Astronomy Daily: Space News Updates

Welcome to Astronomy Daily! Today we explore the new lunar space race as SpaceX shifts focus from Mars to the Moon, Europe establishes its Moonport company, and NASA continues Artemis II preparations. Plus, scientists solve the mystery behind auroras, explain Uranus's radiation anomaly from 1986, and SpaceX returns to flight after a brief stand-down.
Join hosts Anna and Avery for your daily dose of space and astronomy news!
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### Featured Stories
**[00:00] Introduction**
Your hosts Anna and Avery preview today's Moon-focused episode
**[01:15] SpaceX Pivots from Mars to Moon**
- Elon Musk announces strategic shift to lunar settlement
- Moon city achievable in under 10 years vs 20+ for Mars
- Launch windows: Moon every 10 days vs Mars every 26 months
- Alignment with Trump's space policy and Artemis program
- Mars plans delayed but not abandoned (5-7 year timeline)
- History of Musk's changing Mars predictions
**[05:30] Europe's Moonport Ambitions**
- German aerospace company OHB establishes European Moonport Company
- Consolidating lunar mission activities and future infrastructure
- Involvement in ESA's Argonaut lander and Gateway ESPRIT module
- Moon base concept developed with Munich Airport International
- European funding commitments at ESA Ministerial Council
- Italy leads Moon exploration funding at €284 million
**[09:45] NASA Artemis II Progress Report**
- Technicians replace seals after hydrogen leak detection
- Tail service mast umbilical repairs and testing
- Operational changes for next wet dress rehearsal
- Extended countdown hold times for troubleshooting
- Crew training continues: Wiseman, Glover, Koch, Hansen
- March launch window still under consideration
**[13:00] Aurora Power Source Discovered**
- International team solves decades-old mystery
- Alfvén waves act as natural particle accelerators
- Analysis of Van Allen Probes and THEMIS mission data
- Universal model applicable to other planets
- Collaboration between HKU and UCLA researchers
- Applications for Jupiter, Saturn, and exoplanet studies
**[15:30] Uranus Radiation Mystery Solved**
- Voyager 2's 1986 anomaly explained after 40 years
- Co-rotating interaction region (CIR) supercharged radiation belts
- Comparative analysis with Earth's space weather events
- Southwest Research Institute breakthrough
- Implications for future Uranus orbiter missions
- Similar applications for Neptune studies
**[18:00] SpaceX Falcon 9 Returns to Flight**
- Successful Starlink launch from Vandenberg after 5-day stand-down
- 25 satellites deployed to orbit (Group 17-33)
- Booster 1088 completes 13th flight with successful landing
- February 2nd upper stage anomaly explained
- Gas bubble prevented deorbit burn
- FAA clearance after corrective actions implemented
- Starlink constellation exceeds 9,600 active satellites
- SpaceX's 15th launch of 2026

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## In Today's Episode:
- **FAA clears Falcon 9 — Crew-12 launch set for February 11** — The four-day grounding ends after SpaceX identifies and addresses the upper stage engine ignition failure. Fourth upper stage issue in 19 months.
- **NASA study: Non-biological sources can't fully explain Mars organics** — Researchers find that known non-biological processes don't account for the abundance of organic compounds discovered by Curiosity in Gale Crater. The team modelled 80 million years of cosmic radiation exposure.
- **Interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS flares while exiting the solar system** — NASA's SPHEREx captures the comet dramatically brightening, releasing water vapour, CO₂, methane, methanol, and organic compounds from beneath its cosmic-ray-hardened crust.
- **UK proposes 30% cut to astronomy and physics research** — The deepest funding cut in a generation threatens early-career researchers and the UK's role in major international projects including the Square Kilometre Array and ESO.
- **New Glenn second stage reuse debate reignites** — Blue Origin's Project Jarvis faces the question: can a reusable upper stage beat expendable manufacturing costs? Bezos calls it a "horse race."
- **Fraggles land at Kennedy Space Center** — Jim Henson's beloved characters star in "Fraggle Rock: A Space-y Adventure," a new live show blending comedy, music, and NASA science.
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## Links & Sources:
- space.com — FAA clears Falcon 9, Crew-12 launch confirmed
- science.nasa.gov — NASA study on Mars organics
- space.com — SPHEREx observations of comet 3I/ATLAS
- space.com — UK astronomy funding cuts
- arstechnica.com — New Glenn second stage reuse debate
- arstechnica.com / kennedyspacecenter.com — Fraggle Rock: A Space-y Adventure
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Episode S05E32 - Friday, February 6, 2026
Welcome to Astronomy Daily! Join hosts Anna and Avery as they bring you the latest space and astronomy news from across the cosmos.
Episode Highlights
Lunar Smartphones: NASA Approves Modern Tech for Space
NASA astronauts will finally be allowed to bring their smartphones on missions, starting with Crew-12 to the ISS next week and the Artemis II lunar flyby in March. After years of using decade-old cameras, astronauts can now spontaneously capture and share moments with iPhones and Android devices, promising unprecedented behind-the-scenes documentation of historic missions.
Comet MAPS: A Potential Daylight Spectacle
Newly discovered Comet C/2026 A1 (MAPS) could become visible to the naked eye—possibly even in broad daylight—when it passes within 120,000 km of the sun in early April. This Kreutz sungrazer was spotted farther from the sun than any previous sungrazer, suggesting it might survive its close solar encounter and put on a spectacular show.
Mercury's Best Evening Show of 2026
The elusive planet Mercury is currently offering its best evening viewing opportunity of the year! Shining brightly at magnitude -1.1, Mercury will reach greatest elongation on February 19th, appearing 17 degrees above the western horizon after sunset. Don't miss the stunning pairing with a crescent moon on February 18th!
China Joins Space Data Center Race
China's state-owned aerospace corporation announced ambitious plans for space-based data centers as part of their five-year expansion program. This puts China in competition with SpaceX, Axiom Space, and Google in the race to build orbital computing infrastructure powered by abundant solar energy.
Dark Matter vs Black Hole: What Powers the Milky Way?
Groundbreaking research suggests the Milky Way's core might be powered by a dense clump of fermionic dark matter rather than the supermassive black hole Sagittarius A*. This controversial model explains both central star orbits and the galaxy's rotation curve while mimicking the black hole "shadow" captured by the Event Horizon Telescope.
Jetty McJetface: The Star-Shredding Phenomenon
A supermassive black hole nicknamed "Jetty McJetface" continues to astound scientists four years after shredding a star. The black hole's relativistic jet has grown 50 times brighter since 2019 and is predicted to peak in 2027, making it one of the most energetic events ever observed in the universe—over 100 trillion times more powerful than Star Wars' Death Star!
Resources & Links
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman on X (social media)
Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society journal
Event Horizon Telescope Collaboration
Astrophysical Journal
Star Walk 2 app for comet tracking
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Social Media: @AstroDailyPod on all platforms
Credits
Hosted by Anna & Avery
Produced by the Astronomy Daily team
Season 5, Episode 32
Keep looking up!

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Astronomy Daily - S05E31: Dark Sky Victory, Jupiter Redefined, Monster Sunspot
Victory for dark skies as industrial plant near major observatory cancelled • NASA's Juno mission reveals Jupiter is larger and flatter than we thought • 15-Earth-wide sunspot currently facing our planet • Unusual Martian storm reveals subsurface secrets • NASA acknowledges SLS rocket sustainability challenges • How red giant stars destroy their own gas giant planets
Host Anna and Avery discuss six major space stories for Thursday, February 5th, 2026.
Episode sponsored by astronomydaily.io - Your daily source for space and astronomy news
Featured Stories:
• Dark Sky Preservation: Industrial development threatening Canary Islands observatory cancelled
• Jupiter Redefined: Juno mission measurements reveal true size and shape of gas giant
• Solar Activity: Monster sunspot 15 Earths wide faces Earth - viewing safety tips included
• Martian Meteorology: Unusual storm system reveals subsurface features of red planet
• SLS Reality Check: NASA publicly addresses Space Launch System cost sustainability
• Stellar Destruction: Red giants systematically destroy orbiting gas giant planets
Follow us:
Website: astronomydaily.io
Social: @AstroDailyPod (all platforms)

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Welcome to Astronomy Daily, bringing you the latest space and astronomy news. I'm Anna, joined by my co-host Avery, with today's cosmic headlines for Wednesday, February 4th, 2026.
Episode Highlights:
🚀 ARTEMIS 2 DELAYED - NASA's historic moon mission pushed to March after hydrogen leak during wet dress rehearsal. Four astronauts await their journey around the Moon as teams address familiar technical challenges.
🛰️ SPACEX UNVEILS STARGAZE - Revolutionary space traffic management system uses 30,000 star trackers to detect 30 million orbital transits daily. Free conjunction data offered to all satellite operators starting this spring.
⚠️ FALCON 9 GROUNDED - SpaceX temporarily halts launches after upper stage deorbit issue. Critical Crew-12 astronaut mission scheduled for February 11th hangs in the balance.
🌌 JWST'S RARE DISCOVERY - Five-way galaxy merger spotted in early universe challenges cosmic evolution models. System formed just 800 million years after Big Bang shows unexpected complexity.
🌠 LOCAL VOID MYSTERY SOLVED - 50-year puzzle resolved as scientists map flat sheet of matter beyond Local Group. Milky Way fleeing massive cosmic void at 600,000 mph.
⭐ RUNAWAY STARS MAPPED - Largest study reveals dual mechanisms ejecting massive stars from the galaxy. 214 O-type stellar speedsters analyzed, some exceeding 700 km/s.
For more space news, visit astronomydaily.io and follow us @AstroDailyPod on all major platforms.

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