Dec. 23, 2025

From Rocket Crashes to Cosmic Balances: Your Daily Space Update

From Rocket Crashes to Cosmic Balances: Your Daily Space Update
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From Rocket Crashes to Cosmic Balances: Your Daily Space Update

In this episode, we navigate through a range of significant stories impacting the space industry today. We begin with a setback for South Korea's Innospace, as their Hanbit Nano rocket tragically crashes just 30 seconds after liftoff from Brazil's Alcantara Space Center. While the company cited a vehicle abnormality, the incident raises questions about the challenges faced by emerging private space firms. Next, we take a fascinating journey back in time to explore a period when Earth's day lasted only 19 hours. New research reveals a unique balance between lunar and solar forces that maintained this rhythm for a billion years, potentially influencing the evolution of early life on our planet. As we shift our focus to the present, we discuss an exciting and busy launch schedule for the end of 2025, featuring missions from China, India, Russia, and SpaceX, highlighting the global nature of the space industry. We also address serious safety concerns surrounding Boeing's Starliner following its first crewed test flight. A NASA advisory panel has criticized the agency for not adequately recognizing the mission's issues, which led to astronauts being stranded on the ISS for nine months. Finally, we report on a major leadership change at United Launch Alliance, with CEO Tory Brian resigning after nearly 12 years, leaving behind a legacy tied to the development of the Vulcan Centaur rocket. Join us as we unpack these stories and more in this episode of Astronomy Daily!00:00 – **Today we'll cover some unfortunate news for South Korea's burgeoning space industry

00:31 – **South Korean company Innospace's first commercial orbital rocket crashed in Brazil

02:10 – **For about a billion years Earth's day flatlined at 19 hours

04:34 – **The last full week of 2025 is shaping up to be incredibly busy for space launches

06:18 – **NASA's Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel has come out with a pretty strong statement

09:49 – **Tory Bruno, president and CEO of United Launch alliance, has resigned

11:06 – **It's been another busy day in astronomy and spaceflight### Sources & Further Reading1. NASA (https://www.nasa.gov/) 2. SpaceX (https://www.spacex.com/) 3. United Launch Alliance (https://www.ula.com/) 4. Innospace (https://www.innospace.co.kr/) 5. Space.com (https://www.space.com/) ### Follow & ContactX/Twitter: @AstroDailyPodInstagram: @astrodailypodEmail: hello@astronomydaily.ioWebsite: astronomydaily.io (http://astronomydaily.io/) Clear skies and see you next time! 🌟


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Episode link: https://play.headliner.app/episode/30803978?utm_source=youtube

00:31 - South Korean company Innospace’s first commercial orbital rocket crashed in Brazil

02:10 - For about a billion years Earth’s day flatlined at 19 hours

04:34 - The last full week of 2025 is shaping up to be incredibly busy for space launches

06:18 - NASA’s Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel has come out with a pretty strong statement

09:49 - Tory Bruno, president and CEO of United Launch alliance, has resigned

WEBVTT
Kind: captions
Language: en

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Welcome to Astronomy Daily, the podcast


00:00:02.720 --> 00:00:04.789
that brings you the universe one story


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at a time. I'm Avery.


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>> And I'm Anna. Today, we'll be covering


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some unfortunate news for South Korea's


00:00:11.519 --> 00:00:14.150
burgeoning space industry, a look back


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billions of years to when Earth had a


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19-hour day, a very busy launch schedule


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to close out 2025, and some serious


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safety concerns over Boeing's


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Starlininer. And we'll cap things off


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with a major leadership shakeup at


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United Launch Alliance.


00:00:30.240 --> 00:00:32.310
>> A lot to get through. Let's start with


00:00:32.320 --> 00:00:34.470
that launch anomaly in Brazil. What


00:00:34.480 --> 00:00:36.630
happened with the Hanbit Nano rocket?


00:00:36.640 --> 00:00:38.549
>> It's a tough break for the South Korean


00:00:38.559 --> 00:00:41.190
company Inospace. Their first commercial


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orbital rocket, the Hanbit Nano,


00:00:43.680 --> 00:00:46.069
unfortunately crashed just 30 seconds


00:00:46.079 --> 00:00:48.310
after liftoff from the Alcantara Space


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Center in Brazil.


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>> Only 30 seconds. Wow. Do we know the


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cause? The company cited a vehicle


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abnormality, but they haven't released


00:00:57.440 --> 00:00:59.590
specific details yet. The important


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thing is that no one was hurt and there


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was no damage to the launch facility.


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>> That's certainly the silver lining. This


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was a significant launch for them,


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wasn't it? It had been delayed a few


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times already.


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>> Exactly. It was carrying five


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satellites, so this was a major


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milestone attempt. A successful first


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commercial launch would have been a huge


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step for South Korea's private space


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sector. Setbacks are part of the


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process, but this one definitely stings


00:01:24.479 --> 00:01:25.830
for Inospace,


00:01:25.840 --> 00:01:28.149
>> right? Failure is always an option in


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rocketry, especially on a debut flight.


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We'll be watching to see how they bounce


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back.


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>> Absolutely. And it highlights the


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immense challenge for smaller private


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companies trying to break into the


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orbital launch market. It's not just


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about building a rocket. It's about


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securing funding, navigating


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international regulations, and building


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a track record. the barrier to entry is


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still incredibly high.


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>> That's a great point. While companies


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like SpaceX make it look almost routine


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now, each successful launch is built on


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a mountain of data from both successes


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and failures. Hopefully, Innoace can


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analyze what went wrong and come back


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stronger. A competitive launch market is


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good for everyone.


00:02:09.039 --> 00:02:11.750
>> Definitely. Now, let's switch gears and


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go way, way back in time. Billions of


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years, in fact. Avery, did you know


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there was a period when Earth's day was


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stuck at just 19 hours long?


00:02:22.160 --> 00:02:24.470
>> Stuck? I know the day has been getting


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gradually longer as the moon moves away


00:02:26.480 --> 00:02:29.110
from us, but I've never heard of it just


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stopping.


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>> That's what's so fascinating. New


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research indicates that for about a


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billion years, from roughly 2 billion


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years to 1 billion years ago, the day


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length just flatlined at 19 hours.


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>> A billion years is not a short time.


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What could cause our planet's rotation


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to just pause its slowdown like that?


00:02:49.280 --> 00:02:51.750
>> It's a really cool celestial balancing


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act. We know the moon's gravity creates


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ocean tides that act like a break on


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Earth's rotation, slowing it down,


00:02:58.879 --> 00:03:00.550
>> right? The lunar tides.


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>> But the sun also creates tides not just


00:03:03.120 --> 00:03:05.750
in the ocean, but in the atmosphere. The


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sun heats the atmosphere, causing it to


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bulge. This atmospheric tide influenced


00:03:10.959 --> 00:03:13.670
by Earth's rotation actually pulls on


00:03:13.680 --> 00:03:15.990
the planet trying to speed it up.


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>> So you have the moon's gravity slowing


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us down and the sun's atmospheric heat


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speeding us up.


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>> Precisely. And during this specific


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billion-year period, the theory is that


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the two forces reached a perfect


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equilibrium. The atmospheric day was in


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resonance with the rotational day. The


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slowing effect from the lunar ocean


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tides was perfectly balanced by the


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speeding effect of the solar atmospheric


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tides.


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>> A tidal resonance. That's incredible.


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So, the Earth was in a state of cosmic


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tugofwar and for a billion years it was


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a perfect draw.


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>> Exactly. Eventually, other factors broke


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the resonance and the moon's influence


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won out again, continuing the slow


00:03:57.680 --> 00:03:59.990
lengthening of our day to the 24 hours


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we have now. It makes you think about


00:04:02.239 --> 00:04:04.149
all the delicate balances that have


00:04:04.159 --> 00:04:05.830
shaped our planet's history.


00:04:05.840 --> 00:04:08.070
>> Absolutely. Imagine what life might have


00:04:08.080 --> 00:04:10.070
been like with five extra hours of


00:04:10.080 --> 00:04:11.270
darkness each day.


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>> That's the big question researchers are


00:04:13.280 --> 00:04:16.150
exploring now. A consistent 19-hour


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dayight cycle could have provided a


00:04:18.160 --> 00:04:19.670
stable environment for early


00:04:19.680 --> 00:04:21.509
photosynthetic organisms like


00:04:21.519 --> 00:04:24.230
cyanobacteria to thrive. Some theories


00:04:24.240 --> 00:04:26.310
suggest this long period of stability


00:04:26.320 --> 00:04:28.150
might have been a crucial factor in the


00:04:28.160 --> 00:04:30.469
great oxidation event where oxygen


00:04:30.479 --> 00:04:32.550
levels in the atmosphere began to rise,


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paving the way for more complex life.


00:04:34.720 --> 00:04:36.550
>> Well, coming back to the present, things


00:04:36.560 --> 00:04:38.710
are anything but slow. The last full


00:04:38.720 --> 00:04:40.950
week of 2025 is shaping up to be


00:04:40.960 --> 00:04:43.110
incredibly busy for space launches.


00:04:43.120 --> 00:04:44.870
>> It seems like everyone is trying to get


00:04:44.880 --> 00:04:46.710
their last missions of the year off the


00:04:46.720 --> 00:04:48.469
ground. What's on the manifest?


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>> Well, we already discussed in a


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spaceac's attempt in China. CASC is


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expected to debut its brand new reusable


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Changang 12A rocket. That's a huge


00:04:58.160 --> 00:04:59.670
development for their reusable launch


00:04:59.680 --> 00:05:00.710
vehicle program.


00:05:00.720 --> 00:05:03.189
>> Mhm. A direct competitor to SpaceX's


00:05:03.199 --> 00:05:04.390
Falcon 9.


00:05:04.400 --> 00:05:07.029
>> Indeed. Then over in India, ISRO is


00:05:07.039 --> 00:05:09.590
launching a Bluebird Block 2 satellite.


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Russia has not one but two so use


00:05:11.919 --> 00:05:13.189
missions planned from different


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cosmodromes.


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>> A busy week for Ross Cosmos.


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>> And of course, you can't have a busy


00:05:18.080 --> 00:05:19.909
launch week without SpaceX. They're


00:05:19.919 --> 00:05:21.670
scheduled for their final Falcon 9


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mission of the year, launching the CSG3


00:05:24.320 --> 00:05:26.710
satellite for the Italian Space Agency.


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It's a real flurry of activity to end


00:05:28.560 --> 00:05:29.270
the year.


00:05:29.280 --> 00:05:31.270
>> It really shows how global the space


00:05:31.280 --> 00:05:33.590
industry has become. Launches from


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China, India, Russia, and the US, all


00:05:36.960 --> 00:05:39.029
within days of each other. It's an


00:05:39.039 --> 00:05:40.710
exciting time to be following space


00:05:40.720 --> 00:05:41.590
flight.


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>> That's for sure.


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>> It's worth noting the diversity of these


00:05:44.800 --> 00:05:47.189
missions, too. The Chinese launch is a


00:05:47.199 --> 00:05:49.749
technology demonstrator for reusability.


00:05:49.759 --> 00:05:51.510
The Indian mission is for Earth


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observation. The Russian launches are


00:05:53.759 --> 00:05:55.430
likely for government and commercial


00:05:55.440 --> 00:05:57.990
payloads. And the SpaceX mission is for


00:05:58.000 --> 00:05:59.990
an Italian radar reconnaissance


00:06:00.000 --> 00:06:02.870
satellite. It's a snapshot of the entire


00:06:02.880 --> 00:06:04.790
space ecosystem in action.


00:06:04.800 --> 00:06:06.629
>> And the logistical coordination is


00:06:06.639 --> 00:06:08.950
mind-boggling. You have range safety,


00:06:08.960 --> 00:06:11.110
air and sea traffic control, satellite


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tracking, and telemetry all happening


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concurrently across the globe. A


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fittingly chaotic end to a very busy


00:06:18.000 --> 00:06:19.029
year in space.


00:06:19.039 --> 00:06:21.029
>> Speaking of US space flight, let's turn


00:06:21.039 --> 00:06:22.870
to our next story on today's rundown,


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which is a bit more sobering. It's about


00:06:25.280 --> 00:06:27.270
Boeing Star Liner and the fallout from


00:06:27.280 --> 00:06:28.870
its first crude test flight.


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>> Yeah, that mission was eventful to say


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the least. What's the latest? Well,


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NASA's aerospace safety advisory panel


00:06:35.680 --> 00:06:37.270
has come out with a pretty strong


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statement. They've said that NASA should


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have taken the problems with Starlininer


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far more seriously as they were


00:06:42.800 --> 00:06:43.430
happening.


00:06:43.440 --> 00:06:45.350
>> Let's recap what those problems were.


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There were multiple helium leaks and


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failures with the maneuvering thrusters.


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Right.


00:06:49.360 --> 00:06:51.430
>> That's right. Five separate thruster


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failures during docking and multiple


00:06:53.280 --> 00:06:55.110
helium leaks that were discovered both


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before and during the mission. The


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panel's main point of contention is that


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NASA never officially declared an


00:07:01.280 --> 00:07:04.070
in-flight mishap or a high visibility


00:07:04.080 --> 00:07:05.110
close call.


00:07:05.120 --> 00:07:07.749
>> And not making that declaration has


00:07:07.759 --> 00:07:08.950
consequences.


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>> It does. According to the panel, this


00:07:11.280 --> 00:07:13.110
failure to officially recognize the


00:07:13.120 --> 00:07:15.270
severity of the issues led to an


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extended period of uncertainty. It put a


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lot of stress on the workforce at NASA


00:07:19.759 --> 00:07:20.950
and Boeing who were trying to


00:07:20.960 --> 00:07:23.110
troubleshoot these serious problems.


00:07:23.120 --> 00:07:24.710
without the formal structure and


00:07:24.720 --> 00:07:26.469
resources that come with a mishap


00:07:26.479 --> 00:07:27.350
declaration.


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>> So they were essentially trying to


00:07:28.880 --> 00:07:30.950
manage a crisis without being allowed to


00:07:30.960 --> 00:07:33.430
call it a crisis. That sounds incredibly


00:07:33.440 --> 00:07:34.150
difficult.


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>> Extremely. And the end result speaks for


00:07:36.720 --> 00:07:38.870
itself. The two astronauts, Butch


00:07:38.880 --> 00:07:40.870
Wilmore and Sunni Williams, ended up


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staying on the International Space


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Station for 9 months while engineers


00:07:44.960 --> 00:07:46.710
tried to figure out if Starlininer was


00:07:46.720 --> 00:07:47.990
safe to bring them home.


00:07:48.000 --> 00:07:50.629
>> And in the end, it wasn't. They came


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home on a SpaceX Dragon capsule.


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>> That's the crucial point. The


00:07:54.800 --> 00:07:57.029
Starlininer capsule had to return to


00:07:57.039 --> 00:07:59.830
Earth empty. Having your crew return on


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a competitor's spacecraft because your


00:08:02.080 --> 00:08:05.189
own was deemed unsafe is a massive blow


00:08:05.199 --> 00:08:07.670
to the program's credibility. The safety


00:08:07.680 --> 00:08:10.070
panel is basically saying that if NASA


00:08:10.080 --> 00:08:11.990
had been more forthright about the


00:08:12.000 --> 00:08:14.309
problems from the start, a lot of this


00:08:14.319 --> 00:08:16.869
prolonged uncertainty and stress could


00:08:16.879 --> 00:08:19.029
have been handled better. It's a tough


00:08:19.039 --> 00:08:20.869
lesson in transparency and risk


00:08:20.879 --> 00:08:23.110
management. You never want to see a


00:08:23.120 --> 00:08:25.110
situation where you have to rely on your


00:08:25.120 --> 00:08:27.350
backup transportation system for a crude


00:08:27.360 --> 00:08:29.830
mission. It really underscores the value


00:08:29.840 --> 00:08:32.149
of having redundant, reliable systems


00:08:32.159 --> 00:08:33.829
like SpaceX's Dragon.


00:08:33.839 --> 00:08:36.550
>> It absolutely does. There's a lot for


00:08:36.560 --> 00:08:39.029
both NASA and Boeing to learn from this


00:08:39.039 --> 00:08:41.190
incident before they even consider


00:08:41.200 --> 00:08:43.829
putting another crew on Starlininer.


00:08:43.839 --> 00:08:46.070
>> Absolutely. And the post-flight


00:08:46.080 --> 00:08:47.990
investigation is digging into the root


00:08:48.000 --> 00:08:50.550
causes. The helium leaks, for instance,


00:08:50.560 --> 00:08:52.710
seem to be related to seals that become


00:08:52.720 --> 00:08:55.269
brittle at extreme temperatures. But the


00:08:55.279 --> 00:08:57.910
thruster issue is more complex. It's a


00:08:57.920 --> 00:08:59.910
propulsion system that has seen numerous


00:08:59.920 --> 00:09:02.070
issues throughout its development. And


00:09:02.080 --> 00:09:03.750
the failures during this critical


00:09:03.760 --> 00:09:06.070
mission pointed to a potential systemic


00:09:06.080 --> 00:09:07.910
design flaw in the reaction control


00:09:07.920 --> 00:09:08.710
system.


00:09:08.720 --> 00:09:11.269
>> A systemic flaw is the last thing you


00:09:11.279 --> 00:09:13.590
want to hear about on a crude vehicle.


00:09:13.600 --> 00:09:15.829
So, what's the path forward for Boeing?


00:09:15.839 --> 00:09:18.230
Is the Starlininer program salvageable


00:09:18.240 --> 00:09:19.350
at this point?


00:09:19.360 --> 00:09:21.350
>> It's a tough road ahead. They will


00:09:21.360 --> 00:09:23.190
likely need a complete redesign and


00:09:23.200 --> 00:09:25.430
reertification of the propulsion system,


00:09:25.440 --> 00:09:27.670
which could take years and billions more


00:09:27.680 --> 00:09:30.470
dollars. NASA is committed to having two


00:09:30.480 --> 00:09:32.949
independent crew transportation systems,


00:09:32.959 --> 00:09:35.269
so they won't give up on Boeing easily.


00:09:35.279 --> 00:09:37.350
But the pressure is immense, and


00:09:37.360 --> 00:09:40.630
confidence both within NASA and publicly


00:09:40.640 --> 00:09:43.190
has been severely shaken. They have to


00:09:43.200 --> 00:09:45.750
prove beyond any doubt that Starlininer


00:09:45.760 --> 00:09:48.150
is safe before anyone else straps in for


00:09:48.160 --> 00:09:49.190
a ride.


00:09:49.200 --> 00:09:51.990
>> And for our final story today, we've got


00:09:52.000 --> 00:09:54.310
some big news from one of the titans of


00:09:54.320 --> 00:09:57.030
the launch industry. Tori Bruno, the


00:09:57.040 --> 00:09:59.829
longtime president and CEO of United


00:09:59.839 --> 00:10:02.070
Launch Alliance has resigned.


00:10:02.080 --> 00:10:04.630
>> That is big news. Bruno has been at the


00:10:04.640 --> 00:10:07.670
helm of ULA for nearly 12 years. He


00:10:07.680 --> 00:10:09.509
really guided the company, a joint


00:10:09.519 --> 00:10:11.990
venture between Boeing and Loheed Martin


00:10:12.000 --> 00:10:13.590
through one of its most challenging


00:10:13.600 --> 00:10:16.150
periods facing intense competition from


00:10:16.160 --> 00:10:17.990
newcomers like SpaceX.


00:10:18.000 --> 00:10:20.949
>> Absolutely. His legacy will undoubtedly


00:10:20.959 --> 00:10:23.190
be tied to the development of the new


00:10:23.200 --> 00:10:25.750
Vulcan Centaur rocket. That was a


00:10:25.760 --> 00:10:28.470
massive undertaking designed not only to


00:10:28.480 --> 00:10:31.430
replace the legacy Atlas 5 and Delta IV


00:10:31.440 --> 00:10:34.470
rockets, but also to end ULA's reliance


00:10:34.480 --> 00:10:37.590
on the Russian RD1 180 engines.


00:10:37.600 --> 00:10:39.990
>> And he was such a public-f facing CEO,


00:10:40.000 --> 00:10:41.990
wasn't he? He was famous for his


00:10:42.000 --> 00:10:44.069
engaging presence on social media,


00:10:44.079 --> 00:10:45.829
always willing to answer technical


00:10:45.839 --> 00:10:48.069
questions from space fans. He really


00:10:48.079 --> 00:10:51.030
modernized ULA's public image. It truly


00:10:51.040 --> 00:10:52.710
feels like the end of an era for the


00:10:52.720 --> 00:10:55.190
company. Do we know who's taking over?


00:10:55.200 --> 00:10:57.590
>> For now, John Elbon has been appointed


00:10:57.600 --> 00:10:59.990
as the interim CEO while they search for


00:11:00.000 --> 00:11:01.910
a permanent replacement. It will


00:11:01.920 --> 00:11:03.670
certainly be interesting to see the


00:11:03.680 --> 00:11:06.630
direction ULA takes in this new chapter.


00:11:06.640 --> 00:11:08.310
>> And that's all the time we have for


00:11:08.320 --> 00:11:10.310
today. From rocket failures and


00:11:10.320 --> 00:11:12.550
celestial mechanics to a packed launch


00:11:12.560 --> 00:11:14.790
schedule and critical safety reviews,


00:11:14.800 --> 00:11:16.389
it's been another busy day in the world


00:11:16.399 --> 00:11:18.150
of astronomy and spaceflight.


00:11:18.160 --> 00:11:20.470
>> Thanks for tuning in to Astronomy Daily.


00:11:20.480 --> 00:11:22.389
We'll be back tomorrow with more news


00:11:22.399 --> 00:11:25.030
from across the cosmos. Until then, I'm


00:11:25.040 --> 00:11:25.829
Anna


00:11:25.839 --> 00:11:28.310
>> and I'm Avery. Keep looking up.


00:11:28.320 --> 00:11:31.350
>> Astronomy day.


00:11:31.360 --> 00:11:35.160
Stories told.