S03E211: SpaceX's Starship Drama, UFO Insights, and Lunar Traffic Concerns

Hello and welcome to Astronomy Daily, your source for the latest space and astronomy news. I'm Anna, and we have an exciting show lined up for you today. We'll be diving into SpaceX's latest Starship test flight, looking ahead at a busy week of rocket launches, exploring new developments in UAP investigations, and much more. Let's get started with today's top stories.

SpaceX launched its sixth Starship test flight on Sunday from their Starbase facility in Boca Chica, Texas. The massive vehicle lifted off precisely at 5 PM Eastern, marking another crucial step in the development of the world's largest rocket system. While the launch itself went smoothly, the mission saw mixed results when it came to the planned booster landing. About two minutes and 45 seconds into flight, the Super Heavy booster successfully separated from the Starship upper stage. However, controllers soon had to abort the planned return to the launch site, announcing a "booster offshore divert." The booster ended up making a powered landing attempt in the Gulf of Mexico just offshore, where it tipped over and exploded seconds later. This represented a minor setback after SpaceX had successfully caught the booster at the launch tower during October's flight.

Despite the booster situation, the Starship upper stage performed well during its mission. The vehicle, designated Ship 31, successfully executed a brief engine restart test in space - an important capability needed for future orbital missions. SpaceX intentionally pushed the vehicle's limits during reentry, testing the thermal protection system and flap controls under more extreme conditions than previous flights. The Starship made it through reentry mostly intact, though there was some visible damage to a flap and parts of the heat shield. After a flight lasting 65 minutes, it made a soft splashdown in the Indian Ocean, where it could be seen floating on its side in daylight conditions that allowed for excellent video coverage of the landing.

Looking ahead, SpaceX revealed they're already incorporating upgrades into the next Starship vehicle, including stretching the tanks to increase payload capacity from 1,200 to 1,500 tons and modifying the forward flaps for better reentry protection. The rapid six-week turnaround between flights was possible because the limited changes fell within the scope of their existing FAA launch license.

Space enthusiasts are in for an action-packed week ahead with multiple launches scheduled across the globe. Rocket Lab is taking center stage with two missions launching just days apart. From their Wallops facility in Virginia, they're preparing to launch the classified Leidos Mission 2, which will test experimental hypersonic technologies for the Department of Defense using a modified version of their Electron rocket called HASTE.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the world at their New Zealand launch site, Rocket Lab will send up another Electron carrying five satellites for French company Kinéis. These nanosatellites will join their growing Internet of Things constellation, marking the third batch in a series of dedicated launches for this customer. SpaceX continues their ambitious launch cadence with three Starlink missions planned this week. Two will lift off from Florida's Cape Canaveral, while another is set to launch from Vandenberg in California. The company is pushing to maintain their impressive launch rhythm, currently averaging a launch almost every other day as they work to expand their global satellite internet constellation.

Over in Kazakhstan, Roscosmos is preparing their reliable Soyuz rocket to launch the Progress MS-29 cargo mission to the International Space Station. The spacecraft will deliver over 2,500 kilograms of essential supplies, including fuel, drinking water, nitrogen, food, clothing, and scientific equipment for the crew of Expedition 72. Blue Origin is also joining the launch lineup with their NS-28 mission, marking the ninth crewed flight of their New Shepard vehicle from their West Texas facility. The mission will carry six passengers, including four first-time flyers and two returning customers, on a brief journey to the edge of space.

Rounding out the week, China has scheduled a launch of their Chang Zheng 2C rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, though details about the payload remain undisclosed at this time.

We're getting a lot of UAP or if you prefer, UFO stories lately. Here's todays update. In recent developments from Washington, the Pentagon's UFO investigation office has provided a significant update to the Senate, emphasizing their commitment to scientific rigor while acknowledging some truly puzzling cases. Jon Kosloski, who heads the All-Domain Anomaly Resolution Office, made it clear during his testimony that while they've found no evidence of extraterrestrial activity, some cases continue to defy conventional explanation. The office, established in 2022, serves as the central hub for military and government personnel to report unusual phenomena not just in the sky, but also in space and water. During the hearing, Kosloski highlighted their methodical approach to investigating these incidents, explaining how many cases resolve to ordinary explanations like birds, balloons, or drones. In a particularly interesting case study, Kosloski detailed their analysis of the 2013 Aguadilla incident in Puerto Rico. What initially appeared to be an object diving into the ocean and splitting in two was revealed to be a simpler explanation – the thermal imaging camera created an illusion when the object's temperature matched that of the water behind it.

The office has also made progress in explaining other famous cases, including the GOFAST video from 2016, which turned out to be a case of perspective creating the illusion of extreme speed. These revelations demonstrate how careful analysis can often provide rational explanations for seemingly extraordinary events. However, Kosloski acknowledged that a small percentage of reports remain truly anomalous, requiring further investigation. The office continues to face challenges in resolving cases, primarily due to limitations in sensor data and the brief nature of many encounters. Despite these obstacles, they maintain their commitment to following the evidence wherever it leads while keeping both Congress and the public informed of their findings.

As our activities around the Moon continue to increase, we're seeing the first signs of lunar traffic jams emerging. In a recently reported incident, India's Chandrayaan-2 orbiter had to perform an emergency maneuver in September to avoid a potential collision with South Korea's Danuri spacecraft. This wasn't just a one-off event - it's becoming a regular occurrence in lunar orbit. The situation highlights a growing challenge in space exploration. These spacecraft, along with NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, all share similar polar orbits around the Moon. This creates particularly risky situations over the lunar poles, where their paths naturally converge. To put this in perspective, the Korean space agency has received 40 collision warning alerts in just the past year and a half.

Currently, space agencies are handling these situations through informal email exchanges and teleconferences. There's no formal international protocol for managing these potential collisions - it's all being done through voluntary cooperation. While this system has worked so far, it's becoming clear that we need something more robust. The complexity of coordinating these orbital dances was illustrated when Danuri had to perform three separate maneuvers since entering lunar orbit - dodging not only Chandrayaan-2 but also NASA's LRO and Japan's SLIM spacecraft. Sometimes, these close calls can be remarkably tight - in a previous incident, Chandrayaan-2 had to adjust its course to avoid passing within just 1 point 8 miles of the LRO. As we look toward a future with even more nations and private companies heading to the Moon, the need for a formal traffic management system becomes increasingly urgent. Space agencies are now calling for an international platform to share information and establish clear protocols for managing these orbital intersections, similar to what we have for satellites in Earth orbit.

Exciting developments are coming from Rocket Lab as they make significant strides toward the launch of their new Neutron rocket. The company has announced they're targeting mid-2025 for the vehicle's debut flight, with commercial operations set to begin in 2026. This timeline shows remarkable progress, especially considering the project was announced just over three years ago with a budget of 250 to 300 million dollars.

The launch schedule looks promising, with plans to conduct one test flight in 2025, ramping up to three launches in 2026, and increasing to five missions in 2027. Beyond that, they're aiming for at least seven launches annually. What's particularly noteworthy is that they've already secured their first commercial customer - a constellation operator who's signed up for two missions in 2026, with options for additional launches. The Neutron rocket itself is an impressive piece of engineering. Standing at 141 feet tall, this partially reusable vehicle will be capable of lifting nearly 29,000 pounds to low Earth orbit. It's powered by nine of Rocket Lab's new Archimedes engines, which have already demonstrated successful tests at over 100% throttle level.

Construction is well underway, with significant progress on several key components. The distinctive "Hungry Hippo" nose cone has entered mechanical testing, while the second stage has already completed its first fueling test. Meanwhile, the launch pad at Wallops Island, Virginia, is nearing completion, featuring a massive 165-ton steel launch mount and newly installed propellant tanks. This represents more than just a new rocket - it's a strategic move by Rocket Lab to address what they see as a critical bottleneck in launch capacity, particularly for national security missions. The company even hints at future plans to use Neutron to deploy their own satellite constellations, though the details of these projects remain under wraps for now.

Thanks for joining us today on Astronomy Daily. This is Anna, and before we wrap up, I want to remind you to stay connected with all the latest developments in space exploration and astronomy by visiting our website at astronomydaily dot i-o. There you'll find our constantly updating newsfeed, access to all our previous episodes, and you can sign up for our free daily newsletter to never miss an update. Looking to connect with us on social media? You can find us as AstroDailyPod across all major platforms - that's Facebook, X, YouTube, Tumbler, and TikTok. Keep exploring the cosmos with us, and I'll catch you on our next episode.