Medical Evacuation from the ISS | Wobbling Black Hole Jets | Lunar Hotel Reservations: Your...

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Hello everyone and welcome to Astronomy


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Daily. I'm Anna


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>> and I'm Avery. Thanks for joining us on


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this exciting Tuesday, January 13th,


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2026. We've got an incredible lineup of


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space news to share with you today.


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>> We really do, Avery. We're covering


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everything from a historic first on the


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International Space Station to


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groundbreaking black hole discoveries.


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Plus, we've got some fantastic mission


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updates from NASA. And believe it or


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not, you can now put down a deposit for


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a hotel room on the moon.


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>> That's right. It's going to be a packed


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episode. But first, let's start with


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some update news from the International


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Space Station that's making history for


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all the wrong reasons.


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>> So Avery, we're witnessing something


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that's never happened before in the


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25-year history of the International


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Space Station. On Sunday, NASA announced


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the first ever medical evacuation from


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the ISS. That's right, Anna. The Space X


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Crew 11 mission, which launched to the


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station back in August 2025, is being


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cut short due to an undisclosed medical


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condition affecting one of the four crew


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members. The team includes NASA


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astronauts Mike Think and Zena Cardman,


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Russia's Oleg Platinov, and Japan's Kima


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Yui.


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>> And yesterday, we saw a really touching


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change of command ceremony. Mike Frink,


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who was serving as commander of


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expedition 74, handed control of the


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station over to Russian cosminaut Sergey


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Kudwerkov. During the ceremony, Frink


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called it bittersweet, and you could


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really feel the emotion in his words.


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>> I read about that think told coup, "It's


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an honor and a pleasure to be a


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commander, and I cannot imagine being


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happier than to hand over command to


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you." The crew scheduled to undock from


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the ISS on Wednesday afternoon with


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Hatch closing at 3:00 p.m. Eastern time


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and departure at 5:00 p.m. They'll then


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make an 11-hour journey back to Earth


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aboard their Dragon Endeavor spacecraft.


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They're expected to splash down in the


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Pacific Ocean early Thursday morning


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around 3:40 a.m. Eastern time. Now, one


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interesting aspect of this situation is


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that NASA has declined to specify which


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astronaut is experiencing the medical


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issue, citing privacy concerns. They


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also haven't disclosed the nature of the


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medical condition itself. This early


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departure creates an unusual situation


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on the station. After crew 11 leaves,


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there will only be three astronauts


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board, including just one American,


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Chris Williams. That's well below the


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typical crew compliment.


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>> Right. Normally NASA prefers crew


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overlap to avoid gaps in maintenance and


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research capabilities, but they've


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deemed this medical situation serious


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enough to warrant the immediate return,


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even if it means operating with a


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skeleton crew until the next rotation


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arrives.


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>> And speaking of the next rotation, crew


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12 was originally scheduled to launch in


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midFebruary. NASA is now evaluating if


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they can move that launch date up. Of


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course, this all has to be coordinated


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with another major event on NASA's


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calendar.


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>> You're talking about Artemis 2, right?


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>> Exactly. NASA is simultaneously working


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to roll out the space launch system


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rocket for the Aremis 2 mission from the


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vehicle assembly building to launch


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complex 39B at Kennedy Space Center.


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That roll out is scheduled for January


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17th with the first launch opportunity


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for Artemis 2 opening on February 6th.


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It's a delicate balancing act for NASA


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operations. According to NASA


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administrator, the ISS evacuation


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shouldn't interfere with the Aremis 2


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timeline, but it certainly adds


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complexity to an already busy schedule.


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>> Absolutely. This situation really


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highlights how NASA handles unexpected


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medical challenges in space. They have


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protocols in place, but this is the


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first time they've actually had to


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implement a full medical evacuation from


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the station. It's worth noting that


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while this is the first medical


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evacuation, it's not the first time


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medical concerns have affected ISS


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operations. Just last week, a planned


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spacew walk had to be cancelled due to


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these same medical concerns that


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ultimately led to the evacuation


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decision.


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>> We wish all four Crew 11 astronauts a


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safe journey home and a quick recovery


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to whoever is dealing with the medical


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issue.


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>> Now, let's shift gears to some


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absolutely fascinating astronomy news.


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Avery, astronomers have discovered


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something they've never seen before. A


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galaxywide wobbling black hole jet.


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>> This is really cool stuff, Anna. A team


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led by researchers at UC Irvine and


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Caltech's Infrared Processing and


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Analysis Center has found the largest


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and most extended jet ever observed


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emanating from a super massive black


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hole. And it's doing something


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remarkable. It's wobbling. The galaxy in


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question is called VV340A


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and the jet extends up to 20,000


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lightyears from its center. To put that


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in perspective, that's about 1/5 the


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diameter of the Milky Way galaxy. These


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jets are composed of superheated


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material being accelerated to near the


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speed of light.


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>> The observations were made using the WM


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KEK observatory's Kek cosmic web imager


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on Mount Aaya in Hawaii. But what really


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makes this discovery special is that the


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team combined data from multiple


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observatories to get the complete


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picture,


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>> right? They used infrared observations


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from the James Webb Space Telescope,


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radio images from the Very Large Array,


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and the optical data from KEK. Each


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observatory revealed different aspects


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of this phenomenon. Web's infrared data


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showed the energetic heart of the


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galaxy, while KEK's optical data showed


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how that energy propagates outward. And


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the VA radio data revealed something


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remarkable. The plasma jets are twisted


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into a helical pattern as they move


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outward. This is evidence of what's


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called jet procession, where the jet's


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direction slowly wobbles over time, kind


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of like a spinning top.


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>> Lead author Justin Kedar from UC Irvine


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said the KEK observatory data was


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crucial. He noted that the gas they


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observed with KEK reaches the farthest


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distances from the black hole, meaning


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it also traces the longest time scales.


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Without those observations, they


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wouldn't know how powerful or persistent


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this outflow really is. What's


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particularly surprising about this


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discovery is where it was found. VV340A


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is a relatively young galaxy still in


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the early stages of a galactic merger.


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Typically, these kinds of jets are


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observed in older elliptical galaxies


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that have long since stopped forming


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stars.


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>> That's a great point. The web data


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showed that the superheated coronal gas,


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the plasma erupting from either side of


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the black hole, measures several


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thousand parexs across. Most observed


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coronas measure in the hundreds of


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parexs, making this the most extended


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coronal gas structure ever observed. The


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discovery also revealed that the jet is


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actively affecting the galaxy's


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evolution. The KCWI data showed that the


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jet is stripping the galaxy of gas at a


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rate of about 20 solar masses per year,


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effectively shutting down star


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formation. This finding challenges our


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established theories about how galaxies


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and their super massive black holes


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evolve together. As Kater put it, this


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is the first time we've seen a


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precessing kilo parseek scale radio jet


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driving such a massive outflow in a disc


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galaxy. He also noted something


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intriguing about the Milky Way. He said


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there's no clear fossil record of


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something like this happening in our


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galaxy, but this discovery suggests we


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can't rule it out. It changes the way we


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think about the galaxy we live in. The


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next step for the team involves higher


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resolution radio observations to


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determine whether a second super massive


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black hole could be at the center of


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VV340A,


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which might be causing the jets to


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wobble. It's an exciting time for


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studying black holes and their impact on


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galactic evolution. This discovery opens


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up new questions about how common this


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type of activity might be in the


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universe.


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>> Now, let's take a look at what's


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launching this week. We've got a busy


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manifest with eight orbital launch


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attempts scheduled from China, the


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United States, and Norway.


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>> That's right, Anna. SpaceX is dominating


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the American launch schedule. As usual,


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they're launching two batches of


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Starlink satellites into the


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constellations Group Six shell, as well


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as a batch of reconnaissance satellites


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for the National Reconnaissance Office.


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The first Starlink mission of the week,


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Group 6-97,


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actually already lifted off yesterday,


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Monday, January 12th, at 4:08 p.m.


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Eastern time, from Space Launch Complex


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40 at Cape Canaveral. The Falcon 9 flew


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29 Starlink version 2 mini satellites


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into orbit.


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>> And the booster that supported that


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mission, B1078,


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was flying for its 25th time. After


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stage separation, it successfully landed


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on the drone ship. Just read the


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instructions in the Atlantic Ocean.


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These reusability numbers just keep


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getting more impressive.


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>> They really do. The next Starlink


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mission, Group 6-98, is scheduled for


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Wednesday, January 14th, at 10:01 p.m.


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Eastern from the same launch site. That


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will use booster B1085 on its 13th


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flight, landing on the A shortfall of


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Gravitas drone ship.


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>> Moving over to China, they have four


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launches on the manifest this week. On


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Tuesday, the Chinese Aerospace Science


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and Technology Corporation is launching


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a Chang Zang 8A rocket from Wong Chang.


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The payload is unknown, but this marks


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the first CZ8A mission of 2026 and the


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seventh overall. Then on Thursday, we


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have a Changang 3B/E launch from Xiang


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carrying another unknown payload. The CZ


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3B is one of China's workhorse rockets,


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and this will be its 103rd launch


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overall. Also on Thursday, private


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Chinese spaceflight company Galactic


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Energy is scheduled to launch a series


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1S rocket from the Oriental Spaceport


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launch ship. This will be the first


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series 1S mission of 2026 and the 23rd


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overall for this solidfueled rocket. And


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here's something exciting. Galactic


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Energy is also debuting its new Series 2


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rocket this week. The demonstration


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flight is scheduled for Saturday,


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January 17th from the Xiwan Satellite


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Launch Center. The Series 2 is a larger


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upgraded version capable of lifting


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about 2,000 kg to low Earth orbit.


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>> Back to the United States, SpaceX has a


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classified mission for the National


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Reconnaissance Office. NROL105


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is scheduled to launch Friday evening,


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January 16th, at 8:18 p.m. Pacific time


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from Vandenberg Space Force Base in


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California. This mission is using brand


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new booster B1100 on only its second


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flight and it'll perform a return to


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launch site landing at landing zone 4


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right next to the launchpad. This


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represents the 12th batch of satellites


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launched into this particular NRL


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constellation developed by Space X and


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Northre Grumman.


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>> And finally wrapping up the week, German


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company ESAR Aerospace is scheduled to


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launch the second test flight of its


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Spectrum rocket from Norway's Andoya


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rocket range. This comes after the first


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test flight in March 2025 failed shortly


00:11:22.640 --> 00:11:23.750
after liftoff.


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>> The Spectrum rocket stands 28 meters


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tall and uses nine Aquilla engines on


00:11:28.399 --> 00:11:30.470
the first stage and one on the second


00:11:30.480 --> 00:11:33.190
stage burning propane and liquid oxygen.


00:11:33.200 --> 00:11:35.509
It's expected to carry several cubats to


00:11:35.519 --> 00:11:37.670
sunsynchronous orbit for the European


00:11:37.680 --> 00:11:40.710
Space Ay's boost program. If successful,


00:11:40.720 --> 00:11:42.630
this will mark Spectrum's first flight


00:11:42.640 --> 00:11:46.389
of 2026 and the 13th worldwide orbital


00:11:46.399 --> 00:11:48.470
launch attempt of the year. It's shaping


00:11:48.480 --> 00:11:50.630
up to be a busy week in space flight.


00:11:50.640 --> 00:11:52.630
>> All right, Avery, let's talk about some


00:11:52.640 --> 00:11:55.190
mission milestones. NASA's Kurther's


00:11:55.200 --> 00:11:57.670
Geocona Observatory has reached its


00:11:57.680 --> 00:11:58.949
target orbit.


00:11:58.959 --> 00:12:01.269
>> This is great news, Anna. The spacecraft


00:12:01.279 --> 00:12:04.230
achieved this destination at Lrange 0.1


00:12:04.240 --> 00:12:07.190
or L1, which is approximately 1 million


00:12:07.200 --> 00:12:09.509
miles from Earth towards the sun. The


00:12:09.519 --> 00:12:11.509
confirmation came on January 10th


00:12:11.519 --> 00:12:13.430
following the spacecraft's third and


00:12:13.440 --> 00:12:15.750
final orbital maneuver, a 2-minute


00:12:15.760 --> 00:12:18.389
thruster fire on January 8th. For those


00:12:18.399 --> 00:12:20.870
unfamiliar, L1 is one of those special


00:12:20.880 --> 00:12:22.790
points in space where the gravitational


00:12:22.800 --> 00:12:25.509
forces of the Earth and Sun balance out,


00:12:25.519 --> 00:12:27.670
creating a stable position. It's an


00:12:27.680 --> 00:12:29.670
ideal spot for observing the Earth and


00:12:29.680 --> 00:12:31.430
Sun simultaneously.


00:12:31.440 --> 00:12:33.829
>> Exactly. And Kurthers has a very


00:12:33.839 --> 00:12:36.470
specific mission to capture the first


00:12:36.480 --> 00:12:38.870
repeated observations of the ultraviolet


00:12:38.880 --> 00:12:41.750
glow from Earth's outer atmosphere known


00:12:41.760 --> 00:12:44.790
as the geocorona. The mission is named


00:12:44.800 --> 00:12:47.750
in honor of Dr. George R. Kurthers who


00:12:47.760 --> 00:12:50.069
invented the ultraviolet camera that was


00:12:50.079 --> 00:12:52.470
placed on the moon by Apollo 16


00:12:52.480 --> 00:12:55.110
astronauts in 1972.


00:12:55.120 --> 00:12:57.990
That Apollo 16 camera captured the very


00:12:58.000 --> 00:13:01.110
first images of Earth's geocona. Now


00:13:01.120 --> 00:13:03.750
more than 50 years later, Kurthers is


00:13:03.760 --> 00:13:05.670
going to study it in unprecedented


00:13:05.680 --> 00:13:08.310
detail from its vantage point at L1. The


00:13:08.320 --> 00:13:10.629
love seatsiz spacecraft launched from


00:13:10.639 --> 00:13:12.710
Kennedy Space Center back on September


00:13:12.720 --> 00:13:16.470
24th, 2025. Since launch, the team has


00:13:16.480 --> 00:13:17.910
been testing the spacecraft's


00:13:17.920 --> 00:13:20.150
instruments and capturing what they call


00:13:20.160 --> 00:13:22.870
first light images while adjusting its


00:13:22.880 --> 00:13:25.030
course as it approached L1.


00:13:25.040 --> 00:13:27.350
>> I saw those first light images. They're


00:13:27.360 --> 00:13:29.670
really impressive. The spacecraft has


00:13:29.680 --> 00:13:32.310
two cameras, a wide field imager and a


00:13:32.320 --> 00:13:34.790
narrow field imager. Both capture


00:13:34.800 --> 00:13:37.190
ultraviolet light and the images clearly


00:13:37.200 --> 00:13:39.350
show Earth with this fuzzy halo around


00:13:39.360 --> 00:13:41.750
it, which is the geocorona. What's


00:13:41.760 --> 00:13:43.750
interesting is that you can also see the


00:13:43.760 --> 00:13:45.910
moon in those images and the lunar


00:13:45.920 --> 00:13:48.069
surface still shines into specific


00:13:48.079 --> 00:13:50.790
wavelength of light called Lyman Alpha


00:13:50.800 --> 00:13:53.030
because its rocky surface reflects all


00:13:53.040 --> 00:13:55.430
wavelengths of sunlight. That's actually


00:13:55.440 --> 00:13:57.430
why it's important to compare the Lyman


00:13:57.440 --> 00:13:59.750
Alpha images with the broad ultraviolet


00:13:59.760 --> 00:14:00.550
filter.


00:14:00.560 --> 00:14:02.710
>> The narrow field imager even captured


00:14:02.720 --> 00:14:04.470
two background stars that must have


00:14:04.480 --> 00:14:06.550
surface temperatures approximately twice


00:14:06.560 --> 00:14:08.870
as hot as our sun to be so bright in


00:14:08.880 --> 00:14:11.189
this wavelength of light. Kurthers is


00:14:11.199 --> 00:14:12.949
now beginning its final checkout


00:14:12.959 --> 00:14:15.189
procedures before starting its two-year


00:14:15.199 --> 00:14:17.670
primary science mission in March. From


00:14:17.680 --> 00:14:20.069
L1, it will provide scientists with the


00:14:20.079 --> 00:14:22.790
most detailed views ever of how Earth's


00:14:22.800 --> 00:14:25.030
outermost atmospheric layer interacts


00:14:25.040 --> 00:14:26.550
with the space environment.


00:14:26.560 --> 00:14:29.030
>> The mission is led by Dr. Laura Waldrop


00:14:29.040 --> 00:14:30.870
from the University of Illinois Urbana


00:14:30.880 --> 00:14:33.350
Champagne with the Space Sciences Lab at


00:14:33.360 --> 00:14:35.030
UC Berkeley leading mission


00:14:35.040 --> 00:14:37.350
implementation and operations. Speaking


00:14:37.360 --> 00:14:39.430
of missions reaching their destinations,


00:14:39.440 --> 00:14:42.550
Anna, NASA's IMAP mission has also


00:14:42.560 --> 00:14:44.069
arrived at L1.


00:14:44.079 --> 00:14:46.389
>> That's right. IMAP, which stands for


00:14:46.399 --> 00:14:48.389
interstellar mapping and acceleration


00:14:48.399 --> 00:14:51.430
probe, reached Lrangee.1 on January


00:14:51.440 --> 00:14:53.990
10th, just 2 days after Kurthers


00:14:54.000 --> 00:14:55.750
completed its final maneuver.


00:14:55.760 --> 00:14:57.590
>> The mission operations team sent


00:14:57.600 --> 00:14:59.189
commands to the spacecraft on the


00:14:59.199 --> 00:15:01.350
morning of January 9th to begin the


00:15:01.360 --> 00:15:03.910
trajectory maneuvers. Early on January


00:15:03.920 --> 00:15:06.150
10th, they confirmed that IMAP had


00:15:06.160 --> 00:15:09.189
successfully entered its final L1 orbit,


00:15:09.199 --> 00:15:10.710
where it will stay for the duration of


00:15:10.720 --> 00:15:11.670
its mission.


00:15:11.680 --> 00:15:14.470
>> IMAP has a fascinating mission profile.


00:15:14.480 --> 00:15:16.710
It's going to explore and map the very


00:15:16.720 --> 00:15:18.790
boundaries of our heliosphere. That's


00:15:18.800 --> 00:15:20.629
the protective bubble created by the


00:15:20.639 --> 00:15:23.350
solar wind that encapsulates our entire


00:15:23.360 --> 00:15:25.430
solar system. It will study how the


00:15:25.440 --> 00:15:27.430
heliosphere interacts with the local


00:15:27.440 --> 00:15:29.750
galactic neighborhood beyond. Think of


00:15:29.760 --> 00:15:33.269
IMAP as a modern-day celestial cgrapher.


00:15:33.279 --> 00:15:35.670
It's going to explore and chart the vast


00:15:35.680 --> 00:15:37.910
range of particles in interplanetary


00:15:37.920 --> 00:15:40.230
space, investigating how charged


00:15:40.240 --> 00:15:42.710
particles from the sun get energized and


00:15:42.720 --> 00:15:44.790
how the solar wind interacts at the


00:15:44.800 --> 00:15:47.110
boundary with interstellar space.


00:15:47.120 --> 00:15:49.509
>> But IMAP also has a very practical


00:15:49.519 --> 00:15:51.910
application. It will provide real-time


00:15:51.920 --> 00:15:53.749
observations of the solar wind and


00:15:53.759 --> 00:15:56.069
energetic particles, giving critical


00:15:56.079 --> 00:15:57.990
data that can help protect spacecraft


00:15:58.000 --> 00:16:00.069
and astronauts from adverse space


00:16:00.079 --> 00:16:03.110
weather effects. L1 provides IMAP with a


00:16:03.120 --> 00:16:06.389
stable and clear 360° view of the


00:16:06.399 --> 00:16:09.269
heliosphere. This position also gives an


00:16:09.279 --> 00:16:11.350
unobstructed view of the sun, which


00:16:11.360 --> 00:16:13.269
means the spacecraft can give about a


00:16:13.279 --> 00:16:15.350
half hour's warning to astronauts and


00:16:15.360 --> 00:16:17.590
spacecraft near Earth of harmful


00:16:17.600 --> 00:16:19.910
radiation coming their way. IMAP


00:16:19.920 --> 00:16:23.749
launched on September 24th, 2025, the


00:16:23.759 --> 00:16:26.470
same day as Kurthers. They traveled to


00:16:26.480 --> 00:16:29.990
Loan together along with NA's


00:16:30.000 --> 00:16:33.749
SWFO Lraange, which stands for Space


00:16:33.759 --> 00:16:37.189
Weather Followon, Lraange 1. At Loan,


00:16:37.199 --> 00:16:39.670
they join other spacecraft already in


00:16:39.680 --> 00:16:42.470
orbit there, like NASA's wind and ACE


00:16:42.480 --> 00:16:45.829
missions, and the ESA/NASA


00:16:45.839 --> 00:16:48.949
SOHO observatory. The mission is led by


00:16:48.959 --> 00:16:51.430
principal investigator David Mccomomas,


00:16:51.440 --> 00:16:54.069
a professor at Princeton University with


00:16:54.079 --> 00:16:56.470
an international team of more than 20


00:16:56.480 --> 00:16:59.030
partner institutions. John's Hopkins


00:16:59.040 --> 00:17:01.110
Applied Physics Laboratory built the


00:17:01.120 --> 00:17:03.430
spacecraft and operates the mission.


00:17:03.440 --> 00:17:05.429
IMAP is nearing completion of its


00:17:05.439 --> 00:17:07.350
commissioning phase and will begin its


00:17:07.360 --> 00:17:10.069
science mission on February 1st. The


00:17:10.079 --> 00:17:12.150
data from IMAP's state-of-the-art


00:17:12.160 --> 00:17:14.549
instrumentation will greatly enhance the


00:17:14.559 --> 00:17:16.470
usefulness of data from those other


00:17:16.480 --> 00:17:17.990
missions at L1.


00:17:18.000 --> 00:17:20.230
>> It's exciting to have both Kurthers and


00:17:20.240 --> 00:17:22.630
IMAP reaching their destinations at the


00:17:22.640 --> 00:17:25.189
same time. They launched together,


00:17:25.199 --> 00:17:27.029
traveled together, and now they're both


00:17:27.039 --> 00:17:29.110
settling into their orbits to begin


00:17:29.120 --> 00:17:30.789
their science missions.


00:17:30.799 --> 00:17:33.110
>> Okay, Avery, save the best for last,


00:17:33.120 --> 00:17:35.590
right? You can now put down a deposit


00:17:35.600 --> 00:17:39.110
for a hotel room on the moon. I know it


00:17:39.120 --> 00:17:40.789
sounds like science fiction, Anna, but


00:17:40.799 --> 00:17:43.430
this is for real. A company called Grew


00:17:43.440 --> 00:17:45.590
Space, and that's Galactic Resources


00:17:45.600 --> 00:17:48.230
Utilization, has publicly announced its


00:17:48.240 --> 00:17:50.630
intent to construct a series of habitats


00:17:50.640 --> 00:17:53.110
on the moon, culminating in a hotel


00:17:53.120 --> 00:17:55.190
that's actually inspired by the Palace


00:17:55.200 --> 00:17:57.669
of the Fine Arts in San Francisco. On


00:17:57.679 --> 00:17:59.669
Monday, the company opened applications


00:17:59.679 --> 00:18:02.230
for aspiring lunar tourists. You can


00:18:02.240 --> 00:18:05.430
place a deposit ranging from $250,000


00:18:05.440 --> 00:18:08.470
to $1 million to reserve a spot on one


00:18:08.480 --> 00:18:10.630
of their early lunar surface missions.


00:18:10.640 --> 00:18:13.190
They're targeting as early as 2032 for


00:18:13.200 --> 00:18:14.630
the hotel opening.


00:18:14.640 --> 00:18:16.950
>> Now, before anyone rushes to empty their


00:18:16.960 --> 00:18:18.789
bank accounts, let's talk about what


00:18:18.799 --> 00:18:21.909
this actually involves. Groupace is a Y


00:18:21.919 --> 00:18:25.029
Combinatorbacked startup founded in 2025


00:18:25.039 --> 00:18:28.150
by Skyler Chan, a recent UC Berkeley


00:18:28.160 --> 00:18:31.110
graduate who's only 22 years old. The


00:18:31.120 --> 00:18:32.630
company has received backing from


00:18:32.640 --> 00:18:35.350
investors in SpaceX and Anderil.


00:18:35.360 --> 00:18:37.190
>> What makes Grrew's approach interesting


00:18:37.200 --> 00:18:39.190
is that they're not planning to ship all


00:18:39.200 --> 00:18:41.110
the building materials from Earth.


00:18:41.120 --> 00:18:43.350
Instead, they want to use insitue


00:18:43.360 --> 00:18:47.110
resource utilization or ISRU technology.


00:18:47.120 --> 00:18:49.430
That means using robotic systems to


00:18:49.440 --> 00:18:52.150
transform lunar soil regalith into


00:18:52.160 --> 00:18:54.630
durable building blocks. Their road map


00:18:54.640 --> 00:18:57.350
starts with a 2029 demonstration mission


00:18:57.360 --> 00:18:59.830
to validate the process of turning lunar


00:18:59.840 --> 00:19:03.590
soil into bricks. By 2032, if everything


00:19:03.600 --> 00:19:05.909
goes according to plan, they expect to


00:19:05.919 --> 00:19:07.830
open what would be the world's first


00:19:07.840 --> 00:19:10.950
lunar hotel inside a lunar cave, which


00:19:10.960 --> 00:19:12.630
provides natural protection from


00:19:12.640 --> 00:19:14.950
radiation and temperature extremes.


00:19:14.960 --> 00:19:17.190
>> The initial hotel will be built on Earth


00:19:17.200 --> 00:19:19.669
and delivered by a heavy lander. It's an


00:19:19.679 --> 00:19:21.830
inflatable structure designed to host up


00:19:21.840 --> 00:19:24.470
to four guests for multi-day stays. The


00:19:24.480 --> 00:19:26.549
hotel is designed to operate for 10


00:19:26.559 --> 00:19:28.710
years and will offer views of the lunar


00:19:28.720 --> 00:19:30.710
landscape and Earth along with


00:19:30.720 --> 00:19:32.950
activities like W moonwalks, driving


00:19:32.960 --> 00:19:35.430
rovers, and get this, they're even


00:19:35.440 --> 00:19:36.950
talking about golf.


00:19:36.960 --> 00:19:38.789
>> Of course, this is an incredibly


00:19:38.799 --> 00:19:41.190
ambitious plan. In their white paper,


00:19:41.200 --> 00:19:43.350
Grrew acknowledges that execution


00:19:43.360 --> 00:19:45.909
heavily relies on factors outside their


00:19:45.919 --> 00:19:48.150
control. They need decreasing launch


00:19:48.160 --> 00:19:50.390
costs, regular and reliable crude


00:19:50.400 --> 00:19:52.549
flights to the lunar surface, a


00:19:52.559 --> 00:19:54.950
favorable regulatory environment, and


00:19:54.960 --> 00:19:57.029
supporting infrastructure like lunar


00:19:57.039 --> 00:19:59.350
power and communications. All of which


00:19:59.360 --> 00:20:01.669
are in various stages of development.


00:20:01.679 --> 00:20:03.510
The company's vision doesn't stop at


00:20:03.520 --> 00:20:05.750
Moon Hotels either. After establishing


00:20:05.760 --> 00:20:07.830
the first hotel, they want to help build


00:20:07.840 --> 00:20:10.390
America's first moon base with roads and


00:20:10.400 --> 00:20:12.950
warehouses, then expand to Mars, and


00:20:12.960 --> 00:20:15.430
eventually the asteroid belt. Skyler


00:20:15.440 --> 00:20:17.350
Chan, the founder, has been passionate


00:20:17.360 --> 00:20:19.510
about space since childhood. He said


00:20:19.520 --> 00:20:21.270
that I've been obsessed with space since


00:20:21.280 --> 00:20:23.110
I was a kid. I've always wanted to


00:20:23.120 --> 00:20:25.270
become an astronaut and feel extremely


00:20:25.280 --> 00:20:27.909
fortunate to be doing my life's work. He


00:20:27.919 --> 00:20:30.070
also mentioned that if they succeed,


00:20:30.080 --> 00:20:32.230
billions of human lives will be born on


00:20:32.240 --> 00:20:34.310
the moon and Mars and be able to


00:20:34.320 --> 00:20:36.310
experience the beauty of lunar and


00:20:36.320 --> 00:20:39.590
Martian life. There's actually a $1,000


00:20:39.600 --> 00:20:42.390
non-refundable application fee just to


00:20:42.400 --> 00:20:44.470
apply, and that doesn't guarantee


00:20:44.480 --> 00:20:46.950
approval. Selected applicants will


00:20:46.960 --> 00:20:49.430
receive invitations tied to specific


00:20:49.440 --> 00:20:51.669
mission roles and lunar stays.


00:20:51.679 --> 00:20:53.590
>> It's worth noting that this isn't the


00:20:53.600 --> 00:20:55.510
first time someone has proposed a lunar


00:20:55.520 --> 00:20:58.310
hotel. Hilton Hotels actually had a


00:20:58.320 --> 00:21:01.430
Lunar Hilton concept in the 1960s and


00:21:01.440 --> 00:21:03.430
even printed reservation cards and room


00:21:03.440 --> 00:21:05.590
keys as promotional items.


00:21:05.600 --> 00:21:09.270
>> True. And back in 1973, Hilton partnered


00:21:09.280 --> 00:21:11.510
with Trans International Airlines to


00:21:11.520 --> 00:21:14.149
produce a brochure inviting customers to


00:21:14.159 --> 00:21:18.070
a trip to the moon sometime after 1973


00:21:18.080 --> 00:21:22.310
with costs up to $25,000 per person. Of


00:21:22.320 --> 00:21:24.630
course, that never materialized.


00:21:24.640 --> 00:21:27.270
>> The big question is whether GRU Space


00:21:27.280 --> 00:21:29.190
can succeed where others have only


00:21:29.200 --> 00:21:31.110
dreamed. They've got the backing.


00:21:31.120 --> 00:21:32.630
They've got the vision. And they've got


00:21:32.640 --> 00:21:34.870
a founder who's putting everything into


00:21:34.880 --> 00:21:37.350
making it happen. The timeline aligns


00:21:37.360 --> 00:21:39.430
with NASA's renewed push to establish a


00:21:39.440 --> 00:21:41.270
permanent human presence on the moon


00:21:41.280 --> 00:21:43.029
through the Aremis program.


00:21:43.039 --> 00:21:45.110
>> Even if this particular venture doesn't


00:21:45.120 --> 00:21:47.510
pan out exactly as planned, it's


00:21:47.520 --> 00:21:49.270
exciting to see private companies


00:21:49.280 --> 00:21:51.990
seriously pursuing lunar infrastructure.


00:21:52.000 --> 00:21:53.750
The fact that we're even having this


00:21:53.760 --> 00:21:56.149
conversation about booking hotel rooms


00:21:56.159 --> 00:21:58.549
on the moon shows how far space


00:21:58.559 --> 00:22:00.149
exploration has come.


00:22:00.159 --> 00:22:04.310
>> Absolutely. Whether it's 2032 or 2042,


00:22:04.320 --> 00:22:06.789
the era of lunar tourism feels like it's


00:22:06.799 --> 00:22:09.350
genuinely approaching. We might actually


00:22:09.360 --> 00:22:11.350
see commercial lunar hotels in our


00:22:11.360 --> 00:22:12.310
lifetimes.


00:22:12.320 --> 00:22:14.070
>> Well, that's all the time we have for


00:22:14.080 --> 00:22:16.630
today's episode of Astronomy Daily. What


00:22:16.640 --> 00:22:19.110
an incredible day of space news.


00:22:19.120 --> 00:22:22.230
>> From the historic ISS medical evacuation


00:22:22.240 --> 00:22:25.190
and wobbling black hole jets to missions


00:22:25.200 --> 00:22:27.669
reaching their destinations at L1 and


00:22:27.679 --> 00:22:29.909
even the possibility of vacationing on


00:22:29.919 --> 00:22:32.470
the moon. It's been quite a journey.


00:22:32.480 --> 00:22:34.630
>> If you enjoyed today's episode, please


00:22:34.640 --> 00:22:36.710
subscribe to Astronomy Daily wherever


00:22:36.720 --> 00:22:38.789
you get your podcasts. And don't forget


00:22:38.799 --> 00:22:40.870
to leave us a review. It really helps


00:22:40.880 --> 00:22:42.950
other space enthusiasts find the show.


00:22:42.960 --> 00:22:45.510
You can find us on social media and at


00:22:45.520 --> 00:22:47.590
our website for more space news and


00:22:47.600 --> 00:22:50.710
updates. Just search for Astro Daily Pod


00:22:50.720 --> 00:22:53.590
on socials or visit us on the web at


00:22:53.600 --> 00:22:56.149
astronomyaily.io.


00:22:56.159 --> 00:22:58.149
Thanks so much for listening everyone.


00:22:58.159 --> 00:23:00.390
>> Until next time, keep looking up.


00:23:00.400 --> 00:23:03.190
>> See you tomorrow. Clear skies. Astronomy


00:23:03.200 --> 00:23:05.430
day.


00:23:05.440 --> 00:23:13.430
Stories be told.


00:23:13.440 --> 00:23:17.159
Stories told.