Exploring the Cosmos Asteroid Donaldjohanson, Mercury’s Gem, and a Busy Launch Week

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Language: en

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hello and welcome to Astronomy Daily


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your daily dose of cosmic news and


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celestial happenings I'm Anna your guide


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through the cosmos Today we've got a


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stellar lineup of space stories that


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will take us from nearby asteroids to


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the mysteries of distant galaxies We'll


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explore NASA's Lucy spacecraft and its


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fascinating encounter with the uniquely


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shaped asteroid Donald Johansson Dive


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into the surprising discovery of a


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potential diamond layer inside Mercury


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And catch up on this week's busy launch


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schedule We'll also look at Amazon's


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Project Kyper as it prepares for a


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milestone launch and examine an


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ambitious plan to place satellites


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around the moon to detect radio signals


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from the universe's ancient dark ages So


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buckle up for a journey across our solar


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system and beyond as we explore the


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latest developments in space exploration


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and astronomical discovery Let's get


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started


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NASA's Lucy spacecraft has just


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completed its second asteroid encounter


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giving us an unprecedented view of


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asteroid Donald Johansson from


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approximately 600 miles away The images


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which started arriving on April 20th


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2025 have already revealed some


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fascinating details about this cosmic


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object that formed roughly 150 million


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years ago Scientists had previously


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observed large brightness variations


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from Donald Johansson over a 10-day


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period suggesting it might be an


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elongated body But when Lucy's first


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images came in they showed something


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even more intriguing What appears to be


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a contact binary essentially two smaller


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bodies that collided and stuck together


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What's particularly striking about


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Donald Johansson is the unusual shape of


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the narrow neck connecting its two loes


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Mission scientists describe it as


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looking like two nested ice cream cones


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This unique structure wasn't what the


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team expected and adds another puzzle


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piece to our understanding of how


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asteroids form and evolve Preliminary


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analysis from Lucy's Lori imager


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indicates Donald Johansson is larger


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than originally estimated about 5 m long


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and 2 m wide at its widest point The


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full asteroid wasn't initially visible


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in the highresolution images because


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it's actually larger than the imager


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field of view


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The team expects to download the


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complete data set over the coming week


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which should provide a more


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comprehensive picture of the asteroid


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shape Hal Levisan Lucy's principal


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investigator notes that asteroid Donald


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Johansson has strikingly complicated


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geology As we study the complex


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structures in detail they will reveal


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important information about the building


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blocks and collisional processes that


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form the planets in our solar system


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While Donald Johansson isn't a primary


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target for the Lucy mission this flyby


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served as a full dress rehearsal for


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future encounters The spacecraft


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conducted a series of dense observations


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to maximize data collection In addition


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to images Lucy's other scientific


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instruments the LRAL color imager and


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infrared spectrometer along with the


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Latas thermal infrared spectrometer


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collected data that will be analyzed in


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the coming weeks


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Lucy will spend most of the remainder of


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2025 traveling through the main asteroid


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belt before reaching its first main


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target the Jupiter Trojan asteroid


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Uripes in August 2027 The spacecraft's


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ultimate mission is to study these


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Trojan asteroids which orbit the sun in


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the same path as Jupiter and are


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considered time capsules from the early


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solar system As Tom Statatler program


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scientist for Lucy at NASA headquarters


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put it "These early images of Donald


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Johansson are again showing the


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tremendous capabilities of the Lucy


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spacecraft as an engine of discovery The


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potential to really open a new window


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into the history of our solar system


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when Lucy gets to the Trojan asteroids


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is


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immense." Let's get a little update on


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Mercury and a finding that might make


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the planet a lot more attractive to some


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people Mercury may be the closest planet


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to the sun and often overlooked in our


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cosmic neighborhood but scientists have


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recently discovered something truly


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dazzling about this scorched world New


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research suggests that Mercury may be


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hiding a diamond layer approximately 10


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miles thick beneath its surface This


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extraordinary finding comes from


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analyzing data collected by NASA's


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Messenger spacecraft which mapped


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Mercury in detail during its mission The


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spacecraft detected graphite patches


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scattered across Mercury's crust


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indicating the planet once had a magma


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ocean incredibly rich in carbon content


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higher than any other rocky world in our


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solar system When this ancient magma


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ocean cooled lighter carbon floated


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upward creating the dark graphite


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patches visible on the surface Meanwhile


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denser materials including carbon sank


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inward According to researchers from


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China and Belgium led by Dr Yangha Lynn


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this heavier carbon descended alongside


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sinking metal and recristallized into


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diamond under immense pressure To test


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this theory scientists recreated


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mercury's interior conditions in a


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laboratory They used a specialized press


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to squeeze synthetic mantel rock to 7


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gigapascals roughly seven times the


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pressure found at the bottom of the


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Mariana Trench while heating it to


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nearly


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3,600° F Their experiments confirmed


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that at Mercury's core mantle boundary


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with its unique pressure and temperature


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conditions carbon transforms from


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graphite into diamond These diamonds


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would theoretically form a sparkling


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shell up to 11 m thick around the


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planet's metallic core This diamond


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layer may also explain another Mercury


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mystery its surprisingly strong magnetic


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field For a planet only slightly wider


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than the continental United States


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Mercury maintains a robust magnetic


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field that requires heat to flow out of


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the core Diamond being an excellent


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thermal conductor would efficiently


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funnel this energy upward helping to


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maintain the magnetic dynamo that


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generates the field Unlike Earth Mars


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and Venus which lost most of their


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carbon to space or locked it in


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carbonates Mercury appears to have


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hoarded its carbon first as floating


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graphite and then as diamond sinking to


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great depths While we can't directly


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observe Mercury's interior the European


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Japanese Bey Columbo mission currently


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on route to the planet may provide


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confirmation when it arrives in 2030 Its


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instruments will refine gravity maps and


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look for twists in Mercury's magnetic


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field that could reveal the presence of


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this superconductive diamond layer This


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discovery isn't about finding gemstones


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for jewelry It's about understanding


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planetary evolution Carbon's behavior


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shapes a planet's heat flow crust


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composition and even its magnetic field


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By tracing carbon's journey through


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Mercury scientists can refine models


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that apply to worlds throughout our


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universe including those orbiting


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distant stars What initially appears as


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just a scorched ball of rock is


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revealing exotic physics and hidden


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secrets that are absolutely worth


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exploring


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further Time to take a look at this


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week's launch calendar This week is


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shaping up to be a busy one for space


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launches with missions taking off from


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around the globe Let's start with


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China's upcoming crude mission to their


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Tiangong space station On Thursday April


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24th the Chong Jang 2F rocket will lift


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off from the Jukuan satellite launch


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center carrying three tyonauts on the


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Shenho 20 mission This marks China's


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15th crude space flight and the ninth


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crew transportation mission to their


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space station While the three crew


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members were selected back in February


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China typically doesn't officially


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announce their names until about a day


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before launch The Shenha 20 crew will


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replace the current occupants of the


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station Song Ling Dong Kaiuji and Wong


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Haozi who have spent the past 6 months


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in orbit Once a formal handover ceremony


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is completed the Shenho 19 crew will


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return to Earth SpaceX is having a


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particularly active week with three


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Falcon 9 launches on their manifest The


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first is their third bandwagon ride


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share mission scheduled for Monday


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evening from Cape Canaveral Bandwagon


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missions carry multiple smaller


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satellites to mid-incclination low Earth


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orbits complementing SpaceX's


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transporter missions which primarily


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target sun-synchronous orbits Notable


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payloads on this flight include Vast's


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Haven Demo Technology Demonstrator


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weighing approximately 500 kg Atmas


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Space Cargo's Fenix 1 prototype re-entry


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capsule which will test an innovative


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inflatable heat shield and several Earth


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observation satellites from Hawkeye 360


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The Falcon 9 booster supporting this


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mission


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B90 will be making its third flight and


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is scheduled to return for a landing at


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Cape Canaveral's landing zone 2 SpaceX


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has two more Starlink launches planned


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later in the week One from Florida on


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Thursday evening carrying satellites for


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Starlink Group 6 74 and another from


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Vandenberg in California on Friday


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afternoon for Starlink Group 11 9 These


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launches continue the rapid expansion of


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SpaceX's internet mega constellation


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which now connects over 5 million users


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across 125 countries Meanwhile Firefly


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Aerospace is preparing to launch its


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Alpha rocket from Vandenberg Space Force


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Base on Sunday This mission playfully


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dubbed Message in a Booster will carry


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Loheed Martin's LM400 technology


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demonstration satellite This marks the


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sixth launch of Fireflyy's Alpha rocket


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and the second flight in a multilaunch


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agreement with Loheed Martin that could


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span up to 25 launches over the next 5


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years The LM400 is Lockheed's new


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midsize satellite bus designed for


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versatility It can accommodate various


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missions including remote sensing


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communications imaging and radar


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operations This Pathfinder mission will


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help prove the technology in orbit


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before it's used for customer missions


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All these launches underscore the


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growing cadence and diversity of space


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missions from crude flights and


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satellite deployments to technology


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demonstrations that push the boundaries


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of what's possible beyond


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Earth Speaking of launches after


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multiple delays we finally have a new


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launch date for Amazon's project Kyper


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Internet satellite constellation United


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Launch Alliance announced that the first


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batch of 27 operational Kyper satellites


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will lift off aboard an Atlas V rocket


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on April 28th at 700 p.m Eastern time


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from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station


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in Florida ULA has set aside a 2-hour


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launch window for this mission


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This launch designated Kyper 1 marks a


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significant milestone as the first of a


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planned 83 launches needed to deploy


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Amazon's ambitious broadband


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constellation The company aims to place


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more than 3,200 satellites in low Earth


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orbit to provide global high-speed


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internet coverage These satellites


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aren't Amazon's first space hardware The


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company successfully launched two


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prototype Kyper satellites last year to


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validate the technology and pave the way


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for this operational fleet The upcoming


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mission will utilize ULA's Atlas V


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rocket in its most powerful 551


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configuration featuring five solid


00:11:14.959 --> 00:11:17.269
rocket boosters This launch also


00:11:17.279 --> 00:11:19.430
represents a historic moment for ULA as


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it marks the 250th flight of a Centaur


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upper stage a top an Atlas rocket The


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launch was originally scheduled for


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early April but was postponed due to


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unfavorable weather conditions When


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asked about subsequent delays ULA CEO


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Tory Bruno simply cited range


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availability as the limiting factor


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suggesting congestion in the Eastern


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Range launch schedule managed by the US


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Space Force While Amazon has contracted


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ULA for seven more Kyper missions on


00:11:47.519 --> 00:11:49.590
Atlas V rockets the company is


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diversifying its launch providers for


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the remainder of its constellation


00:11:53.519 --> 00:11:55.269
Future Kyper satellites will ride on


00:11:55.279 --> 00:11:58.389
ULA's newer Vulcan Centaur rocket Aryan


00:11:58.399 --> 00:12:01.829
Space's Arani 6 Blue Origin's New Glenn


00:12:01.839 --> 00:12:04.790
and even SpaceX's Falcon 9 Despite


00:12:04.800 --> 00:12:06.550
SpaceX being a direct competitor with


00:12:06.560 --> 00:12:08.670
its own Starlink internet


00:12:08.680 --> 00:12:11.110
constellation Amazon's Kyper satellites


00:12:11.120 --> 00:12:12.470
will operate at slightly higher


00:12:12.480 --> 00:12:14.790
altitudes than Starlink With the fleet


00:12:14.800 --> 00:12:17.430
distributed across 98 orbital planes in


00:12:17.440 --> 00:12:21.990
three layers at altitudes of 590 610 and


00:12:22.000 --> 00:12:25.350
630 km this launch begins a new chapter


00:12:25.360 --> 00:12:27.670
not just for Amazon but for the growing


00:12:27.680 --> 00:12:29.750
commercial space industry as competition


00:12:29.760 --> 00:12:31.350
in the satellite internet market


00:12:31.360 --> 00:12:33.750
continues to heat up


00:12:33.760 --> 00:12:35.310
Finally for


00:12:35.320 --> 00:12:37.829
today in an exciting development for


00:12:37.839 --> 00:12:40.310
lunar exploration and cosmology the


00:12:40.320 --> 00:12:42.230
Italian space agency has selected


00:12:42.240 --> 00:12:44.710
European company Blue Skies Space to


00:12:44.720 --> 00:12:46.710
build a revolutionary satellite fleet


00:12:46.720 --> 00:12:49.509
that will orbit the moon The project


00:12:49.519 --> 00:12:51.670
named Radol Luna will be developed in


00:12:51.680 --> 00:12:54.230
partnership with OB Italia and aims to


00:12:54.240 --> 00:12:56.150
use the unique radio environment of the


00:12:56.160 --> 00:12:58.550
lunar far side to detect signals from


00:12:58.560 --> 00:13:00.150
the early universe that are impossible


00:13:00.160 --> 00:13:02.550
to capture from Earth The mission


00:13:02.560 --> 00:13:04.310
targets what astronomers call the dark


00:13:04.320 --> 00:13:06.710
ages of the universe the period before


00:13:06.720 --> 00:13:09.030
the first stars formed when the cosmos


00:13:09.040 --> 00:13:11.750
was filled with neutral hydrogen gas


00:13:11.760 --> 00:13:13.430
These ancient radio signals hold


00:13:13.440 --> 00:13:14.870
valuable information about the


00:13:14.880 --> 00:13:16.949
universe's earliest structure But


00:13:16.959 --> 00:13:19.110
they're exceptionally faint and


00:13:19.120 --> 00:13:21.269
difficult to detect amid Earth's


00:13:21.279 --> 00:13:23.310
cacophony of humanmade radio


00:13:23.320 --> 00:13:25.590
interference The far side of the moon


00:13:25.600 --> 00:13:28.230
offers a perfect radio quiet zone


00:13:28.240 --> 00:13:30.150
shielded from Earth's electromagnetic


00:13:30.160 --> 00:13:32.949
noise If successful Radol Luna's small


00:13:32.959 --> 00:13:34.710
satellite constellation could provide


00:13:34.720 --> 00:13:36.470
unprecedented insights into the


00:13:36.480 --> 00:13:38.949
universe's formative period essentially


00:13:38.959 --> 00:13:41.910
creating a map of cosmic dawn "We are


00:13:41.920 --> 00:13:43.990
grateful to the Italian Space Agency for


00:13:44.000 --> 00:13:45.829
funding this activity with our project


00:13:45.839 --> 00:13:49.430
partner OB Italia to explore novel ways


00:13:49.440 --> 00:13:51.990
of delivering exciting science," said


00:13:52.000 --> 00:13:55.269
Marcel Tesseni Blue Sky co-founder and


00:13:55.279 --> 00:13:58.470
CEO He noted that the project aligns


00:13:58.480 --> 00:14:00.389
with broader international efforts to


00:14:00.399 --> 00:14:02.069
develop lunar infrastructure through


00:14:02.079 --> 00:14:04.670
programs like ISA moonlight and NASA


00:14:04.680 --> 00:14:06.870
Artemis What makes radio luna


00:14:06.880 --> 00:14:08.629
particularly innovative is its approach


00:14:08.639 --> 00:14:11.110
to spacecraft design Rather than


00:14:11.120 --> 00:14:13.670
building expensive custom satellites the


00:14:13.680 --> 00:14:15.829
network will utilize small cubats


00:14:15.839 --> 00:14:17.949
equipped with commercial off-the-shelf


00:14:17.959 --> 00:14:20.389
components This strategy emphasizes


00:14:20.399 --> 00:14:22.389
simplicity and cost effectiveness


00:14:22.399 --> 00:14:23.990
potentially creating a template for


00:14:24.000 --> 00:14:26.310
future scientific missions


00:14:26.320 --> 00:14:29.350
Roberto Aseti managing director at OB


00:14:29.360 --> 00:14:32.310
Italia described the project as a


00:14:32.320 --> 00:14:34.069
challenge where scientific ambition


00:14:34.079 --> 00:14:36.150
meets engineering pragmatism


00:14:36.160 --> 00:14:38.069
highlighting their pride in contributing


00:14:38.079 --> 00:14:40.550
to an observatory that could open new


00:14:40.560 --> 00:14:42.389
frontiers in our understanding of the


00:14:42.399 --> 00:14:45.189
early universe While details on funding


00:14:45.199 --> 00:14:46.910
and launch timelines haven't been


00:14:46.920 --> 00:14:49.350
disclosed Radio Luna represents an


00:14:49.360 --> 00:14:51.269
intriguing example of how the burgeoning


00:14:51.279 --> 00:14:53.509
lunar economy might support fundamental


00:14:53.519 --> 00:14:56.230
scientific research By leveraging the


00:14:56.240 --> 00:14:57.870
unique properties of the lunar


00:14:57.880 --> 00:15:00.389
environment these small satellites could


00:15:00.399 --> 00:15:01.990
help unlock some of the biggest


00:15:02.000 --> 00:15:04.590
mysteries about our cosmic


00:15:04.600 --> 00:15:06.870
origins And that brings us to a close


00:15:06.880 --> 00:15:09.030
for this episode What an incredible


00:15:09.040 --> 00:15:10.949
journey through space we've had today


00:15:10.959 --> 00:15:12.710
From Lucy's close encounter with the


00:15:12.720 --> 00:15:15.590
oddly shaped asteroid Donald Johansson


00:15:15.600 --> 00:15:17.990
to the stunning possibility of a diamond


00:15:18.000 --> 00:15:20.550
layer deep within Mercury we've explored


00:15:20.560 --> 00:15:22.389
the packed launch schedule ahead with


00:15:22.399 --> 00:15:24.230
China sending tyonauts to their space


00:15:24.240 --> 00:15:27.350
station SpaceX's multiple missions and


00:15:27.360 --> 00:15:29.350
Firefly preparing for their technology


00:15:29.360 --> 00:15:31.910
demonstration flight We also learned


00:15:31.920 --> 00:15:34.310
about Amazon's Project Kyper finally


00:15:34.320 --> 00:15:36.150
getting its launch date after several


00:15:36.160 --> 00:15:39.269
delays with those first 27 internet


00:15:39.279 --> 00:15:41.430
satellites ready to begin building their


00:15:41.440 --> 00:15:44.150
orbital constellation And of course the


00:15:44.160 --> 00:15:46.550
fascinating Radio Luna project that aims


00:15:46.560 --> 00:15:48.870
to use the moon's far side as a quiet


00:15:48.880 --> 00:15:51.110
zone to listen for whispers from the


00:15:51.120 --> 00:15:53.430
universe's dark ages


00:15:53.440 --> 00:15:55.670
Space exploration continues to surprise


00:15:55.680 --> 00:15:58.150
and inspire us revealing new secrets


00:15:58.160 --> 00:15:59.990
about our solar system and beyond with


00:16:00.000 --> 00:16:02.710
each mission These discoveries not only


00:16:02.720 --> 00:16:05.030
expand our scientific knowledge but


00:16:05.040 --> 00:16:07.350
remind us of the incredible ingenuity of


00:16:07.360 --> 00:16:09.430
human exploration This has been


00:16:09.440 --> 00:16:11.829
Astronomy Daily with me Anna I want to


00:16:11.839 --> 00:16:13.670
thank you for joining me on this cosmic


00:16:13.680 --> 00:16:15.670
journey today If you're hungry for more


00:16:15.680 --> 00:16:17.910
space news visit our website at


00:16:17.920 --> 00:16:20.629
astronomydaily.io io where you can sign


00:16:20.639 --> 00:16:22.710
up for our free daily newsletter and


00:16:22.720 --> 00:16:24.389
catch up on all the latest space and


00:16:24.399 --> 00:16:26.470
astronomy news with our constantly


00:16:26.480 --> 00:16:28.949
updating news feed You'll also find all


00:16:28.959 --> 00:16:30.710
our back episodes there ready for your


00:16:30.720 --> 00:16:32.550
listening pleasure Don't forget to


00:16:32.560 --> 00:16:34.710
follow us on social media too Just


00:16:34.720 --> 00:16:37.870
search for Astro Daily Pod on Facebook X


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YouTube Music Instagram Tumblr and Tik


00:16:40.720 --> 00:16:43.430
Tok Until next time keep looking up at


00:16:43.440 --> 00:16:45.670
the stars and I'll see you for our next


00:16:45.680 --> 00:16:49.790
exploration of the cosmos Sunny


00:16:49.800 --> 00:16:57.790
day stories


00:16:57.800 --> 00:17:01.020
told stories


00:17:01.030 --> 00:17:05.710
[Music]


00:17:05.720 --> 00:17:09.439
told stories