00:46 – **NASA and SpaceX set target date for Crew 11's return after medical concern
02:46 – **ESA is considering turning Ariane 6 into a Franken rocket with reusable elements
04:09 – **James Webb Space Telescope has spotted unusual galaxies in the early universe
06:07 – **Chinese Space Station Telescope on track for 2026, ready to uncover universe
07:07 – **Thank you for listening to Astronomy Daily. What a packed day### Sources & Further Reading1. NASA2. European Space Agency3. James Webb Space Telescope4. Chinese Space Station### 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, your
00:00:03 --> 00:00:05 daily companion for all things space and
00:00:05 --> 00:00:08 astronomy. I'm Anna and joining me, as
00:00:08 --> 00:00:11 always, is my good friend and co host, Avery.
00:00:11 --> 00:00:14 Hey Avery. It's January 10, 2026.
00:00:14 --> 00:00:16 Hope everyone's weekend is stellar.
00:00:17 --> 00:00:19 Avery: Hey Anna. And hello to our listeners
00:00:19 --> 00:00:21 everywhere. Yeah, it's been a busy start to
00:00:21 --> 00:00:23 the year and today we've got some fantastic,
00:00:23 --> 00:00:26 um, updates and discoveries. We're kicking
00:00:26 --> 00:00:28 off with the big follow up to yesterday's
00:00:28 --> 00:00:30 breaking news on the ISS medical situation.
00:00:31 --> 00:00:33 Plus ROC upgrades in Europe, some weird
00:00:33 --> 00:00:36 early universe galaxies from jwst,
00:00:36 --> 00:00:39 insights into our galaxy's black hole past,
00:00:39 --> 00:00:42 and China's upcoming space telescope that's
00:00:42 --> 00:00:45 poised to reveal cosmic secrets. Let's dive
00:00:45 --> 00:00:45 right in.
00:00:46 --> 00:00:48 Anna: First up, the update we've all been waiting
00:00:48 --> 00:00:51 for. NASA and SpaceX have set a target date
00:00:51 --> 00:00:53 for Crew 11's return to Earth following the
00:00:53 --> 00:00:55 medical concern with one crew member.
00:00:56 --> 00:00:58 Avery: This is a historic early return. We talked
00:00:58 --> 00:01:01 about yesterday. The first medical evacuation
00:01:01 --> 00:01:04 of an entire crew from the ISS, its
00:01:04 --> 00:01:06 25 year history. Crew 11, who
00:01:06 --> 00:01:09 launched last August on Dragon Endeavor,
00:01:09 --> 00:01:11 includes NASA astronauts Michael Fink and
00:01:11 --> 00:01:14 Zena Cardman, Jax's Kimiya Yu,
00:01:14 --> 00:01:17 and Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platanov.
00:01:17 --> 00:01:20 Anna: The plan now is undocking no earlier than
00:01:20 --> 00:01:23 5pm Eastern Time on Wednesday, January
00:01:23 --> 00:01:26 14, weather permitting, and splashdown
00:01:26 --> 00:01:28 around 3:40am on Thursday,
00:01:29 --> 00:01:31 January 15, off the coast of California.
00:01:32 --> 00:01:34 Recovery teams are prepped and managers are
00:01:34 --> 00:01:37 monitoring seas, states, spacecraft
00:01:37 --> 00:01:39 readiness, everything to make sure it's safe.
00:01:40 --> 00:01:42 Avery: NASA stresses the crew member is stable and
00:01:42 --> 00:01:44 has been receiving care on board. But the
00:01:44 --> 00:01:46 decision was made to return early as a
00:01:46 --> 00:01:49 precaution since full diagnosis and treatment
00:01:49 --> 00:01:52 aren't feasible in microgravity. Details
00:01:52 --> 00:01:54 remain private for medical privacy reasons.
00:01:54 --> 00:01:55 No specifics on the condition.
00:01:56 --> 00:01:58 Anna: Importantly, this shouldn't impact the
00:01:58 --> 00:02:01 upcoming Artemis 2 mission. NASA
00:02:01 --> 00:02:03 Administrator Jared Eisendman said the
00:02:03 --> 00:02:06 evacuation is, quote, a totally separate
00:02:06 --> 00:02:08 campaign at this point and they're still
00:02:08 --> 00:02:10 aiming for the first launch window in early
00:02:10 --> 00:02:13 February. No delays expected. That's
00:02:13 --> 00:02:15 reassuring for the whole program.
00:02:15 --> 00:02:17 Avery: With Crew 11 heading home, the ISS
00:02:18 --> 00:02:21 will temporarily drop to three crew members,
00:02:21 --> 00:02:24 NASA astronaut Chris Williams and two
00:02:24 --> 00:02:26 Russian cosmonauts. They'll keep things
00:02:26 --> 00:02:28 running, but NASA is looking at
00:02:28 --> 00:02:31 accelerating Crew 12's launch from mid
00:02:31 --> 00:02:34 February to minimize any gap. This
00:02:34 --> 00:02:37 shows how flexible the partnership is,
00:02:37 --> 00:02:38 even in tough moments.
00:02:39 --> 00:02:41 Anna: Sending all the best wishes for a safe return
00:02:41 --> 00:02:44 to Crew 11. What a reminder of the human
00:02:44 --> 00:02:46 element in spaceflight.
00:02:46 --> 00:02:49 Avery: Next, some rocket news from Europe. ESA is
00:02:49 --> 00:02:51 considering ways to right the wrongs of
00:02:51 --> 00:02:53 Ariane 6 by turning it into a sort of
00:02:53 --> 00:02:55 Franken rocket with reusable elements.
00:02:56 --> 00:02:59 Anna: Ariane 6 debuted last year but has faced
00:02:59 --> 00:03:02 criticism for being fully expendable, high
00:03:02 --> 00:03:04 cost, and struggling against reusable
00:03:04 --> 00:03:07 competitors like SpaceX's Falcon 9.
00:03:07 --> 00:03:09 It's not hitting the launch cadence or
00:03:09 --> 00:03:11 affordability goals Europe hoped for.
00:03:11 --> 00:03:14 Avery: Under ESA's best initiative, Ariane Group
00:03:14 --> 00:03:17 is proposing to retrofit Ariane 6 by
00:03:17 --> 00:03:19 swapping its solid rocket boosters for
00:03:19 --> 00:03:22 reusable liquid field ones from Maya Space.
00:03:22 --> 00:03:24 Their methane field design, the core and
00:03:24 --> 00:03:27 upper stage would stay expendable because
00:03:27 --> 00:03:29 recovering them is much harder. Higher
00:03:29 --> 00:03:31 speeds, single engine, no easy descent
00:03:31 --> 00:03:32 control.
00:03:32 --> 00:03:35 Anna: This plug and play approach could lower
00:03:35 --> 00:03:37 costs, boost flight rates, and give Europe
00:03:37 --> 00:03:40 quick experience with reusability. Maya
00:03:40 --> 00:03:42 Space's full rocket isn't expected until
00:03:43 --> 00:03:45 2027 at earliest, so integration would
00:03:45 --> 00:03:48 take time. There's also a separate study for
00:03:48 --> 00:03:51 a reusable demonstrator from Isar Aerospace.
00:03:51 --> 00:03:53 Avery: It's, uh, a pragmatic step to catch up.
00:03:53 --> 00:03:56 Europe knows it needs reusability to compete
00:03:56 --> 00:03:59 long term. Critics say it's playing catch up
00:03:59 --> 00:04:01 to tech from a decade ago, but gaining data
00:04:01 --> 00:04:03 from multiple boosters per flight could
00:04:03 --> 00:04:04 accelerate progress.
00:04:05 --> 00:04:07 Anna: Exciting to see Europe innovating, even if
00:04:07 --> 00:04:08 it's a hybrid solution.
00:04:09 --> 00:04:12 Avery: Shifting to deep space, the James Webb
00:04:12 --> 00:04:14 Space Telescope has spotted some truly
00:04:14 --> 00:04:17 strange cosmic objects that might be baby
00:04:17 --> 00:04:20 platypus galaxies or perhaps an
00:04:20 --> 00:04:22 entirely new class of early universe
00:04:22 --> 00:04:23 phenomena.
00:04:23 --> 00:04:26 Anna: These appear as compact, oddly shaped
00:04:26 --> 00:04:29 galaxies in the very early universe, with
00:04:29 --> 00:04:32 unusual morphologies that don't fit standard
00:04:32 --> 00:04:34 models. Maybe mergers, rapid
00:04:34 --> 00:04:36 formation, or something unique.
00:04:36 --> 00:04:39 JWST's infrared power lets
00:04:39 --> 00:04:42 us see them at high redshift when the
00:04:42 --> 00:04:44 universe was young and chaotic.
00:04:44 --> 00:04:46 Avery: The platypus nickname comes from their
00:04:46 --> 00:04:49 bizarre mixed features, like a mashup of
00:04:49 --> 00:04:50 traits from different galaxy types.
00:04:51 --> 00:04:52 Researchers are debating if they're
00:04:52 --> 00:04:55 transitional forms feeding black holes in
00:04:55 --> 00:04:58 disguise, or new physics at play. This could
00:04:58 --> 00:05:00 reshape our understanding of how the first
00:05:00 --> 00:05:01 galaxies assembled.
00:05:02 --> 00:05:05 Anna: JWST keeps delivering surprises.
00:05:05 --> 00:05:07 Every image challenges our assumptions.
00:05:08 --> 00:05:11 Avery: Staying galactic New observations show that
00:05:11 --> 00:05:14 while Sagittarius A, our Milky
00:05:14 --> 00:05:16 Way's supermassive black hole, is quiet
00:05:16 --> 00:05:19 now, its recent past was far more active.
00:05:19 --> 00:05:22 Anna: Using Xrism M and other
00:05:22 --> 00:05:24 telescopes, astronomers detected
00:05:24 --> 00:05:27 FEK alpha emission lines in nearby
00:05:27 --> 00:05:28 molecular clouds like
00:05:28 --> 00:05:31 0.11 minus
00:05:31 --> 00:05:33 0.11x ray fluorescence
00:05:33 --> 00:05:36 from past outbursts illuminating the gas.
00:05:36 --> 00:05:39 Avery: These flares happened a few hundred to a
00:05:39 --> 00:05:41 thousand years ago, possibly specific events
00:05:41 --> 00:05:44 around 130 and 230 years
00:05:44 --> 00:05:47 back. The black hole likely had a feeding
00:05:47 --> 00:05:50 frenzy, gobbling a star or gas cloud,
00:05:50 --> 00:05:53 then settled down, we might see another echo
00:05:53 --> 00:05:53 in decades.
00:05:54 --> 00:05:56 Anna: It highlights how black holes toggle between
00:05:56 --> 00:05:59 active and quiescent states, influencing
00:05:59 --> 00:06:02 galactic evolution even in quiet
00:06:02 --> 00:06:05 galaxies like ours. And may it long
00:06:05 --> 00:06:06 remain quiet, I might add.
00:06:07 --> 00:06:09 Avery: Finally, exciting news from China. Their
00:06:09 --> 00:06:11 revolutionary space telescope, the Chinese
00:06:11 --> 00:06:14 Space Station Telescope, or Sheng Qian, is
00:06:14 --> 00:06:17 on track for 2026, ready to
00:06:17 --> 00:06:18 uncover universe.
00:06:18 --> 00:06:21 Anna: Secrets with a, uh, two meter mirror,
00:06:21 --> 00:06:24 wide field of view, high resolution imaging
00:06:24 --> 00:06:27 across multiple wavelengths, and
00:06:27 --> 00:06:30 spectroscopic capabilities. Shantian will
00:06:30 --> 00:06:32 map large sky areas directly image
00:06:32 --> 00:06:35 exoplanets, survey galaxies and
00:06:35 --> 00:06:38 stars, probe cosmology, dark matter,
00:06:38 --> 00:06:39 and fundamental physics.
00:06:40 --> 00:06:41 Avery: Recent breakthroughs include advanced
00:06:41 --> 00:06:43 simulation suites for pixel level data
00:06:43 --> 00:06:46 testing, ensuring systems are optimized pre
00:06:46 --> 00:06:49 launch. It's designed for broad surveys and
00:06:49 --> 00:06:52 deep looks, complementing Hubble and JWST
00:06:52 --> 00:06:54 by covering huge areas efficiently.
00:06:55 --> 00:06:57 Anna: This could lead to major discoveries in
00:06:57 --> 00:07:00 exoplanets, galaxy evolution, and more.
00:07:00 --> 00:07:03 China is stepping up big time in space
00:07:03 --> 00:07:05 astronomy. We'll be watching this with
00:07:05 --> 00:07:06 interest as the year rolls on.
00:07:07 --> 00:07:09 Avery: And that's it for today. Time to call it a
00:07:09 --> 00:07:11 wrap. What a packed day. From human
00:07:11 --> 00:07:14 spaceflight drama to cosmic deep dives.
00:07:14 --> 00:07:17 Anna: Thanks so much for listening to Astronomy
00:07:17 --> 00:07:19 Daily. If you enjoy these updates, subscribe,
00:07:20 --> 00:07:22 Share with a and we'll be back on Monday with
00:07:22 --> 00:07:25 more. In the meantime, if you'd like to keep
00:07:25 --> 00:07:27 abreast of all the latest developments, just
00:07:27 --> 00:07:30 visit our website at astronomydaily
00:07:30 --> 00:07:33 IO and check out our News Update page.
00:07:33 --> 00:07:36 Avery: Until then, keep your eyes on the skies.
00:07:36 --> 00:07:37 Anna: Clear skies, everyone.
00:07:38 --> 00:07:39 Avery: Astronomy Day
00:07:41 --> 00:07:42 Stories Told.
00:07:49 --> 00:07:50 Anna: The stories.
00:07:57 --> 00:07:58 Avery: Were told.