Space News

These are my notes and expanded thoughts from this month’s Space News segment on ABC Radio Hobart and ABC Northern Tasmania. Every month I join Lucie Cutting on Sunday mornings to chat about what’s happening above and beyond. Here’s what we discussed, plus some of my notes, and expanded thoughts from this edition of the programme: Moss Survived Nine Months in Space, and Scientists Are Stunned Japanese researchers strapped moss spores to the outside of the International Space Station for 283 days. Not inside. Outside. Direct exposure to vacuum, cosmic radiation, UV bombardment up to 1,000 times stronger than Earth’s surface, and temperature swings that would kill almost anything. ...

These are my notes and expanded thoughts from this month’s Space News segment on ABC Radio Hobart and ABC Northern Tasmania. Every month I join Lucie Cutting on Sunday mornings to chat about what’s happening above and beyond. Here’s what we discussed, plus some of my notes, and expanded thoughts from this edition of the programme: Water on the moon? China just made space history, and it’s not the headline you’d expect. Back in June 2024, their Chang’e-6 mission became the first spacecraft ever to return samples from the lunar far side. The mission was very cool (a technical term), requiring a relay satellite just to communicate, since radio signals can’t pass through a moon’s worth of solid rock. ...

These are my notes and expanded thoughts from this month’s Space News segment on ABC Radio Hobart and ABC Northern Tasmania. Every month I join Lucie Cutting on Sunday mornings to chat about what’s happening above and beyond. Here’s what we discussed, plus some of my notes, and expanded thoughts from this edition of the programme: The World’s Space Community Came to Sydney The 76th International Astronautical Congress wrapped up in Sydney this month, bringing thousands and thousands of attendees from most countries. It’s the largest global gathering of space professionals, and this year’s theme was “Sustainable Space: Resilient Earth.” ...

These are my notes and expanded thoughts from this month’s Space News segment on ABC Radio Hobart and ABC Northern Tasmania. Every month I join Lucie Cutting on Sunday mornings to chat about what’s happening above and beyond. Here’s what we discussed, plus some of my notes, from this edition of the programme: Space Command: Politics Over Strategy President Trump announced he’s moving US Space Command from Colorado Springs to Huntsville, Alabama—reversing the Biden administration’s decision and bringing domestic politics into military space strategy. This isn’t just bureaucratic reshuffling, it’s a $1 billion economic decision affecting 1,400 jobs and America’s space defence capabilities. ...

These are my notes and expanded thoughts from this month’s Space News segment on ABC Radio Hobart and ABC Northern Tasmania. Every month I join Lucie Cutting on Sunday mornings to chat about what’s happening above and beyond. Here’s what we discussed, plus some of my notes, from this edition of the programme: The most valuable 14 seconds in Australian aerospace history happened last month, while the most expensive corporate rivalry ever fought in orbit just turned 40. ...

These are my notes and expanded thoughts from this month’s Space News segment on ABC Radio Hobart and ABC Northern Tasmania. Every month I join Lucie Cutting on Sunday mornings to chat about what’s happening above and beyond. Here’s what we discussed, plus some of my notes, from this edition of the programme: The $88 Million Satellite That Just Stopped Talking MethaneSAT, backed by Jeff Bezos and designed to track methane emissions from oil and gas operations, has gone silent after just over a year in orbit. Before it died, the satellite managed to reveal that US oil and gas producers are emitting methane at over four times what they report to the EPA. We know exactly where it is - you can actually track its current position - but it’s stopped responding to commands entirely. There’s some fascinating research on methane emissions monitoring if you want to understand how this technology works. ...