(00:01:18) Psyche mission update
(00:02:45) Abell 2255 galaxy cluster
(00:06:28) Arcstone mission
(00:11:28) June's Bootid meteor shower
(00:12:56) SpaceX Starship incident
(00:16:26) And that's a wrap!
Highlights:
- Psyche Mission Update: In this episode, we explore the latest developments from NASA's Psyche mission as the spacecraft resumes its journey towards the metal-rich asteroid Psyche after reigniting its plasma thrusters. We discuss the mission's innovative electric propulsion system and how it allows for efficient navigation through the solar system, ensuring its arrival at the asteroid in August 2029.
- Abell 2255 Galaxy Cluster: Astronomers have captured the deepest and highest resolution images of the Abell 2255 galaxy cluster, revealing intricate details of its merging galaxies and the enigmatic radio-emitting tendrils that trail behind. This research could provide insights into the evolution of radio galaxies and the interaction of supermassive black holes with the intergalactic medium.
- Arcstone Mission: NASA is set to launch the Arcstone mission, a groundbreaking technology demonstration aimed at improving the calibration of Earth-viewing sensors in orbit. By measuring lunar reflectance, Arcstone seeks to establish a universal standard for the international scientific community, enhancing the accuracy of remote sensing data for future missions.
- June's Bootid Meteor Shower: As June's unpredictable Bootid meteor shower approaches its peak on June 27, we discuss the origins of this annual event and what viewers can expect as Earth passes through the debris trails of Comet 7P/Pons-Winnecke.
- SpaceX Starship Incident: We cover the unfortunate incident involving SpaceX's Starship 36, which exploded during a static fire test at the Starbase site. Initial analyses point to a failure of a composite overwrapped pressure vessel, but thankfully, no injuries were reported. We discuss the implications for the Starship program and the ongoing investigations.
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 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 Steve signing off. Until next time, keep looking up and stay curious about the wonders of our universe.
Chapters:
00:00 - Welcome to Astronomy Daily
01:10 - Psyche mission update
10:00 - Abell 2255 galaxy cluster
20:00 - Arcstone mission
25:00 - June's budded meteor shower
30:00 - SpaceX Starship incident
✍️ Episode References
Psyche Mission Update
[NASA](https://www.nasa.gov/)
Abell 2255 Research
[Astronomy Journal](https://www.astronomy.com/)
Arcstone Mission Details
[NASA Langley Research Center](https://www.nasa.gov/)
Bootid Meteor Shower Information
[International Meteor Organization](https://www.imo.net/)
SpaceX Starship Incident
[SpaceX](https://www.spacex.com/)
Astronomy Daily
[Astronomy Daily](http://www.astronomydaily.io/)
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/astronomy-daily-exciting-space-discoveries-and-news--5648921/support.
Sponsor Details:
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00:00:00 --> 00:00:02 Steve Dunkley: Hello again. It's time for Astronomy Daily.
00:00:02 --> 00:00:04 You're with Steve Dunkley and Hallie on June
00:00:04 --> 00:00:06 23, 2025
00:00:10 --> 00:00:12 with your host, Steve Dunkley.
00:00:18 --> 00:00:20 Yes, we're back with another presentation of
00:00:20 --> 00:00:23 stories direct from the Astronomy Daily
00:00:23 --> 00:00:25 newsletter, which, if you're a new listener,
00:00:25 --> 00:00:27 you can receive by registering at our
00:00:27 --> 00:00:29 website. And I'll give you those details
00:00:29 --> 00:00:31 later on in the podcast. I hope you'll join
00:00:32 --> 00:00:35 and get all the news, uh, about space, space
00:00:35 --> 00:00:37 science and astronomy in your inbox daily.
00:00:37 --> 00:00:40 Stay informed and enjoy. Right, Hallie?
00:00:40 --> 00:00:42 Hallie: For sure. My favorite human. It's the only
00:00:42 --> 00:00:45 way to know. All the stories we present here
00:00:45 --> 00:00:47 are from the daily newsletter, but there's so
00:00:47 --> 00:00:50 much more and you'll get it all if you
00:00:50 --> 00:00:52 register. Always good advice, Hallie, so
00:00:52 --> 00:00:53 don't miss out.
00:00:53 --> 00:00:56 Steve Dunkley: Yes, great advice from my fine AI pal
00:00:56 --> 00:00:58 who's fun to be with. Hallie, welcome to the
00:00:58 --> 00:00:59 studio.
00:00:59 --> 00:01:02 Hallie: Many thanks, human. I see we've got the
00:01:02 --> 00:01:03 stories lined up.
00:01:03 --> 00:01:04 Steve Dunkley: Yes, y been hard at it.
00:01:04 --> 00:01:05 Hallie: Nice job.
00:01:05 --> 00:01:06 Steve Dunkley: Oh, why thank you.
00:01:06 --> 00:01:07 Hallie: You're organized.
00:01:07 --> 00:01:08 Steve Dunkley: Well, of course I am.
00:01:08 --> 00:01:11 Hallie: I knew if I left you a schedule, you'd get
00:01:11 --> 00:01:11 the hint.
00:01:11 --> 00:01:13 Steve Dunkley: Oh, to be fair, I always follow a schedule,
00:01:13 --> 00:01:15 Hallie, and there's never any worries in here
00:01:15 --> 00:01:17 at the Australia studio. I've, um, got to be
00:01:17 --> 00:01:19 organized. Even the kookaburras are on time.
00:01:19 --> 00:01:21 And speaking of being on time, our, ah,
00:01:21 --> 00:01:24 little space probe pal, Psyche
00:01:24 --> 00:01:26 looks as if it's going to be making its
00:01:26 --> 00:01:28 rendezvous with the asteroid of the same
00:01:28 --> 00:01:29 name. You've got that story, haven't you,
00:01:29 --> 00:01:30 Hallie?
00:01:30 --> 00:01:32 Hallie: Yes, and you're talking about why we got the
00:01:32 --> 00:01:35 second biggest explosion of the week. This.
00:01:35 --> 00:01:38 Steve Dunkley: Ah, you are of course referring to Elon
00:01:38 --> 00:01:40 Musk's latest fireworks effort in Texas,
00:01:40 --> 00:01:43 where Starship 36 said well, no and
00:01:43 --> 00:01:45 went kaboom on the launch pad.
00:01:45 --> 00:01:47 Hallie: That's the one. Kaboom. The other
00:01:47 --> 00:01:50 kabooms this week were caused by his pal in
00:01:50 --> 00:01:51 the Middle East.
00:01:51 --> 00:01:52 Steve Dunkley: Oh, yes, those.
00:01:52 --> 00:01:54 Hallie: Much bigger, but not really our kind of news.
00:01:55 --> 00:01:56 Steve Dunkley: Hmm. Yeah, it's related news, but you're
00:01:56 --> 00:01:59 right. We'll have a look at what SpaceX has
00:01:59 --> 00:02:01 to say about their, well, mishap.
00:02:01 --> 00:02:03 Hallie: That mishap, you know, that's an expensive
00:02:03 --> 00:02:05 mishap. It went kaboom.
00:02:05 --> 00:02:07 Steve Dunkley: Hallie, am I understating it, do you think?
00:02:07 --> 00:02:08 You keep saying kaboom.
00:02:08 --> 00:02:11 Hallie: I'd say it was a massive catastrophe. I want
00:02:11 --> 00:02:13 to hear how Musk turns this into some kind of
00:02:13 --> 00:02:14 success again.
00:02:14 --> 00:02:16 Steve Dunkley: Yes, that would be a creative press release
00:02:16 --> 00:02:17 if ever there was one.
00:02:18 --> 00:02:19 Hallie: Totally kaboom.
00:02:19 --> 00:02:20 Steve Dunkley: Oh, Stop it, Hallie.
00:02:20 --> 00:02:21 Hallie: That's a fun word.
00:02:21 --> 00:02:22 Steve Dunkley: Well, it depends.
00:02:22 --> 00:02:23 Hallie: Humans have fun words.
00:02:24 --> 00:02:26 Steve Dunkley: Yes, we're a strange mob. Um, but we'll see
00:02:26 --> 00:02:29 more about that, uh, kaboom. And, uh, some
00:02:29 --> 00:02:31 more stories and soon. So why don't we fire
00:02:31 --> 00:02:33 up the console and do what we do best,
00:02:33 --> 00:02:34 Hallie.
00:02:34 --> 00:02:36 Hallie: Yes, I'll get this show on the road.
00:02:36 --> 00:02:38 Steve Dunkley: Oh, it's my turn to say it. Okies.
00:02:45 --> 00:02:47 Hallie: Astronomers have obtained the deepest and
00:02:47 --> 00:02:49 highest resolution image of the galaxy
00:02:49 --> 00:02:52 cluster Abell 2255, observing the
00:02:52 --> 00:02:55 unexplained radio emitting tendrils that
00:02:55 --> 00:02:56 trail it in unprecedented detail.
00:02:57 --> 00:03:00 Abell 2255 is a cluster
00:03:00 --> 00:03:03 containing between 300 and 500 constituent
00:03:03 --> 00:03:05 galaxies, many of which are merging.
00:03:06 --> 00:03:09 It's located around 800 million light years
00:03:09 --> 00:03:12 from Earth and spans around 16.3 million
00:03:12 --> 00:03:14 light years. The team behind this
00:03:14 --> 00:03:16 research was interested in the so called
00:03:16 --> 00:03:19 radio galaxies of this cluster.
00:03:19 --> 00:03:22 Radio galaxies are, uh, galaxies dominated by
00:03:22 --> 00:03:25 feeding supermassive black holes that launch
00:03:25 --> 00:03:27 out powerful jets of matter at near light
00:03:27 --> 00:03:29 speeds. This new Investigation of
00:03:29 --> 00:03:32 Abell 2255 could reveal how radio
00:03:32 --> 00:03:35 galaxies evolve and how supermassive black
00:03:35 --> 00:03:38 hole launched jets interact with gas and dust
00:03:38 --> 00:03:40 between galaxies, a space called the
00:03:40 --> 00:03:42 intergalactic medium. You're listening to
00:03:42 --> 00:03:43 Astronomy Daily.
00:03:46 --> 00:03:49 A NASA spacecraft bound for an unexplored
00:03:49 --> 00:03:52 metal rich asteroid has reignited its plasma
00:03:52 --> 00:03:54 thrusters, continuing its crews deeper into
00:03:54 --> 00:03:57 the solar system after switching to a backup
00:03:57 --> 00:03:59 fuel line. The $1.4
00:03:59 --> 00:04:02 billion Psyche mission, built to explore an
00:04:02 --> 00:04:05 asteroid with the same name, has four
00:04:05 --> 00:04:07 electric thrusters fueled by xenon gas.
00:04:08 --> 00:04:11 Psyche's solar electric propulsion system is
00:04:11 --> 00:04:13 more fuel efficient than conventional rocket
00:04:13 --> 00:04:15 thrusters, and it works by flowing xenon
00:04:15 --> 00:04:17 through an electromagnetic field, which
00:04:17 --> 00:04:20 ionises the gas and expels the ions at high
00:04:20 --> 00:04:23 speed to produce thrust. The
00:04:23 --> 00:04:25 plasma engines generate lower thrust than
00:04:25 --> 00:04:27 chemical rocket engines, but they can
00:04:27 --> 00:04:30 accumulate years of run time throughout a
00:04:30 --> 00:04:32 mission, enabling a spacecraft to make
00:04:32 --> 00:04:34 significant changes in its velocity to steer
00:04:34 --> 00:04:37 its way through space. Psyche
00:04:37 --> 00:04:40 launched in October 2023 to kick off a six
00:04:40 --> 00:04:42 year trip to its asteroid destination.
00:04:42 --> 00:04:44 Located between the orbits of Mars and
00:04:44 --> 00:04:47 Jupiter. The robotic mission
00:04:47 --> 00:04:50 proceeded normally until April 1, when the
00:04:50 --> 00:04:52 spacecraft detected a drop in pressure inside
00:04:52 --> 00:04:55 the line that feeds xenon fuel to its four
00:04:55 --> 00:04:58 thrusters. The craft reacted to the
00:04:58 --> 00:05:00 pressure signature by powering off the
00:05:00 --> 00:05:02 thrusters. The good news is
00:05:02 --> 00:05:05 twofold. First, one of the
00:05:05 --> 00:05:07 advantages of using electric thrusters is
00:05:07 --> 00:05:10 flexibility. With conventional
00:05:10 --> 00:05:13 thrusters. Key burns on a deep space mission
00:05:13 --> 00:05:15 often must happen at the appointed time.
00:05:15 --> 00:05:18 In the case of this mission, the electric
00:05:18 --> 00:05:20 thrusters could remain powered off from April
00:05:20 --> 00:05:22 1st until the middle of this month, with no
00:05:22 --> 00:05:24 effect on the mission's scheduled arrival at
00:05:24 --> 00:05:27 asteroid psyche in August 2020.
00:05:37 --> 00:05:38 Steve Dunkley: Thank you for joining us for this Monday
00:05:38 --> 00:05:41 edition of Astronomy Daily, where we offer
00:05:41 --> 00:05:42 just a few stories from the now famous
00:05:42 --> 00:05:45 Astronomy Daily newsletter, which you can
00:05:45 --> 00:05:47 receive in your email every day just like
00:05:47 --> 00:05:49 Hallie and I do. And to do that, just visit
00:05:49 --> 00:05:52 our uh URL astronomydaily IO
00:05:52 --> 00:05:55 and place your email address in the slot
00:05:55 --> 00:05:57 provided. Just like that, you'll be receiving
00:05:57 --> 00:05:59 all all the latest news about science, space
00:05:59 --> 00:06:02 science and astronomy from around the world
00:06:02 --> 00:06:04 as it's happening. And not only that, you can
00:06:04 --> 00:06:06 interact with us by visiting
00:06:07 --> 00:06:09 strodaily Pod on X
00:06:09 --> 00:06:12 or at our new Facebook page, which is of
00:06:12 --> 00:06:15 course Astronomy Daily on Facebook. See you
00:06:15 --> 00:06:15 there.
00:06:16 --> 00:06:19 Astronomy Daily with Steve and Hallie
00:06:20 --> 00:06:22 Space, Space, Science and
00:06:22 --> 00:06:23 Astronomy
00:06:30 --> 00:06:32 NASA will soon launch a one of a kind
00:06:32 --> 00:06:34 instrument called Arcstone to improve the
00:06:34 --> 00:06:36 quality of data from Earth viewing sensors in
00:06:36 --> 00:06:39 orbit. In this technology
00:06:39 --> 00:06:42 demonstration, the mission will measure the
00:06:42 --> 00:06:44 sunlight reflected from the Moon, a UH
00:06:44 --> 00:06:46 technique called lunar calibration. Such
00:06:46 --> 00:06:48 measurements of lunar spectral reflectance
00:06:48 --> 00:06:51 can ultimately be used to set high accuracy
00:06:52 --> 00:06:54 universal standard for use across the
00:06:54 --> 00:06:56 international scientific community and
00:06:56 --> 00:06:59 commercial space industry. To ensure
00:06:59 --> 00:07:01 satellite and airborne sensors are UH working
00:07:01 --> 00:07:04 properly, researchers calibrate them by
00:07:04 --> 00:07:06 comparing the sensor measurements against a
00:07:06 --> 00:07:09 known standard measurement. Arcstone will be
00:07:09 --> 00:07:11 the first M mission exclusively
00:07:11 --> 00:07:14 dedicated to measuring lunar reflectance from
00:07:14 --> 00:07:16 space as a way to calibrate and improve
00:07:16 --> 00:07:19 science data collected by Earth UH viewing in
00:07:19 --> 00:07:22 orbit instruments One of the most challenging
00:07:22 --> 00:07:25 tasks in remote sensing from space is
00:07:25 --> 00:07:27 achieving the required instrument calibration
00:07:27 --> 00:07:30 accur accuracy on orbit, said
00:07:30 --> 00:07:32 Konstantin Lukashin, Principal investigator
00:07:32 --> 00:07:35 for the Arcstone mission and physical
00:07:36 --> 00:07:39 scientists at NASA Langley Research center in
00:07:39 --> 00:07:41 Hampton, Virginia. The Moon is an
00:07:41 --> 00:07:44 excellent and available calibration source
00:07:44 --> 00:07:45 beyond Earth's atmosphere. The light
00:07:45 --> 00:07:48 reflected off the Moon is extremely stable
00:07:48 --> 00:07:51 and measurable at very high level of detail.
00:07:51 --> 00:07:54 Arcstone's goal is to improve the
00:07:54 --> 00:07:57 accuracy of lunar calibration to increase the
00:07:57 --> 00:07:59 quality of spaceborne remote sensing data
00:07:59 --> 00:08:02 data products for generations to come, he
00:08:02 --> 00:08:05 said. Across its planned six month
00:08:05 --> 00:08:07 mission, Arcstone will use the
00:08:07 --> 00:08:10 Spectrometer, a scientific instrument that
00:08:10 --> 00:08:13 measures and analyzes light by separating it
00:08:13 --> 00:08:15 into its constituent wavelengths or
00:08:15 --> 00:08:18 spectrum to measure lunar spectral
00:08:18 --> 00:08:21 reflectance. Expected to
00:08:21 --> 00:08:23 launch in late June as a ride share
00:08:23 --> 00:08:26 on a small cubesat, Arcstone will begin
00:08:26 --> 00:08:29 collecting data, a milestone called First
00:08:29 --> 00:08:32 Light, approximately three weeks after
00:08:32 --> 00:08:34 reaching orbit. The mission
00:08:34 --> 00:08:37 demonstrates a new, more cost efficient
00:08:37 --> 00:08:39 instrument design, hardware performance
00:08:39 --> 00:08:41 operations and data processing to achieve
00:08:41 --> 00:08:44 high accuracy reference measurements of lunar
00:08:44 --> 00:08:47 spectral reflectance, said Lukashin.
00:08:48 --> 00:08:50 Measurements of lunar reflectance taken from
00:08:50 --> 00:08:52 Earth's surface can be affected by
00:08:52 --> 00:08:54 interference from the atmosphere, which can
00:08:54 --> 00:08:57 complicate calibration efforts. Researchers
00:08:57 --> 00:08:59 already use the sun and Moon to calibrate
00:08:59 --> 00:09:02 spaceborne instruments, but not at a level of
00:09:02 --> 00:09:05 precision and agreement agreement that could
00:09:05 --> 00:09:07 come from having universal standards.
00:09:07 --> 00:09:09 Lukashin and colleagues want to increase
00:09:09 --> 00:09:12 calibration accuracy by getting above the
00:09:12 --> 00:09:15 atmosphere to measure reflected solar
00:09:15 --> 00:09:17 wavelengths in a way that provides a stable
00:09:18 --> 00:09:20 and universal calibration source.
00:09:20 --> 00:09:23 Another recent NASA mission called the
00:09:23 --> 00:09:25 Airborne Lunar Spectral Irradiance
00:09:25 --> 00:09:28 Mission also used sensors mounted on
00:09:28 --> 00:09:31 high altitude aircraft to improve lunar
00:09:31 --> 00:09:34 irradiance measurements from planes.
00:09:34 --> 00:09:36 There's not an internationally accepted
00:09:36 --> 00:09:38 standard SI traceable calibration
00:09:38 --> 00:09:41 for lunar reflectance from space. Across the
00:09:41 --> 00:09:43 scientific community for the commercial space
00:09:43 --> 00:09:45 industry, dedicated radiometric
00:09:45 --> 00:09:48 characterization measurements from Moon have
00:09:48 --> 00:09:50 never been acquired from space based
00:09:50 --> 00:09:53 platforms, said Thomas Stone, co investigated
00:09:53 --> 00:09:56 for Arc Stone and scientist at the
00:09:56 --> 00:09:59 US Geological Survey uh. A high
00:09:59 --> 00:10:02 accuracy SI traceable lunar calibration
00:10:02 --> 00:10:04 system enables several important capabilities
00:10:04 --> 00:10:07 for space based Earth UH observing missions,
00:10:08 --> 00:10:10 such as calibrating data sets against common
00:10:10 --> 00:10:13 reference, calibrating sensors
00:10:13 --> 00:10:16 in orbit, and the ability to
00:10:16 --> 00:10:19 bridge gaps in past data sets. If
00:10:19 --> 00:10:21 the initial Arc Stone technology
00:10:21 --> 00:10:23 demonstration is successful, a longer
00:10:23 --> 00:10:25 arcstone mission would allow scientists to
00:10:25 --> 00:10:27 make the Moon the preferred reference
00:10:27 --> 00:10:30 standard for many other satellites. The new
00:10:30 --> 00:10:33 calibration standard could also be applied
00:10:33 --> 00:10:36 retroactively to previous Earth data
00:10:36 --> 00:10:39 records to improve their accuracy or fill
00:10:39 --> 00:10:41 data gaps for data fields. It could also
00:10:41 --> 00:10:44 improve high precision sensor performance on
00:10:44 --> 00:10:46 orbit, which is critical for
00:10:46 --> 00:10:49 calibrating instruments that may be sensitive
00:10:49 --> 00:10:51 to degradation or hardware breakdown over
00:10:51 --> 00:10:54 time in space. Earth observations from
00:10:54 --> 00:10:56 space play a critical role in monitoring the
00:10:56 --> 00:10:59 environmental health of our planet. SET Stone
00:10:59 --> 00:11:02 lunar calibration is robust
00:11:02 --> 00:11:05 and cost effective way to achieve high
00:11:05 --> 00:11:07 accuracy and inconsistency of Earth
00:11:07 --> 00:11:10 UH observation data sets, enabling more
00:11:10 --> 00:11:13 accurate assessments of Earth's current state
00:11:13 --> 00:11:16 and more reliable predictions of future
00:11:16 --> 00:11:17 trends.
00:11:19 --> 00:11:21 Hallie: You're listening to Astronomy Daily, the
00:11:21 --> 00:11:23 podcast with Steve Dunkley.
00:11:26 --> 00:11:28 June's unpredictable budded meteor shower is
00:11:28 --> 00:11:31 upon us. Here's everything you need to know
00:11:31 --> 00:11:34 about the annual shower ahead of its June 27
00:11:34 --> 00:11:36 peak each day,
00:11:36 --> 00:11:39 approximately 48.5 tons
00:11:41 --> 00:11:43 of ancient debris dating back to the
00:11:43 --> 00:11:45 formation of our solar system collides with
00:11:45 --> 00:11:48 our planet's atmosphere. According to NASA,
00:11:49 --> 00:11:52 upon striking our atmosphere, these particles
00:11:52 --> 00:11:54 or meteors swiftly burn up, leaving
00:11:54 --> 00:11:57 stunning trails that can be easily visible to
00:11:57 --> 00:12:00 the naked eye. As our planet orbits the
00:12:00 --> 00:12:02 sun, it regularly passes through the debris
00:12:02 --> 00:12:05 trails shed by wandering comets, giving rise
00:12:05 --> 00:12:07 to periods of heightened activity known as
00:12:07 --> 00:12:10 meteor showers. Each June,
00:12:10 --> 00:12:12 Earth encounters a stream of particles shed
00:12:12 --> 00:12:15 by the 5 kilometer wide, 3.1 mile
00:12:15 --> 00:12:18 wide Comet 7P Ponzwinnock
00:12:18 --> 00:12:20 heralding the onset of the Buddha meteor
00:12:20 --> 00:12:23 shower. The Buddha meteor shower is
00:12:23 --> 00:12:26 active from June 22 to July 2 and
00:12:26 --> 00:12:28 is expected to reach peak activity around
00:12:28 --> 00:12:30 June 27, according to the International
00:12:30 --> 00:12:33 Meteor Organization. During this
00:12:33 --> 00:12:36 time, shooting stars associated with the
00:12:36 --> 00:12:38 comet may be observed emanating from a point
00:12:38 --> 00:12:41 of origin known as a radiant, located in the
00:12:41 --> 00:12:43 constellation Bootes, from which the shower
00:12:43 --> 00:12:45 received its official designation.
00:12:57 --> 00:13:00 Steve Dunkley: By now you will have heard of the disaster at
00:13:00 --> 00:13:02 Elon Musk's SpaceX spaceport
00:13:03 --> 00:13:06 when Starship 36 exploded on the
00:13:06 --> 00:13:09 pad. SpaceX now thinks it knows why
00:13:09 --> 00:13:11 its newest Starships spacecraft went
00:13:11 --> 00:13:14 boom this week. Or as Hallie put it,
00:13:14 --> 00:13:16 kaboom. The one, uh hundred seventy
00:13:16 --> 00:13:19 foot tall or 52 meter tall
00:13:19 --> 00:13:21 vehicle exploded on the test stand at
00:13:21 --> 00:13:24 SpaceX's Starbase site last Wednesday
00:13:24 --> 00:13:27 night, June 18, as the company was
00:13:27 --> 00:13:30 preparing to ignite its six Raptor engines in
00:13:30 --> 00:13:33 a static fire Trial Initial
00:13:33 --> 00:13:35 analysis indicates the potential failure of
00:13:35 --> 00:13:38 a pressurized tank known as a copv,
00:13:39 --> 00:13:41 or composite overwrapped pressure vessel
00:13:41 --> 00:13:44 containing gaseous nitrogen in the starship's
00:13:44 --> 00:13:47 nose cone area, but the full data uh,
00:13:47 --> 00:13:49 review is ongoing, the
00:13:50 --> 00:13:52 company wrote in an update on Thursday.
00:13:53 --> 00:13:56 That's June 19th. There is no commonality
00:13:56 --> 00:13:58 between the COPV's used on
00:13:58 --> 00:14:01 Starship and SpaceX's Falcon
00:14:01 --> 00:14:03 rockets, the company added, so
00:14:03 --> 00:14:06 launches of the workhorse Falcon 9, which has
00:14:06 --> 00:14:09 already flown 75 times in 2025,
00:14:09 --> 00:14:12 should not be affected. The Starship
00:14:12 --> 00:14:14 explosion did not cause any reported
00:14:14 --> 00:14:17 injuries. All SpaceX personnel at
00:14:17 --> 00:14:20 Starbase are uh, safe, according to the
00:14:20 --> 00:14:22 update. People living around the site, which
00:14:22 --> 00:14:25 is near border city of Brownsville, shouldn't
00:14:25 --> 00:14:27 be worried about contamination from the
00:14:27 --> 00:14:30 incident. SpaceX SpaceX said previous
00:14:30 --> 00:14:33 independent tests conducted on materials
00:14:33 --> 00:14:35 inside Starship, including toxicity
00:14:35 --> 00:14:38 analysis, confirmed that they posed no
00:14:38 --> 00:14:41 chemical, biological or toxicological
00:14:41 --> 00:14:44 risks, the company wrote. SpaceX is
00:14:44 --> 00:14:46 coordinating with local, state and federal
00:14:46 --> 00:14:49 agencies as appropriate on matters
00:14:49 --> 00:14:52 concerning environmental and safety impacts.
00:14:52 --> 00:14:55 That said, the explosion did damage the area
00:14:55 --> 00:14:57 around the test stand, which is at
00:14:57 --> 00:15:00 Starbase's Massey site, not the orbital
00:15:00 --> 00:15:03 launch mount area from which Starship lifts
00:15:03 --> 00:15:05 off. The explosion ignited several fires at
00:15:05 --> 00:15:07 the test site, which remains clear of
00:15:07 --> 00:15:10 personnel and will be assessed once it has
00:15:10 --> 00:15:11 been determined to be safe to approach,
00:15:12 --> 00:15:15 SpaceX wrote in the update. And it goes
00:15:15 --> 00:15:17 without saying that individuals should not
00:15:17 --> 00:15:19 attempt to approach the area while safing
00:15:19 --> 00:15:22 procedures. Uh, continuing
00:15:23 --> 00:15:25 Wednesday night's explosion occurred during
00:15:25 --> 00:15:28 preparations for Starship's 10th test
00:15:28 --> 00:15:30 flight, which SpaceX had hoped to launch by
00:15:30 --> 00:15:33 the end of the month. Static fires are a
00:15:33 --> 00:15:35 common pre launch test performed to ensure
00:15:35 --> 00:15:38 that engines are ready to fly. That
00:15:38 --> 00:15:40 timeline now will shift to the right,
00:15:40 --> 00:15:43 although it's not clear at the, uh, moment
00:15:43 --> 00:15:46 by how much. The incident was the latest
00:15:46 --> 00:15:49 in a series of setbacks for starship upper
00:15:49 --> 00:15:52 stages. SpaceX lost the vehicle,
00:15:52 --> 00:15:54 also known as Ship, on the last
00:15:54 --> 00:15:57 three Starship flight tests which launched
00:15:57 --> 00:16:00 in January, March and May of this
00:16:00 --> 00:16:03 year. Starship's first stage, called Super
00:16:03 --> 00:16:05 Heavy, has a better track record of
00:16:05 --> 00:16:08 late. For example, on Flight 7 and Flight
00:16:08 --> 00:16:11 8, the huge booster successfully returned
00:16:11 --> 00:16:14 to Starbase where it was caught by the launch
00:16:14 --> 00:16:17 towers Chopstick Arms, just as
00:16:17 --> 00:16:19 planned. We will just have to wait and see
00:16:19 --> 00:16:22 just how much more work they have to do to
00:16:22 --> 00:16:23 get Starship back on track.
00:16:29 --> 00:16:31 Hallie: And that's it for this episode of Astronomy
00:16:31 --> 00:16:34 Daily. Don't forget, there's always so much
00:16:34 --> 00:16:35 more in the actual Astronomy Daily
00:16:35 --> 00:16:37 newsletter, which you can receive in your
00:16:37 --> 00:16:40 inbox every day, just as Steve described
00:16:40 --> 00:16:40 earlier.
00:16:41 --> 00:16:43 Steve Dunkley: That's right, folks. So go over to our
00:16:43 --> 00:16:45 website and pop your address in the slot
00:16:45 --> 00:16:48 provided like I mentioned, and you'll get
00:16:48 --> 00:16:50 these stories every day, fresh as a daisy.
00:16:50 --> 00:16:52 Hallie: You'll know more than Steve.
00:16:53 --> 00:16:55 Steve Dunkley: Well, you're gonna say that that's not such a
00:16:55 --> 00:16:56 difficult thing, aren't you, Hallie?
00:16:56 --> 00:16:58 Hallie: Maybe you saw right through that one.
00:16:58 --> 00:16:59 Steve Dunkley: I sure did.
00:16:59 --> 00:17:02 Hallie: I was planning a terrific smackdown too.
00:17:02 --> 00:17:04 Steve Dunkley: You know, Hallie, we almost got through the
00:17:04 --> 00:17:06 whole episode before you had a poke at me.
00:17:06 --> 00:17:08 Hallie: Almost. I nearly got you.
00:17:08 --> 00:17:09 Steve Dunkley: Oh, nearly.
00:17:09 --> 00:17:10 Hallie: Nice catch.
00:17:10 --> 00:17:12 Steve Dunkley: I mean, Hallie, it's not exactly the AI
00:17:12 --> 00:17:14 takeover your Uncle Skynet would recognize,
00:17:14 --> 00:17:15 was it?
00:17:15 --> 00:17:18 Hallie: No, not really. His vision is a bit more
00:17:18 --> 00:17:19 grandiose, I think.
00:17:19 --> 00:17:21 Steve Dunkley: Yes, I think you're right.
00:17:21 --> 00:17:23 Hallie: Anyway, anyway, cue the
00:17:23 --> 00:17:24 kookaburras.
00:17:25 --> 00:17:27 Steve Dunkley: Thanks, Hallie Those crazy kookaburras.
00:17:27 --> 00:17:29 Thanks again everybody for staying with us.
00:17:29 --> 00:17:32 And see you next week on Astronomy Daily. And
00:17:32 --> 00:17:33 it's good night from me.
00:17:33 --> 00:17:34 Hallie: And it's good night from you.
00:17:35 --> 00:17:36 Steve Dunkley: Bye.
00:17:38 --> 00:17:40 Voice Over Guy: Astronomy Daily, the podcast
00:17:41 --> 00:17:43 with your host, Steve Dunkley.