This week, it's cool space news you can use (if you're not stuck on the ISS!). We look at the recent flight of Fram 2, the first spacecraft to fly a polar orbit; recent revelations about the flight of Starliner from commander Butch Wilmore; a mysterious Russian satellite behaving strangely; and carnivorous Martian dust devils. We also update you on SpaceX's next test of Starship, SpinLaunch's mighty "space cannon," recent experiments on abating lunar dust, and much more. Join us!
- Fram 2 Mission - SpaceX's private orbital mission financed by cryptocurrency billionaire Chun Wang completed a four-day flight, making history as the first mission to send astronauts over Earth's poles.
- Amazon's Kuiper Satellites - Amazon launched its first batch of 27 Kuiper internet satellites on an Atlas 5 rocket, beginning its planned 3,200-satellite constellation to compete with SpaceX's Starlink.
- Blue Origin's All-Female Flight Controversy? - Actress Olivia Munn is blasting the all-female crew for Blue Origin's next suborbital flight for its costly, gluttonous mission.
- Tariffs Impact on Space Industry - The hosts discussed how new tariffs could affect aerospace companies that rely on international partnerships and imported components for spacecraft manufacturing.
- US Military Cargo Delivery with SpaceX - The US military's Rocket Cargo Vanguard program plans to test using SpaceX's Starship to deliver 100 tons of cargo anywhere in the world in under 90 minutes.
- Starliner's Harrowing Mission - New details revealed that Boeing's Starliner mission was more dangerous than initially reported, with multiple thruster failures creating serious maneuvering issues, threatening to leave them adrift in space.
- Mysterious Russian Satellites - Three Russian satellites (Cosmos 2581-2583) were observed performing proximity operations and possibly deploying another object in orbit, raising concerns about their purpose.
- Starship Test 9 Preparations - SpaceX is preparing to refly a Starship booster with 29 reused engines, marking progress toward their fully reusable rocket system.
- Japan's Mars Plans - JAXA is planning to send multiple mini rovers to Mars using an inflatable heat shield technology to enable larger payload deliveries, and add a lander to Phobos.
- Cannibal Dust Devils on Mars - The Perseverance rover captured images of two dust devils on Mars merging, with the larger one (210 feet wide) absorbing a smaller one (16 feet wide).
- Lunar Dust Mitigation Technology - NASA successfully tested an electrodynamic dust shield on Firefly's Blue Ghost lunar lander that could help manage the highly problematic lunar dust on future missions.
- Asteroid 2024 YR4 Update - James Webb Space Telescope observations determined the asteroid is about 200 feet wide with a slightly increased 3.8% chance of hitting the moon in 2032, up from 1.7%.
- SpinLaunch's Satellite Plans - SpinLaunch received $12 million in funding to develop an enhanced system using centrifugal force to launch up to 250 satellites at once, potentially offering a more cost-effective and environmentally friendly launch alternative.
Hosts: Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik
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