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Speaker 1: Welcome to Astronomy Daily, your go to podcast for the

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latest and most exciting developments in space and astronomy. I'm

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your host, Anna, and I'm thrilled to bring you another

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episode packed with fascinating stories from the Cosmos. Today, we've

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got a stellar lineup of topics that span from Earth

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to the far reaches of our galaxy. We'll start with

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an update on Europe's Ariani six rocket and its journey

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to become a key player in the competitive launch market.

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Then we'll explore a groundbreaking discovery made by the James

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Webb Space Telescope, a black hole that's actually starving its

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host galaxy. We'll also discuss the potential for US companies

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to use Australian spaceports, a development that could reshape the

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future of space launches. Next, we'll delve into new revelations

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about Mars, uncovered through innovative gravity mapping techniques. And finally,

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we'll round up the exciting rocket launches scheduled for the

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coming week. So strap in and prepare for liftoff as

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we journey through the universe's latest mysteries and marvels. In

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our first story today, we're focusing on the recent developments

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with Europe's newest rocket, the Ariani six. As many of

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you may recall, the Ariani six made its inaugural launch

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on July ninth this year. While the mission successfully carried

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out a series of important trials, it wasn't without its hiccups.

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The launch ended with the upper stage coasting in orbit,

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unable to complete its final plan maneuver. This resulted in

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the rocket failing to deploy its last batch of payloads.

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Arianni Space, the company behind Ariani six, has now traced

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this issue to what they're calling an easily fixable software fault.

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Despite this setback, Ariani Space remains optimistic. They've reaffirmed their

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commitment to stage a second Ariani six mission before the

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end of this year. This quick turnaround demonstrates their confidence

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in resolving the software glitch and their determination to establish

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Ariani six as a reliable launch vehicle. It's worth noting

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the significance of Ariani six in the current space launch market.

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Developed at an estimated cost of four billion euros, this

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rocket represents Europe's answer to the increasing competition in the

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launch sector, particularly from companies like SpaceX. As the demand

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for satellite launches continues to grow. ARIANI six is poised

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to play a crucial role in maintaining Europe's independent access

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to space and its competitiveness in the global launch market.

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Next up, the James Web Space telescope has made a

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groundbreaking discovery that's shedding new light on the power of

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supermassive black holes. Scientists have identified a black hole that's

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actually starving its host galaxy of the fuel needed to

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form new stars. The galaxy in question, nicknamed Poblo's Galaxy,

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is located a staggering twelve billion light years away. This

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means we're seeing it as it was when the universe

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was only about two billion years old, just fifteen percent

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of its current age. Despite its youth, Poblo's galaxy is

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already massive, weighing in at about two hundred billion times

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the mass of our Sun. What's particularly interesting is that

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this galaxy is in what scientists call a quenched state.

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It's not forming many new stars, which is unusual for

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such an early galaxy. The culprit its central supermassive black hole.

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Web's data shows that Pablo's galaxy is expelling large amounts

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of gas at incredible speeds. About one thousand kilometers per second.

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This is fast enough for the gas to escape the

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galaxy's gravitational pull entirely. By ejecting this cold, dense gas,

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the black hole is effectively cutting off the galaxy source

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of food for star formation. This discovery confirms what astrophysicists

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have long theorized that black holes can have a massive

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impact on their host galaxies, potentially stopping star formation altogether.

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It's a crucial piece of evidence in our understanding of

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how galaxies evolve over cosmic time. Now, let's turn our

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attention to an exciting development in the space industry, the

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potential for US companies to use Australian space ports for

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launches and payload returns. This opportunity has been made possible

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by the recent ratification of the US Australia Technology Safeguards

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Agreement or TSA. The TSA establishes a clear legal framework

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for US entities seeking to launch or return space assets

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in Australia, streamlining regulatory processes while safeguarding sensitive technology. This

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agreement opens up new possibilities for collaboration between the two

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nations in the space sector. Australia offers several unique advantages

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as a launch and return location. Its vast, uninhabited landscapes

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and less congested air and sea traffic provide a wide

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range of trajectories for launch, re entry, and landing. The

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continent's geography also allows access to various orbital regimes, including polar, sun, synchronous, equatorial,

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and mid inclination orbits. The strategic benefits of this collaboration

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extend beyond just launch capabilities. As close allies, the US

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and Australia already cooperate in defense and intelligence through partnerships

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like the Five Eyes Alliance and AUCUS. Expanding this cooperation

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to include space launch could further strengthen their strategic capabilities.

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For US companies, Australian spaceports could offer greater agility through

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diversified infrastructure, reduced congestion at existing facilities, and closer proximity

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to regional demand hubs for launch customers. This could be

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particularly advantageous for payloads originating in the Asia Pacific region.

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While there are still challenges to overcome, including infrastructure development

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and regulatory compliance, the potential for US Australia collaboration in

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space launch operations represents an exciting frontier in the global

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space industry. Moving on, now to some news from Mars.

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Recent studies using gravity data have unveiled fascinating hidden structures

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beneath the surface of Mars. Scientists have discovered dense, large

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scale features buried under the sediment layers of what was

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once an ancient Martian ocean. These findings are shedding new

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light on the red planet's geological history and volcanic activity.

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By analyzing variations in Mars gravity field, researchers have identified

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approximately twenty mysterious structures of varying sizes in the northern

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polar planes. One of these features even resembles the shape

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of a dog. Intriguingly, these dense structures, which are about

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three hundred to four four hundred kilograms per cubic meter

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denser than their surroundings, show no trace at the surface.

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They could be volcanic in origin or possibly compacted material

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from ancient impacts. The study also revealed new insights into

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the massive Tharsus volcanic region, home to Olympus Monds, the

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largest known volcano in our Solar system. A light mass

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about one thousand, seven hundred and fifty kilometers across and

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one thousand, one hundred kilometers deep, appears to be giving

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the entire Tharsis region an upward boost. This could be

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evidence of a huge plume of lava deep within the

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Martian interior, suggesting that Mars might still have active internal movements.

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To further explore these hidden Martian structures, scientists are proposing

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the Martian Quantum Gravity or MAQUIS mission. This future endeavor

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aims to map Mars's gravity field in unprecedented detail, helping

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us better understand the planet's subsurface features, ongoing mantle convection,

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and dynamic surface processes. Now, let's take a look at

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the exciting lineup of rocket line bunch is scheduled for

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this week. SpaceX is gearing up for two Falcon nine

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missions that are sure to capture our attention. First up,

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we have a launch from Cape Canaveral carrying a pair

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of Galileo Global Positioning satellites. This mission, originally planned for

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Soyuz and then Ariani six, will help expand Europe's own

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high precision positioning system. The launch was set for Monday evening,

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with the Falcon nine booster expected to land on a

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drone ship in the Atlantic. Later in the week, SpaceX

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will launch another batch of Starlink satellites from Vandenberg Space

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Force Base in California. This mission is particularly noteworthy as

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it's expected to push the number of operational Starlink satellites

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past the six thousand mark, a significant milestone for the

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growing constellation. But SpaceX isn't the only one lighting up

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the skies this week. Rocket Lab is preparing for an

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electron launch from New Zealand, carrying the second batch of

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nanosatellites for Kinis, a global connectivity provider. This mission, playfully

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named keen Ice Killed the Radio t Star, will help

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build out a planned constellation of twenty five satellites for

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Internet of Things applications. With these launches on the horizon,

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it's shaping up to be another thrilling week in spaceflight.

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Each mission brings us one step closer to a more

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connected and technologically advanced future, and that wraps up our

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cosmic journey for today, fellow stargazers. We've covered a lot

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of ground, from the upcoming ARIANI six launch to the

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James Webb Space Telescopes fascinating black hole discovery. We explored

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the potential of Australian spaceports, delved into the hidden structures

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beneath the Martian surface and looked ahead to this week's

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exciting rocket launches. Remember, for all the latest updates in

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space and astronomy, head over to our website at Astronomy

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Daily dot io. There you can sign up for our

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free daily newsletter and catch up on all the breaking

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news with our constantly updating news feed. You can also

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listen to all our previous episodes. Don't forget to follow

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us on social media. Search for astro Daily Pod on Facebook,

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x YouTube, and TikTok to stay connected with our celestial

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care community. And today's listener shout out goes to Eric

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G who's a listener and comment are on Spotify. Thank you, Eric,

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your kind words are much appreciated. This is Anna signing off.

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Keep looking up and I'll see you next time. On

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Astronomy Daily Sunday, Star is Star Story