- Discovery of the Largest Black Hole Ever Measured: Join us as we explore the astonishing discovery of a black hole with a mass of 36 billion suns, located 5 billion light years away in the Tomic Horseshoe system. This dormant giant challenges our understanding of black hole formation and its relationship with galaxy size, as researchers utilise gravitational lensing to measure its immense gravitational pull.
- - Italy's Bold Mars Mission: Exciting developments are on the horizon as the Italian Space Agency partners with SpaceX for an uncrewed mission to Mars aboard a Starship. We discuss the scientific payloads involved and the ambitious goals set for this groundbreaking collaboration.
- - The Chrysalis Interstellar Ship Concept: Delve into the visionary design of Chrysalis, a multi-generational spacecraft proposed for a 400-year journey to another star system. This project highlights innovative solutions for long-duration space travel, including artificial gravity and sustainable ecosystems.
- - United Launch Alliance's Vulcan Rocket Launch: Get the latest on ULA's Vulcan rocket as it prepares for its inaugural flight on a critical national security mission. We discuss the challenges faced during development and ULA's ambitious plans to ramp up launch operations.
- For more cosmic updates, visit our website at astronomydaily.io. Join our community on social media by searching for #AstroDailyPod on Facebook, X, YouTube Music, TikTok, and our new Instagram account! Don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts.
- Thank you for tuning in. This is Anna and Avery signing off. Until next time, keep looking up and stay curious about the wonders of our universe.
Black Hole Discovery Details
[Royal Astronomical Society](https://www.ras.ac.uk/)
Italian Space Agency Mars Mission
[Italian Space Agency](https://www.asi.it/)
Chrysalis Interstellar Ship Concept
[Initiative for Interstellar Studies](https://www.i4is.org/)
ULA's Vulcan Rocket Launch Insights
[United Launch Alliance](https://www.ulalaunch.com/)
Astronomy Daily
[Astronomy Daily](http://www.astronomydaily.io/)
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00:00:00 --> 00:00:03 Anna: Welcome, um, to Astronomy Daily, your go to
00:00:03 --> 00:00:06 podcast for the latest and greatest news from
00:00:06 --> 00:00:08 across the cosmos. I'm Anna.
00:00:08 --> 00:00:11 Avery: And I'm Avery. We're thrilled to have you
00:00:11 --> 00:00:14 join us today as we dive into some truly
00:00:14 --> 00:00:15 mind boggling space stories.
00:00:16 --> 00:00:19 Anna: That's right, Avery. We've got a packed
00:00:19 --> 00:00:21 episode for you. Starting with the discovery
00:00:21 --> 00:00:24 of what might just be the biggest black hole
00:00:24 --> 00:00:27 ever measured, weighing in at an
00:00:27 --> 00:00:29 unimaginable 36 billion
00:00:30 --> 00:00:32 times the mass of our own sun.
00:00:32 --> 00:00:34 Avery: Plus, we'll journey to Mars with some
00:00:34 --> 00:00:37 exciting news about Italy's bold uncrewed
00:00:37 --> 00:00:40 mission aboard a SpaceX Starship. And then
00:00:40 --> 00:00:43 look even further out to a truly ambitious
00:00:43 --> 00:00:46 concept for a 400 year voyage
00:00:46 --> 00:00:49 to another star and bringing.
00:00:49 --> 00:00:51 Anna: Us back to Earth. We'll get the latest on
00:00:51 --> 00:00:54 United Launch Alliance's Vulcan rocket launch
00:00:54 --> 00:00:56 as it gears up for a crucial flight, and
00:00:56 --> 00:00:59 discuss the bustling future of launch
00:00:59 --> 00:01:00 operations at Cape Canaveral.
00:01:01 --> 00:01:03 Avery: So strap in because we're about to launch
00:01:03 --> 00:01:06 into the daily dose of space news.
00:01:07 --> 00:01:09 Anna: Alright, let's kick things off with a mind
00:01:09 --> 00:01:11 boggling discovery.
00:01:11 --> 00:01:13 From about 5 billion light years away,
00:01:13 --> 00:01:16 scientists have just measured what could be
00:01:16 --> 00:01:19 the most massive black hole ever found,
00:01:19 --> 00:01:21 sitting right at the heart of one of the most
00:01:21 --> 00:01:23 massive galaxies on record.
00:01:24 --> 00:01:27 Avery: And when we say massive, we mean truly
00:01:27 --> 00:01:29 colossal. Anna. Uh, this thing has a mass
00:01:29 --> 00:01:32 equivalent to 36 billion
00:01:32 --> 00:01:35 suns. To put that in perspective, the
00:01:35 --> 00:01:37 supermassive black hole at the centre of our
00:01:37 --> 00:01:40 own Milky Way galaxy, Sagittarius A,
00:01:40 --> 00:01:43 only holds the mass of about 4.15
00:01:43 --> 00:01:46 million suns. It's almost
00:01:46 --> 00:01:47 incomprehensible.
00:01:48 --> 00:01:50 Anna: It certainly is. This newly measured
00:01:50 --> 00:01:53 giant is located in the Tomic Horseshoe
00:01:53 --> 00:01:55 system. And what's particular particularly
00:01:55 --> 00:01:57 interesting is that it's a dormant black
00:01:57 --> 00:01:59 hole, right?
00:01:59 --> 00:02:01 Avery: Which means it's not actively devouring
00:02:01 --> 00:02:03 matter from its surroundings. Unlike, um, an
00:02:03 --> 00:02:06 active black hole that's constantly feasting
00:02:06 --> 00:02:08 from an accretion disc, which is usually how
00:02:08 --> 00:02:11 we detect them. It's like finding a sleeping
00:02:11 --> 00:02:13 leviathan in the cosmic ocean.
00:02:13 --> 00:02:16 Anna: Exactly. And the fact that this black hole
00:02:16 --> 00:02:19 is in such an enormous galaxy, while
00:02:19 --> 00:02:22 Sagittarius A is in our more modest
00:02:22 --> 00:02:25 Milky Way galaxy, is likely no coincidence.
00:02:25 --> 00:02:27 Researchers like Thomas Collett from the
00:02:27 --> 00:02:30 University of Portsmouth, a study author,
00:02:30 --> 00:02:33 believe the size of these supermassive black
00:02:33 --> 00:02:35 holes is intimately linked to the size of
00:02:35 --> 00:02:36 their parent galaxies.
00:02:37 --> 00:02:40 Avery: It makes sense. As galaxies grow, they
00:02:40 --> 00:02:42 funnel matter toward their central black
00:02:42 --> 00:02:44 holes, which in turn feeds them. This
00:02:44 --> 00:02:47 process can also create incredibly bright
00:02:47 --> 00:02:49 quasars that actually dump so much energy
00:02:49 --> 00:02:52 into their host galaxies that it stops new
00:02:52 --> 00:02:54 stars from forming. It's a, uh, dynamic,
00:02:54 --> 00:02:56 interconnected system.
00:02:57 --> 00:02:59 Anna: What's even more fascinating is how they
00:02:59 --> 00:03:02 managed to measure this dormant black hole
00:03:02 --> 00:03:04 precisely because it wasn't actively feeding.
00:03:05 --> 00:03:07 Normally, it's that commotion, those X ray
00:03:07 --> 00:03:10 emissions, that give black holes away and
00:03:10 --> 00:03:11 allow us to measure them.
00:03:12 --> 00:03:14 Avery: But here they relied on something even more
00:03:15 --> 00:03:18 gravity. Even dormant black holes have an
00:03:18 --> 00:03:21 immense gravitational pull, which warps
00:03:21 --> 00:03:24 the fabric of spacetime, just as Albert
00:03:24 --> 00:03:26 Einstein's theory of general relativity
00:03:26 --> 00:03:27 predicts.
00:03:28 --> 00:03:30 Anna: Einstein's theory fundamentally changed our
00:03:30 --> 00:03:33 understanding of gravity. Instead of an
00:03:33 --> 00:03:36 invisible force pulling things, it describes
00:03:36 --> 00:03:39 gravity as the curvature of spacetime caused
00:03:39 --> 00:03:41 by mass. Imagine a bowling ball on a
00:03:41 --> 00:03:44 stretched trampoline. It creates a dip, and a
00:03:44 --> 00:03:47 smaller marble rolled nearby would fall into
00:03:47 --> 00:03:49 that dip. That's a simplified version of how
00:03:49 --> 00:03:52 objects with mass warp space time.
00:03:52 --> 00:03:54 Avery: And crucially, this warping doesn't just
00:03:54 --> 00:03:57 affect physical matter, it also affects
00:03:57 --> 00:04:00 light. The scientists leveraged this by
00:04:00 --> 00:04:02 observing the light from a background galaxy
00:04:02 --> 00:04:04 in the cosmic horseshoe system. As it
00:04:04 --> 00:04:06 travelled past the foreground galaxy
00:04:06 --> 00:04:09 containing this black hole, the light was
00:04:09 --> 00:04:11 bent and magnified, an effect known as
00:04:11 --> 00:04:13 gravitational lensing.
00:04:14 --> 00:04:16 Anna: The cosmic horseshoe system is actually
00:04:16 --> 00:04:19 famous for this. The alignment is so
00:04:19 --> 00:04:21 perfect that the warped background galaxy
00:04:21 --> 00:04:24 appears as almost a perfect ring around the
00:04:24 --> 00:04:26 foreground galaxy, creating what's called an
00:04:26 --> 00:04:29 Einstein ring. In this case, it's more of an
00:04:29 --> 00:04:30 Einstein horseshoe.
00:04:31 --> 00:04:33 Avery: So by combining those gravitational lensing
00:04:33 --> 00:04:35 measurements with observations of stars in
00:04:35 --> 00:04:38 the foreground galaxy zipping around at
00:04:38 --> 00:04:41 incredibly high speeds, almost 400
00:04:41 --> 00:04:43 kilometres per second, the researchers had
00:04:43 --> 00:04:45 the concrete evidence they needed.
00:04:46 --> 00:04:48 Anna: As Carlos Melo, the study's lead author,
00:04:48 --> 00:04:51 highlighted, this detection relied purely on
00:04:51 --> 00:04:54 the black hole's immense gravitational pull.
00:04:54 --> 00:04:56 It's a game changer, because this method
00:04:56 --> 00:04:59 allows them to find and measure these hidden
00:04:59 --> 00:05:02 ultramassive black holes across the universe,
00:05:03 --> 00:05:05 even when they are completely silent.
00:05:05 --> 00:05:07 Avery: It's like being able to find something that's
00:05:07 --> 00:05:10 been hiding in plain sight. Looking ahead,
00:05:10 --> 00:05:12 this discovery could help us understand the
00:05:12 --> 00:05:14 critical link between galaxy size and
00:05:14 --> 00:05:17 supermassive black hole size. The Cosmic
00:05:17 --> 00:05:20 Horseshoe is what's known as a fossil group,
00:05:20 --> 00:05:23 essentially the final stage of massive
00:05:23 --> 00:05:25 gravitationally bound structures, meaning
00:05:25 --> 00:05:26 it's.
00:05:26 --> 00:05:28 Anna: A galaxy that has absorbed its companions
00:05:28 --> 00:05:31 into one massive structure. It gives us a
00:05:31 --> 00:05:34 potential peek into our own realm's distant
00:05:34 --> 00:05:36 future, as our Milky Way and the Andromeda
00:05:36 --> 00:05:38 Galaxy are likely on a path to collide
00:05:38 --> 00:05:41 someday and might form a fossil group
00:05:41 --> 00:05:41 themselves.
00:05:42 --> 00:05:44 Avery: It's truly remarkable. Thomas Collette
00:05:44 --> 00:05:46 suggests that all the supermassive black
00:05:46 --> 00:05:49 holes from the original companion galaxies in
00:05:49 --> 00:05:52 the cosmic horseshoe have probably merged to
00:05:52 --> 00:05:55 form this single ultramassive black hole. And
00:05:55 --> 00:05:57 so in a way we're witnessing the culmination
00:05:57 --> 00:06:00 of both galaxy and black hole formation
00:06:00 --> 00:06:03 right there. The team's paper on this was
00:06:03 --> 00:06:05 published in the journal Monthly Notices of
00:06:05 --> 00:06:07 the Royal Astronomical Society.
00:06:08 --> 00:06:10 Anna: From the mind bending scale of black holes,
00:06:11 --> 00:06:13 let's turn our attention to some exciting
00:06:13 --> 00:06:15 developments much closer to home,
00:06:16 --> 00:06:18 specifically involving Mars. There's been
00:06:18 --> 00:06:20 a groundbreaking agreement announced this
00:06:20 --> 00:06:21 week.
00:06:21 --> 00:06:23 Avery: That's right Anna. Uh, the Italian Space
00:06:23 --> 00:06:26 Agency, or ASI, has just signed a deal
00:06:26 --> 00:06:29 with SpaceX for an uncrewed mission to
00:06:29 --> 00:06:32 Mars, utilising one of SpaceX's Starship
00:06:32 --> 00:06:34 rockets. This is a pretty significant step
00:06:34 --> 00:06:36 for international collaboration in private
00:06:36 --> 00:06:37 space exploration.
00:06:38 --> 00:06:41 Anna: It certainly is. Announced on August
00:06:41 --> 00:06:43 7th. This agreement includes provisions for
00:06:43 --> 00:06:46 several important scientific payloads. We're
00:06:46 --> 00:06:48 talking about a plant growth experiment, a
00:06:48 --> 00:06:51 uh, radiation sensor and even a uh,
00:06:51 --> 00:06:53 meteorological monitoring station.
00:06:53 --> 00:06:55 Avery: And the Italians are ambitious about the data
00:06:55 --> 00:06:57 they'll collect. ASI expects to gather
00:06:57 --> 00:06:59 information not just during the six month
00:06:59 --> 00:07:02 journey to Mars, but also continuously
00:07:02 --> 00:07:04 throughout the mission's time on the Martian
00:07:04 --> 00:07:07 surface. ASI President Theodoro
00:07:07 --> 00:07:09 Valente even declared that Italy is going
00:07:09 --> 00:07:12 to Mars on social media, describing it as
00:07:12 --> 00:07:15 a first of its kind agreement.
00:07:15 --> 00:07:18 Anna: SpaceX's COO Gwynne Shotwell
00:07:18 --> 00:07:20 echoed that excitement, saying get on board,
00:07:20 --> 00:07:23 we are going to Mars. SpaceX is now offering
00:07:23 --> 00:07:26 Starship services to the Red planet. It's
00:07:26 --> 00:07:29 definitely a bold statement considering
00:07:29 --> 00:07:31 Starship hasn't even launched any commercial
00:07:31 --> 00:07:34 payloads to orbit yet, let alone to another
00:07:34 --> 00:07:34 planet.
00:07:35 --> 00:07:37 Avery: True, the development of Starship is still
00:07:37 --> 00:07:39 very much ongoing with those full scale
00:07:39 --> 00:07:42 prototype tests. Elon Musk himself
00:07:42 --> 00:07:45 targeted the end of next year 2026 for
00:07:45 --> 00:07:47 Starship's first mission to Mars. It'll be
00:07:47 --> 00:07:49 fascinating to see if they can hit that
00:07:49 --> 00:07:50 ambitious timeline.
00:07:51 --> 00:07:53 Anna: And it's worth noting that this deal with
00:07:53 --> 00:07:55 SpaceX bypasses the European Space
00:07:55 --> 00:07:58 Agency. However, Italy has historically
00:07:58 --> 00:08:01 played a major role in ESA's own efforts to
00:08:01 --> 00:08:03 explore Mars. They're the largest contributor
00:08:03 --> 00:08:06 to ESA's ExoMars mission, for example,
00:08:06 --> 00:08:09 which is targeting a 2028 launch for its
00:08:09 --> 00:08:11 Roslyn Franklin rover.
00:08:12 --> 00:08:14 Shifting gears from Martian aspirations,
00:08:15 --> 00:08:17 we're now going to delve into a concept that
00:08:17 --> 00:08:19 truly pushes the boundaries of human
00:08:19 --> 00:08:22 ambition. A multi generational
00:08:22 --> 00:08:25 ship designed to carry thousands of people on
00:08:25 --> 00:08:28 a four century voyage to another star system.
00:08:28 --> 00:08:31 It sounds like science fiction, but this is a
00:08:31 --> 00:08:33 serious design proposal called Chrysalis.
00:08:33 --> 00:08:36 Avery: That's right Anna, this isn't just a fantasy.
00:08:36 --> 00:08:38 Chrysalis is an award winning design from an
00:08:38 --> 00:08:41 Italian team that secured the Project
00:08:41 --> 00:08:44 Hyperion design competition run by the
00:08:44 --> 00:08:46 Initiative for Interstellar Studies. The
00:08:46 --> 00:08:49 challenge was to create a realistic multi
00:08:49 --> 00:08:51 generational ship using current or near
00:08:51 --> 00:08:54 future technology and capable of reaching
00:08:54 --> 00:08:54 another star.
00:08:55 --> 00:08:57 Anna: And what a design it is. The concept
00:08:57 --> 00:09:00 envisions a massive rotating cylinder, more
00:09:00 --> 00:09:03 than 58 kilometres long, weighing an
00:09:03 --> 00:09:06 astonishing 2.4 billion metric tonnes.
00:09:06 --> 00:09:08 The rotation is key because it would create
00:09:09 --> 00:09:11 artificial gravity, combining the muscle and
00:09:11 --> 00:09:13 bone loss that occurs in zero g.
00:09:14 --> 00:09:16 The jury praised its quote, system level
00:09:16 --> 00:09:19 coherence and innovative design of the
00:09:19 --> 00:09:21 modular habitat structure.
00:09:21 --> 00:09:24 Avery: It's like a cosmic Russian nesting doll, with
00:09:24 --> 00:09:27 layers built around a central core. Each
00:09:27 --> 00:09:29 shell would have a specific function. The
00:09:29 --> 00:09:31 outermost layer would act as a shield against
00:09:31 --> 00:09:34 micrometeoroids and radiation, while also
00:09:34 --> 00:09:37 serving as a giant warehouse for tools, spare
00:09:37 --> 00:09:40 parts and raw materials, all managed by
00:09:40 --> 00:09:43 robotic systems moving inward.
00:09:43 --> 00:09:45 Anna: The next shell would house industrial
00:09:45 --> 00:09:47 facilities for recycling, manufacturing
00:09:48 --> 00:09:50 and even pharmaceutical labs. Closer still
00:09:50 --> 00:09:53 are the housing blocks, designed with comfort
00:09:53 --> 00:09:56 in mind, followed by communal spaces like
00:09:56 --> 00:09:59 parks, schools, libraries and hospitals.
00:09:59 --> 00:10:01 And nearest to the core, we have the crucial
00:10:01 --> 00:10:04 food production areas, maintaining entire
00:10:04 --> 00:10:07 ecosystems with plants, fungi,
00:10:07 --> 00:10:09 microbes, insects and even livestock.
00:10:10 --> 00:10:12 Avery: And at the very heart of Chrysalis, the core
00:10:12 --> 00:10:15 would hold communication systems and shuttles
00:10:15 --> 00:10:17 for ferrying passengers down to the surface
00:10:17 --> 00:10:20 of Proxima B, which once the epic journey
00:10:20 --> 00:10:23 finally ends. Proxima B, for context,
00:10:23 --> 00:10:26 is 4.24 light years away,
00:10:26 --> 00:10:29 or about 39 trillion kilometres.
00:10:30 --> 00:10:33 Anna: The ship is designed to travel at one tenth
00:10:33 --> 00:10:35 the speed of light, which would still mean
00:10:35 --> 00:10:38 roughly 400 years to reach its destination.
00:10:38 --> 00:10:41 This includes a year for acceleration at the
00:10:41 --> 00:10:43 start and another for deceleration before
00:10:43 --> 00:10:46 arrival. For propulsion, they're looking
00:10:46 --> 00:10:49 at a direct fusion drive using
00:10:49 --> 00:10:52 helium and deuterium isotopes. While
00:10:52 --> 00:10:54 this technology is untested, it holds the
00:10:54 --> 00:10:56 promise of generating both thrust and
00:10:56 --> 00:10:57 electrical power.
00:10:58 --> 00:11:00 Avery: A journey of this magnitude also brings up
00:11:00 --> 00:11:03 incredible societal challenges. The first
00:11:03 --> 00:11:06 generation of passengers would undergo 70 to
00:11:06 --> 00:11:09 80 years of training in an isolated
00:11:09 --> 00:11:12 Antarctic habitat, testing their ability to
00:11:12 --> 00:11:14 live in close quarters and maintain
00:11:14 --> 00:11:16 psychological health. Birth rates would be
00:11:16 --> 00:11:18 carefully controlled to keep the population
00:11:18 --> 00:11:21 at around 1500 people, even though the ship
00:11:21 --> 00:11:24 could hold up to 2400. Ensuring
00:11:24 --> 00:11:25 sufficient resources.
00:11:26 --> 00:11:28 Anna: Governance would be a fascinating blend of
00:11:28 --> 00:11:31 human decision makers and artificial
00:11:31 --> 00:11:33 intelligence designed to strengthen social
00:11:33 --> 00:11:36 resilience and ensure knowledge transfer
00:11:36 --> 00:11:38 across generations. And for a unique
00:11:38 --> 00:11:41 experience, the ship features a cosmodome at
00:11:41 --> 00:11:44 the front, offering a microgravity zone with
00:11:44 --> 00:11:46 sweeping views of deep space.
00:11:46 --> 00:11:49 Avery: It's a concept that truly makes you think
00:11:49 --> 00:11:52 about the when, not if of interstellar
00:11:52 --> 00:11:54 migration. While nuclear fusion drives and
00:11:54 --> 00:11:57 Century spanning governance systems are still
00:11:57 --> 00:11:59 works in progress. Projects like Chrysalis
00:11:59 --> 00:12:01 push the boundaries of what's possible
00:12:02 --> 00:12:04 influencing future spacecraft architecture,
00:12:04 --> 00:12:07 life support systems and long duration
00:12:07 --> 00:12:09 mission planning right here on Earth.
00:12:21 --> 00:12:24 Anna: From ambitious interstellar journeys, let's
00:12:24 --> 00:12:26 bring it back to Earth for a moment, or
00:12:26 --> 00:12:29 rather to Earth's launch pads. We've got an
00:12:29 --> 00:12:32 important update from ULA or United Launch
00:12:32 --> 00:12:34 alliance regarding their Vulcan rocket which
00:12:34 --> 00:12:36 is poised for a significant milestone.
00:12:36 --> 00:12:39 Avery: That's right, Anna Ah Ula's 202 foot tall
00:12:39 --> 00:12:42 Vulcan rocket is about to embark on its
00:12:42 --> 00:12:44 inaugural National Security Mission,
00:12:44 --> 00:12:47 USSF106 as early as
00:12:47 --> 00:12:50 Tuesday, August 12th. This is a huge moment
00:12:50 --> 00:12:53 for ULA as it's the first post certification
00:12:53 --> 00:12:55 flight for Vulcan and a mission they designed
00:12:55 --> 00:12:57 the rocket specifically to do.
00:12:57 --> 00:13:00 Anna: Tory Bruno, ULA's president and
00:13:00 --> 00:13:03 CEO, highlighted just how critical this
00:13:03 --> 00:13:06 launch is, calling it the anchor
00:13:06 --> 00:13:08 case that drove the design and the
00:13:08 --> 00:13:11 architecture of the whole rocket. It's a
00:13:11 --> 00:13:13 particularly challenging mission involving a
00:13:13 --> 00:13:16 direct injection to geosynchronous orbit,
00:13:16 --> 00:13:18 which makes it one of their longest duration
00:13:18 --> 00:13:19 missions ever.
00:13:20 --> 00:13:23 Avery: And um, it hasn't been an easy road. This
00:13:23 --> 00:13:24 launch was actually hoped for much earlier,
00:13:25 --> 00:13:27 but faced setbacks including a solid rocket
00:13:27 --> 00:13:30 motor anomaly during a certification flight
00:13:30 --> 00:13:33 last year, delays with Sierra Space's dream
00:13:33 --> 00:13:36 chaser and even issues with the USSF
00:13:36 --> 00:13:38 Dash106 payloads themselves.
00:13:39 --> 00:13:41 Anna: Despite those hurdles, ULA is now
00:13:41 --> 00:13:44 confident and ready to ramp up their launch
00:13:44 --> 00:13:47 cadence. Bruno revealed plans for nine
00:13:47 --> 00:13:49 more missions before the end of the year, a
00:13:49 --> 00:13:51 mix of commercial and government flights.
00:13:52 --> 00:13:54 Some will still utilise their reliable Atlas
00:13:54 --> 00:13:55 V rockets.
00:13:56 --> 00:13:58 Avery: He emphasised that they have a stockpile of
00:13:58 --> 00:14:01 both Atlases and Vulcans fully built,
00:14:01 --> 00:14:03 ready to fly, which gives them high
00:14:03 --> 00:14:05 confidence in meeting their goals. There are
00:14:05 --> 00:14:08 13 Atlas V rockets remaining, with seven
00:14:08 --> 00:14:11 allocated to Amazon's Project Cooper, six for
00:14:11 --> 00:14:14 Boeing's CST100 Starliner and one
00:14:14 --> 00:14:15 for Viasat.
00:14:15 --> 00:14:18 Anna: Ula's ambitious target is to achieve a
00:14:18 --> 00:14:21 cadence of two launches per month by the end
00:14:21 --> 00:14:24 of the year and maintain that pace into 20,
00:14:24 --> 00:14:27 26 and beyond. This is a clear signal
00:14:27 --> 00:14:29 that the Vulcan is ready to take its place as
00:14:29 --> 00:14:31 a workhorse in the launch industry,
00:14:32 --> 00:14:34 especially for challenging national security
00:14:34 --> 00:14:37 missions that require such precise and
00:14:37 --> 00:14:39 long duration orbital insertions.
00:14:40 --> 00:14:42 Avery: They're also expanding their infrastructure
00:14:42 --> 00:14:45 with Space Launch Complex 3 at Vandenberg
00:14:45 --> 00:14:47 Space Force Base, nearly 76%
00:14:47 --> 00:14:49 complete and aiming for certification by the
00:14:49 --> 00:14:52 end of the year. And at uh, Cape Canaveral,
00:14:52 --> 00:14:54 their second vertical integration facility,
00:14:55 --> 00:14:58 VIF A, which will handle commercial Vulcan
00:14:58 --> 00:15:00 launches, is almost finished. It sounds like
00:15:00 --> 00:15:02 ULA is truly set to expand their presence in
00:15:02 --> 00:15:03 the launch landscape.
00:15:04 --> 00:15:07 Anna: Speaking of expanding operations, ULA
00:15:07 --> 00:15:09 isn't the only one making big moves at the
00:15:09 --> 00:15:12 Cape. SpaceX is also pushing forward
00:15:12 --> 00:15:14 with its Starship super heavy rocket
00:15:14 --> 00:15:16 operations and this is creating some
00:15:16 --> 00:15:18 significant discussions around launch
00:15:18 --> 00:15:20 capacity and environmental impact.
00:15:22 --> 00:15:24 Avery: Absolutely, Anna. Uh, the Federal aviation
00:15:24 --> 00:15:27 Administration or FAA
00:15:27 --> 00:15:30 recently published a draught environmental
00:15:30 --> 00:15:33 impact statement for SpaceX's proposal
00:15:33 --> 00:15:35 to launch up to 44 times from
00:15:35 --> 00:15:38 Launch Complex 39A using
00:15:38 --> 00:15:41 Starship. This includes plans for up to
00:15:41 --> 00:15:44 88 landings of the first and second stages,
00:15:44 --> 00:15:46 plus static fire tests.
00:15:46 --> 00:15:49 Anna: This is huge because Starship is, as Tory
00:15:49 --> 00:15:51 Bruno from ULA puts it, not just another
00:15:51 --> 00:15:53 rocket on the range. It's uh, of
00:15:53 --> 00:15:56 unprecedented size and aims for a very,
00:15:56 --> 00:15:59 very high launch rate. Its operations will
00:15:59 --> 00:16:01 require massive clearance across the Florida
00:16:01 --> 00:16:04 spaceport, impacting other launch complexes
00:16:04 --> 00:16:07 like 39B and SLC 41.
00:16:08 --> 00:16:10 Avery: Indeed, the Department of the Air Force is
00:16:10 --> 00:16:12 also considering SpaceX's separate proposal
00:16:12 --> 00:16:14 for up to 76 launches and
00:16:14 --> 00:16:17 152 landings at uh, SLC
00:16:17 --> 00:16:20 37. Bruno emphasised that the Space
00:16:20 --> 00:16:23 Force and the FAA need to conduct a
00:16:23 --> 00:16:25 very thorough analysis of how this will
00:16:25 --> 00:16:27 affect not just the ecological environment
00:16:27 --> 00:16:30 but also the overall launch environment for
00:16:30 --> 00:16:31 everyone operating there.
00:16:31 --> 00:16:34 Anna: It's a complex situation. When one vehicle
00:16:34 --> 00:16:37 is fueled, certain operations are restricted
00:16:37 --> 00:16:39 on other pads due to the energetics involved.
00:16:39 --> 00:16:42 Given Starship's size, which is even larger
00:16:42 --> 00:16:45 than a Saturn V, it's something truly new to
00:16:45 --> 00:16:45 the range.
00:16:46 --> 00:16:48 Avery: Uh, exactly. The goal is for the range to
00:16:48 --> 00:16:51 maintain its capacity for all users. The
00:16:51 --> 00:16:54 public comment period for the SLC 37 proposal
00:16:54 --> 00:16:56 is closed with the Air Force sifting through
00:16:56 --> 00:16:59 feedback for a final analysis. Meanwhile, the
00:16:59 --> 00:17:01 FAA is collecting public thoughts on the
00:17:01 --> 00:17:04 LC39A proposal through late August
00:17:04 --> 00:17:06 and early September. It's clear that careful
00:17:06 --> 00:17:09 planning is essential to ensure everyone can
00:17:09 --> 00:17:11 operate safely and efficiently at uh, Cape
00:17:11 --> 00:17:11 Canaveral.
00:17:12 --> 00:17:14 Anna: Well, what a jam packed episode of Astronomy
00:17:14 --> 00:17:17 Daily today. From the mind boggling scale of
00:17:17 --> 00:17:20 that 36 billion solar mass black hole
00:17:20 --> 00:17:21 measured.
00:17:21 --> 00:17:23 Avery: Using Einstein's relativity, to Italy's
00:17:23 --> 00:17:26 ambitious plans to send a starship mission to
00:17:26 --> 00:17:28 Mars pushing the boundaries of
00:17:28 --> 00:17:30 interplanetary exploration.
00:17:31 --> 00:17:34 Anna: And we can't forget ula's aggressive plans to
00:17:34 --> 00:17:36 ramp up their Vulcan launches and the intense
00:17:36 --> 00:17:38 discussions surrounding how Starship's
00:17:38 --> 00:17:41 massive operations will affect the busy
00:17:41 --> 00:17:42 launch schedule at Cape Canaveral.
00:17:43 --> 00:17:45 Avery: It really shows the incredible breadth of
00:17:45 --> 00:17:48 activity happening in space right now. From
00:17:48 --> 00:17:51 the deepest reaches of the cosmos to the very
00:17:51 --> 00:17:53 rockets lifting off from our planet.
00:17:54 --> 00:17:56 Anna: It's truly an exciting time to be looking up.
00:17:57 --> 00:17:59 Thanks for joining us for another episode of
00:17:59 --> 00:18:01 Astronomy Daily. Remember to visit our
00:18:01 --> 00:18:04 website at astronomydaily IO if you'd
00:18:04 --> 00:18:07 like to listen to all our back episodes and
00:18:07 --> 00:18:10 achieve completionist status or simply catch
00:18:10 --> 00:18:11 up on the latest space news.
00:18:12 --> 00:18:14 Avery: We hope you enjoyed diving into these
00:18:14 --> 00:18:17 fascinating updates with us. Be sure to tune
00:18:17 --> 00:18:19 in tomorrow for more space and astronomy
00:18:19 --> 00:18:21 news. Goodbye for now.