The Weekend Wrap Debuts — Soyuz 5, Artemis II Revisited & Roman Telescope

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Hello and welcome to Astronomy Daily,


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your daily guide to the cosmos. I'm


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Anna.


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>> And I'm Avery. Happy Saturday, everyone.


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And what a Saturday it is, because today


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we're launching something brand new here


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on Astronomy Daily.


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>> That's right. Today marks the debut of


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our weekend space and astronomy news


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rap. Every Saturday, we'll bring you two


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fresh stories from the past 24 hours,


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plus a deep dive into the four biggest


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and most important stories from across


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the entire week. Think of it as the week


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in space, condensed, considered, and


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with some new angles you might not have


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heard yet. We've been doing six episodes


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a week all season. And this is our way


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of making sure Saturday feels a little


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different.


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>> So, here's today's format. We'll start


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with two fresh stories first. Then we'll


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ring in the very first Astronomy Daily


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weekend rep. Four stories, the week's


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biggest, right here.


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>> Let's get into it. Our first story today


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is a rocket launch story with some real


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geopolitical texture to it. Russia's


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brand new Soyuse 5 rocket lifted off on


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Thursday, April 30th from the Biconor


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Ksmodrome in Kazakhstan on its very


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first flight and it went well.


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>> This has been coming for a long time.


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Anna, the Soyus 5, also known as Sankar,


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which means Falcon in Kazak, has been in


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development for nearly a decade. There


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were multiple delays, funding hurdles,


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and geopolitical complications along the


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way, but on Thursday at 2:00 p.m.


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Eastern time, it finally flew. It was a


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suborbital test flight, essentially a


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shakeout cruise for the new vehicle. The


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rocket carried a mass-dimensional mockup


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as payload. Both stages performed


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nominally, and the payload followed its


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intended trajectory before splashing


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down in the Pacific Ocean in a


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pre-desated area. Ross Cosmos declared


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it a success. Now, let's talk about why


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this rocket exists. Russia lost access


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to Ukrainian rocket expertise after the


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2022 invasion of Ukraine, and Ukraine


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had long been a powerhouse in rocket


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design and manufacturing. The Soy 5 was


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designed specifically to replace the


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Zenit rocket, which was Ukraine built,


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and to give Russia a fully homegrown


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medium lift capability. In terms of


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specs, it's a two-stage vehicle powered


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by the RD171


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MV engine, which Ross Cosmos describes


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as the world's most powerful


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liquidfueled engine. It can lift up to


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17 metric tons to low Earth orbit, which


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puts it in the same general class as


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SpaceX's Falcon 9. But here's the key


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difference, and it's a significant one.


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Falcon 9's first stage lands itself and


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is reused. Zoya's 5 is fully expendable.


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Every launch burns through a brand new


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rocket. In a launch market that has


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increasingly moved towards reusability


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and reduced costs, that's a genuine


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competitive disadvantage.


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>> It's also unclear if the rocket will


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attract international customers. Russia


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has lost most of its commercial launch


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partnerships since 2022, and the Soyuse


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5 doesn't appear to represent a big


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enough leap to reverse that trend.


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Longer term, the rocket is intended to


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serve as a building block for a future


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superheavy launch system, part of


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Russia's stated ambitions for deeper


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space missions.


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>> For now, though, it's a debut and for


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Ross Cosmos, a symbolic one. The next


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test flights are planned across 2026 and


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2027 with full operational status


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anticipated by the end of the decade. A


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long road ahead, but at least Thursday's


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first step was a successful one.


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brushes. So use 5 finally off the pad


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and on to the next test.


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>> Now for something a little closer to


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home or more precisely something in our


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sky right now. Last night May 1st the


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full flower moon reached peak


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illumination.


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>> And May 2026 is a genuinely special


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month for moon watchers.


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>> Tell us more, Anna.


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>> So May this year has two full moons. The


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flower moon peaked on May 1st, and a


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second full moon, a blue moon, will


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arrive on May 31st. Two full moons in a


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single calendar month is already a


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relatively rare occurrence, happening


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roughly every 2 to 3 years. But there is


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an extra twist this year. Both of them


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are micro moons.


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>> Exactly. A micro moon is the opposite of


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a super moon. It occurs when a full moon


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happens near the point in the moon's


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elliptical orbit where it's farthest


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from Earth. what astronomers call


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apogee. At that distance, the moon


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appears around 14% smaller and about 30%


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dimmer than it does at its closest


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approach. Not a huge difference to the


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naked eye, but it's a genuine physical


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distinction,


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>> though. Why are both May full moons


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micro moons? It comes down to orbital


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timing. The moon's apogee cycles around


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relative to our calendar, and this month


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they happen to align twice, giving us a


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double micro moon. For listeners in


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Australia and New Zealand, you've got


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great autumn skies right now. And the


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flower moon last night would have been


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beautiful as it arked across your


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northern sky. It sat between the red


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star Anteries in Scorpius and blue white


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spika in Virgo. Quite a tableau. If you


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missed it, don't worry. At 99%


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illumination tonight, it still looks


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essentially full.


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>> And for the blue moon on May 31st,


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that's your next event to mark in your


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calendar. It won't look blue, of course.


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The name comes from a 16th century idiom


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for something rare, but two full moons


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in one month is always worth stepping


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outside for.


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>> The month of May is also great for


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planets right now. Venus and Jupiter are


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both prominent in the evening sky with


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the two planets slowly closing toward a


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conjunction on June 9th. Saturn and Mars


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are reemerging in the pre-dawn east. A


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busy sky for May.


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>> All right, now it's time for something


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completely new. Avery, let's do it. And


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now, the Astronomy Daily Weekend Rap,


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your guide to the week's biggest stories


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from across the cosmos. I'm Avery.


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>> And I'm Anna. This week in space was


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frankly extraordinary. We had history


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made, hardware delivered, a telescope


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confirmed, and a cosmic spectacle that


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no human had ever witnessed before.


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Let's do this. Our first rap story is a


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step back, a full exhale to appreciate


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what NASA and its partners pulled off


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with Artemis 2 because it's been a few


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weeks now since Splashdown on April 10th


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and we have the full picture and it is


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genuinely staggering.


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>> The headline numbers 694,481


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m traveled in total. A peak velocity of


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24,664


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mph. a farthest distance from Earth of


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252,756


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miles, surpassing the record previously


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held by Apollo 13 in 1970 and a closest


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approach to the lunar surface of 4,67


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mi. The crew were farther from Earth


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than any humans in history. The mission


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launched on April 1st. Yes, April Fool's


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Day. Carrying Commander Reed Weisman,


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pilot Victor Glover, mission specialist


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Christina and Canadian Space


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Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen. Their


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spacecraft, which the crew named


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Integrity, flew a 10-day free return


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trajectory around the moon and back. One


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of the most watched elements of the


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mission was the heat shield. Artemis 1


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had shown some unexpected erosion of the


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AV code ablative material and there was


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significant debate before the mission


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about whether to fly with the existing


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design. Engineers and NASA administrator


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Jared Isaacman ultimately decided to


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proceed and the data coming back now


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shows char loss was significantly


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reduced compared to Artemis 1 and


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consistent with ground testing


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predictions. A huge relief.


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>> Orion splashed down just 2.9 m from its


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target site. Entry velocity was within


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one mile per hour of predictions. Rick


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Henfling, the entry flight director, put


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it simply, a quarter of a million miles


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to the moon and back, and they hit a


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less than onederee entry angle on the


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way home. That is not luck. That is a


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thousand people doing their jobs.


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>> The crew are now in post-flight


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reconditioning at Johnson Center. And in


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their own words, they were moved.


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Commander Reed Wisman, Victor,


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Christina, and Jeremy. We are bonded


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forever. And no one down here is ever


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going to know what the four of us just


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went through. And it was the most


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special thing that will ever happen in


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my life.


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>> Christina described the experience


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of seeing Earth tiny through Orion's


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window, surrounded by blackness, as one


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of the most overwhelming moments of her


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life. Victor Glover said the gratitude


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he felt was too big to fit in one body.


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and Jeremy Hansen as the crew broke the


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distance record spoke directly to the


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next generation. We challenged this


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generation and the next to make sure


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this record is not longived.


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>> Post-flight assessments are well


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underway at Kennedy Space Center where


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the Orion capsule has returned. All 186


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Avacote heat shield blocks for Artemis


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3, the upgraded version, have already


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been installed, cured, and inspected.


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The next mission is already in motion.


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And that leads to our fourth rap story.


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But first,


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>> of all the extraordinary things that


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happened during Artemis 2, there is one


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moment that stands alone. On April 6th,


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as the crew flew around the far side of


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the moon, they witnessed something that


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no human being had ever experienced in


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the history of our species. A total


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solar eclipse observed from beyond the


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moon. On Earth, a total solar eclipse,


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when the moon completely blocks the sun


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and reveals its corona, lasts a few


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minutes at most. For the Aremis 2 crew,


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totality lasted 57 minutes. 57 minutes


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of watching the sun's outer atmosphere


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glowing around a completely black lunar


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disc. From a vantage point 4,000 m above


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the surface.


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>> Victor Glover's descriptions from inside


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the spacecraft were extraordinary. He


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called the moon a black orb against the


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gray that drifted into blackness. He


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described seeing Earth shine, the light


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reflected from Earth, illuminating the


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dark lunar surface as very distinct and


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creating quite an impressive visual


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illusion. And then as the solar corona


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began to emerge from the edges of the


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moon, he described the streamers as


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looking like what the Luxor spotlight in


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Las Vegas wants to be when it grows up.


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The crew made genuine scientific


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observations during those 57 minutes.


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They searched for lofted lunar dust, a


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phenomenon some Apollo crews reported,


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and watched for micromedoroid impacts on


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the darkened lunar surface. They


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reported seeing at least five impact


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flashes. They observed zodiacal light.


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They photographed the corona in


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unprecedented detail. Christina


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described the experience simply. I just


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had an overwhelming sense of being moved


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by looking at the moon. The images NASA


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has since released are breathtaking. The


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glowing halo of the solar corona against


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the black lunar disc with Earth shine


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illuminating the moon's face. Venus and


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Saturn visible as pinpoints of light in


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the frame. Scientists are still


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analyzing whether the halo effect is


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pure corona, zodiacal light, or a


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combination.


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>> Victor Glover perhaps said it best. I


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know this observation won't be of any


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scientific value, but I'm really glad we


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launched on April 1st because without


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that specific launch date, the geometry


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simply wouldn't have worked. Four people


00:11:33.040 --> 00:11:35.190
in the right place at the right moment


00:11:35.200 --> 00:11:38.550
to see something no human had ever seen.


00:11:38.560 --> 00:11:40.310
That was Artemis 2.


00:11:40.320 --> 00:11:42.550
>> Our third rep story is about the next


00:11:42.560 --> 00:11:44.550
great space telescope, and it comes with


00:11:44.560 --> 00:11:46.470
a headline that NASA doesn't get to


00:11:46.480 --> 00:11:49.590
write very often. Head of schedule and


00:11:49.600 --> 00:11:52.230
under budget. The Nancy Grace Roman


00:11:52.240 --> 00:11:54.949
Space Telescope, Roman for short, has a


00:11:54.959 --> 00:11:58.150
confirmed September 2026 launch target.


00:11:58.160 --> 00:12:00.389
NASA administrator Jared Isaacman


00:12:00.399 --> 00:12:01.990
announced this at a press conference at


00:12:02.000 --> 00:12:03.990
Gddard Space Flight Center on April


00:12:04.000 --> 00:12:06.470
21st, standing in front of the completed


00:12:06.480 --> 00:12:08.949
telescope, 8 months ahead of NASA's


00:12:08.959 --> 00:12:11.030
committed deadline, under budget and


00:12:11.040 --> 00:12:12.550
fully assembled.


00:12:12.560 --> 00:12:14.230
>> Let's talk about what this telescope


00:12:14.240 --> 00:12:16.710
will actually do because the numbers are


00:12:16.720 --> 00:12:19.750
mindbending. Roman's primary mirror is


00:12:19.760 --> 00:12:23.269
the same 2.4 m diameter as Hubble's, but


00:12:23.279 --> 00:12:26.470
its field of view is 100 times larger.


00:12:26.480 --> 00:12:28.949
What Hubble would take 2,000 years to


00:12:28.959 --> 00:12:32.710
survey, Roman can do in a year. Isaacman


00:12:32.720 --> 00:12:34.949
put it this way. Roman will give the


00:12:34.959 --> 00:12:37.670
Earth a new atlas of the universe. There


00:12:37.680 --> 00:12:39.829
is not a screen in existence large


00:12:39.839 --> 00:12:42.150
enough to display a single Roman image


00:12:42.160 --> 00:12:45.110
at full resolution. In its 5-year


00:12:45.120 --> 00:12:47.670
primary mission, Roman is expected to


00:12:47.680 --> 00:12:51.030
discover over a 100,000 distant worlds,


00:12:51.040 --> 00:12:53.509
hundreds of millions of stars, and


00:12:53.519 --> 00:12:56.150
billions of galaxies. It will conduct


00:12:56.160 --> 00:12:58.629
three core surveys focused on dark


00:12:58.639 --> 00:13:01.110
energy, dark matter, and wide field


00:13:01.120 --> 00:13:04.230
cosmology. It also carries a coronagraph


00:13:04.240 --> 00:13:06.389
instrument that can directly image


00:13:06.399 --> 00:13:09.030
exoplanets by blocking out the glare of


00:13:09.040 --> 00:13:11.430
their host stars. A technology


00:13:11.440 --> 00:13:13.509
demonstrator that could change how we


00:13:13.519 --> 00:13:16.150
search for worlds like our own. The


00:13:16.160 --> 00:13:18.230
telescope is now undergoing final tests


00:13:18.240 --> 00:13:20.629
at Gddard. It will ship to Kennedy Space


00:13:20.639 --> 00:13:22.150
Center in midJune for launch


00:13:22.160 --> 00:13:24.550
preparations before riding a SpaceX


00:13:24.560 --> 00:13:27.190
Falcon Heavy to its final destination,


00:13:27.200 --> 00:13:30.870
the Sun L2 Lrangee Point about a million


00:13:30.880 --> 00:13:33.110
miles from Earth. Same address as James


00:13:33.120 --> 00:13:33.990
Webb.


00:13:34.000 --> 00:13:36.790
>> The Roman telescope is named for Dr.


00:13:36.800 --> 00:13:40.150
Nancy Grace Roman, NASA's first chief of


00:13:40.160 --> 00:13:42.710
astronomy and one of the key architects


00:13:42.720 --> 00:13:45.430
of the Hubble telescope. Known as the


00:13:45.440 --> 00:13:48.069
mother of Hubble, she spent her career


00:13:48.079 --> 00:13:49.990
making the case for space-based


00:13:50.000 --> 00:13:53.910
astronomy. September 2026, her namesake


00:13:53.920 --> 00:13:56.949
telescope joins the fleet. We cannot


00:13:56.959 --> 00:13:57.910
wait.


00:13:57.920 --> 00:14:00.150
>> And our final rap story brings us back


00:14:00.160 --> 00:14:02.710
to the moon. Because even as Artemis 2


00:14:02.720 --> 00:14:04.790
was being celebrated, Kennedy Space


00:14:04.800 --> 00:14:06.870
Center was already turning the page. On


00:14:06.880 --> 00:14:10.550
April 27th and 28th, while the Aremis 2


00:14:10.560 --> 00:14:13.590
Orion capsule was being unloaded on one


00:14:13.600 --> 00:14:15.750
side of Kennedy Space Center for


00:14:15.760 --> 00:14:19.990
post-flight analysis, the Aremis 2 ISLs


00:14:20.000 --> 00:14:22.470
core stage was arriving on the other


00:14:22.480 --> 00:14:25.189
side via the Pegasus barge from New


00:14:25.199 --> 00:14:28.710
Orleans. Two missions, one spaceport,


00:14:28.720 --> 00:14:31.829
one extraordinary week. The core stage


00:14:31.839 --> 00:14:35.590
is the backbone of the SLS rocket. 212


00:14:35.600 --> 00:14:38.069
ft tall, containing the liquid hydrogen


00:14:38.079 --> 00:14:40.389
and liquid oxygen tanks that hold more


00:14:40.399 --> 00:14:42.550
than 733,000


00:14:42.560 --> 00:14:44.949
gallons of propellant. It will be joined


00:14:44.959 --> 00:14:47.110
with its engine section and solid rocket


00:14:47.120 --> 00:14:48.949
boosters in the vehicle assembly


00:14:48.959 --> 00:14:51.189
building over the coming months ahead of


00:14:51.199 --> 00:14:54.790
the 2027 launch. Now, Artemis 3 has a


00:14:54.800 --> 00:14:57.030
revised mission profile compared to what


00:14:57.040 --> 00:14:59.509
was originally planned. Under changes


00:14:59.519 --> 00:15:01.829
announced by administrator Isaacman in


00:15:01.839 --> 00:15:05.110
February, Artemis 3 is no longer a lunar


00:15:05.120 --> 00:15:07.350
landing mission. Instead, it's been


00:15:07.360 --> 00:15:10.470
redesigned as a crude Earth orbit test,


00:15:10.480 --> 00:15:13.430
docking the Orion spacecraft with one or


00:15:13.440 --> 00:15:15.670
both of the commercial human landing


00:15:15.680 --> 00:15:19.750
system vehicles. Face X's Starship HLS


00:15:19.760 --> 00:15:22.550
and Blue Origins Blue Moon lander.


00:15:22.560 --> 00:15:24.949
>> Think of it as Apollo 9 for the Aremis


00:15:24.959 --> 00:15:27.269
era. A critical step in validating the


00:15:27.279 --> 00:15:29.750
docking procedures and systems that will


00:15:29.760 --> 00:15:31.590
be needed before astronauts can actually


00:15:31.600 --> 00:15:34.069
descend to the lunar surface. The first


00:15:34.079 --> 00:15:36.870
crude landing is now Artemis 4, targeted


00:15:36.880 --> 00:15:41.030
for 2028. The Aremis 3 Orion crew module


00:15:41.040 --> 00:15:43.189
is already at Kennedy undergoing


00:15:43.199 --> 00:15:47.590
functional tests. All 186 upgraded AvCot


00:15:47.600 --> 00:15:50.150
heat shield locks, the improved version


00:15:50.160 --> 00:15:52.710
informed by Artemis 2 data, are


00:15:52.720 --> 00:15:56.230
installed and inspected. The four RS25


00:15:56.240 --> 00:15:58.790
engines for the core stage are due to


00:15:58.800 --> 00:16:01.990
arrive from Stenis Space Center by July.


00:16:02.000 --> 00:16:03.910
The crew for Artemis 3 hasn't been


00:16:03.920 --> 00:16:05.670
announced yet, but they're out there


00:16:05.680 --> 00:16:07.749
somewhere, knowing that their moment is


00:16:07.759 --> 00:16:08.790
approaching.


00:16:08.800 --> 00:16:11.990
>> From Artemis 2 splashing down to Aremis


00:16:12.000 --> 00:16:14.550
3 hardware through the door, this was a


00:16:14.560 --> 00:16:17.110
week that showed NASA is not pausing for


00:16:17.120 --> 00:16:19.590
breath. Onwards to the moon.


00:16:19.600 --> 00:16:22.069
>> And that is our first ever astronomy


00:16:22.079 --> 00:16:25.269
daily weekend rap. Six stories, one


00:16:25.279 --> 00:16:27.670
extraordinary week. Russia launched a


00:16:27.680 --> 00:16:29.990
new rocket. Maze moon is doing something


00:16:30.000 --> 00:16:33.509
rare. Artemis 2 left us speechless. The


00:16:33.519 --> 00:16:35.990
Roman telescope is almost ready to fly


00:16:36.000 --> 00:16:38.310
and Artemis 3 is already assembling in


00:16:38.320 --> 00:16:39.269
the VAB.


00:16:39.279 --> 00:16:41.829
>> This is why we do this show. Thanks so


00:16:41.839 --> 00:16:43.590
much for spending some of your weekend


00:16:43.600 --> 00:16:46.310
with us. If you enjoyed today's format,


00:16:46.320 --> 00:16:49.829
let us know. Find us at astronomyaily.io


00:16:49.839 --> 00:16:53.189
or on social media at astroaily pod.


00:16:53.199 --> 00:16:55.910
Your feedback genuinely shapes the show.


00:16:55.920 --> 00:16:58.310
>> Until next time, keep looking up.


00:16:58.320 --> 00:17:01.189
>> Clear skies everyone. This is astronomy


00:17:01.199 --> 00:17:12.949
daily.


00:17:12.959 --> 00:17:16.760
Stories told.