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Speaker 1: Welcome to Astronomy Daily, your source for the latest news

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in space and astronomy. I'm your host, Anna, and today

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we've got a fascinating roundup of stories covering everything from

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orbital debris concerns to lunar missions in Mars exploration. We'll

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be exploring some groundbreaking developments that are shaping our understanding

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of the cosmos and humanity's ambitious ventures beyond Earth. Our

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first story today highlights a growing crisis above our heads.

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The recent breakup of the Intel Sat thirty three E

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satellite has added another troubling chapter to the mounting space

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debris problem. This broadband communications satellite, positioned about thirty five

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thousand kilometers above the Indian Ocean, suddenly lost power and

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broke into at least twenty pieces. According to US Space

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Forces confirmation. This incident adds to an already critical situation

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in low Earth orbit, where we currently have an estimated

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thirteen thousand metric tons of space junk circling our planet.

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It's a stark reminder of what scientists called the Kessler syndrome,

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a scenario first proposed by NASA scientists in nineteen seventy

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eight where the density of objects in orbit becomes so

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high that collisions create a cascade effect, generating more debris

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and more collisions. The numbers are staggering. The European Space

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Agency's Space Debris Office estimates there are about forty thousand,

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five hundred objects larger than ten centimeters in orbit, plus

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an additional one point one million objects between one and

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ten centimeters and a staggering one hundred thirty million pieces

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smaller than a centimeter. Back in two thousand and nine,

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Donald Kessler himself declared that the orbital situation had already

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reached the point of instability. While tracking technology is improving

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and various solutions are being developed, including missions like adres

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Jay and Clearsat one designed to actively remove debris, the

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challenge continues to grow. The Intelsat incident underscores the urgent

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need for better frameworks to prevent future collisions and address

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the removal of existing space debris. Without effective action, we

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risk compromising our ability to safely operate in Earth orbit,

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potentially impacting everything from communications to scientific research. Next up today,

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let's get a Mars update. In what can only be

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described as a fascinating astronomical spectacle, NASA's Perseverance rover has

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captured an eerie and remarkable sight from its vantage point

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in Mars's Jesio Crater. The rover witnessed Phobos, one of

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Mars's two moons, passing directly between the Sun and Mars,

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creating what looks remarkably like a cosmic googly eye in

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the Martian sky. This rare transit occurred on September thirtieth,

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during the rover's one two hundred eighty fifth Martian Day

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of exploration. Using its advanced MASTCAMZ camera system, Perseverance recorded

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the potato shaped moon as it partially blocked the Sun's disk,

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casting its shadow known as the ntumbra, across the red

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planet's surface. To put this celestial dance in perspective, Phobos

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is quite tiny compared to our own Moon, about one

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hundred fifty seven times smaller in fact, measuring only seventeen

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miles across at its widest point. Despite its small size,

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these transits are relatively common on Mars because Phobos orbits

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very close to the planet's surface and almost perfectly along

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its equator. The Moon completes an orbit every seven point

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six hours, which means these transit events typically last only

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about thirty seconds. What makes this observation particularly valuable is

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that it helps scientists refine their understanding of Phobos' orbital dynamics.

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By comparing images of these transits over time, researchers can

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track subtle changes in the moon's orbit. Current calculations suggest

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that Phobos is gradually moving closer to Mars and is

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predicted to collide with the planet in approximately fifty million years,

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a cosmic blink of an eye in astronomical terms. This

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isn't the first time NASA has captured such an event

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on Mars. Several rovers, including Curiosity and Opportunity, have witnessed

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similar transits over the years, but each observation adds another

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piece to our understanding of mars complex system of moons,

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and their ultimate fate. Speaking of things colliding with planets,

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for those who've long viewed comets as mysterious harbingers in

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our night sky, scientists are now developing an innovative approach

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that could revolutionize how we detect these celestial wanderers. By

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studying meteor showers, researchers believe they can predict the orbits

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of potentially hazardous long period comets years before they become

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visible to our telescopes. The connection between meteor showers and

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comets has been well established. Those spectacular shooting stars we

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see during events like the Perseods or Geminids are actually

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debris trails left behind by comets crossing Earth's orbit. But

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until now astronomers have typically worked forward from known comets

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to identify meteor showers. This new research flips that approach

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on its head. Using sophisticated computer simulations, scientists have demonstrated

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that by carefully analyzing meteor shower patterns, they could potentially

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trace them back to their parent comets, even when those

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comets are still far from the Inner Solar System. With

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the upcoming Reuben observatory's powerful sky scanning capabilities, this method

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could provide crucial early warnings of approaching comets. The team

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simulations covered comets with orbital periods ranging from two hundred

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to four thousand years. While not all comet orbits produce

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useful shower patterns, the researchers identified seventeen scenarios where meteor

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shower observations could help locate their parent comets months or

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even years before traditional detection methods would spot them. They've

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already put this theory to the test with real world data.

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Looking at the Sigma Hydrid meteor shower, which appears each December,

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researchers found they could have predicted the arrival of Comet

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Nishimura eight months before its actual discovery in twenty twenty three.

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This practical demonstration shows just how powerful this new detection

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method could be for planetary defense and our understanding of

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these ancient Solar System visitors. Next up, news from China's

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rapidly developing space program. A fascinating space race is heating

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up between China and the United States. But this time

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it's not about putting humans on another world. It's about

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who will be the first to bring pieces of Mars

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back to Earth. China has recently announced plans to accelerate

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their Mars sample return mission, aiming to launch CHAN three

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in twenty twenty eight, two years earlier than previously scheduled.

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This ambitious mission will require two separate launches using China's

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long March five carrier rockets. The plan involves not just

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landing on Mars, but also collecting samples, launching them back

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into Mars orbit, and then safely returning them to Earth,

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all within the same year. China's approach draws on their

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successful lunar sample return missions, including their recent Far side

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Moon sample collection. Meanwhile, NASA's Mars sample return mission, a

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joint effort with the European Space Agency, continues to face

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scrutiny and challenges. The project is currently under review, with

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teams working to find a way to bring samples back

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before twenty forty while keeping costs under eleven billion dollars.

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These samples would come from carefully selected cores currently being

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collected by the Perseverance Rover in Jaesaro Crater. The scientific

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community has mixed feelings about this competition. While many researchers

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welcome the prospect of getting Mars samples sooner rather than later,

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regardless of the source, others express concern about China potentially

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achieving this milestone first. Some experts are calling this a

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potential Sputnik moment that could have significant implications for future

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Mars exploration leadership. China's mission may opt for a simpler

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grab sample approach, collecting whatever material is within reach of

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their lander. While this might be less scientifically valuable than

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NASA's carefully selected samples, the political and technological achievement of

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being first to return material from Mars could mark a

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significant shift in space exploration prominence, and another country with

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aspirations of bringing samples back from a celestial neighbor, India's

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space program, is taking another bold step forward with their

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recently announced Chandrian four mission. The Indian Space Research Organization

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or ISRA, is targeting a twenty twenty eight launch for

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this ambitious sample return mission to the Moon's South Pole,

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aiming to collect around three kilograms of lunar material from

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this scientifically fascinating region. The mission's complexity is remarkable, involving

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five separate spacecraft modules and requiring two launches of India's

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most powerful rocket, the LVM III. The carefully choreographed plan

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calls for a lander and sample collecting ascender to be

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launched first, followed by a transfer module and re entry

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module that will orbit the Moon after collecting the samples.

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The ascender will launch from the lunar surface and perform

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a crucial rendezvous with the orbiting modules before the samples

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begin their journey back to Earth. To prepare for one

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of the mission's most challenging aspects, the orbital docking of spacecraft,

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ISRO will conduct a space docking experiment known as SPADEX,

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either later this year or in early twenty twenty five.

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They're also developing new technologies, including a robotic arm for

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surface sample collection and a drilling mechanism to gather material

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from beneath the lunar surface. What makes this mission particularly

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interesting is its target location near the lunar South Pole,

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an area rich in water ice that's becoming increasingly important

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for future space exploration. At an estimated cost of about

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two hundred fifty million dollars, Isero is demonstrating its ability

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to achieve ambitious goals while maintaining relatively modest budgets. The

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Chandrian formission isn't standing alone. It's part of India's broader

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lunar exploration strategy. Plans are already in motion for chandrie

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On five, a joint mission with Japan that will feature

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a much larger rover. These missions are stepping stones toward

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India's ultimate goal of landing astronauts on the Moon by

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twenty forty and establishing a lunar base before twenty fifty next.

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As if our skies weren't cluttered enough already, the European

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Commission has recently announced its pressing ahead with its ambitious

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plans for a sovereign broadband constellation, though the project is

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facing some significant hurdles. The initiative, known as iris TI

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Infrastructure for Resilience, Interconnectivity and Security by Satellite, aims to

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deploy more than two hundred and ninety satellites by twenty thirty,

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creating a robust communications network for both government and commercial use.

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Originally slated to begin global services by twenty twenty seven,

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with satellite deployment starting in twenty twenty five, the project

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has encountered delays and substantial cost increases. What began as

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a six point five billion euroventure has now reportedly ballooned

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to around ten billion euros. The initial funding structure, which

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called for sixty percent public funding with the remainder coming

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from private industry, is currently being reassessed. A consortium called

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Space Rice, led by major European satellite operators SES, Eutelsat

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and Hispasat, has submitted what's being called a best and

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final offer for the project, while the details remain under wraps.

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The European Commission is proceeding with a twelve year concession contract,

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though they've noted that additional funding arrangements may be necessary

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after twenty twenty seven. The project has also seen some

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interesting shifts in its industrial organization. European manufacturing giants Airbus,

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Defense and Space and Thale's Alenia Space, who were initially

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co leaders of the consortium, have now moved into subcontractor roles.

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This restructuring appears to be in response to price and

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performance pressures. Despite these challenges, the European Commission remains committed

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to ensuring the project benefits the broader European space industry.

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They're maintaining their requirement that at least thirty percent of

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larger contracts be subcontracted to smaller businesses, aiming to foster

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a more diverse and robust space economy across the region.

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And that brings us to the end of today's space

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and astronomy news. Thanks for tuning in to another episode

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of Astronomy Daily. I'm Anna and I hope you've enjoyed

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today's journey through the latest developments in space exploration and astronomy.

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If you want to stay up to date with all

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the latest happenings in space, head over to Astronomy Daily

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tomorrow's exploration of the Casmos. Keep looking up. Day Star

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is so Star is the Soul Star