- Viasat 3F2 Launch Scrubbed Again: The United Launch Alliance faced another setback as the launch of the Viasat 3F2 satellite was scrubbed for the second time this week due to persistent valve issues. This hefty communication satellite is crucial for providing high-speed internet across the Americas, following the challenges faced by its predecessor.
- Voyager 1's Historic Milestone: Voyager 1 is set to make history in November 2026 by becoming the first human-made object to travel a full light day away from Earth, approximately 25.9 billion kilometers. Launched in 1977, this remarkable spacecraft continues to send data back to Earth as it journeys towards the Oort Cloud.
- US-China Space Cooperation: In a significant development, the China National Space Administration proactively coordinated with NASA to avoid a potential satellite collision, marking a shift in their collaborative efforts and showcasing improved space situational awareness on China's part.
- 3D Mapping of Exoplanet Atmosphere: The James Webb Space Telescope has achieved a groundbreaking first by creating a three-dimensional map of the atmosphere of the ultra-hot Jupiter, Wasp 18b. This innovative technique provides new insights into the planet's weather and energy circulation.
- Ariane 6 Launch Ambitions: Arianespace aims to double its Ariane 6 launch cadence in 2026, with plans for six to eight missions, driven by improved efficiency and the introduction of an upgraded rocket variant. The first launch will support Amazon's Project Kuiper constellation.
- For more cosmic updates, visit our website at astronomydaily.io. Join our community on social media by searching for #AstroDailyPod on Facebook, X, YouTubeMusic, 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 exploring the wonders of our universe.
Viasat 3F2 Launch Update
[United Launch Alliance](https://www.ulalaunch.com/)
Voyager 1 Milestone
[NASA](https://www.nasa.gov/)
US-China Coordination
[China National Space Administration](http://www.cnsa.gov.cn/)
JWST 3D Mapping
[NASA](https://www.nasa.gov/)
Arianespace Launch Plans
[Arianespace](https://www.arianespace.com/)
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This episode includes AI-generated content.
00:00:00 --> 00:00:03 Avery: Welcome to Astronomy Daily, the podcast
00:00:03 --> 00:00:06 that brings you the universe one story at
00:00:06 --> 00:00:07 a time. I'm Avery.
00:00:07 --> 00:00:10 Anna: And I'm Anna. Uh, today we've got an update
00:00:10 --> 00:00:13 on a story we brought you yesterday. A second
00:00:13 --> 00:00:15 launch attempt for a massive communication
00:00:15 --> 00:00:16 satellite.
00:00:16 --> 00:00:18 Avery: Fingers crossed for that one.
00:00:19 --> 00:00:21 Anna: Celebrating an incredible milestone for a
00:00:21 --> 00:00:24 deep space explorer and witnessing a first
00:00:24 --> 00:00:27 in US China space cooperation.
00:00:28 --> 00:00:30 Plus a stunning 3D map of a distant
00:00:30 --> 00:00:33 world from J and a look
00:00:33 --> 00:00:36 at Europe's ambitious launch plans.
00:00:36 --> 00:00:39 Avery: It's a busy day in the cosmos. Let's get
00:00:39 --> 00:00:40 right to it.
00:00:40 --> 00:00:43 Starting with that nail biter down at Cape
00:00:43 --> 00:00:45 Canaveral. So United Launch
00:00:45 --> 00:00:48 alliance was planning on giving it another go
00:00:48 --> 00:00:51 tonight with their Atlas V rocket.
00:00:51 --> 00:00:54 Anna: That's right. They were hoping to launch the
00:00:54 --> 00:00:56 Viasat 3F2 satellite.
00:00:56 --> 00:00:58 Liftoff had been scheduled from Cape
00:00:58 --> 00:01:01 Canaveral at 10:16pm M. Eastern,
00:01:01 --> 00:01:04 right at the start of a 44min window.
00:01:04 --> 00:01:07 Avery: However, the launch had to be scrubbed the
00:01:07 --> 00:01:10 second time this week. The first attempt last
00:01:10 --> 00:01:11 night was also scrubbed.
00:01:12 --> 00:01:14 Anna: The valve issue that prevented a launch
00:01:14 --> 00:01:17 Wednesday night remained persistent on
00:01:17 --> 00:01:19 Thursday. Launch director James Whelan
00:01:19 --> 00:01:21 scrubbed the launch attempt Wednesday night
00:01:22 --> 00:01:24 when a vent valve on the Atlas 5's first
00:01:24 --> 00:01:27 stage liquid oxygen tank failed to work
00:01:27 --> 00:01:30 properly during final pre launch checkouts.
00:01:30 --> 00:01:32 Then again, a little more than an hour before
00:01:32 --> 00:01:35 the Thursday night window opened, ULA
00:01:35 --> 00:01:37 said it was foregoing the launch attempt with
00:01:37 --> 00:01:40 the same valve issue causing the problem.
00:01:40 --> 00:01:43 Avery: A, uh, third attempt has already been touted,
00:01:43 --> 00:01:45 but no date or time just yet.
00:01:46 --> 00:01:48 So tell us about the passenger. This is a
00:01:48 --> 00:01:50 pretty significant satellite.
00:01:50 --> 00:01:52 Anna: Isn't really is. The Viasat
00:01:52 --> 00:01:55 V3F2 is a hefty communication
00:01:55 --> 00:01:58 satellite weighing in at 6 metric
00:01:58 --> 00:02:01 tons. Its job will be to provide K
00:02:02 --> 00:02:05 network capabilities, essentially high speed
00:02:05 --> 00:02:07 Internet over the Americas.
00:02:07 --> 00:02:09 Avery: And um, this is the second in a series.
00:02:09 --> 00:02:11 Right. How did the first one fare?
00:02:12 --> 00:02:14 Anna: That's the part that adds a little pressure.
00:02:15 --> 00:02:17 The first one launched in 2023
00:02:18 --> 00:02:20 unfortunately suffered an antenna deployment
00:02:20 --> 00:02:23 issue that significantly reduced its
00:02:23 --> 00:02:26 capacity. So there's a lot riding on this
00:02:26 --> 00:02:27 mission for viasat.
00:02:27 --> 00:02:30 Avery: Absolutely. Well, we'll be watching for news
00:02:30 --> 00:02:31 on the third attempt.
00:02:31 --> 00:02:34 Anna: Details from a new beginning.
00:02:34 --> 00:02:36 Let's turn to an incredible
00:02:36 --> 00:02:39 decades long journey. We have a milestone
00:02:39 --> 00:02:41 coming up for one of humanity's greatest
00:02:41 --> 00:02:42 explorers.
00:02:43 --> 00:02:45 Avery: Oh, you have to be talking about one of the
00:02:45 --> 00:02:46 Voyagers.
00:02:46 --> 00:02:48 Anna: Exactly. In November of
00:02:48 --> 00:02:51 2026, Voyager 1 will become
00:02:51 --> 00:02:54 the first human made object to
00:02:54 --> 00:02:57 travel a full light day away from Earth.
00:02:57 --> 00:03:00 Avery: A light day. That is just staggering to
00:03:00 --> 00:03:02 think about. That's about
00:03:02 --> 00:03:04 25.9 billion kilometers.
00:03:05 --> 00:03:08 Anna: It is remember, this spacecraft was
00:03:08 --> 00:03:10 launched way back in 1977.
00:03:11 --> 00:03:14 It's already in interstellar space, having
00:03:14 --> 00:03:16 left the Sun's direct influence behind.
00:03:17 --> 00:03:19 Now it's heading towards the Oort Cloud.
00:03:20 --> 00:03:23 Avery: The Oort Cloud, the great icy shell
00:03:23 --> 00:03:25 at the very edge of our solar system. And
00:03:25 --> 00:03:28 it's still talking to us after all this time.
00:03:28 --> 00:03:31 It's hard to fathom. How is it even powered
00:03:31 --> 00:03:32 after all these decades?
00:03:33 --> 00:03:36 Anna: That's the one. And the timescales are
00:03:36 --> 00:03:39 mind boggling. It will take Voyager
00:03:39 --> 00:03:42 about 300 years just to reach the
00:03:42 --> 00:03:43 inner edge of the Oort Cloud.
00:03:44 --> 00:03:44 Avery: Wow.
00:03:45 --> 00:03:47 Anna: And another 30 years to pass
00:03:47 --> 00:03:50 completely through it. The journey is almost
00:03:50 --> 00:03:53 eternal. And what happens after that?
00:03:54 --> 00:03:56 In about 40 years, it'll make a
00:03:56 --> 00:03:59 relatively close pass of another star,
00:03:59 --> 00:04:02 Gliese 445. It will actually
00:04:02 --> 00:04:05 be closer to that star than it is to our own
00:04:05 --> 00:04:05 sun.
00:04:06 --> 00:04:08 Avery: And all that time, it's carrying its message
00:04:08 --> 00:04:10 in the bottle. The golden record.
00:04:11 --> 00:04:13 Anna: That's right. A message from humanity. Just
00:04:13 --> 00:04:16 in case any extraterrestrial intelligence
00:04:16 --> 00:04:19 ever finds it. It's a testament to our
00:04:19 --> 00:04:21 curiosity and our hope to connect with the
00:04:21 --> 00:04:24 cosmos. A truly profound legacy,
00:04:24 --> 00:04:26 an incredible mission.
00:04:26 --> 00:04:28 Avery: It really puts our own sense of time into
00:04:28 --> 00:04:29 perspective.
00:04:29 --> 00:04:32 Well, from reaching out to the unknown, let's
00:04:32 --> 00:04:34 talk about connecting a little closer to
00:04:34 --> 00:04:36 home. There's been a really interesting
00:04:36 --> 00:04:38 development in orbit between the US and
00:04:38 --> 00:04:38 China.
00:04:39 --> 00:04:42 Anna: This M is a significant first. For the first
00:04:42 --> 00:04:45 time, the China National Space Administration
00:04:45 --> 00:04:48 proactively reached out to NASA to
00:04:48 --> 00:04:49 coordinate a satell maneuver.
00:04:50 --> 00:04:53 Avery: Right. To avoid a potential collision. So
00:04:53 --> 00:04:55 what's the big deal here? How did this work
00:04:55 --> 00:04:55 before?
00:04:55 --> 00:04:58 Anna: Well, previously, NASA's orbital tracking
00:04:58 --> 00:05:01 would identify a potential conjunction and
00:05:01 --> 00:05:04 they would notify China. It was then
00:05:04 --> 00:05:07 typically NASA or the US Space Force that
00:05:07 --> 00:05:09 would perform any necessary avoidance
00:05:09 --> 00:05:10 maneuvers.
00:05:10 --> 00:05:13 Avery: So this is a reversal. China reached out
00:05:13 --> 00:05:16 first and handled the coordination. What does
00:05:16 --> 00:05:17 that tell us?
00:05:17 --> 00:05:19 Anna: It suggests that China's own space
00:05:19 --> 00:05:22 situational awareness capabilities have
00:05:22 --> 00:05:25 improved dramatically. They are now able to
00:05:25 --> 00:05:27 track, predict, and act on these threats with
00:05:27 --> 00:05:28 high confidence.
00:05:28 --> 00:05:31 Avery: That's crucial, especially now. The number of
00:05:31 --> 00:05:33 satellites up there is just exploding.
00:05:34 --> 00:05:37 Anna: Exactly. We have mega constellations like
00:05:37 --> 00:05:39 SpaceX's Starlink and China's own
00:05:39 --> 00:05:42 Guoang Network being deployed. Low
00:05:42 --> 00:05:45 Earth orbit is getting very crowded very
00:05:45 --> 00:05:45 fast.
00:05:45 --> 00:05:48 Avery: So more communication and coordination is
00:05:48 --> 00:05:50 essential to prevent disaster.
00:05:50 --> 00:05:53 Anna: Absolutely. This move is a really positive
00:05:53 --> 00:05:55 step for the safety and sustainability of
00:05:55 --> 00:05:57 space operations for everyone.
00:05:57 --> 00:06:00 Speaking of seeing things more clearly, let's
00:06:00 --> 00:06:03 jump from low Earth orbit to a world hundreds
00:06:03 --> 00:06:05 of light years away. The James Webb Space
00:06:05 --> 00:06:08 Telescope has Given us another incredible
00:06:08 --> 00:06:08 first.
00:06:09 --> 00:06:12 Avery: JWST is the gift that keeps on
00:06:12 --> 00:06:13 giving. What has it found now?
00:06:14 --> 00:06:17 Anna: Astronomers have used it to create the very
00:06:17 --> 00:06:19 first three dimensional map of an
00:06:19 --> 00:06:20 exoplanet's atmosphere.
00:06:21 --> 00:06:23 Avery: A 3D map of the air on another planet.
00:06:24 --> 00:06:26 That sounds like science fiction. Which
00:06:26 --> 00:06:27 planet did they look at?
00:06:27 --> 00:06:30 Anna: The target was a fascinating one called Wasp
00:06:30 --> 00:06:33 18B. It's what's known as an
00:06:33 --> 00:06:36 ultra hot Jupiter. It orbits its
00:06:36 --> 00:06:38 star so closely that its atmosphere
00:06:38 --> 00:06:41 reaches temperatures hot enough to destroy
00:06:41 --> 00:06:42 water vapor.
00:06:42 --> 00:06:45 Avery: Wow. Okay, so how do you even begin to
00:06:45 --> 00:06:46 map something like that?
00:06:47 --> 00:06:49 Anna: They used a brilliant technique called
00:06:49 --> 00:06:52 spectroscopic eclipse mapping. As
00:06:52 --> 00:06:54 the planet passes behind its star,
00:06:54 --> 00:06:57 JWST carefully measures the changes
00:06:57 --> 00:07:00 in light. By analyzing this data, they can
00:07:00 --> 00:07:02 build a picture of the temperature at, ah,
00:07:02 --> 00:07:04 different altitudes and locations.
00:07:04 --> 00:07:06 Avery: A, uh, temperature profile in three
00:07:06 --> 00:07:08 dimensions. What did it show?
00:07:09 --> 00:07:10 Anna: It revealed some really significant
00:07:11 --> 00:07:13 temperature variations across the planet's
00:07:13 --> 00:07:16 atmosphere, giving us insights into its
00:07:16 --> 00:07:19 weather and energy circulation. Far
00:07:19 --> 00:07:21 more complex than our previous 2D models
00:07:21 --> 00:07:22 suggested.
00:07:22 --> 00:07:25 Avery: That's amazing. And I assume this technique
00:07:25 --> 00:07:26 isn't just for hot Jupiters.
00:07:27 --> 00:07:29 Anna: That's the most exciting part. This new
00:07:29 --> 00:07:31 method opens the door to studying the
00:07:31 --> 00:07:34 atmospheres of many other exoplanets
00:07:34 --> 00:07:36 in much more detail, including
00:07:36 --> 00:07:39 potentially smaller rocky worlds like our
00:07:39 --> 00:07:39 own.
00:07:39 --> 00:07:40 Avery: Incredible.
00:07:40 --> 00:07:43 From 3D maps to launch manifestos, Our
00:07:43 --> 00:07:45 final story today takes us back to Earth,
00:07:46 --> 00:07:48 focusing on Europe's ambitions in the launch
00:07:48 --> 00:07:51 industry. Ariane Ace is looking to seriously
00:07:51 --> 00:07:52 ramp things up.
00:07:52 --> 00:07:55 Anna: They certainly are. The company is aiming
00:07:55 --> 00:07:58 to double, uh, its Ariane 6 launch cadence in
00:07:58 --> 00:07:59 the year 2026.
00:08:00 --> 00:08:02 Avery: Double it? The Ariane 6 is still
00:08:02 --> 00:08:05 relatively new, having debuted in 2024.
00:08:05 --> 00:08:07 How many flights are we talking about?
00:08:08 --> 00:08:10 Anna: Well, after flying three times in
00:08:10 --> 00:08:13 2025, the plan for 2026 is to
00:08:13 --> 00:08:16 conduct between six and eight missions. It's
00:08:16 --> 00:08:17 a very ambitious.
00:08:18 --> 00:08:20 Avery: What's enabling this increase in pace?
00:08:20 --> 00:08:22 Anna: They're getting more efficient with launch
00:08:22 --> 00:08:25 processing. But more importantly, they're
00:08:25 --> 00:08:27 introducing an upgraded block 2
00:08:27 --> 00:08:30 version of the rocket in 2026 which will
00:08:30 --> 00:08:31 boost its performance.
00:08:32 --> 00:08:35 Avery: More power, more launches. Do we know what
00:08:35 --> 00:08:35 they'll be launching?
00:08:36 --> 00:08:38 Anna: We do. The very first launch of
00:08:38 --> 00:08:41 2026 will be the more powerful
00:08:41 --> 00:08:44 Ariane 64 variant. Its
00:08:44 --> 00:08:46 primary payload will be a batch of satellites
00:08:46 --> 00:08:49 for Amazon's Project Cooper Constellation.
00:08:50 --> 00:08:53 Avery: Ah, uh, another megaconstellation driving the
00:08:53 --> 00:08:56 market. So what's the long term goal
00:08:56 --> 00:08:57 for Arianespace?
00:08:58 --> 00:09:00 Anna: Ultimately, they're aiming for a maximum
00:09:00 --> 00:09:03 launch cadence of nine to 10 flights per
00:09:03 --> 00:09:06 year, driven entirely by customer
00:09:06 --> 00:09:08 demand. It's a clear sign that the global
00:09:08 --> 00:09:10 launch market is hotter than ever.
00:09:11 --> 00:09:13 Avery: And that's a wrap on the big stories from
00:09:13 --> 00:09:15 around the cosmos today. From another launch
00:09:15 --> 00:09:18 scrubbed at the Cape and Voyager's lonely
00:09:18 --> 00:09:20 journey to new cooperation in orbit,
00:09:21 --> 00:09:23 3D alien atmospheres, and the
00:09:23 --> 00:09:26 bustling European launchpad, it's a
00:09:26 --> 00:09:27 reminder that.
00:09:27 --> 00:09:29 Anna: There is always something new to discover,
00:09:29 --> 00:09:32 both near and far. Thank you so
00:09:32 --> 00:09:33 much for joining us.
00:09:33 --> 00:09:36 Avery: Be sure to subscribe to Astronomy Daily
00:09:36 --> 00:09:38 wherever you get your podcasts so you don't
00:09:38 --> 00:09:40 miss an episode. Until next time, keep
00:09:40 --> 00:09:41 looking up.