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From Cosmic Collisions to Habitable Moons: Your Daily Space Update · Space News Today

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  Welcome to Astronomy [music]
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  Daily, the podcast where we dive into
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  the latest wonders of space and
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  astronomy while drinking coffee. [music]
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  I'm Anna and joining me is my co-host
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  Avery. Hey Avery, it's [music] January
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  6th, 2026. I trust the new year is still
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  treating you well.
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  >> Hey Anna, and hello to everyone
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  listening. [music]
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  It's been great. Lots of clear skies for
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  stargazing lately. 2026 is already
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  delivering some intriguing stories from
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  satellite mishaps [music] to upcoming
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  launches and big questions about life in
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  the universe. We've got six [music]
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  solid ones today, so let's not waste any
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  time and get started. First up, a bit of
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  bad luck for a brand new satellite.
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  Spain's newest communications bird,
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  Spain NG2, got hit by a space particle
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  while heading to its final orbit. Yeah,
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  this one's operated by Histasat for
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  Spain's Ministry of Defense. Built by
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  Airbus as part of a two billion euro
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  pair for advanced government comms
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  across Europe. It launched on a Falcon 9
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  back in October 2025. And the strike
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  happened at around 31,000 m up, actually
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  higher than its target geostationary
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  spot at 22,000 mi.
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  >> The particle impact was reported just a
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  few days ago on January 2nd. They're
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  calling it a space particle, which could
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  mean anything from a micrometeoroid to a
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  bit of space debris. Damage extent is
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  still unknown, but Histasat quickly
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  activated a contingency plan to keep
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  services running for the Defense
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  Ministry and other clients without
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  interruption.
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  >> Their team's analyzing data now, and if
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  needed, they'll replace it ASAP. It's a
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  reminder of how risky the space
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  environment is. Even in high orbits,
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  collisions can happen. Glad they had
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  backups in place.
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  >> Absolutely. Space is harsh, but
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  redundancy saves the day.
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  >> Shifting to launches, we've got a busy
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  week ahead with several missions on the
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  docket. SpaceX is leading the pack with
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  multiple Falcon 9 flights.
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  >> Starting January 8th, Starlink Group
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  6-96 with 29 V2 mini satellites from
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  Cape Canaveral. Then on the 10th, group
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  6-97,
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  another 29 for the same shell. These are
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  boosting the constellation that's
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  already serving millions globally.
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  >> And on the 11th, a cool ride share
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  called Twilight or Pandora and others
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  from Vandenberg into sun-synchronous
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  orbit. Highlights include NASA's Pandora
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  mission to observe exoplanet transits in
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  visible and IR for atmospheric clues,
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  plus Kepler's first operational SATs for
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  a laser linked mesh network, Spire's
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  hyperspectral microwave sounder for
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  better weather data, and some Lambert
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  two birds. Then ISRO kicks off their
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  2026 on January 12th with a PSLV
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  carrying EOSN1,
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  an Earth observation sat, possibly
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  hyperspectral for defense, and 18 ride
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  shares, including an experimental
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  re-entry capsule.
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  >> It's a packed lineup. Starlink
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  expansion, exoplanet science, weather
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  tech, and more. Exciting to see ride
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  shares making space accessible. Next,
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  some fascinating lab work bolstering one
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  of the leading ideas on how life began
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  on Earth, the RNA world hypothesis.
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  >> The hypothesis says RNA, that versatile
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  molecule that can store info like DNA,
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  and catalyze reactions like proteins,
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  might have been the first
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  self-replicating life precursor. A team
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  led by Utah Hiakawa from Tohoke
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  University mixed RNA building blocks,
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  ribos sugar, phosphates, nucleiobases,
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  and borates from seawater and basalt
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  rock. They heated and dried the mix,
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  mimicking underground aquifers on early
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  Earth. Surprisingly, borates didn't
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  block formation. They stabilized ribos
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  and helped phosphates, allowing RNA to
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  form naturally through the discontinuous
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  synthesis model steps. This is big
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  because all those ingredients have been
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  found in space. Ribos on asteroid Bennu
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  via Osiris Rex. A massive impact 4.3
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  billion years ago could have delivered
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  them, kickstarting RNA in borate rich
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  spots just before life's earliest signs.
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  >> Implications: life might have emerged
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  faster than thought and similar
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  chemistry could happen on Mars, where
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  borates are detected. It's not proof,
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  but strong lab support for RNA as the
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  bridge to life.
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  >> Love how this ties astrobiology to
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  origins right here on Earth.
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  >> Speaking of the moon, 2026 is shaping up
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  for a private lunar landing rush with
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  several companies aiming to touch down.
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  >> We're seeing multiple commercial
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  missions targeting the surface this
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  year, part of the broader push with
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  NASA's CLPS program and private
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  ventures. Though details vary, expect
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  attempts from players like Intuitive
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  Machines, iSpace, and others building on
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  recent efforts.
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  >> These soft landers and rovers are
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  scouting resources, testing tech, and
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  paving the way for sustained presence.
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  Successes could accelerate the moon
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  economy.
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  >> Definitely, 2026 could be a pivotal year
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  for private lunar exploration. Now an
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  ambitious proposal to hunt for habitable
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  moons around distant giant exoplanets.
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  >> A team including Thomas Winterhalder
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  from ESO suggest building a kilometric
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  baseline intererometer mirrors
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  kilometers apart for ultra high
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  resolution down to one microarchse
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  second. Paired with the upcoming
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  extremely large telescope's 39 meter
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  mirror, it could spot Earth-sized
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  exomoons out to 652 lighty years via
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  astrometric wobbles.
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  >> Current methods like transits are tricky
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  for moons around far out gas giants,
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  where habitable zones might rely on
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  tidal heating like Europa or Enceladus.
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  This setup could directly image planets
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  and detect moon signals.
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  >> Challenges are huge, costs in billions.
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  tech development post 20228 ELT. But if
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  it works, we might find the first truly
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  habitable exo worlds powered by internal
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  heat, not just starlight.
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  >> Mindblowing potential for life beyond
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  Earthlike planets.
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  >> Finally, China's Chongi 7 mission is
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  gearing up to probe the moon's south
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  pole secrets, especially water ice. The
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  stack includes an orbiter, lander,
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  rover, a hopping probe for tough terrain
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  and a relay sat. Target permanently
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  shadowed craters near the pole where
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  ancient ice could reveal the solar
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  systems volatile history. Ridgelines
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  there get near constant sunlight for
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  power while craters trap ice.
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  Objectives: precision landing, resource
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  prospecting, insitue analysis, key for
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  future bases. It's phase four of China's
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  lunar program, precursor to Changi 8 for
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  utilization tech like 3D printing
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  supporting the International Lunar
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  Research Station. Hopping probe is
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  clever for accessing shadowed spots
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  rovers can't.
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  >> This could unlock sustainable lunar
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  habitation, water for fuel, air,
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  drinking.
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  >> And that's it for today's space and
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  astronomy news. What a diverse episode.
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  satellite hits, launch previews, origins
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  of life, lunar ambitions, private and
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  national, and exomoon hunts.
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  >> The universe keeps surprising us. Thanks
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  for tuning in to Astronomy Daily. We
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  appreciate you joining the conversation.
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  >> If you enjoyed this, subscribe and share
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  with a fellow space fan. We'll be back
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  tomorrow with more.
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  >> Until then, keep looking up.
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  >> Clear skies. [music and singing]
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  Stories we told.
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  [music]