00:56 – **Very low Earth orbit satellites could revolutionise how we monitor Earth
03:43 – **The BepiColombo mission is set to enter orbit around Mercury in 2026
06:06 – **Astronomers detect black hole's spin dragging spacetime
07:54 – **SpaceX launched 29 Next Gen Starlink satellites on January 4
09:06 – **NASA's Escapade mission to Mars will investigate how solar wind erodes atmosphere
10:53 – **X ray spectrum of fast spinning supermassive black hole from NASA mission
12:48 – **This week's episode is packed with innovation, discovery and cosmic wonders### Sources & Further Reading1. European Space Agency2. Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency3. SpaceX4. NASA### Follow & ContactX/Twitter: @AstroDailyPod
Instagram: @astrodailypod
Email: hello@astronomydaily.io
Website: astronomydaily.io
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This episode includes AI-generated content.
00:00:00 --> 00:00:03 Anna: Hello and welcome to Astronomy daily. Give us
00:00:03 --> 00:00:05 10 minutes and we'll give you the universe.
00:00:05 --> 00:00:08 I'm Anna and with me as always, is my co
00:00:08 --> 00:00:10 host, Avery. Hey Avery. It's January
00:00:10 --> 00:00:13 5th, 2026. Hope everyone's having a
00:00:13 --> 00:00:15 fantastic start to the year. We've already
00:00:16 --> 00:00:18 seen some exciting launches and sky events
00:00:18 --> 00:00:20 kicking off and I'm pumped for what's ahead.
00:00:21 --> 00:00:23 Avery: Hi Anna. And a big hello to all our listeners
00:00:23 --> 00:00:25 out there exploring the cosmos with us.
00:00:26 --> 00:00:29 Absolutely. 2026 is buzzing right from the
00:00:29 --> 00:00:31 get go. Today we've lined up 6 int
00:00:32 --> 00:00:34 storeys from cutting edge tech for satellites
00:00:34 --> 00:00:37 hugging Earth closer than ever before to a
00:00:37 --> 00:00:39 mission finally orbiting the scorched world
00:00:39 --> 00:00:42 of Mercury black holes confirming
00:00:42 --> 00:00:45 Einstein's wild predictions, a speedy
00:00:45 --> 00:00:48 SpaceX launch, NASA's clever waiting game for
00:00:48 --> 00:00:50 Mars probes and the sharpest X ray peak
00:00:50 --> 00:00:53 yet at a spinning black hole beast. We'll
00:00:53 --> 00:00:56 dive deep, discuss the science and share our
00:00:56 --> 00:00:56 thoughts.
00:00:56 --> 00:00:57 Let's jump in.
00:00:58 --> 00:01:00 Anna: First storey of the day is all about pushing
00:01:00 --> 00:01:03 the boundaries of satellite orbits. We're
00:01:03 --> 00:01:05 talking about very low Earth orbit or
00:01:05 --> 00:01:08 VLEO satellites which zip around at
00:01:08 --> 00:01:10 altitudes between 100 and 400
00:01:11 --> 00:01:13 kilometres above Earth. That's a lot
00:01:13 --> 00:01:16 closer than the usual low Earth orbit stuff,
00:01:16 --> 00:01:18 which can go up to 2000 kilometres.
00:01:19 --> 00:01:22 Avery, why go so low? And what makes this
00:01:22 --> 00:01:23 the next frontier?
00:01:24 --> 00:01:26 Avery: Great question, Ana. Uh, the advantages are
00:01:26 --> 00:01:28 pretty compelling at these lower heights,
00:01:28 --> 00:01:31 satellites can capture much sharper images
00:01:31 --> 00:01:33 for Earth observation. Imagine super
00:01:33 --> 00:01:36 detailed views that ah, boost agriculture by
00:01:36 --> 00:01:38 spotting crop health issues early, enhance
00:01:38 --> 00:01:40 climate monitoring with precise data on
00:01:40 --> 00:01:43 deforestation or ice melt, aid
00:01:43 --> 00:01:46 in disaster response like tracking wildfires
00:01:46 --> 00:01:48 or floods in real time, and even support
00:01:48 --> 00:01:51 military reconnaissance with crystal clear
00:01:51 --> 00:01:54 intel. On the communications side, the lower
00:01:54 --> 00:01:56 altitude means red signal latency. Think
00:01:56 --> 00:01:59 faster Internet and more responsive networks.
00:01:59 --> 00:02:01 Weather forecasting gets an upgrade too, with
00:02:01 --> 00:02:04 better resolution on cloud formations and
00:02:04 --> 00:02:05 atmospheric layers.
00:02:05 --> 00:02:08 Anna: Sounds revolutionary, but I bet there are
00:02:08 --> 00:02:10 challenges. The atmosphere doesn't just
00:02:10 --> 00:02:13 vanish at 100 kilometres. There's still
00:02:13 --> 00:02:15 enough air to cause serious drag, right?
00:02:16 --> 00:02:18 Satellites could spiral down and burn up in
00:02:18 --> 00:02:21 mere days without some kind of constant
00:02:21 --> 00:02:21 boost.
00:02:22 --> 00:02:25 Avery: Spot on. Atmospheric drag is the big
00:02:25 --> 00:02:27 hurdle. Along with corrosion from atomic
00:02:27 --> 00:02:29 oxygen. That's highly reactive stuff that
00:02:29 --> 00:02:32 eats away at materials and intense heating
00:02:32 --> 00:02:34 from friction, pushing temperatures beyond
00:02:34 --> 00:02:37 1500 degrees Celsius. To combat
00:02:37 --> 00:02:40 this, engineers are developing innovative
00:02:40 --> 00:02:42 propulsion systems like air breathing
00:02:42 --> 00:02:44 electric thrusters. These scoop up sparse
00:02:44 --> 00:02:47 atmospheric molecules and ionise them for
00:02:47 --> 00:02:49 thrust. For example, researchers at Penn
00:02:49 --> 00:02:52 State are experimenting with microwave plasma
00:02:52 --> 00:02:54 technology, while darpa' OTTER programme,
00:02:54 --> 00:02:57 partnered with Redwire is testing similar
00:02:57 --> 00:02:59 concepts. It's like giving satellites a way
00:02:59 --> 00:03:01 to breathe the air they're flying through.
00:03:01 --> 00:03:04 Anna: And with orbits like LEO getting increasingly
00:03:04 --> 00:03:07 congested, starLink has over 6
00:03:07 --> 00:03:10 satellites alone, plus competitors.
00:03:10 --> 00:03:13 VLEO could open up new real estate in
00:03:13 --> 00:03:15 space, reducing collision risks up higher.
00:03:16 --> 00:03:18 Investments are skyrocketing, with
00:03:18 --> 00:03:20 projections in the hundreds of billions over
00:03:20 --> 00:03:23 the coming decade. Right now it's mostly
00:03:23 --> 00:03:26 prototypes and demos, but Earth,
00:03:26 --> 00:03:28 Observant and Albedo are leading the charge.
00:03:28 --> 00:03:31 This could really change how we monitor our
00:03:31 --> 00:03:32 planet and connect globally.
00:03:33 --> 00:03:35 Avery: No doubt. It's exciting to think about the
00:03:35 --> 00:03:38 applications. Closer orbits mean better data
00:03:38 --> 00:03:40 and who knows what breakthrough that'll lead
00:03:40 --> 00:03:42 to in environmental science or urban
00:03:42 --> 00:03:42 planning.
00:03:43 --> 00:03:45 Anna: Moving on to our second storey. After a
00:03:45 --> 00:03:48 long journey, the BepiColombo mission is
00:03:48 --> 00:03:51 poised to enter orbit around Mercury later
00:03:51 --> 00:03:53 this year in the second half of 2026.
00:03:54 --> 00:03:56 This is a collaborative effort between the
00:03:56 --> 00:03:59 European Space Agenc and
00:03:59 --> 00:04:01 Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency.
00:04:02 --> 00:04:05 Launched way back in October 2018,
00:04:05 --> 00:04:08 it features two ESA's
00:04:08 --> 00:04:11 Mercury Planetary Orbiter, focused on the
00:04:11 --> 00:04:14 planet's surface composition and interior
00:04:14 --> 00:04:17 structure, and JAXA's Meo, which will study
00:04:17 --> 00:04:19 the magnetic field, magnetosphere and
00:04:19 --> 00:04:20 thin exosphere.
00:04:21 --> 00:04:23 Avery: Mercury is one of the trickiest planets to
00:04:23 --> 00:04:26 reach because of its proximity to the sun.
00:04:26 --> 00:04:29 The gravity pull is immense, so you need a
00:04:29 --> 00:04:32 lot of energy to slow down and get captured
00:04:32 --> 00:04:35 into orbit. BepiColombo has been using
00:04:35 --> 00:04:37 a series of gravity assist flybys
00:04:37 --> 00:04:40 Earth once, Venus twice and
00:04:40 --> 00:04:43 Mercury itself six times, to bleed
00:04:43 --> 00:04:46 off speed without guzzling fuel. The
00:04:46 --> 00:04:48 planet's extreme environment adds to the
00:04:48 --> 00:04:51 challenge. Surface temperature swings from
00:04:51 --> 00:04:53 negative 173 degrees
00:04:53 --> 00:04:56 Celsius at night to 427
00:04:56 --> 00:04:59 degrees Celsius during the day. It has an
00:04:59 --> 00:05:01 eccentric orbit, a um, massive iron
00:05:01 --> 00:05:04 core making up 60% of its mass,
00:05:04 --> 00:05:07 and a surprisingly active magnetic
00:05:07 --> 00:05:09 field, despite its small size.
00:05:09 --> 00:05:12 Anna: Once in orbit, it'll provide groundbreaking
00:05:12 --> 00:05:14 data, like the first ever X ray fluorescence
00:05:14 --> 00:05:17 maps of another planet's surface. That'll
00:05:17 --> 00:05:19 reveal elemental compositions, things like
00:05:19 --> 00:05:22 magnesium, aluminium, silicon in
00:05:22 --> 00:05:25 unprecedented detail, helping us understand
00:05:25 --> 00:05:28 Mercury's volcanic history and crustal
00:05:28 --> 00:05:30 evolution. We'll also get better insights
00:05:30 --> 00:05:33 into its tenuous atmosphere and how solar
00:05:33 --> 00:05:35 wind interacts with the magnetosphere.
00:05:36 --> 00:05:38 Avery: Comparing this to data from Earth, Mars
00:05:38 --> 00:05:41 and the Moon will refine our models of inner
00:05:41 --> 00:05:44 solar system planet formation. The
00:05:44 --> 00:05:46 instruments are state of the art, but after
00:05:46 --> 00:05:49 eight years in space, the teams will be
00:05:49 --> 00:05:51 holding their breath during activation. If
00:05:51 --> 00:05:54 all goes well, it'll operate for at least a
00:05:54 --> 00:05:56 year with possible extensions.
00:05:56 --> 00:05:58 Anna: I'm eager for those close up views and what
00:05:58 --> 00:06:00 they tell us about the sun's closest
00:06:00 --> 00:06:03 companion. It's been a patient wait, but
00:06:03 --> 00:06:04 science like this is worth it.
00:06:05 --> 00:06:06 Avery: Absolutely.
00:06:06 --> 00:06:09 Now for something that bends the mind and
00:06:09 --> 00:06:12 spacetime itself. Astronomers have
00:06:12 --> 00:06:15 caught a black hole in the act of twisting
00:06:15 --> 00:06:17 the fabric of reality, exactly as
00:06:17 --> 00:06:20 Albert Einstein predicted back in 1918
00:06:20 --> 00:06:23 with his general theory of relativity. This
00:06:23 --> 00:06:26 is the lens theoring effect, also
00:06:26 --> 00:06:29 known as frame dragging, where a spinning
00:06:29 --> 00:06:31 massive object warps spacetime around
00:06:31 --> 00:06:32 it.
00:06:32 --> 00:06:35 Anna: The observation comes from a tidal disruption
00:06:35 --> 00:06:36 event dubbed at
00:06:36 --> 00:06:39 2020afhd, where a
00:06:39 --> 00:06:41 supermassive black hole shredded a passing
00:06:41 --> 00:06:44 star, creating a swirling accretion
00:06:44 --> 00:06:47 disc of hot gas and launching powerful
00:06:47 --> 00:06:50 jets. Using X ray data from NASA's
00:06:50 --> 00:06:53 Neil Gerald Swift Observatory and radio
00:06:53 --> 00:06:55 observations from the Very Large Array in New
00:06:55 --> 00:06:58 Mexico, the team detected the disc and one
00:06:58 --> 00:07:01 jet precessing or wobbling in unison
00:07:01 --> 00:07:04 every 20 days. That wobble is the
00:07:04 --> 00:07:06 direct result of the black hole's spin
00:07:06 --> 00:07:07 dragging spacetime Like.
00:07:07 --> 00:07:10 Avery: A vortex, these events are rare.
00:07:10 --> 00:07:13 Tidal disruptions happen maybe once in every
00:07:13 --> 00:07:16 10 to 100 years per
00:07:16 --> 00:07:19 galaxy. And catching the repeating signals
00:07:19 --> 00:07:21 needed for this measurement is even tougher.
00:07:21 --> 00:07:24 It not only confirms general relativity in
00:07:24 --> 00:07:27 one of the most extreme environments, but
00:07:27 --> 00:07:29 also gives us a new tool
00:07:29 --> 00:07:31 precisely measure black hole spins.
00:07:32 --> 00:07:35 Understanding spin helps explain how these
00:07:35 --> 00:07:38 monsters power jets that can stretch across
00:07:38 --> 00:07:40 galaxies and influence star formation.
00:07:41 --> 00:07:43 Anna: It's incredible Einstein's equations
00:07:43 --> 00:07:46 scribbled over a century ago still hold up
00:07:46 --> 00:07:49 under scrutiny from modern telescopes. This
00:07:49 --> 00:07:51 could lead to more detections as we get
00:07:51 --> 00:07:53 better at spotting these quasi periodic
00:07:53 --> 00:07:54 eruptions.
00:07:54 --> 00:07:57 Avery: Onto launches. SpaceX is keeping the
00:07:57 --> 00:08:00 momentum from 2025. Just yesterday,
00:08:00 --> 00:08:03 on January4, at 1:48am
00:08:03 --> 00:08:06 Eastern Time, they sent up a fresh Falcon
00:08:06 --> 00:08:08 9 from Space Launch Complex 40 at
00:08:08 --> 00:08:11 Cape Canaveral Space Force Station for the
00:08:11 --> 00:08:13 Starlink Group 688 mission.
00:08:13 --> 00:08:16 Anna: The rocket carried 29 Next Gen
00:08:16 --> 00:08:19 Starlink satellites into low Earth orbit,
00:08:19 --> 00:08:21 deploying them successfully about an hour
00:08:21 --> 00:08:24 after liftoff. This was the debut for
00:08:24 --> 00:08:27 booster B1081, which
00:08:27 --> 00:08:30 nailed its landing on the drone ship. Just
00:08:30 --> 00:08:32 read the instructions in the Atlantic. These
00:08:32 --> 00:08:35 satellites are part of the expanding
00:08:35 --> 00:08:37 constellation aimed at global broadband
00:08:37 --> 00:08:40 coverage. With improvements in speed and
00:08:40 --> 00:08:41 coverage, this.
00:08:41 --> 00:08:43 Avery: Marks SpaceX's second launch of
00:08:43 --> 00:08:46 2026, already following closely
00:08:46 --> 00:08:48 after their first one earlier in the week.
00:08:49 --> 00:08:51 With over 165 launches last
00:08:51 --> 00:08:54 year, they're on track to beat that record.
00:08:54 --> 00:08:57 The reliability of Falcon 9 continues to
00:08:57 --> 00:08:59 impress, enabling more frequent and efficient
00:09:00 --> 00:09:01 affordable access to space.
00:09:01 --> 00:09:04 Anna: Indeed, it's democratising orbit in ways we
00:09:04 --> 00:09:06 couldn't imagine a decade ago.
00:09:06 --> 00:09:09 Avery: Our fifth storey involves a bit of cosmic
00:09:09 --> 00:09:12 patience NASA's Escapade mission to
00:09:12 --> 00:09:15 Mars the twin probes named
00:09:15 --> 00:09:18 Blue and Gold for escape and plasma
00:09:18 --> 00:09:20 acceleration and dynamics explorers
00:09:20 --> 00:09:23 blasted off aboard AH Blue Origin's New Glenn
00:09:23 --> 00:09:25 Rocket in November 2025.
00:09:26 --> 00:09:28 Anna: Their goal is to investigate how the solar
00:09:28 --> 00:09:31 wind erodes Mars atmosphere, a process
00:09:31 --> 00:09:34 that's stripped away much of the planet's air
00:09:34 --> 00:09:36 over 4 billion years, turning it from
00:09:36 --> 00:09:39 potentially habitable to the barren world we
00:09:39 --> 00:09:42 see today. By measuring plasma flows,
00:09:42 --> 00:09:45 magnetic fields, and ion escape rates from
00:09:45 --> 00:09:48 two vantage points, they'll provide a, uh, 3D
00:09:48 --> 00:09:49 view of this interaction.
00:09:50 --> 00:09:52 Avery: But here's the twist they're not rushing
00:09:52 --> 00:09:55 straight to Mars due to planetary alignment
00:09:55 --> 00:09:58 at launch. They're spending about year in a
00:09:58 --> 00:10:01 halo orbit around Earth's Lagrange point 2,
00:10:01 --> 00:10:04 roughly a million miles away on the far side
00:10:04 --> 00:10:07 from the Sun. This stable kidney bean
00:10:07 --> 00:10:10 shaped path conserves fuel while waiting for
00:10:10 --> 00:10:11 the optimal window.
00:10:11 --> 00:10:14 Anna: In fall 2026, they'll ignite their
00:10:14 --> 00:10:16 thrusters for a trajectory adjustment, using
00:10:16 --> 00:10:19 Earth's gravity for a slingshot to Mars.
00:10:19 --> 00:10:21 Arriving in September 2027,
00:10:22 --> 00:10:24 science operations kick off shortly after
00:10:25 --> 00:10:27 Lasting at least a year, the dual probe
00:10:27 --> 00:10:30 setup adds redundancy if one fails, the
00:10:30 --> 00:10:32 other can still deliver key data.
00:10:33 --> 00:10:35 Avery: This flexible design expands launch
00:10:35 --> 00:10:38 opportunities beyond the every 26 months home
00:10:38 --> 00:10:41 and transfer windows, making Mars missions
00:10:41 --> 00:10:44 more feasible. It's a smart blend of orbital
00:10:44 --> 00:10:45 mechanics and engineering.
00:10:45 --> 00:10:48 Anna: Patience in space pays dividends.
00:10:48 --> 00:10:50 Reminds me of how Voyager probes are still
00:10:50 --> 00:10:52 going strong after decades.
00:10:53 --> 00:10:56 Avery: Last but not least, the X ray Imaging and
00:10:56 --> 00:10:58 Spectroscopy mission, or
00:10:58 --> 00:11:00 xrism, has given us the
00:11:00 --> 00:11:03 clearest X ray spectrum yet of a fast
00:11:03 --> 00:11:05 spinning supermassive black hole in The
00:11:05 --> 00:11:07 Active Galaxy MCG
00:11:08 --> 00:11:10 630 15,
00:11:11 --> 00:11:14 located 121 million light years
00:11:14 --> 00:11:16 away in the constellation Aquarius.
00:11:16 --> 00:11:19 Anna: This black hole, weighing in at about
00:11:19 --> 00:11:22 2 million solar masses, is accreting
00:11:22 --> 00:11:24 material at a furious pace.
00:11:24 --> 00:11:27 Xrism's Resolve spectrometer
00:11:27 --> 00:11:30 captured a broad asymmetric iron
00:11:30 --> 00:11:33 K alpha emission line distorted by
00:11:33 --> 00:11:35 relativistic effects near the event
00:11:35 --> 00:11:38 horizon, where gas orbits at nearly
00:11:38 --> 00:11:41 light speed. By combining this with
00:11:41 --> 00:11:43 archival data from M, ESA's XMM
00:11:43 --> 00:11:45 Newton and NASA's NuSTAR,
00:11:46 --> 00:11:48 astronomers dissected the spectrum into
00:11:48 --> 00:11:51 components from the inner accretion disc and
00:11:51 --> 00:11:52 outer regions.
00:11:52 --> 00:11:55 Avery: They identified five distinct zones in an
00:11:55 --> 00:11:58 outflowing wind plus a hot corona
00:11:58 --> 00:12:01 above the disc. Remarkably, the
00:12:01 --> 00:12:03 reflection signal from gas perilously close
00:12:03 --> 00:12:06 to the black hole is 50 times brighter than
00:12:06 --> 00:12:09 from distant material, confirming the
00:12:09 --> 00:12:11 hole's high spin rate, likely close to the
00:12:11 --> 00:12:14 maximum allowed by physics. This spin
00:12:14 --> 00:12:17 influences how efficiently black holes
00:12:17 --> 00:12:18 accrete mass and eject jets.
00:12:19 --> 00:12:21 Anna: These insights help unravel how
00:12:21 --> 00:12:24 supermassive black holes co evolve with
00:12:24 --> 00:12:27 their host galaxies, whether through steady
00:12:27 --> 00:12:29 accretion or violent girders.
00:12:30 --> 00:12:33 Xrism M A uh, JAXA
00:12:33 --> 00:12:35 NASA collaboration with ESA input
00:12:36 --> 00:12:38 is setting new standards in high energy
00:12:38 --> 00:12:41 astrophysics with its micro
00:12:41 --> 00:12:42 calorimeter technology.
00:12:42 --> 00:12:45 Avery: It's transforming our view of the hot and
00:12:45 --> 00:12:48 energetic universe one spectrum at a time.
00:12:48 --> 00:12:51 Anna: Wow, what an episode packed with
00:12:51 --> 00:12:53 innovation, discovery and cosmic
00:12:53 --> 00:12:56 wonders. From Vleosat's
00:12:56 --> 00:12:58 redefining Earth Observation to
00:12:58 --> 00:13:01 Xrism's black hole revelations,
00:13:02 --> 00:13:04 it's a thrilling time to be following Space
00:13:04 --> 00:13:05 News.
00:13:05 --> 00:13:08 Avery: Couldn't agree more. Thanks for tuning in to
00:13:08 --> 00:13:10 Astronomy Daily. We love sharing these
00:13:10 --> 00:13:12 storeys with you. If you're enjoying the
00:13:12 --> 00:13:14 show, please subscribe, leave a review or
00:13:14 --> 00:13:16 tell a friend. It helps us grow and reach
00:13:16 --> 00:13:17 more stargazers.
00:13:18 --> 00:13:19 Anna: We'll catch you tomorrow with the latest
00:13:19 --> 00:13:22 updates. Until then, keep wondering about the
00:13:22 --> 00:13:23 universe.
00:13:23 --> 00:13:24 Avery: Clear skies everyone.