56.020
Avery: That's the silver lining, isn't it? Bethany Elman,

288
00:12:56.020 --> 00:12:58.780
the mission's principal investigator at Caltech,

289
00:12:59.020 --> 00:13:01.820
highlighted that the collective knowledge and developed

290
00:13:01.820 --> 00:13:04.180
technology will cross pollinate to other

291
00:13:04.180 --> 00:13:06.940
projects. In fact, an instrument with an

292
00:13:06.940 --> 00:13:09.100
identical spectrometer design to

293
00:13:09.100 --> 00:13:11.660
HVM3 called UCIS

294
00:13:11.820 --> 00:13:14.420
Moon has already been selected for a future

295
00:13:14.420 --> 00:13:16.060
lunar orbital flight opportunity.

296
00:13:16.730 --> 00:13:19.370
Anna: So while Lunar Trailblazer itself

297
00:13:19.450 --> 00:13:22.290
couldn't blaze its trail, its legacy

298
00:13:22.290 --> 00:13:25.130
will certainly contribute to our understanding of

299
00:13:25.130 --> 00:13:27.650
lunar water in the future. It's a

300
00:13:27.650 --> 00:13:30.650
testament to the perseverance of the scientific community

301
00:13:31.050 --> 00:13:32.490
in the face of setbacks.

302
00:13:32.890 --> 00:13:35.050
Avery: And that brings us to the end of another

303
00:13:35.210 --> 00:13:37.850
fascinating episode of Astronomy Daily.

304
00:13:38.250 --> 00:13:40.810
It's clear that whether it's challenges and launch

305
00:13:40.810 --> 00:13:43.630
infrastructure, the the sheer volume of rockets

306
00:13:43.630 --> 00:13:46.470
heading to space, or the ingenuity required

307
00:13:46.470 --> 00:13:49.430
for lunar exploration, the universe never

308
00:13:49.430 --> 00:13:50.750
ceases to amaze.

309
00:13:50.990 --> 00:13:53.990
Anna: It truly doesn't. From the UK's

310
00:13:53.990 --> 00:13:56.670
first launch license to crowdsourcing

311
00:13:56.670 --> 00:13:59.470
moonwheel designs, and the critical lessons

312
00:13:59.470 --> 00:14:02.430
learned from every mission, successful or

313
00:14:02.510 --> 00:14:04.790
otherwise, the journey of space

314
00:14:04.790 --> 00:14:07.470
exploration is always moving forward.

315
00:14:08.230 --> 00:14:11.070
Avery: Thanks for joining us for Astronomy Daily. We hope you

316
00:14:11.070 --> 00:14:13.350
enjoyed our look at the latest space news.

317
00:14:13.990 --> 00:14:16.990
Anna: Be sure to tune in tomorrow for more updates from

318
00:14:16.990 --> 00:14:19.950
beyond our world. Until then, keep looking

319
00:14:19.950 --> 00:14:20.310
up