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Speaker 1: Welcome to Astronomy Daily. I'm your host Anna. Today We've

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got a packed episode covering India's ambitious new space projects,

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SpaceX's plans to catch starship, exciting discoveries about water on

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the Moon, groundbreaking observations from a new X ray telescope,

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and concerns about satellite interference with radio Astronomy. Let's dive

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right in first Up Today. India has recently greenlit an

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ambitious slate of space projects, showcasing its commitment to becoming

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a major player in space exploration. The Indian government has

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allocated a substantial two point seven billion dollars for these endeavors,

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which are set to push the boundaries of the nation's

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space capabilities. At the forefront of these plans is the

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Chandriyan four mission, a bold lunar sample return effort aimed

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at collecting material from the Moon's south polar region. This

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mission builds on the success of Chandrian three and demonstrates

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India's growing expertise in lunar exploration. Equally exciting is India's

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approval of its first venus orbiter mission, known as Shukre.

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While initially planned for an earlier launch, the mission is

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now targeted for twenty twenty eight. This venture will allow

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India to join the select group of nations that have

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sent spacecraft to our planetary neighbor. Perhaps most ambitious is

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India's plan to develop its first space station module, name

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the Paratia Enturich Station or BAS. This project signifies India's

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aspirations for a long term human presence in space. The

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first module is slated for launch by the end of

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twenty twenty eight, with full operational status expected by twenty

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thirty five. These projects not only highlight India's technological advancements,

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but also underscore its determination to become a key player

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in the global space arena. Let's delve deeper into India's

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ambitious Chandrian formassion. This lunar sample return endeavor is set

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to be a complex operation involving four modules launched across

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two separate rocket flights. The first launch will carry a

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lander and a sample collecting a sender vehicle targeting the

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lunar South Pole region. The second launch will deliver a

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transfer module and a re entry module to lunar orbit.

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The mission's primary goal is to collect lunar samples from

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Shivshakti point where the Chandreyan three spacecraft previously landed. Once collected,

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the ascender will launch from the Moon's surface and transfer

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its precious cargo to the re entry module. This module

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will then make the crucial journey back to Earth, aiming

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for a safe touchdown with the lunar samples intact. This

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ambitious project not only pushes India's space capabilities, but also

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sets the stage for future crude missions to the Moon.

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The technologies developed and tested during Chandreyan four will be

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critical for India's goal of landing astronauts on the lunar

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surface by twenty forty and India's space ambitions continue to grow,

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with plans now approved for the country's first space station module.

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The module, named bas Ie, is set to launch by

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December twenty twenty eight. This marks a significant step for

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India's space program, as they aim to have a fully

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operational space station by twenty thirty five. Meanwhile, India's Venus

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orbiter mission, known as Shukrayan, has faced some delays. Originally

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planned for an earlier launch, the mission is now targeted

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for March twenty twenty eight. The orbiter will carry a

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suite of scientific instruments to study Venus's atmosphere, geology and evolution.

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These projects, along with the Chandrian form mission we just discussed,

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demonstrate India's commitment to becoming a major player in space exploration.

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With a budget of nearly one hundred and fifty million

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dollars allocated for the Venus mission alone, it's clear that

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India is investing heavily in its space future. Next up,

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SpaceX is gearing up for another groundbreaking achievement in spaceflight

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history with their upcoming Starship test flight. The company plans

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to attempt something truly revolutionary, catching the massive super heavy

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first stage booster using the chopstick arms of the launch

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tower at their Starbase facility in Texas. This ambitious maneuver,

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if successful, would take rocket reusability to the next level.

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Instead of landing on a ship at sea or a

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designated pad, catching the booster right on the launch mount

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could dramatically reduce turnaround time between flights. SpaceX has been

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practicing with these tower arms, designed to lift both stages

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of Starship. Recent photos show them raising the super heavy

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booster to the expected catch height. While SpaceX says they've

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been ready for this next test flight since early August.

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Regulatory reviews have delayed the launch. The FAA isn't expected

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to complete its assessment until late November at the earliest.

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When it does fly, this will be Starship's fifth test flight.

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Each previous mission has shown improvement, with the last one

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reaching orbital velocity before a successful splashdown of both stages.

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If SpaceX can pull off this catch, it would be

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a major milestone in their quest to make Starship rapidly

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and fully reusable, a key to their goals of affordable

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space access and eventual Mars colonization. Let's take a look

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now at what's going on in China. Chinese private space

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companies are making significant strides in developing reusable rocket technology.

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Two firms, Deep Blue Aerospace and land Space have recently

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conducted impressive high altitude hop tests within their prototype vehicles.

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Land Space achieved a notable milestone in late August with

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its Juqua three hopper prototype. The vehicle swored to an

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altitude of ten kilometers during a two hundred second flight

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that included a crucial engine reignition test. The single tian

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K twelve B engine performed flawlessly, accurately landing just one

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point two meters from the center of the pad. Not

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to be outdone, Deep Blue Aerospace is preparing for its

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own high altitude test. Their shing Yan one first stage prototype,

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also known as Nebula one, is being readied for a

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flight between five and ten kilometers. This follows successful lower

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altitude tests with their subscale Nebula M vehicle. Both companies

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are aiming to develop fully reusable orbital launchers. Land Space's

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finished jew K three will stand taller than a Falcon

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nine at nearly seventy seven meters, powered by nine methane

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fueled engines. Deep blues shing Yuan one will feature nine

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kerosene burning engines in a configuration similar to the Falcon nine.

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These tests represent significant progress for China's commercial space sector

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as they work towards cost effective, reusable launch capabilities to

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serve the growing demand for satellite deployment. New research has

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revealed that water is far more abundant on the Moon

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than previously thought. A study based on data from NASA's

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Moon Mineralogy Mapper has shown that water and hydroxyl molecules

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are widespread across the lunar surface, not just confined to

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the poles as once believed. The analysis found water hidden

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in ice deposits in shaded areas and inside enriched rocks. Interestingly,

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hydroxyl molecules, which are components of water, form when solar

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protons interact with oxygen in the lunar regolith. These findings

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suggest that future astronauts may be able to find water

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resources even near the Moon's equator. Two types of lunar

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rocks were identified as potential water sources. The dark Marba

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salts are relatively dry, while the anorthosite rocks found in

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the lunar highlands contain more water heating. These rocks could

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potentially provide a long lasting water supply for lunar missions,

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while polar ice deposits remain the most accessible water source.

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This new understanding of lunar water distribution opens up possibilities

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for more flexible mission planning. However, extracting water from rocks

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would require significant energy expenditure. These discoveries are crucial for

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future lunar exploration and potential bases, as they could reduce

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the need to transport water from Earth. Understanding the Moon's

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water resources is a key step in making long term

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lunar missions sustainable. Japan's X Ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission

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or x RISM, has unveiled its first results, and they

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are absolutely fascinating. This space telescope, operated by JACKSA with

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ESA's participation, has captured stunning observations of two cosmic phenomena.

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First up, x RISM studied a supermassive black hole at

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the heart of galaxy NNGC four THY one hundred and

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fifty one, about sixty two million light years away. The

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telescope tracked superheated plasma circling the black hole at distances

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as close as zero point zero zero one light years.

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Precedented view is giving astronomers new insights into how these

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cosmic giants feed and grow. But that's not all. XORISM

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also turned its gaze to a supernova remnant called N

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one hundred thirty two D in our galactic neighbor, the

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large Magellanic Cloud. This cosmic bubble of plasma ejected from

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a massive star about three thousand years ago, revealed some surprises.

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Instead of the expected spherical shell, the remnant is more

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doughnut shaped and expanding at a mind boggling two point

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six million miles per hour. Even more astonishing, its temperature

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clocks in at a scorching eighteen billion degrees fahrenheit. These

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observations are helping scientists better understand the life cycles of

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massive stars and how elements are distributed throughout the cosmos.

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With over three thousand proposals submitted for future studies, it's

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clear that xorism is just getting started in revolutionizing our

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view of the X ray universe. While starlink satellites have

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already raised concerns about their impact on visible light astronomy,

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new research reveals they may pose an even greater threat

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to radio astronomy. Recent observations using the Low Frequency Array

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or lo FAR, have shown that SpaceX's second generation v

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too many starlink satellites are emitting up to thirty two

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times more radio waves than their predecessors. These unintentional radio

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emissions are astonishingly bright, about ten million times brighter than

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the faintest astronomical objects lo FAR can detect. This means

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any radio telescope observing when a starlink satellite passes overhead

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could have its data completely overwhelmed. As companies like SpaceX

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and one Web plan to launch tens of thousands more satellites,

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astronomers are increasingly concerned about the future of radio astronomy.

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Without proper regulations and cooperation from satellite operators, our ability

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to study the universe through radio waves could be severely compromised.

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This underscores the urgent need for dialogue between the astronomy

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community and satellite companies to find solutions that allow both

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internet access and scientific research to coexist. And that brings

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us to the end of today's Astronomy Daily. I hope

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you've enjoyed this cosmic journey through the latest space and

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astronomy news. Thanks so much for tuning in. If you're

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hungry for more, 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, catch up on all the latest stories

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with our constantly updating newsfeed, and listen to all our

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past episodes. Don't forget to follow us on social media too,

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Just search for astro Daily Pod on Facebook, x, YouTube,

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and TikTok. This is Anna signing off until next time.

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Keep looking up Sunday Start Starz